Is an exorcist afraid?  What is the devil’s favorite sin? These and other questions were tackled in an interview this summer with the Dominican priest, Father Juan José Gallego, an exorcist from the Archdiocese of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain.

It has been nine years since Fr. Gallego was appointed as exorcist. In an August interview conducted by the Spanish daily El Mundo, the priest said that in his experience, pride is the sin the devil likes the most.

 “Have you ever been afraid?” the interviewer asked.

“In the beginning I had a lot of fear,” Fr. Gallego replied. “All I had to do was look over my shoulder and I saw demons… the other day I was doing an exorcism, ‘I command you! I order you!’…and the Evil One, with a loud voice fires back at me: ‘Galleeeego, you’re over-doooing it.’ That shook me.”

Nevertheless, he knows that the devil is not more powerful than God. The exorcist recalled that “when they appointed me, a relative told me, ‘Whoa, Juan José, I’m really afraid, because in the movie ‘The Exorcist,’ one person died and the other threw himself through a window. I said to her ‘Don’t forget that the devil is (just a) creature of God.’”

When people are possessed, he added, “they lose consciousness, they speak strange languages, they have inordinate strength, they feel really bad, you see very well-mannered people vomiting and blaspheming.”

 



“There was a boy whom the demon would set his shirt on fire at night and things like that. He told me what the demons were proposing him to do: If you make a pact with us, you’ll never have to go through any more of what you’re going through now.”

Father Gallego also warned that “New Age” practices like reiki and some yoga can be points of entry for the demons. He also said that addictions are “a type of possession.”

“When people are going through a crisis they suffer more. They can feel hopeless, People feel like they’ve got the devil inside,” he said.


http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/what-is-the-devils-favorite-sin-an-exorcist-responds-64603/

From my understanding of the demonic possession phenomenon, and how it is dealt with, the main danger (ergo the thing a priest should most be "afraid" of) is actually the doubt via means of lies and falsehoods a demon is capable of, with masterful efficiency, instill in his mind.

Especially in our times, since from some reports N.O.'s means are, at the very least, not as effective as the old rites' (plus the question of valid ordination).

I was shocked when I first read about misguided priests dialoguing at length with allegedly possessed persons, even with the aim of divination/theological confirmation.

There's a book by an italian priest (not sure if still practicing) entirely filled with this alleged dialogues between him and the demon.

I've also seen posted right here on CI testimony obtained from a demon about the supposed validity of the NO mass or somesuch, as a praeternatural proof of some kind.

Among others.

This is strikingly alarming given the first, or at least one of the first, things is it always said by exorcists/treatises about the subject is the danger of such a practice and the strict precept of avoiding it above all.

For example, in Buddhism, the object of practicing meditation is to empty your mind of all thoughts, images and feelings, and when you have achieved this emptiness of mind it is said to be an accomplishment.  But what it does is give the devil a quick point of entry, when you least expect, since when your mind is void, your guard is down.

It is interesting, St Theresa of Avila wrote that there were masters of prayer who recommended something similar during her time. She said that what helped her the most was to meditate on Jesus and his humanity.
 :scratchchin: :scratchchin: :scratchchin:

A NO prietender had a group of us students meditate at a Newman Cemter back in college.

What type of meditation did they do?

Quote from: poche

Quote from: OHCA

A NO prietender had a group of us students meditate at a Newman Cemter back in college.

What type of meditation did they do?

I can't remember what he called it--that was 20+ years ago.  But if memory serves, he emphasized breathing and had us all sitting in the floor with hands elevated to our sides with our palms facing up and eyes closed like a bunch of hippie fαɢs.

LOL.  I went on a NO retreat years ago and they had us do "creative visualization".  Also, confession was not on the agenda....and I pretty much had to beg for it.