Saturday, November 15, 2008

Exorcizo Te

I have come across an interesting new drama production just broadcast on the BBC. It is called Apparitions and you can watch it on BBC iPlayer (but this may only be for a limited period.) Before this 2-part had even been televised, there were already plans for a whole series.

I have only watched part of the first episode so far, but it seems very promising. I can't say how accurate it is with regards to the subject of demonic possession, but the performances are certainly compelling, and it doesn't take a liberal stance as far as I have seen. The central character is Father Jacob, a Catholic priest who works for the Cause for the Canonisation of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (although at one point his nun colleague suggests he 'shelve Mother Teresa' and work on Newman instead!)

I think it is interesting that the BBC has chosen to commission this sort of thing. I hope that an interest in this area will encourage people who watch this to find out more about the Catholic Faith. It is quite well known that exorcists still use the old rite of exorcism because the new one doesn't work! These things really are important.

But the first kind of exorcism there is for someone is Baptism, which in the old rite (still freely in use today) contains prayers specifically designed to exorcise the soul of the catechumen and prepare it for the abundant grace of Baptism, or new birth in Christ.

A good verse was quoted by the character of Father Jacob:

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through places without water, seeking rest; and not finding, he saith: "I will return into my house whence I came out." And when he is come, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then he goeth and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and entering in they dwell there. And the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.
St Luke 11:24-26

He used this verse to show that Baptism without faith is efficacious, but the soul will easily be susceptible to further attack by worse forces if Christ is not rooted there.

The topic of demonic possession has already been the popular subject of movies. The 1973 film The Exorcist receives criticism, and rightly, for glorifying the whole issue and making it more horrific and scary than it really is. This film has many saving graces in my opinion. The central story is not really about the little girl possessed (which has lost its sting now due to countless parodies) but rather the young priest who is having a crisis in faith. Notice that he says Mass for the first time and understands it, having been exposed to the horrors of evil.

A better film is the Exorcism of Emily Rose, which portrays the real life story of Anneliese Michel, who was a 16 year old German girl who became possessed in 1968. Although the film is dramatised, there are interesting aspects of the true story that deserve note. Firstly there is controversy surrounding whether the girl was, in fact, possessed at all; the parents and exorcists were charged with negligence after the girl died following a protracted illness with pneumonia and starvation. But also there is a supernatural character quite extraordinary: the fact that the girl was previously devout in her faith, and was comforted during her trials by apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was allegedly given the option of divine deliverance, but opted for her special 'mission' of showing the world the power of evil.

Nowadays the Devil's greatest triumph is that noone believes in him (not even many so-called Christians). Secondly, that many people do not even believe in Sin, but that in the relativistic culture of ours, values are fleeting and built on sand. Perhaps if people are faced with the tangible power of evil, they will come to realise the subtle influence that the devil has over our lives. When I came to conversion, I realised that most of my mental block towards the Faith was related to this, rather than a sort of 'enlightened reasoning' which I thought I had.

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting the link to the repeat of Apparitions; I missed it and could not find how to access it. Having seen it, I think you should be wary of taking it seriously. In short, I think it is a clever debunking of Catholicism, using surprising methods such as the central theme of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. It brings in all the liberal canards against the Church and puts them in the mouths of the 'possessed', and even in those of Catholic characters like the Cardinal and the gtim, joyless sister. It also drags in the recurrent theme of homosexuality in order to slur seminarians and the priesthood.

    Add to this subtle suggestion Grand Guignol effects guaranteed to frighten people out of their wits, and you have an insidious attack on the faith seen in terms of superstition, hypocrisy and implausibility. It will upset simple, suggestible people who will start seeing devils everywhere, but, more seriously, play subconsciously into the minds of the indifferent deep prejudices against the Church.

    I think it does the Devil's work quite well by disguising his aims as entertainment and that is primarily to destroy. It is also well caste, acted and filmed, the photography and locations are beautiful, although I was surprised to find St Giles's, Cheadle, suddenly transported to Rome behind a baroque facade. Altogether it is a polished production but it is well known that the Devil enjoys working behind a face of sophistication and charm.

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  2. Priests coming out of the shadows with violet stoles and crucifixes, ready to exorcise even against the soul's will - Is just too cool not to like!! But I can't guarentee the rest of the world will share my enthusiasm. All the unlikable Catholics are liberals, anyway.

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  3. Having seen the second episode of this sensationalist soap I have a hunch that, in the end, the Cardinal is going to materialize as the devil incarnate and will be vanquished in a cosmic exorcism in the last episode. What do you think?

    We had the works last night: Mother Teresa's spiritual desolation, the rotting corpse of Pius XII, the Church's passivity towards the holocaust, anti-semitism what next? Uninformed viewers will have plenty to think about in the future.

    But the reputation that most worries me is Mother Teresa's. Her spiritual letters should never have been published. Not only did it break her confidence, but the modern world no longer understands ascetic theology and is unable, even remotely, to understand the dark night of the soul. It's bizarre to think that some will believe she was possessed! Whoever wrote 'Apparition's' has certainly done his homework.

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  4. Hi Matt,

    I also found episode one interesting but was disappointed by episode two. It appears to suggest that - with the exception of Fr Jacob - the only other priests are dodgy. One was demonic and the other may yet turn out to be so. This certainly doesn't portray the Vatican in a true light since both priests work(ed) there. Typical of the BBC. (I also didn't find it remotely realistic that the chief exorcist of Rome could himself be demonic).
    Overall, I think this series is likely to confuse and I hope will not give a taste for the occult. However, one good thing so far is that it does show how Christ is the Strong One, the Victor over evil who continues to liberate those bound by sin. (I just wish the script might mention His Holy Name more).

    J

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  5. I heartily agree with the wonderful critique on this Apparitions series. I'm afraid that after watching the third episode, there's no chance I'll be watching any more. It has degenerated from an interesting knowledge of the catholic faith, into superstitious fantasy. Next they move onto an abortion clinic, and there will be no way that the BBC with cover that story with catholic sympathies.

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  6. A friend gave me a copy of episodes 1-5 (it hasn't shown yet here in Oz).

    So far - given that it is a "horror story" for entertainment - I still think it is one of the most positive portrayals of the Catholic Church I have seen in the entertainment media for a very long time.

    It gets thumbs up from me.

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