No Orthodox Christian in Russia doubts the existence
of Demons, and that they wage brutal war against people. Neither do they doubt
that Christ is stronger than demons; that He has won the war and continues to
conquer. Why are they so sure? Because they see it with their own eyes. They
see the pitiful victims of demonic possession who come to church to find relief
but are tormented by the demons for doing so. Anywhere we go in the world we
can see the result of diabolical hatred—violence, lewdness, profanity, coldness
of heart—however, we fail to see the cause. But in the presence of the power of
God, they are unmasked and revealed. The curtain is withdrawn that hides the
puppeteer behind the puppets.
When I was in Russian, I stayed near a monastery where
a priest lived who performed exorcisms. The rite of exorcism in the Orthodox
Church is a formal service that has been the same for centuries. It includes
generous amount of holy water, and is highlighted by the reading of the Gospel
passages wherein Christ drives the demons out of people and demonstrates His
authority over them. Just as the demons in the Gospels wail and lament when
Christ appears, so they wail during these services.
Once the services are in full swing, the demons being
to show themselves. One woman rages in a male voice, another person shakes
violently, another shrieks in fear, yet another is thrown to the floor, losing
consciousness. They scream their hatred for the priest, vowing to have their
revenge as he douses them with holy water. Some demons make jokes some sound
like dissatisfied customers (“I don’t have to take this!”), others are just raw
anger and hatred. But the loudest noise always seems to be that of animals:
mooing, crowing, and especially barking and growling.
Not all of the victims were adults. I saw one young
girl being dragged and carried up to the priest. She was flailing and howling
and wailing. When the priest finally came close enough to douse her with holy
water, she moaned in a ghostly voice, which trailed off as she stopped her
thrashing, finally collapsing. I saw another boy, held in his mother’s arms,
who has the appearance of a poor, special ed. Child. He looked as though he was
in distress and pain, just before he vomited on the floor.
Everywhere wailing, moaning, barking, convulsions,
shrieking. It was a vision of hell. “Yes, you may attend,” the priest permitted
me after I asked to witness and exorcism, “But stand near the icon of the
Mother of God, and say the Jesus Prayer (‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have
mercy on me a sinner’).” This is not something to be taken lightly. It is not a
horror film, not a ghost story, but pure evil tormenting real human beings.
Naturally, I could not help but wonder why these
people are possessed. But it is not right to inquire—they are sufferer and it
is not for me to judge. But there are cases when the demon itself provides the
answer. One woman was being exorcised when, to the priest’s astonishment, the
demon informed him that God Himself does not will that she be released, “She
killed three babies in her womb,” the demon revealed, “I am here to punish
her.” Very many ended up in their pitiful state after going to “psychic
healers.” They had turned to these so-called healers with some physical
illness, or simply in search of pseudo-spirituality, and received some relief
of fulfillment. But then they became demonically possessed, for the “healing”
or “experience” was made possible solely through the psychic’s own pacts with
demonic powers. These people, however, were impossible to help if they were not
prepared to abandon the pseudo-spirituality and embrace the spiritual life of
the Church, putting their trust in Christ.
But what about the children? What had they done to
deserve this? Usually they have nothing. Their parents had brought this
catastrophe upon them by their own unwholesome lives. This may sound strange
and unfair, but we all acknowledge that a mother who smokes puts smoke into her
child’s lungs, and a mother who drinks nurses her child with alcohol. When a
father curses, he puts curse words into his child’s vocabulary. So is it really
so surprising that parents who immerse themselves in the forces of darkness
being those forces down upon their children?
The service concludes and I am in awe. The priest’s
countenance us one of intense concentration, authority and sternness.
Throughout the service he held the holy water sprinkler like I mighty whip; now
he holds the cross as an invincible shield and a trophy of victory. His long,
grey hair is a bit tousled, and sweat glistens on his forehead. Those poor
people kiss the cross and clamor desperately to receive his blessing, then
gradually leave the church. They feel better. In spite of the demon’s torment
during the service, they now feel relieved and strengthened. They can go on,
they are no longer overcome by despair.
Some people come to the exorcisms thinking that they
are possessed, but they are not—it is a sort of spiritual hypochondria. Others
speak blasphemies against God and man, not realizing whose mouthpiece they are
being, and therefore will not even consider going to church. But wonders never
cease. Once when the Communists were in power, some top party members were
“touring” the monastery, laughing at its out datedness. One of these happened into
the church where an exorcism was taking place. You can imagine the confusion
that ensued when she began crowing involuntarily, like a rooster. She realized
her great mistake in denying God, and became a Christian.
Still others have chronic, seemingly incurable
illnesses that bring them to the monastery in search of healing, and there they
encounter the power of Christ, which exposes the demon inhabiting them. Then
the battle begins—fasting, praying, repenting, suffering. These are their
“medicines.” But what is the doctor’s scalpel? Humility. I cannot forget one
incident related to me by a possessed woman herself. At her exorcism, the demon
in her reviled the priest, saying that he would spit on him. “Go ahead,” the
priest answered, “Spit. It will make me humbler.” At this the demons shrieked
as if seared by a blowtorch. But this is not surprising. Jesus Christ, by Whose
authority this Orthodox priest, and indeed all those apostles, saints and
righteous ones before cast out devils, was also spat upon, reviled, even
crucified. But the devil’s rage was his own defeat.
By Nun
Cornelia
Originally
Printed in Issue 6, 1995
Source: http://deathtotheworld.com/articles/exorcisms-in-russia-from-an-eyewitness/
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