I wrote about Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified the other day, and later, someone asked me how a saint could have experienced possession by the Devil, as this Carmelite, known as the Little Arab had been at one stage in her life.
What is possession?
“By possession the devil really dwells in the body of the victim, instead of making his action felt from the outside, as in obsession. Moreover, by thus acting from within, he not only hinders the free use of a man’s faculties, but he himself speaks and acts by the organs of the possessed person, without the latter being able to hinder him from doing so, and even as a rule without him perceiving it.
“When we say that the devil dwells in the body of a person, we do not mean he is there like the soul itself which informs the body, but like a motor which, through the body, acts on the soul.” Garrigou-Lagrange
In other words, the devil cannot enter the soul. In cases of extreme obsession and in possession, the devil can overide, as it were, the person’s responsibility (culpability) in certain exterior acts. (What is not meant here however, is the Flip Wilson excuse, “The devil made me do it.” Thus permitting people to get away with murder or some other crime - that cannot be taken from what Garrigou-Lagrange is speaking about.)
At this point in the chapter, Garrigou-Lagrange digresses, and mentions that sometimes in suffering the ravages of the dark night, a soul may even fall into serious sin, yet repenting, becomes the more humble for it, arising to a greater grace. Unlike the possessed person, whose responsibility for exterior acts may be lessened.
Garrigou-Lagrange quotes a passage from the Dictionnaire Theologique concerning possession; “In our Western civilizations, men would be inclined to say that the devil is interested instead in dissimulating his action. Does he not hold men so much better when they ignore or deny him?” Although in our neo-pagan times, it seems to me the obsession/possession thing is making a comeback of sorts.
Normally, possession is something of a punishment, or chastisement, whereas in the case of some of the saints, it was more of a purifying trial and more or less reparatory. Such would be the case of Blessed Mary, who, as in the case of anyone possessed, her soul was inviolable. The devil can only act upon our senses, our body, and our faculties. All of this, is only if God permits it of course.
Garrigou-Lagrange offers key remedies for possession:
“1) The possessed person must do penance and purify his conscience by a good confession.
2) He should receive Holy Communion as often as possible. The more pure and mortified a soul is the less hold the devil has over it; Holy Communion introduces into the soul the Author of grace who is the conqueror of Satan. However, Holy Communion should be given only in moments of calm.
3) The possessed person should often implore the mercy of God by prayer and fasting.
4) With great spirit of faith he should make use of sacramentals, in particular the sign of the Cross and holy water. The holy name of Jesus, etc.
5) Lastly, the ritual of exorcism, which only may be performed only by priests chosen by the bishop of the place and with his special authorization.” - Three Ages of the Interior Life, Vol. II
Obsession.
In the alleged apparitions at Medjugorje, Our Lady is reported to have said that today many people suffer obsessions. I don’t know if she meant diabolical obsessions, although it seems to me, some obsessions may be just that. Garrigou-Lagrange ends his chapter on diabolical phenomena with a note regarding obsessions, pointing out that an exorcism for these is not always efficacious. He writes;
“Exorcisms are not always efficacious against obsession. They do not deliver the soul completely from an obsession which is part of the passive purifications, for God permits it for a time known to him alone, in view of the great advantages which the soul should derive from this trial.” - Three Ages, Vol. II
Compulsive sin
This is interesting to consider, especially as regards those who struggle with extreme temptations, and experience a continual falling and rising from sin, even grave sin. “If, Like St. Peter, the tried soul rises immediately with deep repentance, it receives a notable increase of grace and charity and it continues its ascent from the very spot where it stumbled for a moment. ‘Wherefore the penitent sometimes arises to a greater grace,’ says St. Thomas.” - Three Ages, Vol. II
I’m not saying that people like this are suffering some obsession from the devil, although in my experience, and listening to others, there are times when people feel so powerless over a temptation, and experience such a profound oppression, it seems as if they were almost compelled to act out. Whether this is the result of habitual sin, I don’t know. Although, I should think a good sign of something supernatural at work would be indicated by the individual’s subsequent, almost immediate deep remorse and contrition for having sinned. Devout and frequent confession in the Sacrament of Penance, along with frequent Holy Communion and Our Lady’s rosary, is what worked for me in such a trial.
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