"It is not by telling people about ourselves that we demonstrate our Christianity. Words are cheap.
It is by costly, self-denying Christian practice that we show the reality of our faith."
- Jonathan Edwards

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

If Chrysostom was performing an exorcism, he'd probably say this...

Yes, I really was asked to come to a hospital room the other day to cast out a demon. It was a six-year old girl; I won't repeat the things she was saying, but they were things six-year old girls don't say, and it took both her father and mother to hold her still. Needless to say, it was a first for me. When I recounted the story to my Greek Orthodox cohort at the hospital, I was given this piece of church history, which is included in a Greek Orthodox liturgy manual for priests; prayers written both by Basil and Chrysostom:

"By St. Basil
Let us pray to the Lord....Lord, have mercy. O God of gods and Lord of lords, the creator of the fiery orders and the maker of the bodiless Powers, the artificer of all that is in heaven and on earth; whom no one has ever seen or is able to see; before whom all creation stands in fear and trembling; who once seized hold of the Chief Commander, when in disobedience he violated his proper ministry, and who cast him down to earth, together with the angels that had rebelled with him and that now became demons, and who consigned them to the darkness in the depths of the earth: Grant that this exorcism, which is being performed in your awesome name, may instill fear in him, the first worker of evil, and in all his hosts, which have fallen with him from the light of heaven, and put him to flight and order him and his demons to depart completely, from your servant (N) (and this home), so that they cannot work any harm against your anointed image; but grant strength and might to your anointed servants, so that they can tread upon snakes and scorpions and all the powers of the enemy. For your most holy name, of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit, is praised and magnified and in fear is glorified by everything that has breath, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen."

"By St. Chrysostom
Let us pray to the Lord...Lord have mercy. O eternal God, who redeemed mankind from the enslavement of the Devil, deliver your servant (N) from every activity of unclean spirits; order the evil and unclean spirits and demons to stay away from the soul and body of your servant, and not to linger or lurk in (him) (her). Let them be turned to flight from the work of your hands, by your holy name and that of your only-begotten Son and of your life-giving Spirit; so that, having been cleansed from every diabolic influence (he) (she) may live in holiness and righteousness and reverence, and may be counted worthy of the sacred Mysteries of your only-begotten Son and our God; with whom you are blessed and glorified, together with your holy and good and life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen"

2 COMMENTS...:

Tyler November 11, 2009 2:18 PM  

I'm interested in hearing how you handled the situation...

Dom December 2, 2009 4:34 PM  

yeah me too... you can't just say you were asked to cast a demon out of someone and then not say what happened!


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