Better Catholics – Ep. 24: Deliverance and Exorcism

“Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Deliverance and exorcism are two different forms of spiritual intervention; but both are part of the Catholic Church’s ministry of healing.  By default, ordained priests are granted authority to perform deliverance prayers, which is the process of freeing a person from any problem of a spiritual nature or cause through prayer in the name of Jesus.   Exorcism, on the other hand, is the deliverance ministry that frees a person from demonic possession or oppression and can only be performed by a priest who was given Apostolic authority by the bishop, who is the chief exorcist in a diocese.

In this episode, Fr. Nelson introduced us to the sacramentals being used by a priest in his deliverance ministry, such as the salt, holy water, etc.  It is important to note that blessings are more for the person rather than the object.

God is more powerful than the devil, and by virtue of our baptism we share in that power by being steadfast in our faith.