Possession is not the “most common” or “dangerous” aspect of the demonic realm but temptation is, according to an exorcist ordained and trained by the Catholic Church.
When many consider demonic possession, images come to mind from films such as “The Exorcist” and other examples from popular culture. Yet, the greater way the devil works is through temptation to commit evil, said Father Francois Dermine, a priest who has been an exorcist for more than 25 years, in a recent interview with Catholic News Agency.
“The most common manifestation of the demonic is temptation, which is much more significant than possession,” Dermine said.
“We must not undervalue the significance of temptation. It’s not as spectacular as possession, but it’s far more dangerous [to the soul],” he added.
The Dominican priest cautioned against thinking that every physical ailment is rooted in demonic oppression since most cases can be attributed to natural causes.
“When a person comes and asks for a blessing for a specific problem, the first thing an exorcist must ask is, did you see the doctor?” the priest said.
Dermine is a French Canadian and presently serves in the Italian archdiocese of Ancona-Osimo. He believes that it’s a mistake to confuse preternatural phenomena like demonic activity with supernatural charisms, which come from God.
“It’s a very important difference,” he said. “We have a human nature and cannot know things without learning through our senses.”
“God created us to operate in a certain way. If you have extra-sensorial perceptions, and things like this, and they are not meant to help or to provoke a spiritual result, then they cannot come from God.”
The ministry of deliverance from demonic spirits is not specifically listed as one of the spiritual graces in the New Testament in the same way that gifts of healing, discernment of spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of those tongues are, in passages like 1 Corinthians 12 and 14.
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Source: Christian Post
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