Conclusion
Occult practices
New-age practices did not commence during the modern age. Many forms of occultism had been practiced for thousands of years. But the rules and methods of occultism have not “undergone essential change.”
Occult practices are widespread worldwide. They may appear to be simple from past time of teenagers, to “voodoo rituals and other practices that are immoral, destructive, wicked, more dangerous spiritually, physically and emotionally.”
Forbidden spiritualism is detestable to God. “Let there be no one among you a fortune-teller, soothsayer, charmer, diviner or caster of spells, nor one who consults ghosts and spirits or seek oracles from the dead,” according to Deuteronomy 18:10. Fr. John H. Hampsch states that within the range of “occultic practices spawning demonic interventions are astrology, use of Ouiji boards, consulting mediums, engaging in séances, using tarot cards, holding on to reincarnation doctrines, belonging to eastern religious that accept Christ as a prophet but not as divine.
Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue; Rev. Bernard Ardura, O. Praem, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Fr. Adolf Farone, SDB, in New Age, identified titles of books “with theories condemned by the church, such as monism, relativism, pantheism, enlightenment, Gnosticism, Gaia, reincarnation, Shamamism, divination, astral projection, astrology, sorcery, circle of life and aquarism age.
Dr. Kurt Koch in Occult Bondage and Deliverance has dealt with over 10,000 cases of occult bondage and found a repeated pattern of these disorders in successive generations.
Father Hampsch adds that the spiritual attacks are worst like suicides. The “involvement in any form of occult from Satan worship to astrology will invariably have serious consequences within the family tree.” Case histories reveal that “demonic forces may superimpose on every dimension of human personality.”
Father Koch’s four decades of experience in more than 100 countries, showed that occult practitioners can be “delivered from otherwise intractable ailment” and be miraculously healed.
Healing
In his book Intergenerational Healing, Fr. Robert de Grandis of Society of Saint Joseph deplores how easy it is to “get caught up with very interesting occult trends not knowing the dangers.”
He recommends that those who seek healing should pray to the “Holy Spirit, who searches the minds and hearts and discerns our deepest needs,” as Romans 8:27 says, and can help us discern these “buried alive emotions” that should be healed.
God responds to the prayer of repentant and humble penitents. People can pray to stop the flow of ancestral guilt. His mercy and compassion offers hope as reflected in Jeremiah 31:16-17, which says: “Cease your cry of mourning, wipe the tears from your eyes. The sorrow you have shown will be rewarded…there is hope for your descendants.”
Father de Grandis in breaking a curse recommends this prayer: “In Jesus’ name and by His authority, I come against this curse. I call down the Precious Blood of Jesus and break this curse on my family or person in the name of Jesus.” It is said thrice because curses are often said thrice in rebellion against the Trinity.
Majority of priests, however, recommend that prayers be done in a healing Mass where all gather for a Eucharistic assembly. The Mass which is a sacramental sacrifice is celebrated by a command the Lord Himself gave on the eve of His passion.
Father Francis Tiquia, OATH, in an interview, emphasized that all members of the family make a general confession so they would be worthy in receiving the Eucharist, which is the body, blood, soul and Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Father Tiquia also strongly recommends that family members involved in any occult practise submit themselves to an exorcism rite by a trained priest for an exorcism ritual.
Santiago is a former regional director of Department of Education National Capital Region. She is currently a faculty member of Mater Redemptoris College in Laguna.
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons
1 comment
Hi Tita Corazon Santiago, How are you? Thank you for this article po.. You are indeed a powerful army of Christ in Mass Media. You were our teacher at MRC way back 2010.