Chateau Lloyd

A while back I made a passing reference to Stephen Rossetti's Diary of an American Exorcist and I realized that the book deserved its own post.

It's a good read and it teaches some important spiritual lessons.  I'm bringing it up today because, according to the author, Halloween is the worst time of year for exorcism teams.  Because we live in an increasingly de-Christianized society, people think that using Ouija boards are just silly toys or that casting "white magic" spells is harmless, but Rossetti says these are not to be taken lightly.

The secular me might have laughed at that, but if one looks at the situation logically, then messing with those things is either pointless, or extremely dangerous.  If there's no God, no spirits, no unseen world, than it's all just a big waste of time, not even worth a parlor game.

If, on the other hand, one believes that various spirits are dancing around and that incantations work, dabbling in that sort of thing seems the height of folly.

A key point Rossetti makes is that people don't get possessed by demons when they are minding their own business.  They achieve it by playing stupid spiritual games and so win stupid spiritual prizes.

It is important to note (as he does) that possession is a specific thing, and that demons can haunt or annoy anyone who crosses their path.   This lesser form of demonic influence can typically be removed by resorting to prayer and the sacraments.

Possession, however, is a much trickier thing and far more dangerous, though Rosetti notes that probably 90 percent of cases would be resolved "on their own" if the victim simply does reconciliation regularly, abstains from grave sins and attends Mass.  Holy water also is a great help.

A feature I particularly like is how he adds sidebars showing how what he describes is consistent with doctrine and scripture.

I will add that it is not at all a frightening read.  As Rossetti notes, God is all-powerful and the good guys win in the end.