Exorcism From Mechlin Pastorale - English
The priest puts on a sign of authority, he says:
V. In the name of the Father, + and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit +.
R. Amen
Behold the cross of the Lord, flee adversary; the lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, has conquered.
V. Lord, hear my prayer
R. And let my cry come to you
V. The Lord be with you
R. And with your spirit
Let us pray.
God of angels, God of archangels, God of prophets, God of martyrs, God of confessors, God of virgins, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I invoke Your holy name, and humbly beseech your sublime majesty; that you deign to provide for me help against this most evil spirit, and all that vexes this your image.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
I exorcise you impure spirit, every attack of the enemy, all anger, every phantom, every legion, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to uproot and flee from this image of God.
He Himself implores you, who ordered you to fall from the highest heaven into the lowest realm.
Hear, therefore, Satan and now be defeated and overthrown in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You impure Satan, enemy of the faith, enemy of the human race, bringer of death, stealer of life, perverter of justice, root of evil, fomenter of sin, seducer of man, traitor of nations, inciter of envy, origin of greed, cause of discord, excitor of sorrow, teacher of evil, why stand and resist when you know God’s power to destroy you?
Fear Him, who in Isaac was sacrificed, in the lamb was slaughtered, as man was crucified, then came forth as glorious conqueror of hell.
Recede therefore in the name of the Father +, and of the Son +, and of the Holy Spirit +. Give way to the Holy Spirit, through this sign of the Holy Cross + (here impress the cross on the forehead) of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, God, for ever and ever
R. Amen.
If the evil spirit does not recede, the priest continues.
V. The Lord be with you
R. And with your spirit
Let us Pray
God, creator and defender of the human race, Who formed man to your image: look upon your servant (or handmaid) N. assailed by the wicked and envious serpent, who the ancient adversary, ancient enemy of earth, hovers over with fear, attacks the mind’s thoughts with stupor, confusing panic, and harasses by nervous fear.
Drive out, Lord, the power of the devil and remove his false snare: may your servant be defended by Your name and by the sign of the cross, and kept safe in soul and body.
Here make the sign of the cross on the chest three times, saying:
You watch over the inner + soul. You rule the + flesh. You strengthen the + heart. May temptations of the enemy’s power vanish from the soul.
Give, Lord, by this invocation of Your Holy name, grace that those now frightened, may flee in fear and depart conquered; and to You may this your servant (or handmaid) be ordered in heart and mind. Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
I adjure you ancient serpent, through the judge of the living and the dead, through your creator, through the creator of the world, through Him Who has power to cast you into Gehenna; that you swiftly depart from this servant (or handmaid) of God N. who runs to the lap of the Church.
I adjure you therefore, not by my weakness, but by the strength of the Holy Spirit, that you leave this servant (or handmaid) of God N. who the all-powerful God made to His Own image.
Yield therefore, not to me, but to the minister of Christ; Whose power indeed compels you, Who by being fastened to the cross subjected you.
Tremble before His arm; Who, defeating the groans of hell, led souls to the light. May man’s body, being formed to the image of God, be to you a terror.
Do not resist, do not delay to leave from this man (or woman) since it is pleasing to God to dwell within man.
And if you might despise me while knowing me to be a sinner…
God commands you +. The majesty of Christ commands you +. God the Father commands you +. God the Holy Spirit commands you +. The faith of the Apostles Peter and Paul and all the Saints commands you +. The blood of the martyrs commands you +. The sacrament of the cross commands you +. The power of the Christian mysteries commands you +.
Leave, therefore, transgressor, leave seducer filled with all misery and fallacy, enemy of truth, and persecutor of the innocent.
Give way most cruel one; give way most impious one, give way to Christ in Whom you found none of your works, Who despoiled you, Who destroyed your reign, Who bound you victim, Who shattered your vessels and cast you into darkness where ruin will be papered for you and your ministers.
But what do you so aggressively suppose? And what do you recklessly undertake? You are guilty before almighty God, Whose law you have transgressed. You are guilty before His son Jesus Christ our Lord, with Whom you dare to contend, and presumed to crucify. You are guilty before mankind to whom you gave the fruit of death by your persuasion.
If it still does not cease or recede, the priest continues.
V. The Lord be with you
R. And with your spirit
Let us pray.
Holy Lord, Father all-mighty, Eternal God: Hosanna in the highest, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has cast the tyrant and apostate into the fires of hell, Who sent into this world Your only-begotten that His roar would fill him with fear.
Speedily listen and hasten that You may deliver man created to Your image and likeness from ruin and the noon-day demon.
Grant, Lord, your terror over the beast which devastates Your vine; give confidence to your servant to fight bravely against the most wicked dragon, that he not lose hope in you and say, just like Pharoah said already, “I do not know God and will not let Israel go.”
Urge by the power of Your right hand to expel it from Your servant (or handmaid) N., that it may no longer presume to hold captive the man (or woman) who you deigned to create to Your image and redeem in Your Son. Who lives and reigns with You.
R. Amen.
Therefore I adjure you most impure dragon in the name of the immaculate lamb, Who walked over snake and beast, who crushed lion and dragon; that you leave + from the man (or woman) and leave from the Church. (stretch forth the sign of the cross over those standing around).
Tremble and flee; the name of the Lord has been invoked, before Whom hell trembles, to Whom the virtues of heaven, the powers, and dominations are subject; Whom the Cherubim and Seraphim praise with ceaseless voices.
The Word made flesh commands you; He born of the Virgin commands you; Jesus of Nazareth commands you, He who expelled you, while you scorned His disciples, to leave immediately from the man who had been outcast, nor presume to touch the heard of swine.
Therefore, adjured in His name, recede now from the man (or woman) who He Himself formed.
How difficult for you to resist leaving. How difficult for you against this harsh sting. When you delay in leaving, so much more does the begging increase; since you do not contend with men, but with Him Who came to judge the living and the dead and the world by fire.
R. Amen.
If the oppressed is still not liberated, the priest continues.
V. The Lord be with you
R. And with your spirit
Let us pray.
All-powerful Lord, Word of God the Father, Christ Jesus, God and Lord of all creation, Who gave to Your holy apostles power to trample over serpents and scorpions, Who among Your other wonders found worthy to teach Your command to cast out demons, Whose power so moved Satan to fall from heaven like lightning.
I humbly beseech Your holy name with fear and trembling that, having pardoned me, Your most unworthy servant, from all my sins, You would deign to give to me confidence and power, that I may faithfully and securely approach this cruel dragon by the strengthening power of Your holy arm. Through You, Jesus Christ our Lord and God, Who came to judge the living and the dead and the world by fire.
R. Amen.
Therefore I adjure you every impure spirit, every phantom, every incursion of Satan, in the Name of Jesus Christ of + Nazareth, Who after being baptized in the Jordan was led into the desert and conquered you in your thrown, that you cease fighting what He formed to His glory from the dust of the earth. And fear not human frailty in its misery but fear in it the image of almighty God.
Yield therefore to God, Who drove you back into servitude by the humility of His servant, Job.
Yield to God, Who drowned in the abyss your malice in pharaoh and his army through His servant Moses.
Yield to God, Who destroyed you through His son Daniel, and cast down the dragon.
Yield to God, Who drove you out through His most faithful servant David, son of King Saul, through psalms and spiritual canticles.
Yield to God, Who damned you in the traitor Judas Iscariot.
He indeed strangles you by divine blows, in Whose sight, while your legions tremble, you cry out saying, “What do you have to do with us, Son of David? Have you come to torture us before the time?”
He threatens you with eternal flames, Who will say to the impious at the end of time, “Go, accursed, into the eternal fire which My Father has prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Indeed, impious one, to you and your angels there will be worms which never die. For you and your angels an inextinguishable flame is prepared because you are the prince of the curse of murder;
you, the author of incest;
you, the head of sacrilege;
you, the master of wicked arts;
you, the teacher of heresy;
you, the inventor of all obscenity;
Leave, therefore, O impious one, leave criminal, leave with all your deceit because God desires man for His own temple.
But why do you delay here so long?
Give honor to God the Father almighty to Whom every knee shall bow. Give way to the Lord Jesus Christ Who poured out His most holy blood for man. Give way to the Holy Spirit Who through His blessed apostle Peter manifestly scattered you in Simon Magnus; Who condemned your deceit in Ananias and Saphira; Who struck you in King Herod for not giving honor to God; Who through His apostle Paul destroyed you in Bariesu Magnus by the fog of blindness; and through the same Paul, by his commanding word, commanded you to leave from Pythonissa.
Therefore, leave now! Leave seducer! To you is a seat of waist; for you is a dwelling of serpents. Be humbled and prostrate for now is not the time to delay.
Behold, the Lord and Ruler approaches quickly and His blazing fire proceeds before Him, the flame that surrounds His enemies. If indeed you poison man, you cannot mock God.
He has cast you out, to Whose eyes nothing is hidden. He has expelled you, to Whose power the whole universe is subject. He has excluded you, Who has prepared for you and your angels eternal Hell, and from Whose mouth will proceed a twice-sharpened sword. He Who comes to judge the living and the dead and the world by fire.
R. Amen.
The following Psalms may be read.
Psalm 69
Psalm 10
Psalm 51
Translation by Fr. Bradley T. Elliott, O.P.