 
Fr. Bogdan Kocanda

THE SUN OF SPIRITS

A short guide   
for the laity   
on how to accompany people suffering from the actions   
of evil spirits

– Published by –

Foundation   
The Queen of the Holy Rosary

www.exorcismus.org

© All rights reserved

Translations: Dominika Krysztofowicz, Piotr Matyjaszczyk

ISBN: 9788363110727

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– contents –

Presentation

How to contact an exorcist?

What to do when we suspect an influence of evil spirits?

What to do next?

Introduction

1. A short account of the actions of evil spirits

1.1. Evil spirits

1.2. Ways of spiritual enslavement

1.3. Actions of evil spirits

Temptation

What is temptation?

Features of diabolical temptations

How to deal with a diabolical temptation?

Spiritual washing in the Blood of the Lamb

Diabolic oppression

How to deal with diabolic oppression?

Diabolic obsession

What is the diabolic obsession?

How to cope with diabolic obsessions?

Diabolic possession

2. I wish to accompany you to help you

2.1. Symptoms of diabolical enslavement

2.2. Creation of evangelic environment

The environment of faith

Attitude of Christian hope

Love that endures all

The area of the Gospel

2.3. Care for the possessed person during the day

Isolation but not slavery

Guests and strangers knocking at the doors

Music and television

Correspondence (letters, e-mails)

Toilet under control

Life area

2.4. Accompanying the possessed one at night

Bedroom

Blessing before falling asleep

Night watch

The hour of evil

Waking up

2.5. Extraordinary situations

Inner spiritual visions

Physical changes in the body of the possessed

Materialized metal objects

Occult knowledge and inner voices

Physical assaults on accompanying people

Suicide attempts

Death rituals

Affected objects

2.6. During a meeting with an exorcist priest

On the way to the exorcist

At the exorcist's place

3. Spiritual means helpful to the accompanying people

3.1. Under Jesus' banner

3.2. Holy Mary's help in spiritual struggle

3.3 The role of Holy Sacraments

3.4 The role of Sacramentals

3.5 Willpower and the attitude of repentance

4. Spiritual exercises for companions

4.1 Spiritual life program

4.2 Spiritual exhilaration

4.3. Work of love

What is it?

4.4. Internal bank of peace

How to find internal peace?

4.5. Mortification – time for release

4.6. The power of blessing

How and when to bless?

4.7 Spiritual reading of the Holy Scripture

4.8 Spiritual Holy Communion

How to accept spiritual communion?

4.9. Overcoming spiritual temptation

4.10 Return to Being Present

4.11 A familial spiritual talk

How should we conduct it?

5. Prayer of a companion

5.1 Intercessory prayer

5.2 Prayer for internal freedom

What are the functions of faith and motivation during an individual prayer for freedom?

5.3 Private exorcism

How should we say a private exorcism?

When can we say a private exorcism?

5.4 Antiphon of day and night

Antiphon of day

Antiphon of night

5.5 Franciscan meditation

How can we meditate following this method?

Preliminary prayer

Reading the Holy Scripture

Contemplation

Identifying with the scene

Evaluating your own life

Giving thanks

Setting your heart ablaze through thanking God for the truth about Himself and yourself

Praising God for His gifts

Submitting yourself to God

A plea for persevering in God's grace

5.6 Contemplation of the Cross

5.7 Franciscan chaplet

Conclusion

Prayers

Deliverance Prayer

Prayer to Holy Mary

Prayer to Saint Michael
Presentation

We are happy to present to you this e-book. We are certain that it is a good response to numerous questions and doubts as to where to find help in cases when we suspect that a person close to us is influenced by evil spirits. This book is a practical handbook and was written to guide those who need help in that respect and show them and their families the way to liberation.

Why has this free e-book been published? Working on the www.exorcismus.org website we receive requests from readers from all over the world to help them recognize the situation when a person experiences symptoms which may indicate the activity of an evil spirit, or they observe such symptoms in members of their families. Our means are modest and it is rather difficult to answer hundreds of letters. Therefore, we came up with the idea to publish a guide, available to be downloaded free of charge. Although nothing is free in this world, our Foundation has managed to raise enough financial means to carry out all necessary work to publish this e-book and buy the required licences – and this is the right moment to thank all our donors.

We have decided to publish this particular book written by father Bogdan Kocańda as this is the most substantive publication about discernment and spiritual help. Although in recent years we have seen a great interest in books concerning exorcisms and other matters related to them, it is not difficult to notice that most of them only describe these phenomena or even are sensational but cannot bring help. What we would like to do is offer assistance to those who need it.

How to contact an exorcist?

In some countries finding an exorcist seems a great problem. Saying "an exorcist" we always mean a Catholic priest, appointed for this service by his bishop. We realize that if an exorcist is not easily available, it can be a serious issue. The reason is that often no such priest is nominated in a particular diocese or such a person may live far from our place. What can be done in this situation?

First of all, we must realize that:

  1. each bishop (the ordinary of a diocese) can perform the solemn exorcism,

  1. each bishop may appoint any priest (who meets the requirements of piety) to perform a single solemn exorcism in a particular situation (or appoint a priest to be a regular exorcist in that diocese),

  1. every priest may say the prayer of release, which strictly speaking is not exorcism but in most cases it is a sufficient form of blessing and spiritual intercession and does not require a bishop's consent.

Formally, then, there are no situations when a diocese does not have an exorcist or when we have no help.

What to do when we suspect an influence of evil spirits?

– Let us summarize it in several points:

  1. Firstly, it is important to eliminate any mental disorder and analyze the situation in order to define the paticular person's condition without unnecessary emotions. Using the guide on www.exorcismus.org think what the reasons and symptoms of evil can be. Which of them refer to your case?

  1. Next, you should consult your suspicions with a priest from the nearest parish. If you are a Roman Catholic, you should confess your sins in the sacrament of Penance. As all exorcists point out, a good confession and remission of sins is the basic condition to break evil bonds.

While talking to a priest (or confessing your sins) it is necessary to describe what your experience is and ask for help in recognizing if your case is characteristic for the influence of evil spirits.

  1. If your fears seem justified and are confirmed by a priest as requiring the solemn exorcism, you should contact an exorcist appointed for a given diocese. Ask for further help the priest you have already talked to.

What to do next?

a.if in your diocese there is an exorcist and his data are public (e.g. available on the diocese website), contact the exorcist and ask to meet you and help discern the case. If there is a problem with reaching the exorcist, ask a priest to help you.

b.If there is no appointed exorcist in your diocese, do not forget that your bishop can perform the exorcism or appoint a priest to do it. Ask a priest from your parish to support you and request the bishop to perform the solemn exorcism or appoint a priest to do it.

Although at first it seems complicated, we must follow these principles. Thanks to them for the fifteen years of our activity we have never experienced any abuse on the part of an exorcist – Catholic priest. The same cannot be said about quite a large number of people who see sensation in exorcisms, or even an opportunity to make a show. Therefore, we must always and absolutely avoid situations when an exorcist is a layperson, an occultist, a spiritualist, a shaman or anyone who does not act within the frames defined by the Catholic Church. Let us also remember that exorcisms in the Catholic Church never require payment, which does not always concern laypeople who perform exorcisms. Also in other Christian denominations there are cases of "offers of exorcisms" and here we must keep in mind the basis rules:

  1. It was Jesus Christ who brought liberation from demons.

  1. An exorcism is not a magic ritual but a blessing which liberates and is performed through prayer, the Holy Scripture and a particular rite.

  1. If you need an exorcist, always turn to a Catholic priest, also when you belong to any Protestant church or you are not a Christian. Jesus came to everyone and showed us the Way which leads to freedom.

Marek Woś  
www.exorcismus.org  
The Queen of the Holy Rosary Foundation
Introduction

"I come to you, father, as no one wants to help me. I'm distressed. I can't get anything right in my life. I can't cope with myself, something inside me tells me to do evil, I'm probably possessed by the devil". I have heard opinions like this and similar ones several times before. People who are affected by some kind of misfortune or distraught in their life situation increasingly often are trying to explain their state by interference of an evil spirit. As I am far from such simplification of things, I offer my honorable reader a brief but practical reflection on the situation of people enslaved by evil spirits. By doing so, I wish to help all those who are going through similar experiences and all those who in any way accompany a person genuinely haunted by demonic forces. Thanks to the support of the editors of the monthly Rycerz Niepokalanej (Knight of the Immaculate) and the bimonthly Któż jak Bóg (Who beside God!) I can now use my own materials that have been published recently in those magazines. I think that my reflections will help not only to diagnose the true spiritual condition of an individual, but also to demystify the issues of spiritual warfare conducted against Satan and be of practical use in the lives of those who lead this fight.

As a Franciscan, I invite you to deepen the proposed issues on the basis of Franciscan spirituality, which in its centuries-old heritage disposes of great examples of warfare against the devil. The source from which we will often draw will be St. Francis of Assisi with his drive to protect the God's life in himself and in others. It was he who in his first Rule, still not confirmed by the brothers and the Holy Church, warned his spiritual sons: "Beware and abstain from all evil and persevere in good until the end" (1Rule, 21;9). Why did he put such an order in the life plan for his religious community? Is it only some "medieval moralizing" or is there some important and still valid truth hidden behind? I think that the depth of our founder's spirit and wisdom can make us trust that this order is hiding something valuable, something which cannot be indifferent for a modern man. What is it?

It is the space of spiritual life in which all of us move; an atheist wakes through the life as if in a fog of ignorance and unawareness, a Muslim, a Buddhist or a Hindu does it following their own symbols and rites, and then, there is the Christian who lives in the light of truth and understanding. This space is the space of spiritual warfare against an enemy who desires to draw man from the source of love at all costs. While for someone who does not believe in God the source of love can be imagined as an idol with no life itself, is objectively dead, then for a Christian the love has only one face – the face of Jesus Christ. And the ancient enemy, called devil and Satan, wants to deform or even eradicate this very image of God in us by any means.

The history of the spiritual warfare is as old as mankind. The first battle, unfortunately lost by our ancestors, is found on the pages of Genesis, in the description of the temptation of Eve and Adam. The result of this "clash" was the original sin, which is now erased in the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Since then, the wind of history has told us many more or less known stories of battles conducted by people against personified forces of evil. But there are moments in the history like the immaculate conception of the Mother of God or the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ which stay beyond the reach of the devil.

I do not want the reader to fall into some kind of demonophobia nor to see the actions of demonic forces everywhere, but as St. Paul indicates, every Christian is called to oppose the father of all lies. For he uses the sensual sphere of man as well as human imagination, memory and sensibility, and also the material world in which we all live, and through temptation, external interference, commonly called oppression, or the inner one known as obsession, he attacks "God's temple" (cf. 1Cor 3:16,17), and this temple is to be understood as every believer for whom the love of the Highest God is a fundamental value.

Therefore, the place of this spiritual warfare is the very man himself with his inner spiritual world, value system and all that comes within the scope of the Christian morality in its broad sense. To live in union with Christ, one must take care of the purity of the heart, live in obedience to God's will and trust in the One who first loved us. And such state can be acquired only when the believer commences with spiritual work, aiming at the development of spiritual life, the highest stage of which during this human pilgrimage is the state of mystical marriage with God. This transforming union between man and God, gives the former the feeling of complete belonging to the Creator, bringing the greatest graces a pilgrim may receive.

Satan does not want to allow it, therefore, he fights with man, in order to keep one away from the path of union with God. He undertakes all kinds of plaguing, invokes extremely contrary feelings regarding the senses and the body, from extremely pleasant and seductive to repulsive and disgusting ones. But the worst form of Satanic influence on man is the mastery of man's body, called possession, undertaken to make it lost in sin and leading further to eternal damnation. In this way, he dooms man to constant vigilance, seeing of spirits and unceasing effort of will, that could lead to responsible choices. When I am writing about these activities, I am thinking about those who engage in the spiritual warfare deliberately. Its nature is defensive and offensive at the same time. We defend against the evil spirits the life which comes from the Holy Spirit, the greatest holiness filling a Christian heart - the sanctifying grace – the gift of God's love. On the other hand, we attack the temptation to sin, innate lusts of the body, causing inner chaos and debilitation of the spirit, the influence of antichristian world, and Satan himself, who leads to a spiritual death of man as his "killer".It is not easy to defeat the enemy of man's nature but while having the Stronger Friend at our side, all that seems hardly reachable becomes fairly real and easy. However, victory may be gained not due to man's own strength or tactics which are only strengthened with thoughts about Jesus Christ but due to the real presence of God, who acts in all men with his power. Therefore, the spiritual warfare conducted by a believer is the space of God's actions in the first place, God to whom man opens and chooses as his master, as then it becomes the realm of intensified ascetic Christian work. It is an important truth because if we realize the role of God in our life, we will know where we should direct it as everyone has, apart from one.
1. A short account of the actions of evil spirits

1.1. Evil spirits

Evil spiritual forcers are active in our world and they wish to destroy the reflection of God in each man. Those are, above all, the evil spirits, that radically and irrevocably reject God and His Kingdom (see CCC 392).

They were created by the Almighty as good by nature, but they turned evil by themselves. This is mentioned by the Scripture (2 Pet 2:4, Jd 6; 1 J 3:8) and the dogma of our faith which was solemnly defined at the Fourth Lateran Council. Dogmatic formulas do not define the truth in an indefinite, variable or approximate manner and do not transform or deform it, but they keep the truth in a strictly defined form. This allows understanding the standpoint of the Holy Church, which is the essential and definitive statement of the faith, containing the claim that there are spirits of perverse intelligence and will. Created by God as angels, they are personalized beings (see Tb 12: 15;21; Lk 1: 13; 19, 26;37), lower than the Son of God (see Ps 2: 7), having another, better nature than people: there is no gender difference among them (see Mt 22:30), and they are not subject to the laws of matter in their existence and action (Mt 28: 1).

Being in opposition to God, they act against everything that comes from God: against the values such as truth, goodness, beauty, freedom, justice, peace, creativity, development, as well as against the very grace of God, the man and the whole creation. As pure spirits, they have powerful inner life reaching far beyond the strength of the human one. However, they cannot explore any spiritual thoughts and desires that are not externally manifested in a reliable way. However, in spite of the fact that the mind and will of man are closed to them, they have access to external senses and to some inner senses such as imagination and memory. They reach the mind and influence the decisions of people and their attitudes through those senses. By exploiting all possibilities, they try to tempt people to rebel against God, treating man as an object, like a tool that is needed only to accomplish a task and then to be left on its own. The description of such actions of the evil spirits is found in the third chapter of Genesis. The enemy of man described there is the serpent who, through falsehood, effectively made man doubt in God and led to distortion in Creator's image, showing God as "envier". As a consequence of the first parents' act, he left them with their "eyes open", not caring about their future.

The evil spirit, as a spiritual being, is a deformed person, because he lost the grace of love while preserving its will and intelligence and as the father of lies (Jn 8:44) a demon has no conscience which would safeguard love. Focused on himself, he loved himself above everything, until he was despised by God and man. This self-centered love shows him the ultimate goal of gaining control over everything. He wants to take over the best works of God in order to take them away from Him and use them to pursue his own glory. His actions are primarily directed at persuading man to do evil (temptation), but they can also lead to gaining control over a person (possessions). Thus, Satan's actions are usually manifested in two opposing ways: there are sinners who give themselves to him as a result of neglection or sin, or make a formal pact with him; and there are saints who are attacked ferociously without the slightest fault of theirs. He does so in order to weaken them internally, to invoke doubt in them and even to destroy them. God allows this trial even if it results in Satan's possession over man's body. The motive of such God's actions can be: the revelation of God's power (see Jn 9: 2-3), the proof of the truth of the Christian faith, the induction of the ultimate good of the spiritual sacrifice, and the conversion of those who came into contact with people experienced by evil powers.

1.2. Ways of spiritual enslavement

Masters of spiritual life point out to four main sources of enslavement, which are the sin, the lust of the flesh, the world with its temptations and anti-Christian philosophy, and Satan, the enemy of what belongs to God. The most interesting source is for us obviously the last one, because only he (the devil) is able to manipulate our freedom in such a sophisticated way (using human credulity, natural sensuality, ideologies created without God or against God, etc.) that it is pulled into rebellion against the most High, and, therefore, enslaved by his demonic influence. This enslavement can come by voluntary commitment of man's will through an alliance with evil forces, accomplished by concluding a conscious contract (pact) with the devil (e.g. in satanic sects) or by falling prey to the sin in our alienation (e.g. addiction to sexual deviations). Spiritual enslavement can be also a result of reckless contact with occult operators, being people who practice magic, divination, call upon ghosts or heal using unconventional methods, often unverifiable by scientific means, using or referring to cosmic forces or guide spirits. Some experts point to other channels through which evil spirits may "enter" into human life.

They emphasize the facts of spiritual enslavements that arise from attempts of mental concentration, often undertaken in order to transcend oneself through transcendental meditation or yoga practice. They make us sensitive to experiencing psychic alienation which takes place through drug usage, alcohol abuse or overdose of strong medicines. At the root of all this lies the disobedience to God's word which clearly states: "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you." (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

1.3. Actions of evil spirits

The tradition of the Catholic Church is rich in literature devoted to recognition of evil spirits. For this reason, there is no need to present an in-depth study in this field of theological knowledge. However, I would like to introduce the reader to the problem of accompanying persons suffering because of actions of the demonic forces in a few words, in order to present the meaning of specific concepts.

Temptation

The essence of Christian perfection is convergence to Jesus Christ, and this cannot appeal to the enemy of man and God. St. Francis of Assisi clearly said that "the devil is pleased when he can extinguish or disturb the piety and joy in the heart of God's servant, which come from pure prayer and other good works." (Regula bullata 120). This dulling and disturbing is done mainly by temptation to evil.

What is temptation?

This question can be answered easily by showing that temptation is like an attempt of encouraging man to sin. It takes place when someone or something tries to keep one away from behavior that corresponds with God's will and pursues to provoke him or her not to act in line with such behavior. Therefore, it can be shortly said that temptation is like a strong influence of external or internal nature in a person, which aims to keep him or her away from the track of God's commandments and life in accordance with principles of Christian morality.

The source of such actions can be aroused lust of flesh demanding new sensual experiences or another human being trying to influence the behavior of another person by persuasion or other actions. One cannot forget, however, that the cause of the temptation can also be an evil spirit. Since the devil did not hesitate even to tempt Jesus, would he spare His disciples?

Features of diabolical temptations

Direct diabolical temptation is characterized by extreme violence, of sudden appearance, often without a possible and balanced cause, which is easily overcome by intense prayer. Evil spirits like to interfere in the seemingly insignificant events of everyday life, because all those can be transformed into more serious conflicts. Therefore, a slight irritation can change into anger and frustration. Disappointment can take the form of envy and self-pity. Those sins can often have their origins in demons' whispering, because the evil spirits influence the spiritual life of Christians making their mutual relations impossible and offer many opportunities for sin.

It is to be noted that Satan influences human emotions and imagination through temptation, using transmitters such as our own disordered desires, our conscious and unconscious psychological wounds, our nervous weaknesses (hysterias), or the use of external tools, such as satanic sects or occult practices.

How to deal with a diabolical temptation?

To resist the temptation of the evil spirit, it is important to remember that in every temptation we can distinguish three moments: a suggestion, being a stimulant to do evil, a pleasant feeling of satisfaction and acceptance. Thus, when there is an impulse stimulating our senses, for example, an impulse for the sin of lust, or a thought or image that invokes a pleasant feeling that brings us to sinful behavior, then one must consider whether the thought or desire is good or bad. At this point we make a decision and we follow the temptation or we reject it. It is a moment of true spiritual warfare, when one has to make an actual choice.

In case of diabolical temptations, the intensity of which at that moment may be very strong, apart from the human act of rejection (through one's own will), one should implement spiritual measures, such as an ejaculatory prayer, private exorcism, a short prayer or a call upon the angels or saints for help. An effective practice against diabolical temptations seems to be spiritual washing in the Precious Blood of Christ.

Spiritual washing in the Blood of the Lamb

Feeling the compelling actions of the evil spirit, one can stand (even in imagination) under the cross of Jesus and with the faith we can afford, and turn to the Crucified to wash in His Precious Blood. This washing should especially concern the sphere of man at which the demonic attacks are directed. The Blood of Salvation flowing from the holy wounds of the Redeemer, being the source of the infinite love of God's Son, a spiritual washing of the person experiencing devil temptations, brings desired relief, because evil spirits cannot act where the grace of God is poured.

The prayer of the spiritual washing in the Blood of the Lamb may have the following formula:

"Lord Jesus, I turn to you at a moment of a very arduous temptation with a confident request. Wash me, my Good Saviour, in Your Precious Blood. An evil spirit.... [for example the curse of the sacred] tempts me to ... [for example blasphemy against the Holy Church] and I cannot fight by myself with this temptation. Therefore, by turning to Your mercy, my Lord, may Your holy Blood wash ... [for example me whole, and especially my heart and mouth], so that I... [for example never say a bad word against the Holy Church, of which I am a member by Your grace]. Let the spiritual washing wash off the power of the diabolical temptation, and Your Name will be glorified now and forever. Amen".

Once the temptation is over, we must thank God for the grace of victory, not only because we will avoid pride, but also because the glory of the Lord could brighten our face.

Diabolic oppression

The truth about the destructiveness of evil spirits is commonly known and accepted in the Christian community. However, proper and authentic discovery of actions of the evil spirits causes many problems. Let us then take a look at another, besides the demonic temptation, form of evil influence on man, being the diabolic oppression.

According to experts, diabolic oppression should be understood as external action of evil spirits directed against a particular person, in order to make one's life a misery, directed against the consistent bond with the God. This annoyance or hindrance in regard to one's spiritual life is most often accomplished through all kinds of inexplicable phenomena that happen in one's space. These phenomena can be, for example, spontaneously moving furniture in the living room, self-moving paintings on the wall, self-inflating of household appliances, sounds of walking in an empty apartment, the clock ticking though being off and similar stories.

Let us not forget that evil spirits affect the senses of man, wishing to bring one into a world without God, in which there are completely different values ​​than those taught by the Holy Church. Human senses are instruments for contact with the outside world, and therefore, through some tempting or repulsive apparitions that one sees, evil spirits can influence our attitudes and choices based to our fears or arousals (for example sexual). Similarly, evil spirits may harm our psyche by vulgar or blasphemous words heard "from nowhere", or by systematically repeated noises, beats, whispers (not caused by a real mental illness), but above all, they press us to abandon pious practices, attending the Mass, or they want to anger us to act immorally. They may also appear through physical hitting or squeezing (for example in the neck area), by which the evil spirits make the person experiencing this type of phenomena understand that they have great power over him or her, because they can chastise or torment them physically.

Demonic torments can refer not only to people but also to material reality, objects or places. It is not uncommon for items presented as souvenirs brought from Africa or South America, which had previously been part of animism practices, to become tools of human destruction, as together with their presence mysterious disorders occur, diseases which inevitably lead to rapid death, destruction of prosperity and many other similar situations happen. Such torment tends to last for a long time and is never predictable.

These phenomena create around the person experiencing this type of situation a kind of gravity that crushes, extinguishes the enthusiasm of life, keeps him or her tethered, obscures the brightness of the mind, paralyzes the will, awakens tremendous anxiety. A person experiencing diabolic oppression fears for his or her mental state, often asking himself or herself whether what they observes is real or whether it is their imagination. Such inner state does not help any spiritual development and obstructs it - which undoubtedly makes the devil happy.

How to deal with diabolic oppression?

A Christian who is experiencing diabolic oppression should calmly analyze the facts, preferably with a person objectively oriented in such phenomena. It can be a priest, and if you need – also a psychiatrist. A person experiencing such oppression, and living in faithful environment, where sacramental life is practiced and systematic prayer and frequent visitation of the Blessed Sacrament are present, copes more easily with such problems. Good prayer for release is enough to restore the balance of the spirit and to reduce the demonic influence. In other cases, when the environment is bad, it is difficult to eliminate this oppressive stimulus, as it is most often related to the sin of a person experiencing evil spirits or with the sins of people living around. In this case, it is advisable to change the living environment and to enter the process of conversion, which begins with sincere confession.

Diabolic obsession

In the first hagiographies devoted to St. Francis of Assisi we can find an event in which St. Francis came with spiritual help to one of his fellow men. This fellow of his "suffered the most severe and cruel diabolical temptations, which plunged him into the deepest despair, so that he felt forced to confess daily. This, however, made him feel shameful. Therefore, he was mortifying himself too much by fasting, night vigils, crying and whipping. "(Regula bullata 55).

From the above description we can easily conclude that this Franciscan experienced more than the usual temptation. So what was he dealing with? It seems that we are dealing here with the problem of diabolic obsession which is characterized by a series of temptations far more violent and longer lasting than the usual temptations, leading the one tormented to despair, and often - in this state - to losing the meaning of life and committing suicide.

What is the diabolic obsession?

It is a demonic action that makes man think or act in a way leading to misery, despair, impurity, self-humiliation, self-injury and even suicide. The evil spirit through imagination, images contained in the memory and the whole emotional-psychic realm of a person, causes confusion in one's inner life, leading to suffering against which such person is helpless. The compulsion for amoral actions is so strong that it is difficult to resist it even if God's help is invoked.

Such person, for example enslaved by suicidal thoughts and being tormented by those thoughts, even while trying to escape them, can suffer from obsession caused by an evil spirit. Such a person still has the possibility to think and choose for oneself but cannot find enough strength to cope with obsessive thoughts. In such cases a believing person should help, a person who will pray for release and it would be the best if it was a priest or an exorcist priest.

Diabolic obsession should be separated from mental illnesses which may have similar symptoms but are of a different source. Sometimes during the obsession one can experience all kinds of visions, commonly referred to as phantoms. Those visions, mostly of imaginary nature, are caused by demons but they can also be brought on by extensive emotional arousal. Direct influence of an evil spirit can evoke annoying ideas that may lead to anger, very strong antipathy, dangerous lovingness, discouragement or nervousness. People tormented by evil spirits in such a way can feel that their imagination is somewhat tethered by thick darkness and the feeling as if something constricted them. It is a powerlessness far more different from the one that comes from God and which usually provides self-contemplation and makes clear thinking more or less difficult.

Demonic obsessions usually lead to profanation of holy things (for example throwing or knocking down figures or paintings) and to aggression, especially towards people devoted do God. A person who goes through this kind of behavior is usually aware of his or her doings and therefore suffers even more.

Diabolic obsession can be so strong that it deserves the name of diabolic siege. According to Scarameli in the diabolical siege, the devil stays near the person whom he besieges as a captain does near a place which he surrounds closely with his troops. But he has no stable and permanent power over the body of the obsessed person (which occurs only in possession); and once the time of purification is ended, the devil himself raises the siege and goes off without exorcisms, without injunction.

How to cope with diabolic obsessions?

While coping with obsession every believer must be aware that it will be a challenging spiritual fight. Freeing oneself requires drastic changes in lifestyle, starting practicing Christian virtues and praying on a common basis. If it is the case of so called "weak" obsession, we can try to fight alone by renouncing clearly all wrong practices and relations, by devoting oneself again to Jesus Christ and constant use of sacramentals, especially through personal exorcism and other prayers. If it is the case of a "strong" obsession, it is advisable to ask for help a father confessor or some other priest who knows those issues and may provide release prayer. The prayer itself will be discussed comprehensively later, however, it must be emphasized that such prayer should be conducted by a priest and at best in a group of strongly believing persons, leading sacramental life, being in the state of sanctifying grace.

St. Francis advised his fellow the following: "Dear brother, I wish and I advise you not to feel forced to confess unless the temptations and whispers of devil stop. Do not be afraid, this caused no harm to your soul. However, always when tormented by temptations, pray the Lord's Prayer seven times" (Regula bullata 55). As Franciscan sources mention it this man "became instantly free of the internal and external torment that had plagued him for so long. Through God's grace and contribution of the blessed he continued to live in peace of mind and body".

Diabolic possession

While reading the biography of St. Francis of Assisi, we can find there many episodes when Poverello dealt with evil spirits. One day he said to his fellow: "My fellow man, I saw the devil sitting on the back of a stubborn brother and holding his throat. With such a rider he disapproved of the bit of obedience and followed his lead. But when I addressed the Lord asking for help for this brother, the demon left him immediately with shame" (2 Cel., 34). Is it a vivid example of diabolic possession? What is a possession by an evil spirit?

Father Joseph-Maria Verlinde, a renowned authority in researching how magic, spiritism and occult healing practices influence spiritual life and a person who provided services for people in all kind of spiritual warfare for many years, states that possession requires voluntarily engaging one's free will, a conscious and voluntary entry into a covenant with the forces of evil, an act of consciously concluding a pact with the enemy. According to him, without this act the possession will be impossible except for one situation - when the mother offers her child to the devil herself. Father Aleksander Posacki, a Polish demonologist, argues with this thesis as for him the possession is not connected to a pact but to one's own sin or sins of other people.

Demonic possession involves two personalities: the one of the person and the one of the evil spirit that "possesses" the person. In the case of split personality caused by a (mental) sickness, the state of trance shows only what is unconscious or what one receives from others depending on the circumstances. In a real demonic possession during a trance the second personality (the one of the evil spirit) succeeds the thoughts of the original one (of the human) in many respects. However, it does not mean that those cannot coincide. Knowing the beliefs and theological education of the possessed person is required for stating so because the simpler the religious knowledge of such a person, the more it becomes conspicuous when he or she discusses for example complex theological issues.

What is more, in the real possession the statements of the evil spirits have a specific "stigma". They have to be consistent referring to the image of the devil that we know from the Bible. The image of the devil which we can see in the case of pseudo-possession can be easily identified as a reflection of folk beliefs. Only what one imagines as the devil is then reflected, and nothing more.

The evil spirit (the second personality) that appears in the real possession is full of life and dynamics, an enemy full of fierce hatred towards God and man, an enemy tricky and deceitful. He is his own and only master, vain, with no sense of interiority, he knows very well what he is able to do and perceives the bounds of his possibilities clearly. He can appear whenever, with no warning, but there is one situation when he has to appear even if he does not want to. It is during exorcisms, while a prayer is conducted by a competent priest.

A possessed person does not differ from others on a daily basis, however, in critical situations caused by commuting with the sacrum, devil takes control over such a person: he speaks through his or her mouth (especially during exorcisms), takes his or her consciousness so that the possessed person does not know what happened and cannot recall it. Such a person may start to move unnaturally: crawl in a complicated way, beat, fall down for no reason, jump, convulse etc. The possessed may sound like an animal, for example howl poignantly, or become stiff like an iron rod.

When you ask such a person to do anything religious, beside the above mentioned behavior, she or he will react in a fierce, provocative, impious and sacrilegious way. Spiritual life of such a person does not exist, becomes difficult, elapses in unreasoned fear, however, Satan can never distort or destroy the spiritual dimension of a man. The only thing that he can do is to paralyze or stop its development in respect to human body and mind.

The evil spirit can hit and harm human body but it cannot directly influence one's intellect and will. It is true that the mind is then somewhat "blurred", one cannot grasp what is going around and the will is considerably weakened, resisting more and more faintly against this slow external invasion. However, at the moment of initiating a release process, the mind and will gradually come back to their usual activity.

No one is sentenced for evil and damnation in advance, God comes to the enslaved man with help. Exorcism is one of best such God's remedies for possession. It is like an order – meaning a specific command – given in the name and the power of Jesus Christ to the Satan by a priest appointed by the Catholic Church, making the Satan go away and stop harming the people redeemed by Christ's passion and death. To make this order effective, one has to get to know specific spirits involved, which is the first and the most basic task of an exorcist. This task is about recalling the spiritual history of the possessed person and the sins committed by him or her, grasping the possible sources of enslavement by Satan, listening to psychiatrists and neurologists, using common spiritual means: prayer, fasting, sacraments, sacramentals (holy water, salt, oils, pictures of the saints). Only when the normal means fail the exorcist gradually comes into action, starting from usual blessings and ending with the formal liturgic exorcism, called the great or the greater exorcism. The fruit of such prayers, not always direct, is the release of the possessed from the influence of evil powers, inner peace and joy of being free. A further step is to lead a released person in the direction of deepening spiritual life through walking a way of religious practices and moral life.
2. I wish to accompany you to help you

Every person involved in the spiritual warfare will sooner or later discover the important role of the Holy Church in aiming to life in freedom as God's child. The Church is a community of redemption, founded by Jesus Christ with the intention of benefiting humans and realization of its basic tasks. Due to that everyone experiences spiritual difficulties caused with all kinds of influence of evil powers, which cannot remain indifferent to God's initiative. People create a community of believers according to God's will and the role of this community is not only to worship God, which happens during liturgic gatherings, but also to help each other on the path to sanctification. This help is expressed in many ways and the two most important of them which are connected directly to spiritual warfare will be indicated here.

Christ's Church is a community of believing and baptized people and from among them God chooses his shepherds, granting them necessary charisms. Their sacramental and extra-sacramental service is an indispensable means in the fight with the forces of evil. Evil spirits are well aware of this fact as they try to attack the shepherds firstly and isolate them from people already enslaved by them. In both cases it is about destroying partly or totally the relation with people who by Christ's mandate bear the power to repel evil spirits. This cannot be allowed and the shepherds are responsible in the first place, and then the community of believers.

Sadly, still many people experienced by diabolic influences seek help outside the Church, which often leads to strengthening the enslavement and exposing them to further pathological influences. To prevent it, nowadays the importance and value of priestly ministry is generally emphasized anew, especially the exorcist one. Every bishop and exorcist priest are special stewards of Lord's power which may free us from devil's slavery and sin as well as from the 'plague' evil spirits. Therefore, the people tormented by demonic actions should seek help of their local priest In the first place and only in extraordinary cases, when the great exorcism is needed, they should meet a diocesan exorcist or bishop.

The second task of the community of the Church that is no less important is to accompany spiritually people enslaved by evil spirits. Christ's Church, guarding the dignity and freedom of man indicates the values, shows the power of God's grace and grants it in order to accomplish perfection. (see PCC 17). The great dynamics of keeping spiritual company to enslaved persons is clear here and it obliges equally the shepherds of the Holy Church and all its other members to shoulder the cross of diabolic conspiracies and actions. Each believer, especially the ones closest to the tormented person, should help as much as one can on the basis of the commandment of love of neighbor. This help can take a form of a spiritual concern (for example one can pray for the tormented, offer a penance for him or her) or material (for example through ensuring basic conditions for living when the enslaved person cannot work for living him- or herself).

The Church community is required to show a lot of consideration for the people enslaved, therefore, the community must never blame them, for Jesus never blamed the man but only man's sin. Taking into consideration the suffering of such people, resulting usually from loneliness and lack of understanding of the negative experiences, feeling of disdain and rejection and reaching a deadlock, the Church is obliged to help turn this torment into merit. Without conscious engagement of all people of God in the process of release from Satan's grasps, the spiritual fight will be limited to the efforts of singular persons, and that may result in forming an individualistic approach, which is harmful for the unity and communion of the Mystical Body of Christ. Therefore, each believer is required to affirm his or her own role in this spiritual fight and to help the ones who need such help.

2.1. Symptoms of diabolical enslavement

A correct distinction between diabolical enslavement and natural medical conditions can be made only in the way of proper spiritual examination that requires recalling the person's spiritual history, sins committed by him or her, his or her living environment, finding possible sources of enslavement, introducing usual spiritual means and sometimes a psychiatrists consultation if needed. Therefore, there are many tasks that can be realized only by a properly prepared priest. For that reason the Catholic Church involves exorcists, being always priests appointed for this service by their local bishop. Such priest is granted the main role in determining the actual state of the person experiencing enslavement and accompanying such a person spiritually.

However, we cannot forget that every Christian living with the grace of faith has appropriate means to make an initial examination. Each of us can research the sacramental life, prayer, pious practices or moral life of a person suspected of diabolical enslavement. When we see that a person looking for help shows aversion towards God and the supernatural, fears taking part in the liturgy or contact with the holy water, restrains from looking at sacred pictures or touching blessed objects, meeting with consecrated people or priests, being unable to pray or having serious difficulties with it as well as dirty thoughts caused by the supernatural, then we can find reasons to introduce common spiritual means. We can offer our help in preparing for the sacrament of reconciliation or when we are rejected strongly (often also laughed off or even attacked aggressively), we can make use of available sacramentals. We can show the holy cross to such a person, sprinkle some holy water on him or her, pray the private exorcism, touch with a saint's relic, a priest's stole or blessed medal, a scapular or Franciscan Tau Cross. These common practices cannot be indifferent for evil forces because each meeting of profanum with sacrum results in appropriate reaction. When we observe an untypical reaction of a person, for example expressions such as "It burns!", "Leave me, I don't want it, go away with this..., you...!" or a sudden loss of speech, stiffening of the body, demonic manifestation of strength, materialization of objects in the mouth, appearing satanic symbols on the body, we should immediately visit the diocesan curia and ask for contact with an exorcist priest.

The exorcist, after confirming the possession or some other kind of spiritual enslavement, should instantly undertake proper remedies. The grace of release often does not come quickly and requires time for the whole process to end with success. Secular people accompanying, and being therefore co-responsible for the fate of the enslaved by the evil forces, are required to take peculiar care of this person. Let us take a closer look.

2.2. Creation of evangelic environment

When we discuss the problem of helping an enslaved person, with a specific focus on possession by evil spirits, we must always remember that keeping company to such a person is not easy and demands great devotion. Problems that may be experienced must be discussed from the point of view of the people closest to the possessed being the family, household members, friends and others directly involved in the help as well as from the point of view of the possessed person who perceives the enslavement as a painful and unrequired burden for everyone important for him or her. However, all of this has a common starting point being the issue of understating what happened and what happens to the enslaved person. It seems that it would be preferable if an exorcist introduced people concerned with this issue, therefore we shall contact the priest providing such service in our diocese not only to make him come and help release the possessed but also to talk about appropriate behavior in specific situations. Several such suggestions should be mentioned here, keeping in mind that they might be helpful also for people not directly affected by this problem. First, we will discuss the environment in which the person experienced by diabolic possession lives.

The environment of faith

The first living environment for everyone is their family, home and all those that come to visit. In such a community we can experience joy and sadness, ups and downs, we can learn to be there for others and receive gifts from them and also - to open for the supernatural. In other words – being in family accompanies the development of faith as it is the best ground for it. Sadly, sometimes it is different. This potentially friendly part of our life can be affected by spiritual indifference, lack of interest for religious practices, doubts about God's presence and the value of being a part of the Holy Church, or even a grave sin.

In such an atmosphere in the closest environment a possessed person will feel very well but it will not affect his or her release and change of life. Therefore, the most basic task of the family and friends is to create an environment of faith for the possessed person in order to bring them to faith. It is not about encouraging the possessed person to pray or to make spiritual exercises or even to declare faith constantly, as such actions influence them negatively: he or she will feel oppressed, become aggressive, impatient, may become angry easily and unexplainable excesses may occur that deepen their psychological isolation, closing all future ways for the real help to come. Very often manifestation of evil spirits happen at such times, they may even be aimed at people encouraging to such religious practices. Unrequired aversions, understatements or frustrations may also occur.

We should rather ensure that the people living under the same roof with the possessed person become witnesses of faith themselves, meaning that they should start leading a sacramental (daily Eucharist, frequent confession) and spiritual (personal prayer, daily rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, ejaculation acts) life. Personal sanctification, without words and encouragement, will influence the possessed person far more. In such cases a testimony of faith is much more helpful, followed by the power of life sanctified by God's grace, than constant forcing him or her to prayer and pious practices which due to the evil spirits evoke disgust, loathing and weakness in the person.

Attitude of Christian hope

The awareness of being possessed by an evil spirit strengthens the pain arising from helplessness, as such a person cannot cope with this problem by himself or herself. This situation may cause revolts, impatience, withdrawal, isolation and at best - concern for others and remorse. Therefore, the people who are closest to the possessed person have an important task of bringing them Christian hope for release and peace of the heart.

If hope means waiting for something desirable to happen, a significant trust that it will happen, it would be just to reference to the occurrences connected with the life and death of Jesus Christ as He is the key for solving the problem of man's enslavement. For it is only Christ that overcame Satan and only He is able to oppose him, therefore, we must pin all our hopes of being freed from evil on Jesus. However, it is necessary to remember that the realism of Christian hope corresponds to the realism of Christian faith, meaning that people accompanying the possessed person with their attitude may show him or her the value of Christ's power and at the same time make him or her believe that God due to His nature is a guarantee of the release. He proved it by the incarnation of his Son, who died on the cross for our salvation and rose, bringing people freedom and heaven. He is able to bring this freedom back also to the possessed person if he or she is willing to start a life full of faith and totally give oneself to Him anew.

Love that endures all

Living everyday with a person possessed by evil spirit, especially after discovering the possession and starting the process of release - is not easy. Constant watching, ensuring reaching the exorcist for prayers without problems, unexplainable behavior of the possessed, manifestations of evil, attempts of escape or even killing someone close to the possessed, torments connected with helplessness of relentless negation of God and all that is sacred and all other things have to cause a lot of pain and problems for the family wanting to help the possessed. In all those actions and experiences next to the natural thought for someone who we love, we show him or her also our love. Jesus never damned the sinners but the sin itself, therefore, the family and friends of the enslaved should realize they are God's children and give them free and unconditional aid.

In the environment where bonds of love are crucial, much can be forgiven, there are no excuses, mutual accusations, the best solutions are sought, there is no lack of compassion and support, and there are mutual intimacy and trust. Thanks to all that the process of release will follow in a favorable climate and the tricks of evil spirit will be easily discovered and neutralized by prayer and appropriate spiritual acts.

The area of the Gospel

What we discussed until now indicates a very precise action area that can be related to the description of good shepherd's service, who cares for his sheep completely and with commitment, as mentioned in the Gospel (see J 10:11-15). We cannot run like a hireling seeing the "wolf". I should add that taking the effort of prayer for release and care for the possessed is a moral obligation not only of the family members but also all Christians who somehow came in contact with the possessed. This obligations results from Christ's evangelical instruction directed towards all his students: "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons..." (Mk 16, 17).

2.3. Care for the possessed person during the day

Living with the possessed by demonic forces under the same roof is not easy, as there are quick mood changes, demonic manifestations which destroy the harmony of family life and - most importantly – the fear about what will happen in the next minute. This will accompany all the household members. How to cope with it?

Isolation but not slavery

There are various evil spirits and therefore, there are various methods of their interfering with the live of the possessed, however, the motives behind keeping such a person in a kind of isolation from the external world are common. We can name three basic reasons that justify such actions. Firstly, isolation from others, meaning constant presence of a family member of a possessed takes place if the spirit evil clearly signalizes that it will do anything to kill the possessed person. Secondly, if the possessed was part of a satanic cult or another openly occult practice, we should isolate him or her from such environment to break the ties with the guru or the group itself, especially if we can observe danger coming from the cult, for example if they threaten to kill the possessed. The third reason for isolation is care for spiritual progress of the tormented person, which is possible in the environment of faith, where he or she can grow spiritually, making the release quicker.

However, we cannot lock up the possessed person as such actions are followed by defiance and aggression, being often a motive for assault of the household members. It is enough to create natural living conditions at home and to remember that we cannot leave the possessed person alone.

In most cases of demonic possessions, people who are affected cannot work, therefore they have to stay at home, which rather helps the release process. However, let us remember that the mentioned isolation has to be properly explained in advance and presented as something temporary and necessary.

Guests and strangers knocking at the doors

Every contact of a possessed person with someone living in sin or practicing occultism, being a part of a cult, does not enforce the release process and it can even follow to deepen the state of enslavement. We should remember about so called summoning of the evil spirits, which happens when the powers of the evil spirit possessing a person are growing weaker. At such times many strangers offering help or wanting "only" to see the possessed may come. Keeping psychological, spiritual and physical distance somehow helps to keep the tormented from further attacks. What is more, any contact with the "infected" arouses the evil spirit to behave rudely and presumptuously both towards the possessed and their family. Therefore, we should minimalize any guests' visits, especially in case of people not living in the sanctifying grace and exclude all help coming from people who could be suspected of any evil intentions hidden under the cover of wanting to do good, or demonic influences. The same goes for phone calls, what we should observe closely. Just like we can be blessed for the glory of God via phone, any phone contact with an occult operator or a person directed by another demon may cause deepening of the state of enslavement.

Music and television

The possessed person who stays at home will be willing to spend time somehow. Physical works will be easy for him or her, excluding periods of diabolic manifestations, when such a person will be unable to do anything. Filling the rest of the time with some kind of activity causes many problems. It happens so because the possessed, while keeping full consciousness, may not initially accept their state and will certainly be trying to do even the simplest chores. When those lack, there is music and television. And here another problem connected with tv shows and music can appear. The possessed will gladly watch shows involving violence, evil, pornography or broadcasts about fighting the Catholic Church and encouraging disfavor due to lack of moral values. It is understandable, as the evil spirit loves this kind of broadcasts and will internally encourage the possessed to watch them. While helping the possessed we cannot allow to "feed" on such a dish. We cannot, at least not at the beginning of the release process, force the possessed to watch Catholic shows due to possible rapid demonic manifestations and problems connected with them. The same refers to listening to music. Music and lyrics devoted to Christianity will incur demonic trance and music and lyrics devoted to satanic matters or new age subjects will negatively influence the release process. Therefore, morally neutral broadcasts will be the best and such can be watched or listened to without limits by the person experiencing the evil spirit inside of him or her.

Correspondence (letters, e-mails)

It is necessary also to pay attention to the incoming correspondence. In the envelopes that come by traditional mail, usually without the sender's address, there can be attached some mysterious objects "connected" to an unknown spiritual force (for example photos covered in blood, pieces of paper with unknown words). Such situations may happen if the possessed was formerly a part of a satanic cult for example . What is more, the very content of the letter may include information that will make the person tormented by evil forces enter into the state of a demonic manifestation. Therefore, it seems appropriate to control the correspondence of such a person, both the traditional as well as via the Internet.

In case of stained or unreadable letters that come from the spiritual leader, leading exorcist of another member of the priesthood, whose the words and advice may happen to cause earlier release, we shall put such a letter on the cross and sprinkle it with holy water, praying the private exorcism prayer over the letter. Saint Father Pio did the same with his parish priest from Pietrelcina when the evil spirits tried to interrupt his correspondence with his spiritual mentor.

Toilet under control

Bathroom is a place where we meet our physiological need and take care of our hygiene, spending a lot of time alone. In case of a possessed person we must make sure that there are no sharp objects in the bathroom that may be used in case of demonic manifestation by the oppressed person to take his or her life. Let us remember that the bathroom door cannot be locked as the access to such a person will be limited in case of a sudden demonic trance or occult practices that may be encouraged by the evil spirits. There are many cases of self-harm, suicidal attempts, practice of magic that happened while being locked in the bathroom, which usually cause difficult situations and problems for the household members and others targeted by the attack or detriment of the possessed.

Life area

All that was presented until now can make us think that the possessed person must be kept in strict isolation and forbidden to do anything. Of course, such thinking is wrong. A spiritually possessed person still preserves the right to be free, therefore, we cannot lock up such a person like an animal in a cage. The tormentedperson should feel safe at home and that is possible if we create an area which will enable them to feel free and safe. This is very important for the process of personality integration and helps in coping with the pain. All ill-conceived actions may deepen the frustration, therefore, it is essential to spend a lot of time talking to the tormented and working or playing together. All this requires delicacy, understanding, optimism. Otherwise, simple staying at home will become like a great Gehenna for the possessed.

2.4. Accompanying the possessed one at night

Everyone that experiences the difficult grace of accompanying a person possessed by an evil spirit knows well how difficult are the moments which come with the nightfall. The light of day keeps us in the mood of hope for resurrection, meaning mainly being freed from the power of the demon, however, the darkness of the night will brong to our minds the moment of death and will encourage sliding into the sadness of enslavement. People accompanying the one tormented spiritually must therefore overcome the above-mentioned dualism though entering the night while being aware that Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega of all time, also of the night watch.

Bedroom

The possessed, except for demonic actions, require sleep and night rest like any other people. The room in which he or she will fall asleep should be prepared accordingly. All sharp object that in case of demonic manifestation could be used for self-harm or assaulting others must be removed from there. All glass doors have to be dismounted from the furniture and all objects made of glass shall be removed. Objects of saints and crosses as well as figures should be kept away in order to avoid profanation. There should alwaysbe an additional blanket or comforter to put on the floor in case of a manifestation of the devil spirit in order to lay the tormented on it.

Blessing before falling asleep

Firstly, it must be remembered that before falling asleep the possessed by an evil spirit should receive divine blessing uttered by a priest or, if it is not possible, by a believer. It does not necessarily mean that a priest should visit the house of the possessed every time before they fall asleep. It is enough to receive the blessing from a priest via phone, bringing the person in the control of Christ. Blessings based on the Baptism can be given by any believer, even not being a part of the family of the tormented, who will in faith utter the following easy formula over the possessed: "I bless you for this night in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit so that no evil might have control over you during this time". While speaking the formula we can make the symbol of a cross on the forehead of the possessed with our right thumb.

Before the blessing it is always advisable to ask the possessed person if he or she is willing to receive the blessing. It is an important moment because in that way this person is called to fight spiritually to choose the Lord who will influence him or her. Asking about the blessing has another hidden reason behind, as it shows the accompanying persons how the possessed are currently affected by the demons: if it is the time of demonic visitation (manifestation of the evil spirit) or whether it is the moment of making conscious decisions. In the first case a blessing made hastily will be ineffective as the subject of it will not be the human being but the evil spirit. Therefore, we should first pray the exorcism or prayer for release (more than once if needed), bringing consciousness back to the possessed person so that he or she could agree for the mentioned blessing.

Night watch

People accompanying the possessed must schedule the night watch in such a way that they could also rest and at the same time that there would always be someone watching the tormented person. The watch does not necessarily have to happen in the room where the possessed sleeps, it is enough to be near, next to it. In such a way we can avoid many problematic and uneasy situations. This watch does not have to be a constant prayer either, is will be sufficient to stay alert, listen if the evil spirit does not harm the possessed by tossing them around the room or if it does not introduce this person into a hypnotic trance through which it uses the possessed to harm others. This could be all kinds of occult or even magical practices, undertaken in order to kill other people connected with the release process, like the exorcist, secular helpers of the exorcist or people closest to the possessed such as parents or siblings. In case of such events we should instantly start praying for release through which the possessed will be freed from the influence of the evil spirit and will be able to continue the nightly rest.

The hour of evil

Many experienced exorcists confirm that there is time during the night when the actions of evil spirits become intensified. It usually starts around 3a.m. and lasts, depending on the case, for about an hour. This time can be called "the hour of evil". It has been proven many times that followers of Satan, while copying the liturgic time of the Catholic Church, contrast some Christian practices with their own, which serve to worship the demons during the day, month or within a year. We shall be aware that just like 15:00 became the Hour of Mercy in the Catholic Church, 3:00 became the hour of Satan for the Satanists, as it is the time when he particularly strongly shows his destructive force. There is a great risk of demonic intervention within this time, that will be directed at the possessed or someone from his or her closest surroundings. Therefore, people accompanying shall become more active at such times, especially on the spiritual level, praying (the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Litany of the Blood of Christ) and waiting up. It is a difficult moment connected with physical fatigue (the middle of the night) but also with intensified evil influence, which will at all cost show its power over a person and the whole world. We should eagerly call upon Jesus Christ, the Lord of the world and His hosts of angels, with the Holy Archangel Michael on top and pray for release, and if there is an exorcist present – the grand exorcism.

Waking up

While accompanying the possessed by an evil spirit we must pay close attention to the very moment of waking up. The evil spirit may introduce the possessed person in a state similar to coma, wanting to prevent the possible release service. In such a case, it is necessary to ask for the grace of waking up through the release prayer, addressing Jesus Christ directly. The evil spirit may introduce the possessed into a state of semi-consciousness (such a person can contact the surrounding but the contact is only partial, dimmed, like in a twilight sleep), pretending that the person is already free. Then the accompanying person must observe the disadvantaged one closely and make sure that he or she does not undertake harmful actions like physical assaults on the household members or destroying common objects. It would be the best to pray with the release prayer immediately, which will aim at bringing the possessed person to full self-control. After regaining consciousness by the possessed person, the accompanying one should ask for consent for a blessing, with which he or she will be able to start the next day in peace.

2.5. Extraordinary situations

Every person that undertakes to accompany the possessed by an evil spirit or is made to do so by the circumstances should remember that demons may influence such a person in different ways. I would like to shortly present the most specific paranormal activities that take place during the manifestation of evil spirits.

Living under the same roof with a person possessed by evil spirits is not easy. Many uncommon situations and constant uncertainty of what may happen within seconds often causes the accompanying persons to feel nervous, impatient, sometimes even permanently stressed. Therefore, it should be remembered to remain in the state of grace. The sacrament of reconciliation and the daily received Holy Communion introduces into the inner life Christ's peace, which is so very important, gives strength to this challenging spiritual warfare and, most importantly, it protects the accompanying persons against harmful influence of the evil spirit. It becomes clearer especially when the demon uses the possessed person trying to take revenge on all those who actively engage themselves in the process of release. Let us comment on some of such situations.

Inner spiritual visions

Visions are frequent phenomena that accompany prayers for possessed people. The possessed mention sudden visions, images, describe scenes and events that involve them as the main characters. The possessed are welcomed by a "human shape emanating with great light" to follow him or a small baby "hugged by a person emanating with light" who cures the sick, brings back the dead, makes the mute speak again and the blind - see. This is a specific "language" of God, who tries to prove His love to the possessed in such a way and show him to make a free choice of Jesus as their Lord.

This statement seems to be true as usually the visions are confirmed by three accompanying elements: firstly – the message of each vision is in harmony with the teaching of the Church; secondly – the visions are accompanied by word from the Holy Scripture, heard by the possessed one during prayer or while he or she is not aware of his or her behavior. The possessed person often hears only biblical siglae instead of whole sentences. Thirdly – the visions are confirmed by the Gospels and usually directly connected with the content of the upcoming Evangelic reading or reflect it. It should be emphasized that usually the oppressed person does not know the content of Sunday's Mass readings while conscious.

However, not all visions come from God. Some may be caused by Satan, who as the angel of light will try to present himself as the ultimate value which must be pursued. Those visions differ in such a way that the devil is unable to present supernatural truths with them as it would be against his nature. What is more, an evil spirit's "language" cannot bring the possessed the comfort of release but the opposite – leaves anxiety, there is no love and hope within it but only a sophisticated lie of easy gain (for example gaining supernatural gifts) or pride, or even lack of sense in life (incitation to the wish for death).

The interpretation of the visions while confronted with the actual state of the possessed person may help to perform even a greater act of faith through which the possessed may "come closer" to God and may devote him- or herself to a life lived only for Him.

Physical changes in the body of the possessed

Very strong possessions can be accompanied by a satanic influence on the body of the possessed person, causing its deformation, making the body move in such a way that the possessed person crawls in a complicated way, falls down without a reason, becomes stiff like a skewer or on his or her body (usually hands and thights) there appear some symbols and signs of evil (for example pentagram, number 666, letters FFF, a picture of a goat's head, inverted cross). All of it is a great demonstration of Satan's power over the body of the possessed person. We must not fear this. Even if the signs and symbols appear when we stop praying, confirming constant domination of the evil spirit in the body of the possessed person, the other phenomena happen only during the prayer and stop afterwards – if not by themselves, then under the influence of a prayer addressed to Christ.

Materialized metal objects

A separate difficulty for the exorcists and other accompanying persons, especially in regard to possible explanation, are sharp objects (nails, screws, wires, pins, spacers and others) vomited by the oppressed person during prayer. This may be caused by the fact that the person ate those objects during magical rituals (not being conscious of this fact) and therefore they were vomited under the influence of prayer or because the person became the object of maleficium (an evil magical act) or fell under the influence of another person (mage, wizard) who influenced that person in a bad way through some symbolic-magical practices, even wanting to cause death. When confirming the other source we should ask who may have harmed the possessed person and tell this to the exorcist so that he could conduct the prayer in such a way that with God's power all bad influences could be cut off. It should also be noted that afterwards the possessed person should forgive that person and when he or she is ready to take part in the sacrament of reconciliation, the possessed one must honestly confess all possible relations with that person.

It seems that those phenomena may be caused by manifestation of Satan, who wants to present his power over the body of the possessed one, causing materialization of above mentioned objects in the digestive track during the prayer for the possessed one.

Occult knowledge and inner voices

A Roman exorcist Gabriele Amorth emphasizes specific "gifts" that may accompany the possessed one. Those are clairvoyance, an ability to notice diabolical forces or powers in other people and hearing strange voices. The latter are commented by the author: "Those may only be such voices that disturb a man. There are often voices that propose something: like actions to be undertaken or avoided, prayer, curses, telling things that are strange or totally unexplainable (...) All efforts must be made to reject those voices and they should not be considered in any event (...). Sticking to those things as if they were some special gifts or powers proves to be very harmful and may make the release impossible".

It is worth mentioning that those abilities are gained by the possessed one during demonic manifestations, meaning with no consciousness. Therefore, the man is not a holder of those "gifts" but it is the evil spirit that uses man to receive his own advantages. As it can be easily guessed, the inner voices or acquired knowledge do not serve good but are aimed at confusing the enslaved person when we inform him or her about them after regaining consciousness. The aim of such practices of the demonic forces is to depreciate of people or actions undertaken during the service of release or to cause the people accompanying and praying for the oppressed person to differ. Therefore, it is advised to keep the curiosity on a tight rein and prohibit the evil spirit in the name of Jesus Christ to formulate statements regarding people of upcoming events even if they may seem true.

Physical assaults on accompanying people

The evil spirit will do anything to keep his status, therefore, during the trance he may manipulate the person possessed by him to turn against the ones he or she loves the most without any reservation. Physical assaults directed at people closest to the possessed, who are trying to help them, are a frequent expression of that. In such situations one should clearly and strongly order the evil spirit in the name of Jesus Christ to back off from the possessed person and not to harm anybody. In case of serious attacks, for example with the use of sharp objects (a knife, scalpel, broken bottle etc) it seems necessary to use the private exorcism in a form of order.

This can be done by a layman or an exorcist who will tell such an exorcism formula or a part of the great exorcism over a phone (for example only the ordering exorcist formula). We can also ask for help some neighbors or other third parties who are discrete and understand the problem and will prevent the aggressor with physical strength. At such times the prayer cannot be forgotten as only this can "neutralize" the actions of evil spirits. People who are helping by stopping the possessed one physically must be spiritually organized and with no mortal sin as otherwise they may experience the revenge of the evil spirit.

Suicide attempts

Providing help for the possessed one in case of a suicide attempt is yet another painful trial for those accompanying. It is an extraordinary situation, usually happening under the influence of inner "voices" from a demon, who strives to lead to the possessed person's death as he cannot bear the prayer and actions of people accompanying him or her. Suicide attempts can take place at any time of day and night. This usually occurs with no witnesses, in a separated room, therefore it is so important not to leave the possessed person without due care for a long time. Measures in order to save the possessed one in case of a suicide attempt must be undertaken accordingly to the suicide method. In all cases it is necessary to pray for release from the evil spirit and when the help is provided by an exorcist designated by the bishop – to perform the major exorcism.

Each suicide attempt is a painful experience for the people accompanying the one possessed. Spiritual and mental wounds which are created based on the thoughts following observed events may become a kind of "food" for the evil spirit, who may try to use them for his own purposes. The spirit usually tries to make others doubt a quick or even general possibility of release, God's power and the effectivity of undertaken actions. It should be remembered that the very fact of rescuing a possessed person results from God's grace. The fact that one person attempted suicide and the other reacted quickly and effectively, undertook proper means and prayer, results not only from human actions. Such actions usually result from God's inspiration, which proves God's care for the possessed person and His intentions in that regard.

Death rituals

A person possessed by an evil spirit may be also "used" by demons to hurt the health of other people outside of his or her living environment. This can occur through magical practices or – more broadly – occult practices. An example for such actions are various death rituals undertaken while the possessed person is in trance. One of such practices means uttering magical formulas over a photo, picture or figurine of a person while pricking that person's image with needles or pins. The aim of such actions is to cause death of that person. Such a ritual must be stopped immediately, all objects used by the possessed person for that purpose taken away from them and a prayer for release, waking the possessed person from the trance, is needed. It would be the best if such a prayer is conducted by a priest but in case of major danger for health or life all people accompanying the possessed one they can pray together when there is no priest among them. Therefore, people who directly help in the process of release of the possessed person should know each other very well, trust one another, be in constant contact and build a good team. Otherwise the evil spirit will have a wide range of possibilities to harm the possessed person and his or her environment, as well as other people.

Affected objects

People tormented by the evil spirit sometimes have objects that influence the environment in a negative way. It is usually connected with prior (i.e. from before the possession) occult practices or their participation in such practices. Affected object that are left in places where household members stay on a daily basis may emanate a negative power that can harm their health, keep away the joy of life and introduce "a heavy atmosphere". If such a destructive connection between the objects and the possessed person is discovered, the objects must be taken away from the house and destroyed outside. If they are combustible, we had better burn them, however, it is important to remember that fetishes are hard to burn and usually their smell is intensive and unpleasant. Therefore, before starting, it is recommended to pray (with your own words) for Christ's protection against possible bad results of such burning and to sprinkle holy water over those objects. Things that cannot be burnt should be taken far away and buried or drowned in a water reservoir.

2.6. During a meeting with an exorcist priest

The most important aspects of accompanying the possessed person have already been discussed. However, we must remember that creativity and cunningness of the evil spirits is far greater than we can imagine and we must remain alert at all the times and cooperate with the leading exorcist. Then the results of such collaboration will not be awaited long. The exorcists meets the possessed persons only during their service, however, lay people have to go through the tragedy of their beloved ones and suffer from the pain of their possession every day. Therefore, we should ask exorcists and all priests to pay more attention to the people who accompany the possesed, especially through sacraments, praying together and providing appropriate counsel. Without mutual help and understanding the process of release as well as the spiritual accompaniment will be prone to all kinds of trials, which can be avoided with some good will.

On the way to the exorcist

It is a great task of the people closest to the one tormented by the evil spirit to bring him or her to the place of meeting with an exorcist. The very thought about visiting a priest "for ghosts" usually evokes rebellious reactions in the possessed person and disrespect for the family, connected with intention to ridicule them. Therefore, a lot depends on how the priest in exorcist service is presented as well as how seriously the problem is approached.

In case of strong objection of the possessed person to go meet the exorcist, we cannot use physical strength to make them go but we rather should patiently, calmly and rationally try talking with that person and constantly keep proposing to visit the most competent person. We can use an easy but effective argument: "if there is nothing wrong with you, the exorcist priest will confirm your way of thinking and you won't have to leave in irrational fear anymore".

The exorcist does not always live "at hand", in the same city or area, therefore a journey to meet one must be properly planned. Common means of transport are not recommended as sudden manifestation of demonic forces may be problematic for the accompanying people and other passengers. To avoid any stunt and create some physical comfort for the person possessed and people accompanying him or her, it would be the best to use a private car. If one does not have such a vehicle, it would be advisable to ask for help a friend or family members rather than to call a taxi. It is connected to the fact that the possessed person can behave in a weird way during the journey or even try to get away from the car. Therefore, the possessed person should be seated in the back seat between two other people, in that way any attempt to run away will be blocked as the possessed one will have no access to the doors which should be kept locked.

It is recommended to take holy water and the text of a prayer for release ora private exorcism formula with you. The above-mentioned things can prove quite useful in case of a manifestation of the evil spirit, which will be trying to prevent the meeting with an exorcist at all costs. The holy water can be useful also in case of sudden breakdown of the vehicle or its part, which will make further journey impossible. If this happens, we must pray with the exorcist prayer over the vehicle and sprinkle it, or its part, with some holy water. The same can be done in case of a curious wheel or wheels choke. If these are caused by demonic forces, which can happen more often than we may think, the above-mentioned actions prove effective. Serious or permanent damages should be taken care of in a car service station, while paying attention to the behavior of the possessed person.

At the exorcist's place

Duringa direct meeting with the exorcist the people accompanying should trust to the priest designated by the local ordinary and establish cooperation with him. The form and scale of engagement will be defined by the exorcist himself. We must remember to pay attention to each other and be uncompromising against the forces of evil; family bonds or contacts with friends cannot obstruct the vision of what is objectively important and leads to release.

The most obvious step in that regard will definitely be performing the major exorcism. Precise actions and practices undertaken by the accompanying people will not be discussed here. I encourage you to be obedient to the exorcist ando follow the action plan set out by him. Such an attitude will be a sign of understanding of the issues discussed and an expression of solidarity in those actions, which will help achieve the release. Each sign of aversion, or an action undertaken without the exorcist's consent or against his will may be taken advantage of by the evil spirit not only against the possessed person but also against the accompanying people.
3. Spiritual means helpful to the accompanying people

None of us keeps the Holy Spirit with him or her in the pocket and everyone fights spiritually against their own blemishes, sins or weaknesses. However, keeping company to the person possessed by a demon requires additional ascetic, moral and spiritual commitment. Thus, it is important to indicate the ways to cope with the powers of darkness in order to be able to better help others and yourself to stay away from temptation or discouragement. The ways discussed below concern the tormented people themselves and are presented from their perspective, however, they apply to everyone believing, especially those who will have to deal with the burden of spiritual enslavement of the person closest to them.

3.1. Under Jesus' banner

Brother Thomas of Celano, while describing the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, notices that he "rejected all glory that does not come from Jesus" and that we "are rather aroused by vanity than love, as the mortal favors usually take over Christ's love. We do not control our feelings, do not discover spirits, and when are moved by vain glory, we think that we do it out of love" (2Cel 139). How can we deal with vanity, look for our own glory, the wish to be someone special, with which the evil spirit can easily interfere, leading us to fake and misleading anti-happiness?

The devil, also called Satan, the ancient snake and dragon, deceives the whole world and fights against those people who keep God's Commandments and the testimony of Jesus. This foe of humanity acts in a very cunning and mischievous way as he hates the Light that is Christ and so he takes people into His darkness. Evil spirits that along with the devil did not acknowledge God's rule over them and became damned, now help him with it, as they are the spirits of iniquity.

The almighty and merciful Father sent His beloved Son to earth out of love for man in order to save people from the power of darkness and bring them to His kingdom. Lord Jesus won out over satanic temptations on the desert during His human days on earth, with His own severity cast Satan and other evil spirits out, ordering them to be submissive to His godly will. With the power of the Cross He countered the last Satan's attacks and won over the vanity of this ancient foe. This victory blazed in Christ's glorious resurrection when God gave Him everything. Therefore, He is our hope.

The victorious banner of our Savior, the red flag with a white cross in the hand of the Risen, should accompany us in all spheres of our lives and not only in our imagination. Let us often protect ourselves spiritually under the victorious banner of Christ's cross, calling His name, or with short ardent acts we can express our love for Jesus for His unlimited love for us. Who wants to fight against the powers of darkness must take the side of the Light with trust.

Jesus Christs, the Sun of spirits, is merciful towards the poor, imprisoned, blind and tormented. At the same time enslaved people, who suffer spiritually, are tormented or isolated by evil spirits from the community of fellow believers, experienced by various temptations and taken by evil forces are afraid often to give themselves to Jesus. They do not take shelter under His banner, do not call His name, do not give Him His due glory and it is not because they cannot, but because they do not believe in Jesus Christ any longer. They do not believe in the power of the Mighty, who is the only one to release them as due to various reasons they became captured by rationalism or conformism connected with the fashion of being "on top", where there is no place for faith in God.

I do not want my words to sound as accusations of some fanatic priest. The most basic truth of our faith cannot be, however, kept silent, which is that our release comes to us through Jesus Christ: "The existence in Christ of the divine person of the Son, who at once surpasses and embraces all human persons, and constitutes himself as the Head of all mankind, makes possible his redemptive sacrifice for all." (CCC 616). No men would be able to take sin of the humankind and to offer himself for others as Jesus did out of love for us, and that love still keeps us going.

For God all moments are present in their actuality, which means that if we stand fully aware under the banner of Christ, with His presence – He will be there with us. Let us think: Christ, who, in order to save humanity which was lost through satanic hate, used Himself and became obedience until His very death and later He rose and entered the domain of His Father, He will be there next to you! In such cases the evil spirit has to give place to Christ and give in under His overwhelming rightness. From the very moment of Jesus' resurrection there came the era of reigning over Satan. The awareness of this fact is no longer enough, we have to trustfully stand by Christ's side as "May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him" (Ps 68:1).

3.2. Holy Mary's help in spiritual struggle

Our Blessed Lady, the Virgin, helps us a lot while fighting against evil spirits, as Her purity, faithfulness and restless realization of Creator's will is God's answer to Satan's rebellion. Her Immaculate Conception is a clear testimony of how God cares for the creation and His concern about our salvation, therefore Mary is not only a symbol of sanctity for us but also stays an active coworker of the Paschal Lamb. She cannot stay indifferent to Satan's intrigues as "when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things" (CCC 966), including those tempted by the devil and other evil spirits' influences, She cares for them like a genuine Lady.

We should remember that Satan, this foe of God's Kingdom, wants to keep the souls in his slavery and will do anything to prevent them from benefitting from the source of sanctifying grace, which gives a new life, a life in the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, taking constant spiritual shelter under the coat of the Lady full of grace will help every believer to gain from the nourishing gifts prepared by God for His children.

Saint Francis of Assisi understood it very well as he called the Mother of God with the title of the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. This title, apart from many other theological interpretations, shows us how Mary comes to rescue those tormented by satanic powers. Let us describe it shortly.

First of all, the Immaculate Spouse of the Holy Spirit allows us to understand that the one that "protected" her, shows Himself in her doings. Therefore, entrusting ourselves to Holy Mary, we give ourselves to the blessed influence of the Holy Spirit, who fights in the first line with the powers of darkness. This act is foremost of a spiritual character, and therefore, it is expressed by a specific act of entrusting one's life to the Mother of God or by a constant prayer for her intercession for us. In such a way a believing person may enter the space of the influence of God's power, which makes evil spirits abstain from all their malevolent intentions towards man, but with great reluctance. The evil spirits have to take into consideration that even if the efforts prove to be successful, they will not be successful enough to isolate the tormented person from God.

Then, the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, opens us to the gift of great mercy of her Son, who in the power of the Holy Spirit destroyed death and rose from the dead, introducing a new era of the Church's rule over Satan and evil spirits. The one called the Mother of Mercy herself brings people close to Jesus, while staying a humble servant of the Lord. In her motherly love she cares for people and will not allow evil forces to dominate over God's children. Therefore, God chose a human being to overcome Satan's pride and rebellion through her humble service and mercy.

What is more, the Immaculate Heart of Mary is an extraordinary "environment", where everyone subjected to diabolic trials can find required shelter. During the revelations in Fatima, Lucia heard from the Beautiful Lady that God wants to establish a prayer to her Immaculate Heart as a way of saving sinners who are going to hell. Therefore, anyone searching help in Mary's Heart will find it quickly as God does not make empty promises. This prayer, usually connected with the Rosary, is a heritage to those events in Fatima: "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen." The strength of this prayer can be proven by those who prayed with it with trust while being tormented.

The role of Holy Mary in the spiritual fight is to lead believers to the ideal purity which was her merit from the beginning. This purity can be achieved only when man restrains from sin and the evil that encourages one to sin. Our Lady, Help of Christians, is the first of all creatures that fights in our cause with no fear at all. Praised be Jesus for His Mother!

Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Written by Saint Louis de Montfort

I, a faithless sinner- renew and ratify today in thy hands, O Immaculate Mother, the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his prompts and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before.

In the presence of all the heavenly court I choose thee this day, for my Mother and Mistress. I deliver and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and future; leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God, in time and in eternity. Amen.

3.3 The role of Holy Sacraments

Throughout its history the Catholic Church has retained awareness and will of fighting against evil. The liberating activity of the Church reveals itself not only through charismatic experience of Christianity, but also through its liturgically-sacramental structure. This is why a man suffering from spiritual enslavement caused by the influence of evil spirits, should profusely make use of Holy Sacraments. A sacramental life leads to full restoration of a person. While it can be difficult to take the sacraments while in throes of the Devil, one cannot dispense oneself of them.

The sacraments of the New Covenant, formulated by Jesus Christ (CCC 1210) show and materialize what is invisible, supernatural and holy. As tools of Grace, they play a special role in God's economy, being a way for a human to achieve a special communion with Christ, acting through them. That is why evil spirits attempt to force the enslaved to no longer take them. This fear of their results can be better understood once we understand how each of the Holy Sacraments works.

Once the spiritually tormented person takes the sacrament of penance, evil spirits know that this person is called to be reborn in Jesus Christ. Through the confession of sins, the spiritual state of the penitent is revealed. This allows the observers to discover the influence of demonic forces as well as to find out what the sources of their interventions are. This is why evil spirits interrupt the confession - in order to hide their presence and prevent the penitent from reaching absolution, as it could banish them or, at the very least, put a damper on their acts. The sacrament of penance, being a tool of spiritual progress and a powerful didactical tool, is a way for the enslaved to meet the Grace of God in person, and to renew their friendship with Him. In this way, lost bonds with God are restored, which in turn lessens the power of evil spirits.

This is similar to what happens during the Eucharist and acceptation of the Holy Communion. During the Holy Mass, a person subjected to spiritual combat renews and strengthens their personal contact with Jesus Christ, as they build their expected unity. Devil, the liar and opponent to man's unity with God, will infest the body of the enslaved, and give clear signs of annoyance at taking part in the Liturgy, which is a source of salvation for everyone. This can manifest as thoughts of blasphemy against the Body and the Blood of Christ, against the priest, or against everybody in the temple. More often than not, though, it will manifest as an incomprehensible impotence preventing one from entering the church, strong headaches, or powerful, obsessive thoughts concerning profanation of what is holy.

Eucharist becomes a place for each believer to give praise to God, and thank for received blessings in a way that is easiest to him. As we take part in it, we accept the Holy Communion, which enlivens all the virtues and strengthens one's spiritual life, thus allowing for internal integration of man and God. In this sacrament there is no place for profane.

We can also receive great help though taking the sacrament of anointing of the sick. When a priest lays hand on a spiritually enslaved person and prays during the anointment with a holy oil, Jesus Christ sends great power and strength to the faithful. The empowering grace of Christ flows from the faith of the tormented, the dispenser and from the very nature of this sacrament. That is why this sacrament strengthens not only the sick body, but also the spirit. It always wipes the remains of the sin such as a feeling of spiritual loneliness, weakness in religious motivations, weakness of will, lack of mental/spiritual balance and the like, which helps oneself to become free of the influence of evil spirits.

Thusly, let us remember that the sacraments of the Church bring salvation, and are means through which the healing and freeing love of Christ flows. We should not limit ourselves in how often we take them in our day-to-day life.

3.4 The role of Sacramentals

For a person suffering due to acts of evil spirits, every moment of relief and inner freedom is a moment of great joy. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between, and should they come - one never forgets that they are likely to pass quickly. Yet, the Catholic Church possesses means that not only help to deal with the hardships brought by evil spirits, but can even be powerful enough to fully liberate oneself from them. These means are sacramentals.

Sacramentals are holy signs that, similarly to the sacraments, point towards spiritual blessings achieved through intercession of the Church. Through them, the recipient is predisposed to uphold and sanctify Christian life (EC 60). Therefore, sacramentals are effective not due to the power received from Christ (as it is in case of sacraments), but due to intercessory prayer of the Church. The Church community can use them to sanctify the living space of the faithful by blessing it, sanctifying or exorcising. This is why sacramentals are a genuine threat to evil spirits, and their pastoral power in fighting against demonic forces is so great.

The very sign of the Holy Cross in a confession of trinitial faith and a weapon against evil spirits. Making it over a possessed or spiritually enslaved person causes an immediate reaction - usually disgust combined with spitting that is a pungent expression of revulsion. This happens because the sign of the cross calls directly to the Holy Trinity, at the same time being the truest expression of godly care for the tragedy of human fate.

Something similar happens when we call the name of Jesus. When we call upon the name of Christ, we admit that we remain in a special relationship with the Son of God. This name is one of the most powerful means used to overcome evil spirits, and can be used to protect oneself from their attacks. Calling the name of Jesus means summoning an incredible power, through which the evil spirit is recognized, spiritually bonded and banished.

Every blessing is adoration of God. Through it the godly gift and its acceptance on our part intertwine with each other. From this point of view, sprinkling holy water on a spiritually enslaved person is an act of offering to God what already belongs to Him. Holy water helps to win the fight against suggestions and sufferings caused by evil spirits, so it can be drank, used to anoint the body in aching spots or sprinkle it over things and rooms that we use every day.

A sacramental that is especially useful in protection of the body against evil spirits is exorcised oil. It possesses a special property of removing satanic miasmas from human body. They can appear in one's digestive system after eating or drinking something harmful. Using such oil for cooking will stimulate a polluted body without harming it, and will cause a speedy expulsion of the miasma, either in a natural way, or through vomit.

Exorcised salt possesses a specific property of protection against the influence of evil spirits. Due to its persistence it can influence a place for a long time, and that is why it is often scattered in areas that are suspected to be contaminated by demonic powers. It can also be used as a seasoning, which will allow us to ingest it. This will allow the salt to help combat the influence of all cursed items which were previously consumed.

In closed areas where demonic forces are present, sanctified incense can be lit. The smoke of such incense fills the room with a "holy smell" which irritates evil spirits. This forces them to appear, cuts through their tricks and can even banish them.

The most powerful sacramental allowing us to influence evil spirits is the major exorcism. It may be performed only by a bishop, or by an exorcist-priest anointed by one. Yet, every Christian can make use of private exorcism, by saying it over oneself. The formula of such exorcism depends on the kind of a demon and the way it influences a given person.

The sacramentals mentioned above are visible means which every believer can use to combat evil forces, based on faith and power derived from their baptism.

3.5 Willpower and the attitude of repentance

When writing about spiritual combat, we cannot forget that the basic source of evil lies within a man, not beyond. That is why human is capable of sin, and the one responsible for it. The price of sin is very high, as each sin is a betrayal of God, and of man as an image of God. We need to hold this truth in front of our eyes, as the evil spirits can use the sins that specific person committed as a gateway to their heart.

While we immerse ourselves into spiritual combat, we are called to deep ascetic work - work on keeping the grace of freedom within ourselves. This freedom shows itself in the freedom of choice and in freedom of clinging. The first one is aimed at carrying out God's will (I wish to do what God wishes me to do), and the other one becomes important when the will cooperates with goodness, thus forming the aim of life (I wish to be unified with Jesus, as He is the meaning of my life). Both of these forms of freedom assume that the law of love rules within human's heart, thus removing all the impediments caused by evil forces. A consequence of such state of spirit is that we can enter only what God wishes us to enter. This is the reason why everyone engaging in spiritual combat needs to work on one's willpower so that it could be effective weapon against evil temptations and the whispers of demons.

While looking at the human willpower, we must realize that we possess a powerful, spiritual energy within ourselves, which resembles a blind giant. When led carefully, its power can be used to do good and build the civilization of love. But if the giant is given to evil, it will use the giant to do evil. That is why we need to care for this internal power and submit our way of thinking, values, lifestyle and priorities to the will of God. When brought into practice, such acts mean keeping ourselves in line with God's commandments, and leading sacramental life. Only then will we be able to protect the life of God within ourselves, and this is the first and basic medicament used in spiritual preventative treatment. The power of God's presence within a human, showing itself through sanctifying grace, neutralizes the power of devil's machinations.

Facing the will of God often shows our indignity and sinfulness. This makes our sins cause pain, thus giving birth to guilt. We blame ourselves, and feel our heart drown in sorrow. Then, aware of our own misery, we see our own weakness and inability to deal with hardships. Moreover, we are ashamed due to being unable to deal with our own sinfulness. In such a case, we can easily draw ourselves into satanic machinations, whose aim is to isolate us from God and destroy the sanctifying grace within us.

Becoming aware of one's sins results in dejection, which is eventually replaced by pain that shots through our heart. Life becomes a great suffering in such a case. But there is always a way out! In this case, this way is penance. When we raise grief within our hearts, we can use it to drive evil away, and give testimony of our willingness to return to God.

True repentance is full conversion. Sins melt away from our heart. In an act of repentance we not only repent the sin, but also clearly condemn it, we recant it! The remorse begins a transformative process, which ends with human reformed in the image of the Son of God. This happens when the repentance becomes intertwined with trust in God's compassion, as otherwise the remorse can lead to anxiety and depression.

In the love of God our unattractiveness becomes meaningless. New awareness appears: I am a beloved child of the Highest One. He wishes not for the sinner to perish! And thus man finds himself; finds truth about himself, and through this truth reaches paradoxical victory. Power of this victory lies not in human's cunnig, but in submission to God, which results in the joy of liberation.
4. Spiritual exercises for companions

While bringing help to those suffering due to acts of evil forces, we cannot forget about our own spiritual life. Without the grace of God, what good will our effort, vigils and white nights do?! In order to bring help, we need to grow in unity with God ourselves. Spiritual exercises we suggest can help build deep relations with the Highest One, but also help systematize our religious practices, which always brings harmony to our day-to-day life. Obviously, these are only suggestions - one can accept them, or just skim through them, while working on our own methods of meeting the Lord.

4.1 Spiritual life program

Before one starts doing something, it is crucial to know what to do and how. This seems logical and obvious when one wants to achieve a goal. The same refers to spiritual life.

As Christians, we head towards God's Kingdom, it is the only target of our terrestrial pilgrimage. How can we reach our target? The answer to this question can be found in the Holy Scripture, where, in simple words, Jesus explains the message of God. Moreover, it is spoken from the pulpits of our churches, as well as contained within millions of books explaining Christian vision of life. And yet, sometimes it can be so difficult to integrate these prescriptions with our life!

Many Christians, due to their laziness, indifference, or other reasons, remain at the state of listening to the Good News and minimal (that is, doing only what is necessary) engagement with the process of recognizing, possessing ad offering oneself to the One who is Truth, Way and Life. Yet there are also people such as Saint Francis and Saint Clara of Assisi. They formulate rules in order not to lose the treasure of spiritual life in the ocean of the world, and use them to explain, in simple terms, how to work on themselves so as to become pleasing to God, other people and themselves. They also do it so as to be able to keep an ideal in front of their eyes and walk towards it, step by step.

Is it necessary to be a founder of some kind of an order, assembly or association in order to formulate our own set of rules concerning spiritual life?

The answer to this question should be obvious. Everybody who treats their life seriously knows that reference points are necessary. They also know that if these points disappear, it is extremely easy to get off the previously chosen road. Doubly so, when we accompany a person who suffers spiritually. Here are a few postulates that will help you prepare your own program of spiritual life.

Love God. Love is the most important thing, as it will rouse beautiful desires within yourself.

Listen to the Holy Spirit. He will explain how to answer to God's love.

Keep your soul free and pure. Only then will you be able to choose well and accept God with all your heart.

Keep the soul's compass in front of your eyes. Heading in the right direction will bring you to your target, eventually.

Be a realist. Do not build your program on wishful thinking. Set it in your reality – the place where your live, state you are in, time you possess, skills that you have.

Do not listen to those that were not sent by God. Otherwise you might misunderstand the will of God.

Find a common denominator between dreams of being with God and your presence in the world. Do not build a wall between what is real and what you dream of, so as not to lock yourself within an illusion of your own greatness and holiness.

Talk about your program with those that are closest to you (family, friends, the spiritually enslaved). They might point out to something you did not realize.

Consider what can you do to help the person suffering due to influence of evil spirits.

Do not forget suggestions of exorcist-priests.

Do not formulate your program of spiritual life when you are in crisis or subjected to mood swings. Otherwise your decisions may not take the proper hierarchy of values into consideration.

Consult your program with your confessor, or spiritual guide. What appears the best to you, might not be so.

These postulates set general objectives. However, one always needs to remember that spiritual life full of prayer must be one's primary goal. The entire program of your spiritual life has to mesh with the reality of our home and professional life. Without it we may lose contact with reality.

Accompanying a person who is spiritually enslaved requires inner balance. Following a specified set of rules helps. This is because spiritual life cannot be based only on spontaneity and voluntariness. Heavy spiritual work is needed, one that is carried out consistently, with great zeal and patience.

4.2 Spiritual exhilaration

Nowadays, as we are receiving less and less opportunity for glee, it is harder to meet people capable of always bearing a smile on their faces. Day-to-day pessimism, often caused by suffering of our relatives, puts us into a state of spiritual melancholy, in which we only consider past, happy moments. As we lock our time within memories, we become less able to look forward to what may yet happen, or even less - to accept day-to-day reality with gratitude. This problem of modern civilization influences Christians as well. This is surprising - our Father encourages us to be happy during our long road to Him.

For St. Francis of Assisi, glee was but one, very important piece of existence. He saw it in the perspective of joining what is sensual with what is spiritual. This is why recognizing the closeness of the Lord and carrying it in his heart, as well as zealous prayer and singing were so important for him to mark one out as a real child of God. The Poverello of Assisi saw a great weapon in fight against Satan in this cheer. As the author of The Assisi Compilation mentioned, Francis "stated that if God's servant tried to maintain spiritual internal and external joy, coming from a pure heart, demons would not be able to harm him or her as this God's servant kept joy both in worry as in prosperity and it is not possible to find any other entrance to his or her soul to harm it" (AC 120).

According to the Poverello of Assisi, the source of this joy is pure heart and constant prayer. Pure heart does imply certain spiritual aspects, but also includes an ordered and good moral life (i.e. life following the Decalogue). The constant prayer appears in Christian's life as his spirit grows, in the stage of enlightenment of the followers. In order to gain this joy and receive such powerful weapon in fight against evil, one can carry out a spiritual exercise called Overjoyment in spirit.

This exercise consists mostly in using the sense of sight and an internal act of love. Through our sight we reach to an item (such as the face of another human, a pretty flower, painting etc.) which we take on to be the source of internal delight, seeing wisdom and beauty of God's work. We then initiate an act of love aimed towards God, thanking Him for this work of His. This act rouses the heart to fill with joy resulting from greatness, power and goodness of Lord God. In this way our entire day can become one, great worship of the Highest One, as every person and every item may become a reason for our joy. The more we engage our will in this exercise, the more we will open to the world surrounding us, we will leave the closed past more often, and through the love towards God we will discover the beauty of our lives and become happier.

We should start immediately. It is enough to take a look around (without stopping doing what we do now), select an appropriate item and become joyous.

We can focus our attention on the face of the one possessed. After a manifestation of an evil spirit, once calm and inner silence reappear, the face of the enslaved one receives certain, inner gleam. This can be used as a source of spiritual joy. Each small success related to the enslaved one's approaching Jesus or the Church should be used as such a source. Once every observed fruit of prayer leads to spiritual happiness, our companionship will not be so difficult. These successes will develop our faith and belief in the approaching liberation. This psychologically-spiritual force will become another inspiration and weapon in spiritual combat.

This exercise also helps in combating sadness which can come over us as we observe how another person suffers, being tormented by a demon. Sadness, as it says in the Scripture, leads to sleep, which causes our alertness to drop. To combat it, one needs to take joy into one's heart.

4.3. Work of love

Everyone wants to be loved and love others. This desire is as old as the humankind and can occupy our mind, will, imagination, memory and most of all - our heart and therefore it is very easy to lose the significance of love itself. Love is a gift from God, who is Love Himself. This gift may change not only a person but the whole earth. Thanks to it everyone can experience the truth about God, contained in the Book of Wisdom: "You love everything that exists; you do not despise anything that you have made. If you had not liked it, you would not have made it in the first place" (Wisdom 11:24).

Evangelical love is directed at works for God and our neighbors. Jesus, who is directed by it, stands before the poor of this world and comes with peace, to set them free and heal them internally, filling sad hearts with joy and hope of life. We could present many examples of the Messiah helping those hungry for love. The greatest is, however, the selfless sacrifice made on the tree of the Cross. Every Christian treats this sacrifice made of love and from love not only as a model to follow in everyday life but also as a source of new life. Thanks to this "God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us" (Romans 5:5).

The real spirit of love filling the heart of man can be seen the best in the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. We know many descriptions of events in which this Saint showed his love. One of them is about the attitude St. Francis took towards a hungry brother when the latter could not sleep during the night. The explanation for it was easy: "Dearest brothers, this which I have done, to wit, that on account of charity towards my brother, we have eaten together with him, lest he should be ashamed to eat alone, necessity and charity rather forced me to do" (Mirror 27). Only a man with this kind of inner attitude could write these words: "Nor should any brother do evil or say something evil to other; on the contrary, through the charity of the Spirit, they should voluntarily serve and obey one another" (1Reg 5:13).

To the ones accompanying people enslaved by the forces of evil, these words of Poverello remind about the truth of Jacob, saying that love is expressed through specific actions. There is no such thing as a good spiritual companion, whose main motive is willingness to solve problems rather than love. A person accompanying these spiritually enslaved, should often train these actions, by doing an exercise called The act of love.

What is it?

Simply speaking, an act of love is unselfish coming to aid to another person. This act should be carried out with pure intention, motivated by love to God and human dignity. The following model of actions should be emulated:

1. Start by rousing in yourself an intention of help aimed towards the possessed person. 2. Then, ask the Holy Spirit (in your own words) to fill you with the spirit of love, so that all you do will be done with a calm heart and without fear which so often overcomes us. 3. Afterwards, listen to the voice of your heart, so that you could stand in front of a person enslaved. This is important, as by watching what a possessed person does when he is enslaved, we may become petrified. And yet Good God gave us His gifts expecting us to use them to do good to everyone, and thus we should not be surprised that He sends us to the ones that need us the most.

If you are called to an act of love towards strangers, do not be afraid to be the one to start. 4. By overcoming the internal resistance telling you that you cannot make it, you clearly demonstrate that you trust whoever called you to be the Angel of Love treading this world in a human shape. 5. And once the joy of fulfillment comes (after carrying out an act of love), thank Christ for making you His tool.

Today, the world needs Angels of love, which will bear the Good News, not only in word, but in act as well. Remember: "Who gives, receives twice over"..

4.4. Internal bank of peace

The world is spinning faster and faster and we are too. The pace of life and information overload which come to us through all kinds of mass media and other sources of information (not forgetting the kind neighbor, gossip heard in a store, human curiosity etc.) are making us more and more external (worldly) than internal (spiritual). One of the reasons is lack of internal peace, lack of spiritual integration and silence. We are mixed with the noise of the world and we reject even the little grace received during meetings with God while praying. Living in constant whirlwind of needs and actions, surrounded by the ever-growing noise, we become less sensitive to God's inspirations. All who are aware of the above try to protect themselves in many ways, in order to keep God's "touch" in them or put various "filters" so as to diminish the effects of shock waves of the current world.

How to find internal peace?

There are many ways to find internal peace within oneself and means to do so and it is impossible to present all of them at the same time. However, it is possible to present some general attitude that may help to make clearer this spiritual exercise that enables reaching internal peace. This attitude was presented well by Luke the Evangelist as he described Mary's behavior.

Our Lady, as she was coming back home with Joseph during the Passover, noticed that twelve-year-old Jesus was not there by her side and she began to seek Him in the crowd of pilgrims. Jerusalem was busy during the holiday and it was difficult to find peace and tranquility in its streets. Voices of sellers mixed with pilgrims' conversations, yells of the guards and echoes of street noises. Mary was concentrating on finding her Son in this general noise. She walked into the city to find Him after three days in the temple.

This description helps us to find a way of acting in order to find a desired value. First of all, we need to find Jesus within ourselves, in our very own sanctuary of our heart, which is to be understood as the source of life and the spiritual center. We can enter this center only leaving street noises back, entering the silence of a temple in order to "taste" Jesus' words during prayer and making them the source of our peace.

Saint Francis of Assisi was an example of such an attitude as he retreated to the sanctuary of his heart on several moments of his life and he talked to Jesus there, making this meeting a base for his internal peace. He received a gift from the Prince of Peace. In order to protect this grace from noises of the world, human curiosity and temptation of hollow pride - as it is commented by brother Thomas of Celano - he kept these words of the Prophet in his heart and he often spoke them: "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (Ps 119:11).

Taking the above into consideration, I would like to recommend a spiritual exercise named internal peace bank investment. This exercise is based on an assumption of the power of the Name of Jesu,s as it requires opening one's heart to welcome Jesus there. To do so we need to repeat with all possible strength the name of Jesus in our thoughts. Calling this name means expressing at the same time all that Jesus is: He is the real God, real Son of Mary, who offered his life and blood in order to save man.

Repeating this name aloud slowly and rhythmically introduces us to a state of being present before the Lord and in His saving grace. After a few minutes (depending on how strong "the noise of the world" is in us) of such proclamations of faith and praising God we invite Jesus to live spiritually in our heart. While making this invitation with our own words, we should try to fill our heart with the feeling of selfless love to Jesus so that the bliss of this encounter could make us feel fulfilled. Staying as long as we can with this feeling of fulfillment we receive an internal bank of peace that we must protect against the word and to which we should return frequently. The building of this bank is our very heart and the treasure kept in it is the spiritual presence of Jesus, the true Prince of Peace. If we do so, even the greatest "satanic noise" will not be able to disturb our internal peace which shines in man as a fruit of God's Presence.

This exercise is very helpful when we get annoyed with for example the nonchalance of the evil spirit towards our doings or with an attempt of intimidation which aims at disturbing our internal peace. Every situation which makes us unbalanced or scared must be responded with calling the name of Jesus. This will fill us with peace and courage as courage is fear which knows how to pray.

4.5. Mortification – time for release

When we walk through the streets we pass shop-windows which tempt us with beautiful objects. At home, watching tv, we can see colorful and encouraging advertisements that offer us an easier life, simple comfort or additional pleasure for a low price. Pervasive consumerism and the general trend to make things easy drove us to the point when we have problems struggling with any obstacles, hindrances or life problems. Somewhere deep inside we dream about heaven on earth without any difficulties, problems and troubles. Knowing that our dreams are unreachable, we cannot even laugh them out. Our will is weakened and we can only repeat "Enough of this harsh day, why am I to burden myself with any additional spiritual effort."

This powerlessness usually leads us to laziness and makes our life even more complicated. As Christians we cannot submit to blind consumerism nor gluttonous lust, nor spiritual laziness. Jesus said equally to everyone: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24).

Saint Francis of Assisi understood it very well as at the beginning of his conversion he did not hesitate to pilgrimage to Rome in order to wear robes of a beggar and together with other beggars ask for alms. He mortified himself on numerous occasions during his life, however, all for one purpose: in order to manifest the priority of life for God's love and for spiritual growth, especially for gaining and strengthening virtue. Therefore, he taught his brothers that "everyone has his enemy in his power,—to wit, the body by which he sins. Wherefore blessed is that servant who always holds captive the enemy thus given into his power and wisely guards himself from it, for so long as he acts thus no other enemy visible or invisible can do him harm." (Admonitions 10:2-4).

As we can see, any mortification undertaken for the above reasons can serve us as a strengthening exercise of our will. It is done through conscious unpleasantness inflicted to human nature thanks to which this nature can "get used to" overcoming any obstacles. Thanks to practising wise mortification a Christian undertakes also an act of penance and thanks to them he or she can control natural desires which could lead to sin or imperfection.

Any good resulting from practising mortification, beside strengthening the will and some anti-sin prevention, bears also some expiation. There is place in voluntary mortification for acts of begging God for forgiveness for committed sins. Therefore, the intention is very important while mortifying, meaning the motives behind particular efforts. The most important intention of any Christian undertaking mortification should be the will to get closer to Jesus who "Who emptied Himself, (...) humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:6-8).

There is no need to give here particular means of mortifying. Everyone can find appropriate means of acting himself or herself. Only some general rules are mentioned here:

  1. mortifications should be undertaken being aware of our real capabilities, not our great plans and wishes,

  1. before starting let us invoke a particular intention, for which we undertake spiritual effort,

  1. it is good to always define the way, form and time of mortification at the very beginning,

  1. beside being thoughtful it is very important to keep it in secret, others do not need to know that we undertake this kind of spiritual exercise, what is more, keeping quiet about it will protect us against phariseeism,

  1. we cannot concentrate on quick results while mortifying, but we must concentrate on shaping our general attitude; that will also help to keep patient and faithful to this practice.

While accompanying people possessed by evil spirits there is much space for physical and psychical mortification. We do not have to seek additional occasions for it as we shall take advantage of the existing situation. All that is needed is to invoke in us an intention in which we start mortification coming from outside, from the person enslaved by evil spirits and submit to accompanying that person. In such a way we can deprive evil spirits of reasons to make us uneasy and limit any hatred that may grow in us, even leading to internal destruction, as well as to lack of interpersonal integration.

4.6. The power of blessing

Modern man struggles to find internal peace. All what is here conventionally named as "evil forces" of the world, immoderate lust and ubiquitous temptations limit Christians' free "breathing" with God. Escaping from those limitations is a serious matter, especially for those who forgot to take due care for their spiritual life. Looking only forward, they never appreciate the present and often treat the past as a kind of burden which prevents them from spreading their wings. A visible proof of that today is the disappearance of pious practices in Christian families, which once made it possible to fortify our faith, hope and love and enabled us to find the required peace of mind.

Such a nearly forgotten practice is the blessing of children by their parents while leaving the house, not only starting some far away journey, but also when the child goes to school or simply to have fun with friends. Nowadays a father blesses his family with the sign of the cross after praying together only occasionally. It is also rare for a pregnant woman to bless the child in her womb. Not many conversations between Christians nowadays end with the wish of a blessed day, blessed work or blessed and joyful holidays. It is rather the opposite, curses are more and more replacing blessings.

However, the blessing is a gift from God, expressed through words and the sign of the Holy Cross. This gift includes a wish for spiritual good, directed at a specific person to make him or her live in God's grace, under God's protection. At the same time a blessing is a kind of greeting which enables the person blessing another one to enter a particular relationship with the one being blessed. It is a relationship of Christian love and help. Thanks to that a bond of unity can be created between the one blessing and the one being blessed, and that is additionally fortified with the awareness of co-responsibility. All of this happens in the name of the Holy Trinity, for only the God is so powerful and only He can make the wish contained in the blessing true.

Analyzing Jesus' public activities, we find on Bible's pages situations when the Master of Nazareth blesses children (Mark 10:16), His disciples (Luke 24:50), when He orders them to react to oppression with a blessing (Luke 6:28). Saint Peter the Apostle said: "When God raised up His servant, He sent Him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways" (Acts 3:26). In those words we can find the light that will brighten the darkness of our hearts and show us the way to get away from the land of spiritual powerlessness.

Saint Francis of Assisi understood it very well when he was being cursed by his own father, who was upset that his son would not follow his will but gave himself to serving God. St. Francis chose a man and made him his foster father, asking the man to "bless him when his own father curses him". As brother Thomas Celano observed - in such a way St. Fancis implemented the prophetic word and showed with facts the meaning of these words: Let them curse, but You bless (Psalms 109:28).

A Christian accompanying a person possessed by dark powers should be a person who blesses others so that God's power can manifest itself in them. Regardless who this person is and what he or she does, the one accompanying is obliged to be co-responsible for those presented to him or her by God. Through frequent practice of blessings we can grant that person the atmosphere of sanctity which will enable such a person to grow in faith and therefore overcome all distrust towards God.

How and when to bless?

A Christian can bless through invoking the name of God, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. This can be done through uttering a well-known formula aloud or in external silence, one can also make the sign of the cross on the forehead of the one being blessed with a thumb. The blessing can be granted to anyone anytime, even to a person who remains sinful, for example to a drunkard. It is recommendable to proceed the blessing with expressing the intention, for example - in order to release you from alcohol addiction, be blessed... in order to free you completely, may God bless you... We must not be afraid of blessing people who are far away from us nor those unknown to us. Especially people suffering and fighting spiritually await our blessing, as well as those living alone or those with difficult responsibilities. God's blessing spoken through our mouth can often be placed on children and young people, especially the rebellious ones, who seek authorities.

Those who introduce this practice in their spiritual life should remember Jesus' words: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9). The power of blessing will bring people who are spiritually enslaved not only psychical strength connected with the fact that someone remembers them and stays close but it will also be an expression of wish of happiness for such a person. Happiness for a possessed person can often have only one face: imminent and complete release.

4.7 Spiritual reading of the Holy Scripture

No believer could possibly imagine developing one's spiritual life without drinking deep from the source of the living water which is the Holy Scripture. Leaning over the Bible with faith is an equitable practice of a man who consciously wishes to fully adhere to God revealed in the Holy Book. There God speaks, and in His words, He introduces Christians to specific, spiritual experience. This is proved by teachings of the Second Vatican Council, found in the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation DEI VERBUM: "And let them remember that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that God and man may talk together; for 'we speak to Him when we pray; we hear Him when we read the divine saying.'"

In order to better listen to the voice of God speaking through the holy pages of the Bible, feel encouraged to read the Scripture not only by examining the meaning of words, but especially by examining its spiritual substance. Instructions of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, contained in The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church, explain it to be "The meaning expressed by the biblical texts when read under the influence of the Holy Spirit, in the context of the paschal mystery of Christ and of the new life which flows from it. This context truly exists. Through it, the New Testament recognizes the fulfillment of the Scriptures. It is therefore quite acceptable to reread the Scriptures in the light of this new context, which is that of life in the Spirit."

Such an approach to the Holy Scripture can be observed in St. Francis' life. It is especially visible when, at the beginning of his spiritual path, he held the so called sortes apostolorum with his first brothers, Bernard and Peter. It consisted of asking God for help, and then opening the Gospel to read its randomly chosen fragments. Then they referred its contents to the issue at hand, expecting to receive enlightenment from God. We need to remark that the Church did not fully accept this ceremony, believing that spiritual interpretation of Holy Scripture can be the subject of manipulation. St. Francis in his straightforwardness and great trust placed in God's Will contained in the pages of the Gospel, did not hesitate to use this method. Yet, he always asked a priest to explain the meaning of the words he read, and in this way he expressed his wish to be fully obedient to the Catholic Church in all, including the interpretation of the Holy Scripture.

Nowadays, when in our country a non-biblical model of faith persists, we must discover again the true value of spiritual reading of the Bible. All it asks of us, is ten-fifteen minutes of our time every day. What it gives us is an amazing adventure of a dialogue with God. How can we do it?

After a short prayer to the Holy Spirit, asking for the light of understanding, sit at the table after lighting a candle on it. The candle – a symbol of the light of Christ – will be the external sign of the uniqueness of the moment. Time spent on meeting the Lord, rather than just improving your biblical knowledge. Then open the New Testament and start reading St. Matthew's Gospel with your heart wide open. Read slowly, carefully and empathetically, mentally entering the substance of what you are reading. It is important to allow God-sent inspirations to guide you. Therefore, pay attention to what is happening in your heart. There you will hear God speaking, filling you with the language of love, which is hard to explain in words. Once you become filled with the Spirit of God, stop reading and start praying. Talk to Him about how you feel and what is happening inside you. This way meeting the Word of God will turn into a dialogue of love with God Himself.

After reading all the Gospels, carry on with this spiritual exercise, diving into the contents of Apostolic Letters. Once you are done with these as well, continue with the Old Testament. Read it, at the same time keeping the perspective of the paschal events, the true history of salvation. In this history your "here and now" will become a meeting of a Child of God and his Father.

Reading the Holy Scripture to an enslaved person will create additional space for acts of Divine Grace. The person in question will read about and realize the great power with which Jesus banished evil spirits, that they were obedient to Him, and that the Church continues the Messiah's mission nowadays. Moreover, the word of God is a source of inexhaustible Grace for the hearts which stay in contact with God, and is a constant reproach for evil spirits, who do not want to, and often cannot, listen to the Word of God. Words written down by Evangelists have power which brings evil forces to obedience, thus it is worth memorizing and quoting them, especially during demonic manifestations.

4.8 Spiritual Holy Communion

Every Christian willing to fully realize his/her calling, must protect divine life within him/herself. An expression of such care is frequent receiving Holy Communion. Unfortunately, after a good confession and accepting eucharistic Jesus to one's heart, people often find it difficult to find time to take part in Holy Mass every day. Frequently, after accepting the Body of Christ, these people stop feeding their souls with the holy nourishment for eternal life. Great thirst for the Body of Christ is overcome by lack of time caused by employment or day-to-day responsibilities. While accompanying a possessed person, we encounter one more difficulty, caused by having to constantly be present with such a person. Accompanying an enslaved person often makes it impossible to benefit from the Eucharistic Table. In such cases a certain want appears inside us, a certain conviction about not participating in the sacraments, through which good God provides us with His divine Grace. Such a state can even drive one to remorse.

St. Francis of Assisi does not hesitate to encourage all believers to contemplate God in one's spirit, and so in his first admonition he writes: "Behold daily He humbles Himself as when from His 'royal throne' He came into the womb of the Virgin; daily He Himself comes to us with like humility; daily He descends from the bosom of His Father upon the altar in the hands of the priest. And as He appeared in true flesh to the Holy Apostles, so now He shows Himself to us in the sacred Bread; and as they by means of their fleshly eyes saw only His flesh, yet contemplating Him with their spiritual eyes, believed Him to be God, so we, seeing bread and wine with bodily eyes, see and firmly believe it to be His most holy Body and true and living Blood" (1Np 17-21).

The Catholic Church worked out a practice that goes further. Pope Pius XII in his encyclical letter "Mediator Dei" does not write only about watching God in spirit, but encourages Christians to ingest the eucharistic sustenance in thirst if they are unable to ingest it in flesh. Thus, spiritual Holy Communion becomes a drink for the thirsty and food for the hungry. Of course, it will not fully substitute the Body of Christ, but it becomes a place of mental renewal, experience of closeness to eucharistic Christ. Thanks to this, a person who was christened and is in the state of sanctifying grace, will be filled with the Holy Spirit and able to unify with Christ in the deepest love.

How to accept spiritual communion?

It is best to do this in a secluded place, for example in an empty room. Seclusion guarantees ease of concentration and intimacy of the spiritual meeting with God. First, one needs to awake living faith in the presence of Jesus Christ. One can pray with the Acts of Faith, Hope and Love, or spontaneously. Next, with an inner act, one must open one's heart to God saying the Lord's Prayer and taking a humble attitude of a child of God. Such an attitude will give evidence of our trust toward the will of the divine Redeemer, who, in turn, gives Himself to the believer. Once we reach this state of spirit, we need to ask Jesus Christ to come to our heart and enter it. It needs to be done in simple words, such as "Come, o Lord Jesus, the Bread of life, and enter my heart so that I belong to You forever". Then, just as during the Holy Mass, we say the "Lamb of God" prayer, and imagine Christ coming to our heart. We should hold this moment of spiritual experience for a few whiles. Then we praise God and thank Him for the grace we received.

One can spiritually receive Communion in this way a few times a day. It greatly supports one's spiritual progress. This method of taking Holy Communion is perfect for the chronically ill who listen to the mass on the radio, or watch it on TV. In this manner, they can better experience the Holy Mass. These who accompany the spiritually enslaved can use this method to pray for freeing their relatives from Satan's snares. We need to keep in mind that those who are strongly ensnared by evil spirits, will attempt to interrupt our acceptance of Holy Communion. That is why it might be reasonable to ask someone else to take care of the possessed person while we are meeting God, or, even better, wait for a moment when the posessed one is otherwise engaged, or involved with some work. We should also be prepared for aggressive or ridiculing behavior from that person, as the evil spirit can read our intentions regarding spiritual acceptance of Holy Communion and react in such a way.

4.9. Overcoming spiritual temptation

Everyone entering spiritual combat will feel spiritual temptations encouraging him to sin. These feelings can greatly unsettle a person willing to become one with God, as they can lead to sinful acts. Usually identified with a strong desire for something, may it be wealth, career, immoral experiences, they can come from the person himself or be a direct or indirect Satanic persuasion to forgo the Gospel. A person enticed by chaotic desires can, through self-suggestion and complacency, influence his own acts of will so that he follows this internal voice and sin. Satan can use the same method (of influencing one's feelings, imagination and memories) to present evil as good and thus make one's will follow the deluded mind, leading him or her into sin.

Jesus Christ was subject to such an influence, when He, at the very beginning of His public activity, met Satan in the desert. First, he was tempted by a promise of bread, then by a promise of magical power that would reveal itself once Jesus threw himself down from a temple into the valley of Cedron, and finally – by a promise of riches received for paying court to the one who believes himself to be the ruler of this world. Jesus, through His unshakeable faith in God and His plans, manages to overcome this influence, and thus Satan is forced to leave Him.

Similarly, St. Francis of Assisi was subject to heavy spiritual temptations for a few years. His first biographer, brother Thomas Celano wrote: "At one time, a very serious temptation of spirit came upon the holy father, surely to embellish his crown. Because of it he was filled with anguish and sorrow; he afflicted and chastised his body, he prayed and wept bitterly. He was under attack in this way for several years.". We can see that in this spiritual combat, Poverello of Assisi fought with all strength that was given to him, focusing on asceticism and prayer. The result was that "One day while praying at Saint Mary of the Portiuncula, he heard in spirit a voice: 'Francis, if you had faith like a mustard seed, you would tell the mountain to move from here, and it would move.' The saint replied 'Lord, what is the mountain that I could move?' And again, he heard: 'The mountain is your temptation.' And Francis said, sobbing: 'Lord, be it done to me as you have said.' At once, the whole temptation was driven away, he was set free." (2Cel 115).

Faith in the power of Jesus Christ and patient ascetic effort will help every Christian to overcome even the worst temptations. The rich spiritual tradition suggests other methods helpful while fighting temptation, such as: remaining vigilant, avoiding potentially sinful situations, practising theological virtues (faith, hope and love), help from a spiritual director, remaining in the state of sanctifying grace and confessing the temptation.

While making use of these ages-old, tested and true measures, one can also apply spiritual exercise called "assuming the attitude of a humble beggar". When you feel tempted, call the name of Jesus within you, repeating "Oh Lord Jesus, come with the grace of freeing me from the temptation of... (here explain what kind of temptations you are subjected to)". Then use your imagination and stand on Golgotha, under the Cross of the Redeemer and plead Christ to wash you with His Holy Blood, like a humble beggar. Let His Blood touch your wounds and clean all the places and spiritual space which was subjected to temptation, so that internal peace could fill you again. Then, open the Holy Bible, and read the part of the Epistle to Corinthians which says: "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13) After reading this fragment, turn to Christ in a personal act of faith, saying a prayer such as "Oh Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in Your compassion and Your power, I submit myself to Your goodness. Come with Your grace of freeing me from temptation, and grant that no internal agitation encouraging me to sin may ever take me over. May neither Satan nor my body lead me to sin – be it hidden or overt, sudden or persistent. Please, o Lord, keep me from all evil: present, past and future. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was at the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen."

Accompanying a person tormented by evil spirits may prove unsettling, due to apprehensions about encroaching on the subject of demonic influence. Strong temptations rather than direct acts of vengeance can hamstring our activities, so it is important to learn this exercise and make use of it often. The attitude of a humble beggar overcomes all devil's doings, as humility transfixes evil.

4.10 Return to Being Present

It is difficult to imagine that a person accompanying those spiritually enslaved does not meet the Lord God in prayer, loving Him and wishing to emulate Jesus Christ. Prayer is nourishment for a man of faith. It is always a meeting, during which, as St. Clare of Assisi writes, one raises one's soul to the glorious light of God and puts one's heart against God's. Prayer is presence of a servant before God. Thus, certain conditions need to be fulfilled so that it could be a full presence. The most important of those are: an appropriate attitude, an open heart, willingness and awareness of meeting with the Supreme, preparing the place, choosing the time, picking an appropriate method of prayer, etc. Even when we remember about these and invite the Holy Spirit to send the grace of good prayer upon us, there come moments when our presence in meeting God becomes only an external act. It happens mostly during moments of absent-mindedness. Such moments are most frequently described as follows: "While saying the rosary or another prayer, I suddenly realize that my lips are speaking, but my thoughts are elsewhere. I am present in body, but not in spirit, heart or mind..."

The most common source of those distractions is the noise of daily life - which constantly rings in our ears - or trips down the memory lane. Another source of sudden distance appearing between us and the Lord could also be our imagination wandering about the nooks of life in search of happiness. In this cornucopia of internal experiences, we cannot forget about desires, greed and temptations, which block our view of God, not allowing us to be fully present in the meeting. How can we handle this?

Let us focus on the way Jesus prayed in the olive-garden. Evangelist Luke describes this event, paying special attention to the attitude of the Redeemer. Jesus fell on His knees and prayed, saying honest words to the Father. "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22, 44). What a commitment! Jesus is constantly present during His meeting the Father! Such an attitude, which could be described as "spiritual ravishment", certainly brings the expected results. To understand it better, let us examine St. Francis' experience during his prayers.

Thomas of Celano, in his second biography of St. Francis, describes his fight against distractions. The Poverello of Assisi believed he sinned heavily whenever he got distracted during his prayers, and so he immediately confessed and took penance upon himself. Once, when he was praying, his attention was grabbed by an elaborately made vessel that he created. He immediately smashed it saying, "What a shame, to deviate to wilderness of wretched distractions, while talking to the Great King" (2Cel 97). How much of this are the words of Francis, and how much – Thomas' interpretations, is difficult to tell. What matters to us is his attitude toward this problem. And this friar minor suggests taking the following road in our fight against distractions in prayer: recognizing the distraction as sin, confessing it, doing our penance, and isolating ourselves from all that could distract us while kneeling in prayer.

Having all this in mind, we can learn a spiritual exercise called "Return to being present"

When, during our prayer, we notice that distractions pulled our thoughts away from meeting God, the first step we should take is to interrupt this state. By a decision of will, without a hurry, we can remove thoughts clouding our mind, to re-realize the intentions that made us start praying. We come upon this realization by answering a few short questions: What did I want to do now? Who do I stand (sit, kneel) in front of? What is the intention of my prayer? Why are my thoughts not with God? What is the source of it?

Having answered all these questions, we gather up all the thoughts that led us to the distraction, and offer them to Jesus, asking Him to transform them into something more pleasant to the Lord. Therefore, we confess our weakness which led us astray and carry out a spiritual act of love, in which we put our heart against the Divine once again. This way, our presence in the prayer again becomes a lively and happy dialogue with the Lord.

If a distraction happens again, do not hesitate to do this exercise once more. After some time, we will notice that our prayer became a constant dialogue with loving God. Through repeating this exercise, we will, as St. Thomas of Celano writes, very rarely give in to those "flies".

4.11 A familial spiritual talk

While taking care of our spiritual life, we cannot forget about others. Following the earthly life of our Lord Jesus, we can observe how He gathered individual people into a group that became an environment of transforming their lives. Every one of them was treated individually, according to their needs and personalities. Lord Jesus shared the Good News with them, explained the stories of redemption and encouraged them to take a deeper reflection over their lives. This form of creative sharing His heart allowed the pupils to find the right way in the process of spiritual growth.

St. Francis of Assisi behaved in the same way, often taking up spiritual conversations with his brothers, encouraging them to talk about not only the gifts they received from God, but also their fears and the state of their spirits. We can find traces of those conversations in many places across his biographies. A description by brother Thomas Celano is clear: "Having gathered together, they greatly rejoice at the sight of their beloved shepherd, and marvel at how they were all gathered by a singular desire of return to the commune. They speak about gifts they received from the Lord, and ask their holy father for admonition and penance for their wrongdoing. These, they accept gladly." (1Cel 30)

Our openness to another man, being able to communicate with him and awareness of the common call to sanctity, not only help us reach the attitude of loving our neighbor, but also account for a marvelous opportunity for reciprocal spiritual enrichment. Truly, we need not look far - it is enough to invite our family to the dialogue: the husband, wife, children. In order to implement it in everyday life, we can try an exercise called "Franciscan fraternity", or a brotherly (familial) spiritual conversation.

How should we conduct it?

It is best to do this in the evening, when the sun is slowly setting and the entire family sitting down at the table to dine. Find a listener who you will tell all about what happened to you that day. Select a moment when the listener will be most interested, and then clearly explain your spiritual experience which was the source of your inner happiness or sadness. While talking about this experience, do not forget about other people at the table. A small gesture, turning your body toward someone or a quick glance, can help engage others into listening and talking. If a hardship, such as initial distrust or opposition arises, do not react violently. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. To engage the listeners more, ask them a few simple questions that could serve to elaborate on the topic. Finally, ask for a moment of silence, during which you could pray to Jesus Christ, thanking Him for the grace and gift of meeting others you received from Him.

What is great about this exercise is that it can be done during an evening meal, without asking your family to sacrifice some of their own time. Moreover, the talk begins with a story of a relative, which can easily rouse curiosity in listeners, as well as astonishment, sympathy, longing and many other feelings. These could become the motive force to act. Yet, the most important thing is that when small talk gets replaced with a constructive dialogue, concerning ways in which God acts in human life, the spiritual enrichment affects everybody at the table. In time, the entire family can reach a conclusion that an evening meal should transform into a spiritual feast, where you not only feed your "brother donkey", but also raise your spirits and share your spiritual state.

When a spiritually enslaved or tormented person is sitting at the table, the familial spiritual talk should not concern this person. What is important is to break the cycle of suffering which our relative is liveing through, and focus on what builds and gives strength for further spiritual combat. Sharing happy spiritual experiences among the family can bother the enslaved person, but also can mobilize the family to further spiritual combat, and show new ways of God's grace acting, which greatly increases the value of spiritual companionship. Familial, spiritual talks makes others share the burden of the cross of hardship the possessed person is carrying. This is so because it is easier to overcome one's own negatively-influencing, help-hindering weaknesses once you know about the experiences of the others.
5. Prayer of a companion

A companion to a spiritually enslaved or tormented person should, above all, be a person of prayer, an orant who does not hesitate to thank and plead in front of the Almighty. Due to his ministry, he must work on certain skills, especially ones concerning intercessory prayers, prayer for spiritual freedom, and making use of private exorcisms. Therefore, the following chapter focuses on these issues, with a small addendum concerning other prayers rooted in Franciscan tradition, which can have a positive impact on the spiritual life of those accompanying slaves to evil forces.

5.1 Intercessory prayer

Everyone who wishes to take his life into his own hands, must be a responsible person. Responsibility is a characteristic which does not allow one to sleep soundly when others err or lose grace they received earlier. Responsibility in a Christian's life makes him responsible for holding to the holistic image of a human being, caring for values such as intelligence, freedom, conscience and brotherhood, and developing a commune of mankind in the bosom of the Church. All of the above begin in God. A man who loses contact with God, can become out of touch with himself, and so he needs help of another person – someone who will support him - with respect and understanding .

In the wide array of methods which one can use to aid his brother or sister in need, there exists "Intercessory prayer". It is a pleading prayer toward God, either directly, or through the intercession of the saints. Jesus used it while pleading before God for his brothers and sisters. Our intercession should only ask for things fair and honest, that is those that concern salvation. A beautiful example of such a prayer can be found in the first biography of St. Francis, whose author, Thomas of Celano, finishes one of the chapters as follows: "O holy father how must those grieve for your absence who have no hope at all ever to find your like on earth! Help, we pray, by intercession those whom you see to be wrapped in the contagion of sin. Though you were already filled with the spirit of all the righteous, foreseeing the future, and knowing the present, you did ever bear the image of holy simplicity, that you might fly from all boastfulness." (1Cel 50).

How can we, in practice, plead for the sake of others in front of God?

To start an intercessory prayer, we must, above all, have our hearts filled with the grace of God, and possess the awareness of responsibility for our brother in faith. Such an internal attitude makes the specific human being with a baggage of needs all on his own, appear in front of our eyes. We should select one of those needs, one that we believe to be the most important, and make it the aim of our appeal.

Yet, before we direct this plead to God, we need to give Him the worship and praise that we owe Him. This is because praising God is the only atmosphere in which we begin the ministry of intercessory prayer. Why? Because as our praise reaches Him, we receive His blessings. These blessings spread over both the intercessor, and the person who is being prayed for. In this praise we should focus on thanking Jesus for all graces sent upon the person we pray for, as He already pleaded for them before God. If we know the story of that person's life, we can enunciate all these gifts. After mentioning each of them in a form of litany, we thank and praise God for His goodness and all He has done for our brother or sister. Sometimes, when we persist in our prayer, our good God hears us and sends the gifts we prayed for to the one in need. Then there is no need to plead any more – only to thank. If the gifts are not passed, we, being unworthy servants, should plead humbly, without caring for ourselves, focusing on the needs of others before our own. What is important here is the attitude of trust of a child, which is characterized by powerful faith, simple words, persistence and emotional engagement. Then, the substance of the intercessory plead reaches the heart of God, who is never indifferent to pleas of His children. The end stage of an intercessory prayer should be giving thanks once again, as an expression of our thankfulness for God's generosity.

We can pray in this way on our own, or with others. The most meaningful method of intercessory prayer is saying it with our family. In such a case we can hold each others' hands, speak the intention of the prayer aloud, and allow the Holy Spirit to take over, remembering about the recommendations mentioned above. A family that practices such a prayer does not lock themselves in a shell of their own needs. It extends their unity with the Church, through which it becomes pleasant in the eyes of our Heavenly Father – that is one with His Son, just as we are supposed to be one in the communion of the Church.

An intercessory prayer is a useful tool for those accompanying the spiritually enslaved. Above all, it should be a constant plead for freedom of the one suffering, directed at God. The intercessor should not only ask for complete liberation, but also for help in areas such as their faith in general, return to devout practices, understanding of what is happening and loving the Church, the decalogue and the Gospel. All of this should result in creating a spiritual link with God and His Church, to remain a part of the communion.

5.2 Prayer for internal freedom

As Christians, we are called to give our life for Jesus Christ, and the Lord gives us strength to fully accomplish our calling. What interferes with our cheerful following the Only Lord is our own sin and temptations, which are brought into existence by either human weakness or evil spirits. How should we handle these obstructions?

Liberation from sin and temptations comes mostly through confession. While confessing, Christ forgives our sin and makes our hearts free. Unfortunately, even after a good confession, temptations often come upon us, attempting to drag us back into the marsh of sin. When the temptations are strong, and we cannot handle them, we should take up fast and pray. One of the prayers we could use is the so-called prayer for internal freedom.

The source of long-lasting and really tiresome temptations is, most often, evil spirits which through this temptation attempt to drag us away from God and His love. The ministry of expelling a demon is reserved for bishops, and exorcists they appoint. Yet, every Christian can pray for liberation, on condition that he does not attempt to order the evil spirit or pretend to be a representative of the Holy Church. Therefore, every Christian can pray for freeing himself from the influence of temptations and evil spirits, but we can also use the prayer to plead for liberating someone else.

If you, and your confessor or spiritual director recognize that the temptations which torment you are a product of evil spirits, you can boldly start an individual prayer for liberation. Here is an example of such a prayer: Oh, omnipotent God, by calling your name, and the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, before whom every kneel on earth and in heaven bends, I implore you – please release me from the temptations of evil spirits (of anger, of suicide, of impurity...) which torment me so. I wish to belong only to You, and be Your child. Please, do not leave me alone, but come with your compassion and peace. Please, Good God, make the evil spirit leave for the depths of Hell. Please, make it so through the order of Jesus Christ, and let the Holy Spirit to fill me with his presence, by bringing the gifts I need. Let the evil spirit return and torment me no more! Thy will be done! Amen.

This prayer should be said silently, boldly, and above all – with faith. It is a good idea to do so in front of a cross, after thanking God for His gifts. One needs to emphasize three main elements in it:

  1. that one prays in the name of Jesus Christ,

  1. that one calls for the power of Jesus Christ Risen to send the evil spirit into the depths of hell,

  1. that one forbids the evil spirit to come back.

This is very important because, as the sacred council mentions in Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy: The Son of God, by His death and resurrection, freed us from the power of Satan. Our salvation comes through the Cross. This is where we must look for our deliverance. As we know from evangelical descriptions, evil spirits, whenever banished, wish to return with vengeance, therefore one must not forget about prohibiting them to come back.

What are the functions of faith and motivation during an individual prayer for freedom?

Faith is a channel through which the living water of healing and freedom flows. Christian faith is a belief into the Other who is above us, into the Word of Christ, which the Father reveals as the Source of Light in the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which give us this understanding. Therefore, every Christian prayer is based on our belief in God and divine Providence which rules the world. A faithful prayer assumes that God's workings influence all that happens in this world. That is why, when asking God for freedom, we ask for what God decided to grant to us through prayer and intercession of his Son. "Ask and it will be given to you; (...) If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" When beginning the prayer for freedom, your prayer cannot be weak. It has to be great and strong, anchored in your hope and love.

Motivation – that is, why you want to ask God for freedom. A man tormented by strong temptation needs to realize that his state is a trial of faith and trust in God, but also needs to be aware that something, or rather "somebody" is attempting to influence him. What one needs to do, then, is to – through an act of faith – rouse the desire of giving one's own, entire life to God. Many Christians ask God for internal freedom, not due to their will to come back to the house of Father but because they are carrying a burden, which weighs heavily on their soul and mind. Treating prayer as nothing else but a way to come back to health and good mood, without attempting metanoia – is nothing but a misunderstanding. My motivation needs to be clear: I wish to find sense in my life again, through coming into the arms of my loving Father. And since spiritual enslavement begins due to the lack of vigilance on our part, or even due to our own wishes, if we consciously follow satanic temptations, we need to realize our negligence and return to the path carved by Jesus Christ. As Pope John Paul II said during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000:

By your grace, O Father, may the Jubilee Year be a time of deep conversion and of joyful return to you. May it be a time of reconciliation between people, and of peace restored among nations, a time when swords are beaten into ploughshares and the clash of arms gives way to songs of peace. Father, grant that we may live this Jubilee Year docile to the voice of your spirit, faithful to the way of Christ.

Let us not forget that through the prayer for liberation, we ask for particular generosity with gifts that should bring freedom to a child of God.

Some people are stuck too deeply in their temptations and other influences of the world of evil spirits to make a personal prayer for freedom effective. Help from other people is necessary. It is easiest to ask trusted Christians for such support, whose faith and moral attitude we know to be an authentic testimonial of a life with God. Then, we can start praying in a group of two, three, or even more people, preferably in the presence of a priest. Since such a prayer needs to follow a certain order, we suggest using the method of a beggar, following Franciscan tradition. It was composed during St. Francis' contemplation which took place under the cross in the ruins of St. Damian's church:

Most High, glorious God,  
enlighten the darkness of my heart.  
And give me true faith, certain hope,   
and perfect charity,  
sense and knowledge, Lord,  
that I may carry out   
your holy and true command.

In his prayer, St. Francis turns to God as a child toward his father: please, enlighten; please, give. This is where the source of the beggar's attitude exists: "Oh Lord, hereby I stand under your cross and ask, not for me, but for my brother (or sister)".

In practice, prayers for internal freedom according to the method of a beggar share the following stages:

  1. A short invocation to the Holy Spirit,

  1. Praising God in the name of the brother (sister) who asks for prayer,

  1. Giving thanks for all gifts that my brother (sister) received from God during his/her life,

  1. Collective confession of faith,

  1. Beggar's appeal (the key point of the prayer),

  1. Giving thanks (or an appeal for compassion and care, if liberation did not take place),

  1. Blessing with the sign of the cross or a cross, as St. Francis and St. Clara did.

Such a prayer is a charismatic one, as it does not bind itself with strict prayer formulas, but emerges from the heart, after finding out what the source of temptations is (alternatively – after realizing the influence of evil spirits). Such an insight concerning enslavement of a brother or sister is presented to Good God in the appeal of a beggar, which is formed to describe the enslaving spirit to the fullest, and plead for liberation from it. Realizing the presence of evil spirits and finding out what their identity is, increases the effectiveness of the prayer, which helps reach the anticipated effects. During this stage of prayer, it is important to remind the spirit that in Christ he is already defeated, so he should submit to the will of Jesus as soon as possible, and tempt the person prayed for no more. The entirety of the prayer can be repeated many times, preferably at short intervals, during which one will be able to verify the state of the tormented person.

I would like to add that people praying for internal freedom need to be mature in their faith as well as wise, and must not see the devil everywhere, but rather recognize its influence and presence. The basic virtues for these people should be humility and love. Humility, which allows to follow one's mission in the attitude of a servant, and love, which urges us to care for redemption of our brothers and sisters in faith.

5.3 Private exorcism

While striving toward unity with Jesus Christ, we should never forget about the existence of spiritual forces which dislike any effort aiming for our deeper adherence to Christ. It is a good thing, then, that a lot has been recently said about evil spirits and gaining protection from their influence in theological-spiritual literature. After all, it was Jesus Christ who was born into our world in order to destroy the power of Satan and free mankind from his rule (1J 3:8). While participating in His mission, each Christian has a duty to fight to keep God's life within oneself. We know that this fight is not easy – after all the enemy is more powerful than man.

When we are united with the Lord God, we are not sentenced to devouring. The Holy Church possesses powerful means to lead the fight against evil. An example of those are the holy sacraments, especially those of internal healing: Holy Eucharist, anointing of the sick, the sacrament of reconciliation, also prayer - both communal and individual, blessings, spiritual companionship and exorcisms. Using these means we can face any evil. St. Francis of Assisi knew it well, and that is why he advises to practice two virtues particularly: wisdom and love. Wisdom – as St. Francis says – shames the devil and his perversity, and love – shames all temptations of devil and body, as well as corporeal fear. Moreover, he encourages the development of both internal and external spiritual happiness. It comes from one's heart, and protects us from any influence of demons. Knowing the ways of evil, which focus on isolating the tormented from co-religionists and preventing them from giving aid, he suggests to "recognise the devil-sent illusions through the power of prayer", and never leave the communion of Church. In this way, he emphasizes faith and the power of our individual prayer as well as our commitment.

Apart from the holy rosary and the Lord's Prayer, the best method of discovering the influence of evil spirits and opposing them is the prayer of personal exorcism. Exorcism is a sacramental through which the Church orders evil spirits to relinquish those they torment. Through saying exorcisms, we invoke the power of Jesus Christ Himself, who, through his death and resurrection, defeated Satan. An exorcism can be private – that is it can be said by every believer, as long as he does not say it in the name of the Holy Church, but rather his own faith. Each Christian can use this form of exorcism, unlike the major (or solemn) exorcism, which can be only used by a bishop, or a priest anointed by one.

How should we say a private exorcism?

Being morally sure that what we are facing are evil forces, we can use the words of St. Paul the Apostle (Acts 16:18), saying them aloud or in our heart, and internalizing them appropriately, for example "I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." This simple order, directed with deep faith at the evil spirits (i.e. "Unholy spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to leave!") possesses an incredible, spiritual power. We can also exorcise someone else, if they ask and allow for it. St. Francis of Assisi exorcised a possessed woman in the following words: "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I charge you, devil, on obedience, to go out of her nor dare to impede her any more. " (1Cel 69; 1B 10). When we pray together with our family, or are accompanied by other Christians, we can jointly say a part of an exorcism formulated by pope Leon XIII: "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 power of God, thrust into Hell, Satan and all the other evil spirits, who prowl throughout the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen." When we fight an internal fight before accepting the sacrament of reconciliation, if we feel an enormous resistance or fear, we can ask a priest to say a private exorcism over us. St. Alfonse Liguori suggested the following prayer: "As a servant of God, I command you, evil spirit – depart from this subject who is a child of God!"

When can we say a private exorcism?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that exorcisms aim to expel evil spirits, or free people from their demonic influence. This means that whenever we recognize an influence of evil spirits, we can personally or with the help of others say a private exorcism. Numerous theologists believe that it can also be said during strong, tormenting temptations, after committing a serious sin and remaining in it, while asking Good God for a gift of Holy Confession, when we feel that we lack honesty in confessing our sins, or even when we are having problems finding regret and desire for amendment. We can also say it when being subjected to bewitchment or remaining in a place/with people influenced by evil spirits. We should not carry out private exorcisms during a psychological illness, in unfounded cases caused by our fear and without faith in the name of Jesus (that is, we should never treat an exorcism simply as a magical method of getting rid of an annoying issue).

5.4 Antiphon of day and night

When a person accompanying a spiritually enslaved person is praying, he takes part in a meeting with God. For St. Francis of Assisi and all his followers, God, who we meet during our prayers is Goodness and Love itself. God-Love, who created the entire world invites us to assume a filial attitude of brotherhood with Christ, with members of our family, other people, and other animate and inanimate creations of God which our reality consists of. In order to assume such an attitude, which can be called an attitude of universal brotherhood with a cosmic extent, one that always keeps our relationship with Jesus Christ and fills us with Holy Spirit, we can carry out an exercise called Antiphon of day and night

The word "antiphon" is associated with a short refrain that psalms sung during Eucharist are interlaced with, or with a chorus recited or sung alternatingly by two choirs after the verses of the psalm during a communal prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours said in monastic churches and chapels. The Greek word antifonos the English word antiphon originates from, means someone who replies. Therefore, it seems to be the best one to reflect an attitude of a man who, while looking at the world as a gift from God, replies with a cheerful and peaceful worship of God Almighty.

Such glorifying interlacing a Christian's life adjusts him to be joyful in his day-to-day life. Thanks to it we can leave the melancholy of grey existence, which, like a worm, feeds on the last crumbs of our joy. St. Francis understood it perfectly, composing Canticle of the Sun (Laudes Creaturarum), and then saying it often and encouraging others to do the same. We can find evidence of that in The Assisi Compilation, where its author has the Poverello of Assisi say "At dawn, when the sun rises, everyone should praise God, who created it, because through it the eyes are lighted by day. And in the evening, when it becomes night, everyone should praise God for another creature, Brother Fire, because through it the eyes are lighted at night." (Za, 83)

What is the spiritual exercise called antiphon of day and night?

Antiphon of day

Once you wake up in the morning, before beginning your ablutions, even before you say the morning prayer, which, by that moment, might have become just another duty toward God, come to the window – if you can – and open it. Then, no matter what the weather is like, raise your hands and say:

"Most High, all powerful, good Lord,  
Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor,  
and all blessing.  
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,  
and no man is worthy to mention Your name.  
Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures,  
especially through my lord Brother Sun,  
who brings the day; and you give light through him." (1-3).

Remain in such a stance for about five minutes. Minding every comma, keep repeating these words. Then you can move to saying your preferred prayer.

Antiphon of night

Before laying down to sleep, do what you did in the morning, but exchange the prayer for

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon  
and the stars, in heaven you formed them  
clear and precious and beautiful. (...)  
Praised be You, my Lord,  
through those who give pardon for Your love,  
and bear infirmity and tribulation. (...)  
Praised be You, my Lord,  
through our Sister Bodily Death,  
from whom no living man can escape. (5.10.12.14)

5.5 Franciscan meditation

A lot is being said nowadays about the need for constant development of one's spiritual life, and about all that allows us to experience closeness with God. This yearning has accompanied Christians for centuries, encouraging them to take up specific spiritual exercises, helping them to perfect themselves internally. These exercises concerning spiritual growth are known to Franciscans as well. This is why we advise you to take up Franciscan meditation in addition to the known and valuable devotional practices we practice daily (such as averyday prayer, the rosary, examination of conscience, visiting the temples and others). It leads to internal experiencing of God through revising God's Word within ourselves. According to St. Bonaventura, a great representative of the mystical, Franciscan theology, meditation is a method of reading and considering one's own life. The history of your life needs to be examined through the prism of Jesus Christ, described in a specific text of the Scriptures. He is the one to be the central point of this exercise, in which we need to engage the entirety of ourselves: our mind, will, body and heart (feelings). St. Clara of Assisi followed this method; her prayer was one of the heart rather than one of the mind only. With her eyes fixed on Jesus Christ Crucified, she entered into internal experience of God Himself through her burning heart, an act which often ended with mystical experiences.

Here we present a method of Franciscan meditation, developed after analyzing the writings of writers coming from Franciscan spiritual school, from the Poverello of Assisi himself, to St. Peter of Alcantara. It is a method where intellectual speculation, engagement of one's will and imaginary-affectionate attitude coexist. In other words, one meditating according to this method, engages all his spiritual powers (the mind, will and heart), integrating it with a singular aim of experiencing unity with God.

How can we meditate following this method?

Start by finding a place where you will not be disturbed for at least thirty minutes. The space, time and silence are the external requirements for making a prayer possible. Moreover, remember that your time is the most valuable gift you can offer God, so do not determine in advance how much of it you will spend on prayer. Open your mind and heart to God's grace and follow the steps outlined in the clues below, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you.

Preliminary prayer

The most important thing in this prayer is to stand before God in your entirety. There is no place for learned rituals and memorized formulas here. Approach God and show Him all that is within you – your desires, feelings, thoughts, sufferings, etc.

Reading the Holy Scripture

Franciscan Meditation revolves around the person of Jesus Christ. Therefore, open the Holy Scripture and read a section of the chosen Evangel that you will contemplate.

Contemplation

After reading through the section of the Holy Scripture, imagine the biblical scene according to your existing knowledge concerning this part of the Holy Book. This makes it easier to perceive the context, the atmosphere, and focus on the scene in its entirety. Imagination feeds the mind and rouses it to deduction, thus helping it understand the words considered. Moreover, imagination makes the spiritual experience stronger, which, in turn, engages our will.

Identifying with the scene

This is a very important moment of the contemplation, as your entire internal world has an opportunity to get a word in. Your state of spirit guides your mind and will to identify with a specific attitude represented by either people appearing in the contemplated, biblical scene, or with the attitude described in the holy words you read. Psychological identification brings you closer to the Word of God and, through it, allows you to reach God himself.

Evaluating your own life

At this moment you approach the inevitable comparison of your attitude with the one described in the Bible. This leads to evaluating your own life. This is about something more than just a simple examination of your life. In this moment, the Holy Spirit may dispel the darkness within yourself and show you one of God's truths, or bring one of the words of life to your attention, which will be a prophetic voice of tomorrow. The Holy Spirit may also regenerate His spiritual gifts, or other boons. During your meditation you are free to accept these gifts, and thank for them.

Giving thanks

Once your heart sees all the gifts you receive, it will not be able to keep silent – and thus it will start to give thanks. You need not thank with words (although you can, even though you should keep them within your mind), as you can also raise your heart, and spiritually approach the God-Love. Follow the example of true lovers, who do not always need to say "thank you" with words.

Setting your heart ablaze through thanking God for the truth about Himself and yourself

The first step is setting your heart ablaze. Through an act of the mind containing discovered truths, you can act on your will to stimulate it to love and give thanks. Let your heart "speak" to God about your love for Him.

Praising God for His gifts

Your thanks should turn into praise. Any discovered gift, even if it is nothing but a hurtful truth about ourselves, becomes God's gift for our spiritual growth. Gifts are given to rejoice in them. Your praise should flow from the authentic joy swirling within you loving heart. If you feel unable to praise God, just give thanks. Do not follow these steps strictly, as you could lose sight of the Lord God and start focusing on the method only. This, in turn, would not bring you the appropriate, expected fruit of your prayers.

Submitting yourself to God

The next step is your decision to submit yourself to the Lord God. You are invited to change your life by God's light – offer it to Him. Praying in your thoughts is a tool of transformation, and it cannot be used just as a therapy tool (as for internal relaxation or calming down). It is a personal meeting with God, which guides us to a deeper union with Him, and this requires specific, ascetic-moral steps as well. The most important thing in your submission is giving your heart to the Lord. This is what we call "immersing one's own heart Jesus' Heart"

A plea for persevering in God's grace

The last step in the Franciscan meditation is a humble plea to God for persevering in His grace. This is not only a manifestation of your humbleness, but also a sign of trust that you believe not only in your own strength, but also God's mercy. Present the plea according to your own initiative and to your current state. This is a moment when God closes your hands after putting His gifts into them.

Meditation carried out in such a way allows you to discover new planes of God's work and becomes a good starting point for further contemplation. Therefore, no strict timeframe for it exists. The timeframe can be circumastances independent of the prayer, such as the plan of the day, a retreat plan, or our current mood. Time cannot create barriers for God's grace. The only limitation we had better keep in mind is that reading the Scripture should not take too long – preferably less than five minutes.

One cannot learn to pray without praying!

5.6 Contemplation of the Cross

One can say without much thought that each Christian is a man of the cross. But nowadays, when numerous Christians search for their identity within horoscopes, admire the configuration of planets in cosmogrammes, which – supposedly – can present the truth about avery human's fate, we need to hold fast to our Christian identity. This is where the following, very important question comes from: am I a zodiac animal or do I belong to the cross of Christ?

To determine the goal of your terrestrial wanderings, one does not need to observe astrologer's sky. It is enough to contemplate the cross of Christ, as one can see both "now" and eternal "tomorrow" in it. St. Paul the Apostle finds it so obvious that without hesitation he gives the following testimony: "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14).

In the Catholic Church (and other Christian denominations), the cross is intrinsically bound with the mystery of Christ's life and resurrection, as well as with the mystery of redemption and sanctification of every human. Moreover, it is a glorious sign under which all the baptized believers of Christ can gather. Thanks to it we possess our own roots and perspectives for our future. Christ's Cross is a summary of our creed as well, and thus a guarantee of a true life in God. When we adore it during Good Friday, we adore the Redeemer, who unfolds the mysteries of Heaven in front of our eyes.

In Franciscan spirituality, the paschal perspective of life stands at the forefront. St. Francis of Assisi, a real lover of the Crucified, through his gifts of stigmata gave evidence of the incredible glory of the New Covenant. And his "little flower" – St. Clara of Assisi - became the first female student, and then a master of contemplation of the Holy Cross. St. Bonaventura in turn, makes the Cross the basis for great subjects of his theology of the Word, which, being eternal, embodied, crossed and inspired, permeates everything without exception.

Contemplation of Christ's Cross leads man into the spiritual space, where, according to St. Clara, our spirit rises toward God's Glory and puts our heart to Him. This allows the human to become an image of God (3Lkl 12-13). Thanks to it, the meditating person becomes a friend of Christ, and may taste the sweetness God reserved for those who love Him. When the Poor Lady taught St. Agnes of Prague the ways of meditating the Cross, she put the Mirror-Christ at the forefront – a mirror in which blessed poverty, holy humbleness and unspeakable love gleam. Then she placed the Mirror on the tree of the Cross, to encourage others to spark the fire of love within all that look t it, as the Cross is the real school of love.

For all who truly wish to identify with the sign of Christ's Cross and approach the God's love spiritually, there exists a spiritual exercise called Franciscan Meditation of the Cross. To carry it out correctly, go to a temple or a chapel where a big cross can be found – or prepare a smaller one at home, but make sure that it is big enough to fix your eyes on it. Then kneel, as this is the most appropriate attitude of a useless servant who dares to, despite his weakness and sins, contemplate the Lord of all lords in humility.

Keeping silent, turn your eyes toward the Christ on His Cross, and start examining the face of the Redeemer. Notice its appearance, notice its features, color and shadows that play on it. Next, penetrate its essence, losing its external layer from sight. Meditate on it, focusing on the poverty, humbleness and love of the Son of God, which – them being the fundamentals – you will always be able to find. After a moment return to the external layers of Chris's face, to choose another piece of the Crucified Lord's body. It would be best if you contemplated His holy wounds, which so many Franciscan souls focused on in history. As previously, meditate on them first through external examination, and then through penetrating their essence. When you are considering the essence of the holy wounds, ask questions about the pain and suffering, the meaning of His sacrifice, His marcy and redemption. Afterwards, engaging the newly found substance to examine your spirituality, select one word which you will place in your heart with love, so that you could feed on it now and tomorrow.

You can meditate in such a way as often as you wish. You should not place any limits on the time or frequency of this meditation, so that you will not lose what comes from the need of your heart and cannot be schematically described - the fire of love coming from God's Spirit. He makes the sense of love extend in two planes – toward God and another human, according to directions of life, determined by the bars of the Cross.

5.7 Franciscan chaplet

Each of us wishes to lead his spiritual life in accordance with Her, the first one to love the Son of God. Mary, the Mother of pure love, can help with spiritual growth of each Christian, if he accepts Her way of offering one's own heart. For that to happen, one needs to bring one's own thinking in line with that of Holy Mary. It is best to do this by meditating over biblical texts where the Holiest Virgin appears. One can do this with help of the widely appreciated rosary. Through saying a rosary, one can develop one's contemplation of the mysteries from Christ's and His Mother's lives. By considering those mysteries you can refer them to specifics of your own life. This helps understand God's intentions regarding one's own life. This remains in accordance with the message of the Gospel: "Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: <<This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!>>" (Mark 9:7).

In Franciscan spirituality, we can find many ways of bringing our thinking in line with this of Holy Mary. One of them is the Franciscan chaplet. This prayer has its beginning in the early 15th century, in the Franciscan environment. Its history related to the beautiful story of a young novice Jacob de Coronis, who entered the Franciscan order due to his love of God's Mother. In his home he always decorated the image of the Mother of God with fresh flowers. Having no opportunity to do this during his novicehood, he decided to leave the monastery and return home, to be able to pray to the Mother of God in his own way. After deciding on that, he kneeled to pray and at that moment Mary stood in front of him and said "My son, do not grieve that in this monasterial silence and retreat you are unable to offer flowers to me. Let me teach you how you will be able to replace these easily wilting flowers with other, borne from prayers, such as the one that Angel welcomed me with. Say the Angelic Salutation ten times, and Lord's Prayer once, to remember my happiness I received when the God's Word was embodied. Then say it once again, to remember the happiness I received when I visited Elisabeth. Then repeat it to remember the infinite happiness I felt when I painlessly gave birth to my divine Son. Then say it again, to remember how my heart rejoiced when I gave my child Jesus for the kings to praise. Then say it to remember my happiness when I found Child Jesus after looking for Him for so long. Then say it in order to remember my Son's resurrection. Finally, say it once more, to remember the joy I felt when I was taken into Heaven."

After hearing those words Jacob was no longer tempted to leave the monastery, and took upon himself to practice this exercise. According to the legend, the master of the novices once saw an angel bringing beautiful roses and stringing them together, placing a golden lily on the string after every tenth rose. He did this seven times. Next, he formed a wreath from these flowers, and put them on the youngster's head, as he kneeled, praying deeply.

This way a service was born, first practiced by St. Bernardino of Siena. Even today, in the Franciscan order, not just a memory, but also a practice of contemplating seven joys of the Holy Mother is kept.

Wishing to make your spiritual happiness stronger through belonging to Christ, consider the moments in which Mother of God especially took delight in the acts that God did before her eyes. Let them be the balm upon your heart, and the light of recognition of what Mary thought in these specific moments.

Franciscan chaplet is said as a rosary of seven decades.

  1. The sign of the Cross,

  1. The first joy – the Annunciation (1x Our Father, 10x Hail Mary),

  1. The second Joy - the Visitation of St. Elisabeth,

  1. The third Joy – the Nativity,

  1. The fourth Joy – the Praise of the shepherds and the Three Kings,

  1. The fifth Joy – the Finding of Jesus in the Temple,

  1. The sixth Joy – the Resurrection of Jesus,

  1. The seventh Joy – the Assumption and Crowning of Mother of God,

After those seven decades, two additional Salutations are usually added, so that the total number of prayers is 72 – in remembrance of 72 years of life of Holy Mother of God on Earth

  1. The sign of the Cross.

Conclusion

Spiritually accompanying a person who suffers due to acts of evil spirits, requires taking a specific attitude, demonstrating one's belonging to God. If we forfeit this attitude, our presence will help very little in the process of liberation.

Physical presence relating to taking care of a possessed person, day or night, is the external accompaniment, which is irreplaceable. It brings feelings of safety and being important to someone to a person possessed or tormented by an evil spirit. Proximity of another person who cares for one's future and understands one's pain and suffering, always brings mental relief and allows to extirpate senseless thoughts about lack of sense of life.

Spiritual presence is no less important. Such presence is mostly realized through personal meetings with God, during which one can present to God the current status and future of a person spiritually enslaved. This external companionship, anchored deep in a loving heart, allows the external actions to gain appropriate sense and meaning. Without our unity with God and the consciousness of the acts we carry out, it is difficult to persist in the constant readiness to help and alertness against any acts of evil spirits. Therefore, the physical presence and spiritual connection together create space in which a spiritually tormented person can find appropriate circumstances for spiritual growth.

Those who can bring hope to another person and create spiritual environment of evangelical growth, become an irreplaceable ally in spiritual combat. Such companions are greatly needed by the spiritually enslaved. Every believer can become such a person. It is enough to make use of knowledge presented in this book and to have a desire to help. One must realize, though, that such help can take a lot of time and effort.

Everyone who enters the road of companionship to those spiritually enslaved will sooner or later experience the great power of God contained in the Holy Church, and discover new sources of light, but also of darkness. Cooperation with an exorcist-priest, and faithfulness to Jesus Christ, who is the real Sun of Spirits, can be quite a challenge to such companions. It needs to be undertaken, though, as it will surely bring numerous unspeakable spiritual experiences, which can both strengthen one's faith, renew hope and find love. And this becomes, in a sense, a recompense for carrying such a heavy burden on one's shoulders. The prize of freedom and joy it brings is a satisfaction much greater than sacrifices that had to be made.

Therefore, let Good God always bring freedom to those enslaved, and bless all the spiritual companions. Peace and Goodness be with you!
Prayers

Deliverance Prayer

Father God, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bind and break all witchcraft, curses, spells, and powers – and through the Blood of the Lamb – destroy the works of every witch, warlock, wizard, sorcerer and all other powers of darkness.

Through the Blood of Jesus Christ we break all their powers – including the influences of witchcraft, evil powers, spells, hexes, vexes, voodoo, hoodoo, roots, potions or any such things – off every person who will read this book or web site. For them also we invoke Psalm 80:18, "so we will not go back from thee: quicken us and we will call upon thy name" so that those who read this will understand, remember and apply consistently what they read.

Through the Blood of Jesus Christ we also bind up and destroy all their spirit-guides, helps, and shields of these workers of evil, and leave them without any strength – stripped of their evil power and influence.

In the name of Jesus Christ, and by the Blood of the Lamb, we now seal up their powers within themselves, so that they cannot use them on anyone, and that their works might be destroyed, in the hope that their souls might be saved for the glory of God. AMEN.

Prayer to Holy Mary

We turn to you for protection, holy Mother of God. Listen to our prayers and help us in our needs. Save us from every danger, glorious and blessed Virgin.

Prayer to Saint Michael

Saint Michael 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 power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
  1. Presentation
    1. How to contact an exorcist?
    2. What to do when we suspect an influence of evil spirits?
    3. What to do next? 
  2. Introduction
  3. 1. A short account of the actions of evil spirits 
    1. 1.1. Evil spirits
    2. 1.2. Ways of spiritual enslavement
    3. 1.3. Actions of evil spirits
    4. Temptation
    5. What is temptation?
    6. Features of diabolical temptations
    7. How to deal with a diabolical temptation?
    8. Spiritual washing in the Blood of the Lamb
    9. Diabolic oppression
    10. How to deal with diabolic oppression?
    11. Diabolic obsession
    12. What is the diabolic obsession?
    13. How to cope with diabolic obsessions?
    14. Diabolic possession 
  4. 2. I wish to accompany you to help you
    1. 2.1. Symptoms of diabolical enslavement 
    2. 2.2. Creation of evangelic environment
    3. The environment of faith
    4. Attitude of Christian hope
    5. Love that endures all
    6. The area of the Gospel
    7. 2.3. Care for the possessed person during the day 
    8. Isolation but not slavery 
    9. Guests and strangers knocking at the doors
    10. Music and television 
    11. Correspondence (letters, e-mails)
    12. Toilet under control
    13. Life area
    14. 2.4. Accompanying the possessed one at night
    15. Bedroom
    16. Blessing before falling asleep
    17. Night watch
    18. The hour of evil
    19. Waking up
    20. 2.5. Extraordinary situations 
    21. Inner spiritual visions 
    22. Physical changes in the body of the possessed
    23. Materialized metal objects 
    24. Occult knowledge and inner voices
    25. Physical assaults on accompanying people
    26. Suicide attempts
    27. Death rituals
    28. Affected objects 
    29. 2.6. During a meeting with an exorcist priest 
    30. On the way to the exorcist
    31. At the exorcist's place
  5. 3. Spiritual means helpful to the accompanying people
    1. 3.1. Under Jesus' banner
    2. 3.2. Holy Mary's help in spiritual struggle
    3. 3.3 The role of Holy Sacraments
    4. 3.4 The role of Sacramentals
    5. 3.5 Willpower and the attitude of repentance
  6. 4. Spiritual exercises for companions
    1. 4.1 Spiritual life program
    2. 4.2 Spiritual exhilaration
    3. 4.3. Work of love
    4. What is it?
    5. 4.4. Internal bank of peace
    6. How to find internal peace?
    7. 4.5. Mortification – time for release 
    8. 4.6. The power of blessing
    9. How and when to bless?
    10. 4.7 Spiritual reading of the Holy Scripture
    11. 4.8 Spiritual Holy Communion
    12. How to accept spiritual communion?
    13. 4.9. Overcoming spiritual temptation
    14. 4.10 Return to Being Present
    15. 4.11 A familial spiritual talk
    16. How should we conduct it?
  7. 5. Prayer of a companion
    1. 5.1 Intercessory prayer
    2. 5.2 Prayer for internal freedom
    3. What are the functions of faith and motivation during an individual prayer for freedom?
    4. 5.3 Private exorcism
    5. How should we say a private exorcism?
    6. When can we say a private exorcism?
    7. 5.4 Antiphon of day and night
    8. Antiphon of day
    9. Antiphon of night
    10. 5.5 Franciscan meditation
    11. How can we meditate following this method?
    12. Preliminary prayer
    13. Reading the Holy Scripture
    14. Contemplation
    15. Identifying with the scene
    16. Evaluating your own life
    17. Giving thanks
    18. Setting your heart ablaze through thanking God for the truth about Himself and yourself
    19. Praising God for His gifts
    20. Submitting yourself to God
    21. A plea for persevering in God's grace
    22. 5.6 Contemplation of the Cross
    23. 5.7 Franciscan chaplet
  8. Conclusion
  9. Prayers
    1. Deliverance Prayer
    2. Prayer to Holy Mary
    3. Prayer to Saint Michael

