Fr jocis: Spiritual Warfare Today

2. “We are now standing in the face of
the greatest historical confrontation
humanity has gone through. I do
not think that ... wide circles of the
Christian community realize this
fully. We are now facing the final
confrontation between the Church
and the anti-Church, of the Gospel
versus the anti-Gospel”.
St. John Paul II

3. Pope Francis - Christian life is “a
constant battle against evil, just
as Jesus during his life had to
struggle against the devil and his
many temptations. He came to
defeat evil and defeat the prince
of this world, defeat the devil.
The devil tempted Jesus many
times and Jesus experienced
temptation and persecution
throughout his lifetime. And he
warned that whoever wants to
follow Jesus must be aware of
this reality”

4. “We must be prepared to undergo great trials in the not-too-
distant future; trials that will require us to be ready to give up
even our lives, and a total gift of self to Christ and for Christ.
Through your prayers and mine, it is possible to alleviate this
tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it. . . . ”.
St. John Paul II

5. Pope Francis
May 4, 2013
“So many Christian communities are
persecuted around the globe. More so
now than in the early times … Why?
Because the spirit of the world hates”.

6. “Some of you might say: ‘But
Father, how old fashioned
you are to speak about the
devil in the 21st century!’ But
look out because the devil is
present! The devil is here…
even in the 21st century!
…We must learn from the
Gospel how to fight against
Satan.”
Pope Francis
Saturday 12 April 2014

7. In his book, Jesus of
Nazareth, Pope Benedict
tells us that
“The first task is preaching: to
give people the light of the word,
the message of Jesus … because
the world is ruled by the powers
of evil, this preaching is at the
same time a struggle with those
powers”.

8. Rome, Italy, Nov 6, 2014 / 04:01 am (CNA/EWTN
News).- Catholic experts say occult activity and the
resulting need for exorcisms has reached a critical level.
The International Association of Exorcists, whose 250
exorcists are placed all over the world, have noticed an
increase in demonic activity irrespective of particular
places or cultures.
“So, it is truly becoming a pastoral emergency and this
is why we have the necessity to combat this situation.”

9. Exorcism, according to the Catechism of
the Catholic Church (no. 1673) is “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 be
withdrawn from his dominion.”
“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”

10. A rather peculiar cirumstance induced Pope Leo XIII to
compose the prayer to St. Michael. “What a horrible
picture I was permitted to see!” He saw what was going to
happen in the future, the misleading powers and the
ravings of the devils against the Church in all countries”

11. As Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, the greatest
visionary of the Church and beatified by St. John Paul II
tells us in one of her revelations, "In the center of Hell I
saw a dark and horrible-looking abyss, and into this
Lucifer was cast, after being first strongly secured with
chains … God Himself had decreed this; and I was
likewise told … that he will be unchained for a time fifty
or sixty years before the year of Christ 2000 … a certain
number of demons are to be let loose much earlier than
Lucifer, in order to tempt men, and to serve as
instruments of divine vengeance”.

12. As Catholics, we do not believe in fate, bad luck, good
luck, karma, chance, coincidence nor destiny since all that
occurs is under divine providence. As God said to St.
Catherine of Siena, “No leaf of a tree falls to the ground
without My Providence”.
So when we look at the moral and spiritual chaos and
destruction occurring in the world which many times go
beyond the capacity of human nature, men of faith can
easily discern an active agent acting behind the scenes.
With so much evil, persons of faith can never say that evil
is simply the lack of what is good; they see a living entity
behind it all.

13. Demonic Strongholds can cause the following in
homes and schools;
- Extraordinary Demonic Attacks of Possession, Oppression,
Obsession and Infestation
- Blockages to God’s blessings, guidance, protection and graces
- Outbreak of paranormal and psychic phenomena
- Sufferings that are not crosses anymore; they are
burdensome, make us miserable; they are not life-giving
- Temptations that very strong and persistent causing addictions
-Varied and unrelenting harassments and blocks to the spiritual
life that lead to depression and suicide
-Series of “bad luck” and freak accidents
-Non commensurate results to energy expended in spiritual
endeavors and programs
All these we see today!

14. Affect Nature
As the author Heinrich Schlier, states, “Step by step
new destruction is wrought upon the conditions of life,
and cruel havoc is worked upon the earth and among its
inhabitants by the released demoniacal powers” . Part
of the nature of the demons is “to influence nature so as
to enhance their claims and authority over man”.

15. Two reasons why the devil will always try to remain
hidden is first, that a person either blames God for his
sufferings or if he is of little faith he ceases to believe in
a loving God. And second, a person is better conquered
when he does not know that he is under attack.
“Our enemy may also be compared in his manner of
acting to a false lover. He seeks to remain hidden and
does not want to be discovered”
St. Ignatius of Loyola
“In this generation, like so many others, people have
been led to believe that the devil is a myth, a figure, an
idea, the idea of evil. But the devil exists and we must
fight against him.”
Pope Francis

16. The Philippine Context

17. The 4 Major Openings of
Extraordinary Demonic Attack

18. Sin
“He who commits sin is of the Devil” 1 Jn 3:8
Trauma
Abuse attracts Demonic Spirits / Emotional Wounds
(Hatred, fear, depression and unforgiveness) keep them
attached to the Person

19. Psychic Abilities
Opening the Occult 3rd Eye makes one psychically
vulnerable to the Preternatural World.
As the Vatican document on the New Age, Jesus Christ,
the Bearer of the Water of Life, tells us, “The point of
New Age techniques is to reproduce mystical states at
will, as if it were a matter of laboratory material … these
practices all create an atmosphere of psychic weakness
(and vulnerability)”.

20. Preternatural World
Supernatural World
Natural World
Psychic
AbilityChristian
Body, Soul and
Spirit
Pagan Man
Body and Soul

21. Occultist Christian Non-Psychic
Occult Victim
Christian Psychic
Psychic

22. Occultism
One can be contamination by occultism and
therefore become open to demonic
disturbances in 3 ways; by direct involvement
like practicing occult and esoteric activities or
going to occult practitioners, by being targeted
by an occult practitioner for example through a
love potion or curse, and by having an ancestor
who was an occult practitioner.

23. Some Current Filipino Occult Practitioners
because the Church has left a vacuum
“Albularyo” or a faith healer or traditional folk
healer.
“Mangkukulam” Filipino/ Tagalog version of
witch or sorcerer who does kulam or recites
spells and mixes potions. He also uses the
equivalent of a voodoo doll.

24. “Mambabarang”. Filipino / Cebuano term
for a sorcerer; who expertise is the use of
fungus beetles and other insects to send his
spells to a victim.
“Mangtatawas”. One who is engaged in
pagtatawas. “Pagtatawas" is a ritual where
an affliction or psychological disorder is
diagnosed by interpreting the form produced
in a basin of water as molten wax drip from a
lighted candle.

25. “Manghihilot”. One engaged in hilot. Hilot is a form
of massage where incantations (called bulong) are
used by the practitioner to invoke the assistance of
spirits to aid in the healing or relaxation of the client.
“Sinasaniban”. A Filipino practitioner who becomes
a medium to the spirit world allowing the spirits to
use his / her faculties especially the mouth.
“Manghuhula”. A Filipino occult practitioner who
specializes in fortune-telling through card reading
and / or palmistry.

26. Occult Powers and God
“When you come into
the land that the Lord your God is
giving you, you, must not learn to
imitate the abhorrent practices of
these nations. No one shall be found
among you who makes a Son or
daughter pass through fire, or who
practices divination, or is a
soothsayer, or an augur, or sorcerer,
or one who casts spells, or who
consults ghosts or spirits, or who
seeks oracles from the dead.

27. For whoever does these things
is abhorrent to the Lord; it is
because of such abhorrent
practices that the Lord your
God is driving them out
before you.”
Deut 18: 9-12

28. Spirit Source /
Hell
Client
Occultist
Client Client
CONTAMINATION

29. Grandfather
Occultist / Client
Father
Brother /
Uncle
Daughter Son Daughter
Contamination through
Generational Spirit

30. ANATOMY OF POSSESSION
- Grandfather –
Healer / Spiritist
- Father - Mason
- Blood Rituals
- Offerings
- Imaginary Friend
- Brought to
healers, fortune-
tellers, sorcerers
- Talismans and
amulets
- “Engkantos” in
the house
- Good Luck
Statues
- Pagan rituals for
good luck
- “Padugo”
-Played spirit of
the glass under
a Balete Tree
- Ghost Hunting
- Developed
Psychic Ability
- Tarot Cards
- No confession /
Mass
- No grace in soul
- New Age powers
- Wicca
- No Sacramentals
- Passions are not
kept in check
Possession
Obsession
Oppression

31. Inculturation is important in evangelization but the
challenge here is that we must be very careful in
order that we do not inculturate elements of our
animistic / occult idolatrous past. Then we fall into
Syncretism. What is inculturated are our
traditional Filipino values.

32. “Those who, in the name of inculturation, run into
syncretism”
The “need for constant vigilance against all
possible forms of syncretism”
“Syncretism is harmful”
St. Pope John Paul II
“Interreligious dialogue when badly understood
leads to muddled thinking or to syncretism”
Pope Benedict XVI

33. “The correct integration of the
authentic values of cultures into
the Christian faith. It liberates
from occultism and vanquishes
evil spirits, for it is moved by the
power of the Holy Spirit.
POPE Benedict 16th
Nov. 2011. Ouidah, Benin

34. Scapular
Anting-anting
Novenas
Orasyons
Devotion to the angels
“Alagang dwende”
Sacred Heart statue
Buddha

35. Image of the Child Jesus
Good luck figurine
House Blessing
“Padugo”
St. Benedict’s Medal
“Tabi-tabi po”
Mass
“Alay”

36. Syncretism in the Philippines
Catholic Faith + Folk Religiosity
Catholic Faith + New Age Movement

37. In 2003, the Pontifical Council for Culture released a
study on the New Age Movement entitled, “Jesus
Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life”
The council has come to the conclusion that the New
Age Movement “runs counter to Christian
Revelation”
It further states that “it must never be forgotten that
many of the movements which have fed the New Age
are explicitly anti-Christian. Their stance towards
Christianity is not neutral but neutralising … in fact, it is
occasionally made abundantly clear that “there is no
tolerable place for true Christianity”

38. ‘It must unfortunately be admitted that
there are too many cases where Catholic
centers of spirituality are actively involved
in diffusing New Age religiosity in the
Church”

39. THE OCCULT IN THE NEW
AGE
Angel guides, angelic channeling, astral projection, astrology,
aura work, automatic handwriting, amulets, channeling, crystal
healing, crystal divination, crystal balls, dousing, fortune telling,
out-of-body work, past-life regression therapy, psychic
development, psychic healing, rebirthing, shamanism, Silva mind
control, soul travel, ouija board, spellcraft, spirit of the glass, spirit
guides, spiritualism, spiritism, transcendental meditation, séances,
tarot cards, trance-mediums, trance work and wicca (witchcraft).

40. Elementals and
other spirits of
Animism and of
the New Age?

41. According to Fr. Gabriele Amorth, it is wrong to
“accept the prevalent opinion that there are spiritual
beings that are not mentioned in the Bible. These are
the invention of spiritists, of followers of the occult,
of those who espouse
reincarnation, or of those
who believe in ‘wandering
souls.’ there are no good
spirits other than angels;
there are no evil spirits
other than demons.”

42. Wandering Souls?
Is there such a thing as “wandering
souls”; that is, souls who do not
know that they are dead and must
be helped by psychics to go into the
light in order to leave this world and
enter a higher plane of existence?

43. The teaching of the Church is very
clear; “The New Testament …
repeatedly affirms that each will be
rewarded immediately after death in
accordance with his works and faith”
(CCC. 1021) and again “Each man
receives his eternal retribution in his
immortal soul at the very moment of
his death, in a particular judgment”.
(CCC. 1022)

44. “(Evil) spirits are
deceivers, not by
nature, but by
malice. They make
themselves gods
and souls of the
departed, but they
do not make
themselves devils,
for they really are
so.”
- St. Augustine - “City
of God;”

45. Infestation
Infestation is when extraordinary demonic activity
is centered on an animal, thing or place. A
“haunted house” would fall under the term
infestation if the cause is proven to be demonic in
origin.

46. How can a school get infested?
Check the history of the place and the circumstances
when these paranormal manifestations were first experienced;
a. Did any occult (ex. spells) /
spiritist (ex. ghost hunting) /
animist (ex. padugo) activity
occur within the vicinity
recently?
b. Did a tragedy /death occur
recently within the
vicinity?

47. c. Was there something
new added to the
place? Like an antique
mirror, old painting,
“good luck” figurine,
decorative pagan god
statue, etc.
d. Was there a tampering
with the place / environment recently. Ex. cutting of
trees, cleaning out the basement or attic?

48. e. Did any traumatic evil event occur recently within the
vicinity? Ex. violence, rape, etc.
f. Continuous sinful activity? Ex. Drug sessions,
homosexual encounters, etc.

49. HOUSE
ROOM BASEMENT
TOILET
ROOM RIVER

50. Pastoral Intervention

51. SIGNS OF EXTRAORDINARY DEMONIC
ATTACKS
ON STUDENTS AND THE YOUNG
(OPPRESSION); THE SUDDEN ONSET OF:
Eyes – frightening apparitions
Ears – suicidal, taunting and blasphemous
voices
Emotions – uncaused and radical mood swings
of depression, anger and fears
Imagination – demonic images and
superimpositions
Environment – paranormal and psychic
manifestations

52. Will – addictions and obstinacy in sin
Intellect – intrusive thoughts
Spiritual – dryness in prayer and spiritual
desolation
Health – deterioration, non diagnosis of
sicknesses and freak accidents
Sleep – night terrors
Relationships – isolation, divisions and
deteriorations of relationships

53. Possession – full take over of the
body (not the soul)
Single Possession (Another personality takes
over not a mere tantrum)
Isolate
Intervene (Have the necessary sacramentals
and prayers of liberation)
Weaken / Test (Crucifix, Holy Water and Holy
Oils)
Awaken
Interview
Give assignments
Refer

54. Mass Possession
Bring away from
place
Separate
Deal primarily with
the 1st person who
got possessed

55. Interviewing for Oppression and Possession (Pray for
Enlightenment)
Take down manifestations from the beginning (if there is
paranormal phenomena, the more witnesses, the
better)
Is the person making sense?
Look for the triggering event (proof of the demonic);
anything unusual esp. a week before
Look for the 4 major openings – prioritize occult; if a
trauma look for past occult contamination
Review the past history of the person (in order of priority
– psychic? Occult contamination esp. faith healers?
Trauma? Any previous psychological problems?

56. What is the person feeling at the moment? Any voices
and thoughts? Visions? Bodily pains esp. head,
stomach, shoulders and spine?
Go now to family background = occult contamination?
Psychics? Psychological illnesses? Any unusual
patterns of negativity? Any other member exhibiting the
same manifestations as the person?
What previous interventions have been done? Spiritual
and psychological?
From the interview, if there is the diabolical present,
give assignments, then refer

57. Assignments given by AMOE
1. Regular Confession
2. Attend Mass regularly and receive Holy Communion
3. Renunciation of all occult involvements, sinful
lifestyles and vices
4. Offer Holy Masses for the protection and deliverance
of the whole family
5. Fasting
6. Pray the rosary everyday with the whole family
7. Pray the Consecration prayer to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary
8. Pray a novena prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary for
protection, deliverance and healing
9. Pray the Prayer to St. Michael and the Prayer for
Protection

58. 10. Get rid of all occult paraphernalia (amulets, talismans, anting-
anting, agimat, pangontra, oils and medals from the albularyos,
oracions, lucky charms, crystals, Buddha, other images of pagan
gods, fengshui materials, pyramids, magnets, etc.)
I would like to add and emphasize the following;
1.The prayers should be done as much as possible together as a
family or as a community.
“Be eager for more frequent gatherings for thanksgiving to God and
His glory, for when you meet thus, the forces of Satan are annulled
and his destructive power is cancelled in the concord of your faith”.
- Saint Ignatius of Antioch
“When people say the Rosary together it is far more formidable to
the devil than one said privately, because in this public prayer it is
an army that is attacking him”. - St. Louis de Montfort

59. 2. Devotion to the angels especially one’s guardian angel is a very
powerful aid in spiritual warfare that many tend to downplay.
Having a devotion means not only having a public and personal
relationship with them but also trying to imitate their angelic virtues
in order to venerate them.
3. Devotion to one’s patron saint. Getting to know more about him,
praying to him, making him a model for one’s life and often calling
upon him for aid is a very powerful help in growing in holiness.
“The saint whose name you bear is already assigned you from
your Baptism” - St. Francis de Sales
4. Removal and disposal of any object that has to do with
connecting one with the cosmic / spiritual powers and energies in
the universe. Be very discerning since some objects may be
disguised as scientific when actually they are spiritual (occult) in
nature. When an object is said to manipulate energies, one is
already entering the world of the psychic and the occult.

60. Sacramentals = those
with spiritual authority
over the young
a. Holy water
b. Exorcized / Holy Oil
c. Exorcised Salt
d. Blessed Candles
e. St. Benedict’s Medal

61. “We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has
fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost
their way. Many who may seem to us to be children of
the Devil will still become Christ’s disciples” .
– St Francis of Assisi
“To free a man who is a bodily captive in the hands of
the barbarians is a noble deed. But to free a soul from
the slavery of Satan is greater than to deliver all who
are in bodily slavery”.
– St. John Eudes

62. “For though we live in the world, we are not
carrying on a worldly war”
“The weapons of our warfare are not worldly,
but have divine power to destroy strongholds”
2 Cor. 10:4

63. “The kingdom of heaven is
at hand! Cure the sick, raise
the dead, cleanse the lepers,
cast out devils.” Mt 10: 8
“And these signs shall attend
those who believe: in my
name they shall cast out
devils.” Mk 16:17