See The Face Of God In Your Life!
I recently attended a two-hour seminar on exorcism at the University of Indianapolis with Father Vince Lampert, who is the pastor of Saints Francis and Clare in Greenwood, my new home parish. As the exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Fr. Lampert is one of only 50 in the United States. More than 300 students and about 50 adults attended the lecture.
“An exorcism is a prayer of the Church,” Father Lampert told the crowd. He said that he doesn’t have any special powers; as a priest, he is an instrument God uses to bring freedom from evil to a person’s life.
“The power of the exorcism always rests with the power of Christ,” he said. He reported that only 1 in 5,000 calls for prayer is really a possession of evil. The most reflective remark in his lecture was the reality that some people think the story of the devil is a fairy tale, but Scripture tells us it is very real.
Father Lampert walked us through the story of the Fallen Angels in chapter 12 of Revelations. In it, dragons fought Lucifer, who was cast out because he wanted his own supreme authority. The sins of pride and power can, and do, affect people today. The good vs. evil reported around the world in the news is enough confirmation. When faith is rejected or lukewarm, we are vulnerable. “When we are at our weakest, if we strive for holiness, dark spirits will flee,” Father Lampert said. He reminded us over and over that we have nothing to fear if we have a relationship with God.
Father Lampert travels all over the United States educating people, especially the young adults on college campuses, who sometimes lose touch with their Christian heritage while away from home for the first time. He reminded us that there is the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the power of darkness, and the battle between them is real! Television programs and movies we watch, which start out as entertainment, can sink us in to a very dark message about life and our culture.
He said that evil spirits watch closely for our weaknesses; they cannot read our mind or know our thoughts, but they will prey upon our memories and imagination. The evil spirits cannot act on our intellect or our will, and the soul always remains free.
“Do not be afraid because the devil fears your love of God,” Father Lampert said with conviction. You can read about our defense for this battle throughout Scripture, which was written by those who traveled with Jesus in a pagan world. Ephesians 4:27 tells us: “Do not give the devil a foothold;” James 4:7 tells us: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Father Lampert talked about the different ways we can make ourselves available for attack, and he encouraged us not to open the doorway with any involvement in: ties to the occult, idolatry, palm readings or psychics. Do not be weak in Christian faith because you could become the victim of a curse. He warned that people actually dedicate their newborn children to a demon, and if you are a habitual sinner, you will be used for evil purpose. When we are in broken relationships becoming bitter and holding grudges, we may open ourselves up to attacks of evil. The devil loves dissention.
When Father Lampert was first appointed an exorcist nine years ago, there were only 12 exorcists in the United States. He receives about 12 calls a week from around the U.S. He doesn’t feel there is a greater presence of evil today; but in our western society, with weakness of Christian faith, people are more involved in things that are not good.
“My goal is not to focus on evil,” Father Lampert said, “but to help people who believe they are troubled to see the face of God in their lives.” Amen!
