If you recall, yesterday I posted that sacramentals are part of the Church's arsenal. Well, arsenal against what you may ask? It is against the devil, demons and all kinds of evil ready to attack humans and have them lose their souls forever.
The following article is on Catholic Culture and was written by Bishop Donald Montrose, D.D.
By the "occult," we are speaking of some supra-human or supernatural influence that is not from God. We commonly associate the occult with that which has demonic influence.I hope you take the time to read the article in its entirety. It is extremely informative and something that I recommend everyone should read, regardless of their religion.
In the United States today the occult has become much more popular than it was twenty years ago. Today, there is popular Satanic music, Satanic street gangs, an increase in Satanic worship, a more widespread use of the horoscope and study of the signs of the zodiac, and Satanic games that can be purchased. In spite of this, many people do not take the occult seriously. They laugh off the notion of the Power of Evil as actually being a part of the "real" world in which we live.
...The Evil One can tempt us, but he cannot touch us directly unless we open the door for him. We should not fear Satan nor should we be constantly looking for him in the ordinary happenings of our life...In his article Bishop Montrose covers many aspects of the occult and its many kinds of practices. I would like to share with you the following on Santeria. Those of you who are Hispanic may be familiar with this blend of Catholicism and voodoo-like healing popular in some Caribbean islands.
CURING SICKNESS THROUGH SUPERSTITION ("CURANDEROS" AND "SANTEROS")My husband and I know from personal experience how getting involved with New Age healers can lead to an unsettling of one's spirit and sometimes even death. Someone we knew and who was in a lot of physical and chronic pain, got involved with a Reiki Master healer. He ultimately killed himself thereby devastating his family.
It doesn't matter if there are statues, holy water, crucifixes, prayers to Jesus, Mary and the saints, if there is any superstitious practice it is evil. These are some examples:
--using charms or a tomato to wash one's body, putting the remainder under the bed,
--cleaning one's body with eggs or lemons and burning the materials with charcoal,
--using rose water and alcohol for healing. (In one case this was prepared by placing a skeleton in the water for six hours, followed by singing and praying over the water.)
Sometimes a "curandero" gives a special vitamin to take or even prescribes "Catholic" prayers to be said. None of these "prayers" should be said in these circumstances because they were prepared under the influence of evil.
Other examples include:
--taking a special bath prepared with wine, flowers, bread, cinnamon, black sugar, and water from a river.
--wrapping a person in a special bandage, cutting off piece by piece, and burying it in a recent grave in the cemetery.
These are just a few of the superstitions used, but there are many more.
Sometimes people pray to God and to the saints and then go off seeking relief through the kingdom of darkness. Many times God does not heal through prayer or doctors because He wants the soul to be healed first of hatred, jealousy, or some other sin. God knows what He is doing. We have to choose either the power of God or the power of evil. If you have any objects used in these false cures, destroy them. Renounce Satan, renounce this sin, ask God's forgiveness and confess your sin to a priest.
If only people would realize how dangerous it is to get involved in even perceived harmless little things like reading the daily horoscopes, or any little superstitions. The devil just needs a little crack in the door to one's soul and he will gleefully accept that tiny invitation.
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
- Pope Leo XIII
14 comments:
They sadly offer Reiki at my Illinois parish and advertise it often in the church bulletin. It was featured on the front page of our local paper, and I was so embarrassed.
Please share the dangers from the article I linked to. It is extremely dangerous. You would be surprised on how many Catholic nuns, nurses, etc. use it.
I'm pretty sure its run by the sisters, I remember in the article that the one sister is a Reiki master or some junk like that. If I can find it, I'll send you the article.
Thank you for this info Esther!
Boy do I have alot of experience with many of the things written about in this article, from during my teenage years. All of it ended up being bad, bad, bad, and to this day there are one or two experiences that haunt me still. I wonder if I should write about it in my blog?
On a side note, here in Racine we have a senior citizen home for nuns. Sounds great, right? A nice, serene place on the shores of Lake Michigan for these older, religious ladies to live out their golden years? Wrong! This place is the Catholic retreat hotspot in the Milwaukee area. The retreats ALL focus on buddhism and walking the mandala and getting in touch with your inner light, etc. Also, their Sunday mass is frequented by almost every former priest in the area who left the priesthood to get married. The priest at my church jokingly calls these nuns the "Witches of Eastwick." It's sad to see this whole order of nuns be so misled by the New Age movement, and then pass it on to other unsuspecting Catholics as legitimate.
Sunny, I believe that somehow, they have to become reiki masters.
YW Tracy.
Charlotte, I hope you post on this topic. It would sure help people.
Excellent and relevent topic Esther. One cannot talk enough about the dangers of the New Age and the occult. I know because I dabbled in the occult when I was a youngster...I actually didn't believe in the ouji board(SP?)and when my cousin and I made one I was actually pushing the little glass we used. Until something began moving it so fast that we all removed our hands only to see the glass spinnning around on the table. We screamed and ran out in terror.
My mother thought me much to sensible to dabble in this...Trust me a child is a child they will experiment. My cousin and I were both troubled for years with supernaturual occurances which scared the daylights out of me. It only stopped once I became a Christian.
We need to understand that the occult IS very dangerous...When I hear even Catholics use Reiki or the enneagram it shocks me or that others visit those who can 'speak to the dead'..They are dabbling in the Devils brew!
I hope Charlotte will write about her experiences and thankyou Esther for bringing up this topic:).
Peace, JOY & much love to you:)
Marie xooxoxoxo
How very scary for you Marie!! I'm glad you shared it here so that others may be warned.
Esther ~
I just found this post of yours...and even now, the day after Thanksgiving, I am giving thanks to Almighty God for sparing me of any temptation I might have had to "dabble"...how awful for Marie and all the others who had such experiences!!!
My sister bought me a Ouija board for my birthday one year (I admit I did ask for one, ouch!) but I never even opened it...something in the back of my mind (my good Angel?) made me recoil against it every time; I hid it in the back of my closet and threw it out years later.
What I have heard since then has made me eternally grateful...
Jenn, I'm so happy to hear you didn't open it. The OUIJA board has scared me since the movie the Exorcist. Before that I don't think I had ever heard of it.
It seems I remember my older sister having one, or maybe a friend of hers?? Either way, I had used one before (once or twice), but I was so young then...and, like Marie, my own Mom figured she had taught us better than that! :(
Now I remember this and it makes my skin crawl ~ thank God I never got any more involved than that!!
I have heard too many horror stories...
It really is scary when you think about it...
I don't believe Reiki per se has any occult aspect to it. It is the practice of manipulating energy fields in and surrounding the body.
I believe the focus on external superstitions - talismans and the like are actually a minor distraction. Oppression and Possession take place as a result of a long term pattern of often minor moral surrenders. However, over the years these add up to a crumbling of our moral and spiritual integrity.
Focus your attention on how you are loving others, how you are forgiving yourself and how the Lord Jesus is key in your life. Then, irrespective of anything else - you are standing against the Devil and all his works.
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