Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 5:15am

The Occult, R.E. and Me

A commenter on this blog linked an article in MarketWatch entitled Why millennials are ditching religion for witchcraft and astrology. The article was in a business website because of spiking sales among products claiming metaphysical benefits, but it still made some reasonable points about why the ditching is being done.

Summarizing briefly…

  • Young people are looking for a “reference point” to identify with and to place people and events into context.
  • They see the occult as a tangible way for them to take control of their lives when things like politics, economics and the environment seem too big to change
  • There is a “meaning gap”. They might go from work to a bar to dinner and a date with no semblance of meaning. The occult gives the illusion of a way out and a way of putting yourself within the framework of history and the universe.

I get some sense of this fascination with the occult as a Confirmation Catechist. This is my seventh year in Religious Education (RE) and I can tell you it’s sometimes hard to get the attention of a bunch of thirteen-year-olds on a Saturday morning, but when relating the day’s lesson to anything involving the occult, I suddenly have their full attention. This works especially well around Halloween.

We might have some discussion about the origins of Halloween and then talk about All Saints Day and the Holy Day of Obligation, but I’ll also ask the kids what they think about trying to contact any random spirit that might be listening via a Ouija Board or Magic 8 Ball or other means…even if it’s just for fun. Some say nothing; some share an eerie experience they’ve had; some say it’s not such a good idea, but maybe that is said because that is what a catechist would want to hear.

Regardless of the answer we begin with a discussion about angels that goes something like this…The Church teaches that angels are real. They don’t have a body, but are like us in terms of having an intellect and a will, meaning they can think for themselves and then choose what they want to do. Some angels choose not to love and serve God; they are fallen angels, sometimes called “demons” or “evil spirits”.

Now suppose you are calling upon random spirits and one of these demons happens to be in the neighborhood. God or your guardian angel might normally protect you from such a thing, but you have chosen to open a portal via a personal invitation and the demon just might choose to accept the invite. Keep in mind that if an evil spirit hates God, and you are made in the image and likeness of God, then the demon naturally hates you, so you’d be in for rough time. The Church teaches that these things are real, so don’t mess with them! It’s also sinful because you are calling upon spirits instead of calling upon The Lord (see commandment #1).

Mentioning the Catholic Rite of Exorcism and reading to the kids from the Catechism can make it more official. “When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism… The solemn exorcism, called “a major exorcism,” can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop… Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church….” (CCC 1673)

I’ll also throw in a story or two written by Exorcist Fr. Gabriele Amorth for good measure:

“One day Father Candidio was expelling a demon. Toward the end of the exorcism, he turned to the evil spirit and sarcastically told him, ‘Get out of here. The Lord has already prepared a nice, well-heated house for you!’ At this, the demon answered, ‘You do not know anything! It wasn’t he [God] who made hell. It was us. He had not even thought about it.’”1

Funny how people poke fun at Catholics until they need an exorcist!

The book of Genesis can provide another teaching opportunity. The seven-day creation story is explained very well in the Great Adventure Bible Timeline during the early world sessions. Day six and day seven can be used to help explain the relationship between God and man and also what certain numbers might mean in an occult-ish sense.

The creation of both man and beast is on the same day; day six (see Genesis 1:24-31). Why is that? Isn’t man set apart from animals with a soul; made in the image & likeness of God? Why don’t we get our own special day?!? Consider this question in light of the 7th day. God blessed the 7th day and made it holy because he rested on that day (see Genesis 2:2-3). God does not need physical rest. The Sabbath day is for us. “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27).

The beasts made with man on day six do not know or love God. How many people do we know who relate to God the same way an animal does? They do not know or love God, even though they were given the capacity. Although made on the same “day”, man is called to leave the beasts behind in day six and find “rest” with God in day seven. A relationship in which two parties can “rest” in one another can conjure up images of a comfortable, self-giving union. This may remind us of the Catholic ideal of marriage or the idea of “covenant”, as it should. This also relates to heaven, which is an eternal rest with God.

Finally, I remind my students that “thinking means connecting things”2:

    • The number 7 in scripture can represent fullness or completion.
    • The number 6 (1 less than 7) corresponds to evil or imperfection
    • The number 3 is also for completeness and perfection
    • So the number six three times (666) would represent something perfectly evil or …
    • The Number of the Beast!!! (see Rev 13:18)

So, will you choose to “rest” with God in day seven or remain with the beasts in day six? It’s up you. Just remember…these things are real!

 

  1. Fr. Gabriele Amorth, An Exorcist Tells His Story (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1999), p.22
  2. G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (New York: Doubleday, 2001), p. 31.
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CAM
CAM
Friday, October 27, AD 2017 8:10am

Thank you, Ben. Your Rel Ed students are lucky to have you as a teacher.
I was recently thinking about the use of Ouija boards and teens/college students. The fascination with the occult in American society is disturbing. The number of TV series and movies with occult themes is increasing not just in October but year round. I’ve read somewhere that the number of exorcisms requested and performed has increased also. When is the last time we’ve heard a sermon from the pulpit about the dangers and sinfulness of opening oneself as a portal to demons? Good that you mentioned our guardian angels as our own personal protectors. There are books out there with accounts about guardian angels protecting/ rescuing their charges from Harm’s way. I recall during lunch on a naval reserve weekend and the subject of guardian angels came up and many personal stories were related. The Feast of the Guardian Angels, Oct 2, goes by without much fanfare.

T. Shaw
T. Shaw
Friday, October 27, AD 2017 8:40am

This is an informative, inspiring post. Thank you, sir.

Pray for the young people.

I pray the Rosary each evening mostly praying for Mary’s intercessions for my sons, their wives and children. Only recently did I conclude that in doing so I am spending quality time with our Mother, The Blessed Virgin Mary. I get the warm-and-fuzzy when I contemplate that my Worldly mother and my Heavenly Mother are together in Heaven. And, I hope to be with them one day.

Nate Winchester
Nate Winchester
Friday, October 27, AD 2017 8:49am

To amend Chesterton:

“When people give up God, they don’t stop seeking meaning & purpose. They’ll just look for meaning & purpose in anything.”

Mary De Voe
Friday, October 27, AD 2017 10:13am

” Why don’t we get our own special day?!? Consider this question in light of the 7th day. God blessed the 7th day and made it holy because he rested on that day (see Genesis 2:2-3). God does not need physical rest. The Sabbath day is for us. “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27).”
I never thought of it that way. Thank you

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus
Friday, October 27, AD 2017 11:07am

Very good post, Ben. Thank you.

Foxfier
Admin
Friday, October 27, AD 2017 2:04pm

Funny how people poke fun at Catholics until they need an exorcist!

I love that meme. 😀

(For those who ahven’t seen it: standard issue Catholic priest, big letters: “Everyone laughs at Catholics…until they’ve got a demon.” and a few more variations.)

Heh, I’ll repost some of my C&C*– the occult is interesting because it literally comes from words meaning hidden, secret, concealed. And a mystery is an awesome hook. 😉

*conspiracies and Catholicism. Poking around for the stuff I think is cool.

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Monday, October 30, AD 2017 11:29am

[…] Photo with Ratzinger’s “Black Eye” – Andrea Tornielli, Vatican Insider via La Stampa The Occult, Religious Education, and Me – Ben Butera, The American Catholic More than Harvey’s Secret is Out – Andrea Mrozek, […]

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