Can Satan attack us?

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I understand that Satan has the ability to act in the world, not only mentally to tempt us and confuse us, but also physically to hurt us and posess us. My 19 year old son just watched the excorcist for the first time a while ago. He has always been a bright and religious and strong young man. But he told me a few weeks ago that he fears Satan might try to hurt him or posess him and that he can't sleep at night. I told him that by regular participation in the sacraments and by praying to Mary and asking the angels and saints to watch over him, he has nothing to fear. he was sleeping well for a while and i guess he forgot about it, but then he came to me the other day and said that he found a website that explains that posessions have been documented by the Church to take place even among priests and nuns and lay people who are very religiously devout. that it happens around the world, even in first world countries. he says all the site could say to relieve his fears is that the Church cannot give an explanation why this happens, other than that God allows it to test our faith! Why can't the Church say something more comforting to my son? is there anybody out there that can tell me something more comforting?

Dan Brown

-- dan brown (danbrown@hotmail.com), April 29, 2004

Answers

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-- (bump@bump.bump), April 29, 2004.

Dan,

I understand you son's fears. To this day, the Exorcist makes the little hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I saw it at the age of 10. It's a long story as to how it happened. Anyway, I had the same fears, I also feared that my sisters would be possessed. What helped me overcome that fear was my father telling me that the devil could not possess anyone unless they invited him in. A common way to do this is through the occult.

I wouldn't put much trust in some of those websites. There's a lot of misinformation regarding possession and obsession out there. From what I've read, one must usually give their will to Satan to be possesed. It is extremely rare that the devil possesses anyone. The devil can attack one physically (called obsession) but this too is rare.

Ultimately, what helped change my unhealthy fear of Satan was my trust in Jesus and His power over Satan. Physical attacks and possession by Satan are rare even in this day of evil. Even then, Christ gives the Church the power to cast out demons.

Saying that such things are rare will not necessarily alleviate your son's fear. My guess is that he feels vulnerable right now because he realizes the power of evil is real. At least that's how it was for me.

On the postive side, the realization that the devil really exists and really works for my destruction is part of the equation that renewed my faith and sparked what I call my reconversion to Catholicism. If your son's faith is shaky, the first realization that Satan is real and that he is after you can be very frightening. You feel so vulnerable. For me, the only cure was faith in Christ,and the realization that Christ loves me and that I am an adopted son of God in Jesus.

What your son also needs to realize is that Satan would rather appear as the angel of light and use beauty or things that feel good to destroy him. To come in a horrible vision and do violence to him would do more to push your son towards God, who alone can save him. What we really need to be fearful of is committing sin. That is how Satan really gets a hold of us.

Your son may want to read about Teresa of Avila who saw visions of demons yet remained unafraid. She said the sign of the cross put them to flight. Also teach him the prayer of St. Michael. Help allay his fears and help him to trust in Jesus. Help him to understand that Satan is after his soul, and that sin should really be what your son fears.

Now that I look back, I think my inordinate fear of Satan had to do with my weak faith and lack of trust in Jesus and the power of grace in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. Understanding that evil really exists can be the beginning of a real growth in faith and holiness if used the right way and kept in perspective.

I will pray for your son before the Blessed Sacrament tomorrow that his fears may be allieved. You may suggest to Him to take his fear to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to ask Christ to bear this cross for him. Jesus will free him of this if your son but trusts in Him.

-- Andy (aszmere@earthlink.net), April 29, 2004.


Dan,

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Holy Rosary. Not only does this method of prayer help put us in a state to freely accept the graces of God for conversion, but some of the saints tell us that it puts demons to flight. This prayer is a great way to grow in faith, trust, and love for Christ. This in itself prrof against the devil and will help conquer your son's inordinate fear.

-- Andy (aszmere@earthlink.net), April 29, 2004.


Dear Dan, I don't know what you mean when you say the Church has not said anything to comfort your son. The Head of our Church, Jesus Christ, said in the Holy Gospel of John, "I have overome the world" and also the prince (satan) in it. Satan has no power over a believer: but that is the key word, believe. Satan will certainly posses someone if they allow him to through despair, but we are not subject to the lies of death and hell because we have the Paraclete, our Comforter, who leads us into all truth. If you go to a specific church that is ignorant of the spiritual world I would recommend praying for them and leaving it quickly. A church ignorant of satan's evil and guile is not living a spirit filled life. Anyone who serves the Lord can be attacked at times through doubt and fear, but he must never despair, for the Lord is always at hand to those who call on his name. Also I noticed, you told your son to pray to Mary, angels and saints but I did not read where you said he should pray to the Father. This is not a theological argument, it is just that above all, the omnipotent, merciful, and capable God is the one we should be calling on. Paul said the believer's spirit cries Abba when we need him. I hope you realize you can foster a relationship with the Lord and this is the greatest remedy against spiritual attacks. As Jesus said, to know and love God is eternal life. All the actions the Church recommends are good (e.g. the rosary , praying to Mary, etc.) but Jesus must always be the focus of our pray life. I will pray for your son;I have had similar fears in my life because of my sinful attitudes and ignorace of scripture but the immovable love that comes from Christ our Lord will set the faithful free. May the Peace of Christ rest upon your son and your whole family.

In Christ,

Josh

-- jd brabant (joshua123@qwest.net), April 30, 2004.


You're right, there are plenty of statements and references from the Church that may soothe any unnecessary fear of evil. I guess i was just too paranoid to realize that the answer was the simplest one. Jesus came to conquer evil, as long as we believe and recieve graces and do things that affirm our faith, we have nothing to fear. I know now that God does not allow evil to posess us or attack us if we pray to God and ask that we be free from evil. It's so simple, I laugh now that i didnt realize it. thank you all, God Bless.

Dan

-- Dan Brown (danbrown@hotmail.com), April 30, 2004.



Dan,

Encourage your son to read Scripture, beginning with the Gospels. The Word of God is comforting in itself and is testimony to Jesus' power over evil. I found that really helpful also, especially in my teenage years when I saw the Exorcist a second time.

-- Andy (aszmere@earthlink.net), April 30, 2004.


Also, Josh has great words of wisdom and truth. The key seems to be faith and trust in the Lord.

I think there are two unhealthy approaches to take to the devil. The first is that he doesn't exist, or has no power. The second is to give him more power than is his due and to fear him, forgetting about the real power and love of God.

-- Andy (aszmere@earthlink.net), April 30, 2004.


Dan,

I would like to add something further to the good advice already given. Advise your son to never watch such movies again, because this is giving the devil a foothold, inviting these types of fears and influences. Once you see or hear something, you can't erase it, and particularly with these types of things in the spiritual battle that we have in this world, we should all use wisdom in what we watch, read, and listen to. Never give evil influences any reason to enter your home or your mind. I still remember a video that I watched as a kid about this, and the song said, "If you stick it in your mind, it's gonna stay right there in your heart." This is so true, kinda like the scars we all have from past sins - even if we are forgiven, the consequences of those sins still remain.

God bless,

-- Emily (jesusfollower7@yahoo.com), April 30, 2004.


Dan,

You might find this thread helpful: The History of satan.

-- Emily (jesusfollower7@yahoo.com), April 30, 2004.


dan,

i would recommend, as i have done in the past, for your son to read malachi martins book "hostage to the devil" or at least the opening chapters, though the case studies are uneccessary. one thing your son found which is incorrect is "posessions have been documented by the Church to take place even among priests and nuns and lay people who are very religiously devout." Possession is a matter of falling away. yes, possession can occur to those who fall away from the church, but never to those who are actively devout. there have been priests attacked directly by satan or demons, and one such attack is documented in malachi martin's book, although it is significant to note that all of these attacks which i have heard of have come when the priest in question was locked in some sort of battle with satan or one of his demons. your son, not being an excorcist, need not fear being attacked by satan. if he guards his belief and loves the Lord more than the world, that will be sufficient to protect him.

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), April 30, 2004.



Send your son to a good charismatic retreat. Trust what I say, that should be the end of all his fears!!!

-- Leslie John (lesliemon@hotmail.com), April 30, 2004.

Dear Dan,

I would ask that you please take some of the opinions that you've seen here with a grain of salt, as many of them contain fundamental theological errors.

It is true that frequent use of the sacraments and sacramentals, and other attempts to live a Christian lifestyle, protect us from the influence of Satan and his demons.

However, in this regard, I submit to your judgment the experience and words of a well-known exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth. The assertion made by some previous respondants to your post - namely, that innocent people cannot be the victims of demonic influence - is inaccurate. Rather, there are many documented cases in which persons of extremely strong faith (especially mystics, such as Padre Pio) suffered greatly at the hands of demons. Two specific examples are Father Giovanni Calabria and Sister Mary of Jesus Crucified (both beatified by His Holiness, Pope John Paul II), who were subjected to periods of true satanic possession. In such cases, such sufferings are permitted to occur so that we might increase in humility, patience, and piety.

However, as Father Amorth writes, "A priest who is afraid of the devil's reprisal can be compared to a shepherd who is afraid of the wolf. It is a groundless fear." Fear of the devil comes from a lack of knowledge concerning the nature of demoniac possession and exorcism.

We must also remember that cases of authentic demoniac possession are rare (though exorcisms are frequent). Further, most victims of demoniac possession entered such a state through the solicitation of superstitious practices (sorcery, divination, Voodoo, tarot reading, Satanic ritual, etc.) that are contrary to the Christian lifestyle (N.B.: Please note, most "spiritualism" of this sort is just the product of New Age charlatans; but there is a very real and pernicious side of the Occult that Christians ought not dabble in).

For more information on this subject, I would strongly recommend reading "An Exorcist Tells His Story" (1999) by Father Gabriele Amorth, which provides a comprehensive introduction to the study and understanding of exorcism. Once you know the truth and the teachings behind the practice, you'll soon understand how ridiculous fear of Satan is.

However, if after all of this your son is still afraid, get him (a) the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel and (b) a St. Benedict's Medal. If worn with faith, these are incredibly powerful sacramentals that have been cited throughout the history of the Church for their efficacy in the fight against Satan and his angels.

God bless, MVB

P.S.: I understand that you probably have some skepticism as to the authenticity of phenomena surrounding demoniac possession (as a movie like "The Exorcist" is bound to inspire), but I should simply state that this is an area of theology on which the Church has very clearly defined doctrine and well documented case studies.

-- MVB (mvbtwin@yahoo.com), March 11, 2005.


Catholics should be aware that demonic possession, the inhabiting of a person's physical being-- is not that common. It has been known to occur much more often among unchurched, pagan peoples, or impious ones.

But devils definitely CAN attack even priests and holy people in this life. They try to overcome these faithful souls, just as Satan once tested Jesus Christ in the wilderness. Yet, a devil finds it practically impossible to truly POSSESS a faithful person. The way devils work against the faithful is called obsession, not possession. They can't pass INTO a devout Catholic at all.

But they can MOLEST him/her in the most horrific ways. It's a form of torture, but not so incapacitating; nor will it cause a devout soul to lose complete control of himself.

God sometimes permits this type of obsession as a cross for the sufferer; a spiritual ordeal of faith. But not to the extreme of despair or possession. God will never abandon you to any evil spirit.

One priest who experienced this was Saint John Vianney, Cure of Ars, in the 19th century. He is a great saint of the Church, model and patron of all parochial priests. The Cure of Ars became rather intimately acquainted with his devil obsessor.

This evil fiend would appear visibly, cursing and threatening and even striking the holy man. But he couldn't possess the Holy Cure. He might have succeeded against a sinful man, but had no real power over a faithful Catholic like the holy priest. Nevertheless, we have absolutely truthful testimony of the saint, to the reality which is demonic obsession.

It might be that a saintly 19 year-old lad like this one is being tempted or played with by a real demon. God could be allowing such trials for a good purpose. So your son might offer up his dread and discomfort to Jesus Christ out of faith and LOVE. --It's only a cross; and we are called to offer up our crosses daily! Let him only trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and he'll EASILY drive any evil spirit back to where he came from. What greater joy than to love Jesus boldly, right in the face of a demon? This is a victory that's not offered so many men of great faith. Christ places great trust in you if this were a real case of obsession. Be happy, and thank Our Lord. And don't worry about any risk of becoming ''possessed''. That normally happens to those OUTSIDE the protection of the God the Holy Spirit and the Church. It might happen, but only to certain weak souls who are habitually lax in their faith.

-- eugene c. chavez (loschavez@pacbell.net), March 12, 2005.


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