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[" Delivery of the Keys ," Pietro Perugino, 1481-1482] The first time I spontaneously prefaced one of my exorcism prayers with: "I invoke the keys of St. Peter", I was stunned with the demonic reaction.* They clearly recognized the power of these keys and were bound by them. This should not be a surprise. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus gave the keys to St. Peter and promised that "The gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it" and "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" (Mt 16:18-19). Throughout the Rite of Exorcism, the demons are reminded of their defeat. Some of these lines are: "Why then do you resist, knowing that Jesus brings your plans to nothing?" "Depart, therefore, Satan, depart in the name of Jesus Christ, the mighty one who cast you out by the finger of God and destroyed your kingdom." And: "Give way to Christ...for He has already stripped you of your powers and laid waste your kingdom." I recall one moment in an intense session when the demons said, "You have no power over us; you have no faculties."** It turns out, at that time, I was being given faculties for each case. I had gotten a verbal OK from the Archdiocese so, in fact, I had faculties, but it was not in writing. I explained the situation to the Vicar General and he sent me a letter confirming it. I brought the letter into the next session. The demons response? Dead silence. Eventually, they left. It is common for people to say today that they are "spiritual but not religious." I think the demons would be pretty happy with that; they wouldn't have to deal with the power of the keys. The person doesn't have the protection and abundant graces that the Church offers. I would not even think of entering a spiritual battle without them. I would be defenseless. As an exorcist, I realize that I have no power of my own. In the ancient Rite of Exorcism, we admit to the demons that we are weak human beings: "I adjure you Satan, not by my weakness ..." and thus "I cast you out, unclean spirit, along with every satanic power...in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...For it is He who commands you..." Yes, when I authoritatively command the demons to leave, I invoke the keys of Peter and it is Christ himself who is actually commanding the demons. And they know it. ---------- *See the blog "The Great Weapon Against Satan": 289 https://www.catholicexorcism.org/post/exorcist-diary-289-the-great-weapon-against-satan **The demons were trying to disempower and distract me, as always. But I got my faculties in writing to emphasize that the Church had empowered me. ***Our next free monthly deliverance session this Monday September 16th.  Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here  or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org  (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) ****Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter. ***** Beware of scammers!  There are a number of scammers on social media and YouTube posing as Msgr. Rossetti and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa or for a fund for sick children. Or they are claiming "get rich quick" schemes in our YOUTUBE chat in order to scam people. There is also someone with a scam email address posing as me & soliciting funds; msgrstephenrosetti@gmail.com . If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate  safely.

[ “The Last Judgment,” 1536-1541 Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel] Stepping into an exorcism, the Team and the possessed enter the world of the demonic. We taste a bit of what hell is like. And it is incredibly nasty... When demons speak, they criticize and taunt; they spew hatred and violence. The rage in their eyes and the feeling of evil in the room is a taste of hell. When an exorcism session is finished, it is not uncommon to walk out feeling "slimed," with the demonic ugliness and filth still clinging to us. A second round of cleansing prayers is often needed. In St. Faustina's vision, the seventh suffering of hell is the despair, hatred of God, vile words, curses and blasphemies. In this life, we are fortunate that the demons are chained. In hell, where the chains are off, it must be infinitely worse. But there is also, in an exorcism, a taste of heaven. We invoke the saints in heaven and the demons howl. The name of Jesus and His crucifix are a powerful grace that cowers the demons. I recently asked the Virgin Mary to come and a wide-eyed look of terror came over the demons. In every session there are great moments of grace and a taste of the Kingdom of Heaven. Perhaps one of the most satisfying graces is when the session is over. The afflicted person, who walked into the center feeling tormented and hopeless, often leaves with a smile, an expression of gratitude, and a feeling of hope, sometimes even joy. Compacted into an exorcism is the full mystery of redemption: from sin and hell to grace and the heavenly life. I am blessed to experience the mystery of salvation and our team members have often told me the same. For this grace and for all of our blessings, we give thanks to God! ------------------ *Our next free monthly deliverance session this Monday September 16th.  Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here  or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org  (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) **Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter. *** Beware of scammers!  There are a number of scammers on social media and YouTube posing as Msgr. Rossetti and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa or for a fund for sick children. Or they are claiming "get rich quick" schemes in order to scam people. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate  safely.

[Anonymous, 2024, inspired by private revelations. Used with permission.]* We have a few "go to"saints who are especially powerful in exorcisms. One of these is Mary Magdalene. We especially invoke her and apply her first class relic when the afflicted person has demons related to sexual sins. We often get a strong reaction from the demons. It is noteworthy that Mary Magdalene has become a popular saint these days. Growing up I don't recall ever hearing her being mentioned. In retrospect, this was an oversight. She has a prominent place in the Gospels with the life of Jesus and his disciples. She is mentioned by name over a dozen times. She was next to the Mother of Jesus on Calvary. She was the first to witness the resurrection of Christ and proclaimed it to the Apostles, thus she is rightly called, "Apostle to the Apostles." But we exorcists especially invoke her help in casting out demons. The Gospels state clearly that she was possessed by 7 demons and Jesus freed her (Lk 8:2). The number 7 in biblical times referred to a "fullness" or "completion." One might then surmise that she was full of demons and completely possessed. So, she would be a "natural" for our ministry. Undoubtedly, she would have a special love and efficacy for those afflicted by demons. In the early Church (see Pope Gregory the Great's sermons), it was believed that this Mary of Magdala (i.e. Mary Magdalene) was also the same unnamed woman in the Scriptures who was a "sinful woman" (Lk 7:36) and who wiped Jesus' feet with her tears and hair. More recent biblical scholars have questioned this. The fact that she is a powerful intercessor in exorcism cases involving sexual sins gives some support to the idea that her demons were a result of sexual sins. In truth, we do not know for certain how she got the demons or if these different female figures in the Bible are the same person. Theories abound. But it is clear that Jesus freed her from being fully possessed and she belonged to Jesus' inner circle. She was an important figure in the early Church, and she is resurfacing again in prominence. We are better off for it. People of today can relate to a repentant sinner. Given that she rose to great sanctity gives us all hope. Perhaps what is of the greatest significance in her life is her love for Jesus. It was she who wept at his tomb (Jn 20:11). May St. Mary Magdalene intercede for us that we, too, might have a great love for Jesus. --------------------- *This image was inspired by private revelations communicated by the visionary to the artist (who wishes to remain anonymous). The visionary said Mary Magdalene appeared as a "tall, very elegant woman. She had long chestnut hair pulled over one shoulder and had eyes the color of honey. She was holding two anointing flasks in her right hand- it was she who anointed him, both at the house of the Pharisee and at her brother's house. In the other hand, she was holding the linen cloth used to mop up the blood at the pillar after the scourging, with Mary." The artist is generously making this image available for public use for all. Note: this image is inspired by a private revelation so it is not official teaching but one can privately accept it if one wishes . **Our next free monthly deliverance session this Monday September 16th.  Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here  or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org  (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) ***Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter. See our short video on Mary Magdalene on youtube . **** Beware of scammers!  There are a number of scammers on social media and YouTube posing as Msgr. Rossetti and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa or for a fund for sick children. Or they are claiming "get rich quick" schemes in order to scam people. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate  safely.

[Pope going to confession] Demons invariably demean, threaten and torment people. They know people's weaknesses and they exploit them. Demons particularly torment people with their past sins, using them to belittle, tear down, and tempt them to despair. The possessed are especially targeted by demons who continually harass them without compassion or pity. For example, they remind addicts of their past weaknesses and sins, tempting them to relapse. In one of our cases, the demons recently texted a recovering drug addict: "Enjoy snorting. No one cares or will even notice." And again, "Do your heroin; it's the only thing that's shown you comfort during your trials and sadness." Similarly, a recovering alcoholic who was possessed found bottles of alcohol mysterious appearing around him, and the strong scent of alcohol. For either of them, relapsing into their addiction would have greatly strengthened the demonic hold over them. St. Faustina, the Polish nun who popularized the Divine Mercy devotion, was granted by God a vision of hell. She said there were seven major sufferings of hell : the first being the loss of the vision of God. But the second was the "perpetual remorse of conscience." In this torment, the conscience eternally condemns the soul for its sins. The soul sees what God wanted for its earthly life, and it sees the countless times it rejected God and chose to do evil. This has been confirmed by the saints and mystics who witnessed the demons in hell torturing the damned. These evil spirits not only tortured them in "body", they especially tortured their minds, taunting them with their every past sin. They sought to tear them down, making them feel worthless, unloved, and unforgiven. Demons bring this hellish behavior with them in their taunting of the living- the possessed and human beings in general. They sadistically enjoy making us suffer for our sins and would have us believe there is no forgiveness or any relief. Sadly, this is true for damned souls; they are eternally tormented by their sins because they rejected, time and again, the one source of forgiveness and relief. But, for us the living, the possibility of relief remains. St. Gertrude the Great wrote that, for those who are repentant and accept the forgiveness of Jesus: "God remembers no more the sins...there still remain some marks of our faults, that we may be reminded to praise His goodness for having pardoned them, and for having poured forth His favors upon us as if we had never offended Him. " ------------------------ *"The Life and Revelations of Saint Gertrude the Great," Chpt. 28, p. 380 **Our next free monthly deliverance session this Monday September 16th. Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org  (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) ***Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter **** Beware of scammers!  There are a number of scammers on social media and YouTube posing as Msgr. Rossetti and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa or for a fund for sick children. Or they are claiming "get rich quick" schemes in order to scam people. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate  safely.

[" The Holy Trinity ," El Greco, 1577-1579] After listening to countless demons and scores of hours of demonic chatter, there is one word which stands out as demons' most commonly used word. They use it again and again in varied contexts and in response to varied commands. The word is: "No!" This is the constant demonic refrain. When anything related to God is mentioned, they say, "No!" It is a rebellious "no" . They rejected God and will never willingly obey anything related to God. During an exorcism, when the Exorcist commands the demons to do or say anything, they will respond with an arrogant "no!" They take a perverted delight in voicing their refusal. And when forced to obey, they will only do so with gritted teeth and rage in their eyes. When the powerful Rite of Exorcism is prayed over them, they will scream a terrified "no!" , facing imminent expulsion and an ultimate damning judgment. Their demonic existence began with a "no" to God and this defiance permeates everything in their intellects, wills, and actions. Their very existence is one long, loud, emphatic "no!" But saying "yes" to God is not always easy. Saying "yes" to the hardships and crosses that come our way can be a struggle. Our plans for our lives are not always God's plans. At times, the demons' "no" to God might seem easier, that is, trying to take control and do it our way. Jesus gives us the ultimate prayer and the sure, although sometimes difficult, road ahead: "Our Father ... Thy will be done." ----------------------------------- *SOON!!!! Don't miss our free monthly deliverance session this Monday July 15 ! Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here  or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org  (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) **Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter *** Beware of scammers!  There are a number of scammers on social media and YouTube posing as Msgr. Rossetti and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa or for a fund for sick children. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate  safely.

[" Chess Players ," Friedrich Retzsch, 1779-1857, note: Satan is the player on the left] Most exorcisms are fairly straightforward. There are typically a bunch of lesser demons present with one leader who may or may not have a recognizable biblical name. These can be difficult for all involved, but with perseverance and faith the demons are eventually cast out. Jesus gave his Church the authority to cast out demons and it is obvious in an exorcism. In a face-to-face battle, demons always lose. But, once in a while, Satan plays, what I call, his "A Game." He puts a lot of effort into a particular case for reasons only he knows. His power is not unlimited so the case must have some real significance for his plans. Sadly, in such cases, the person is filled with hundreds of demons that are led by many well-known, high-ranking, powerful demons. The list reads like a "who's who" in hell. There are even times when Satan himself is personally present, although these are rare (despite lesser demons often claiming that they are Satan). When Satan is playing his "A Game," an exorcist is in particular danger. The real battle is not in the exorcism session itself. Satan knows full well that he loses in a face-to-face confrontation with the Church and her priests. The real "A Game" battle is behind the scenes. Satan is a master manipulator. He knows the right psychological and spiritual buttons to push for each person involved. Behind the scenes, he will sow discord and anger, doubts and fears, distrust, and intense temptations to pride, envy, sexual license and more. He will enlist human minions to tempt and attack the Exorcist, team members and the possessed. He will manipulate forces and nature to accomplish his goals. Through his manipulation of the possessed person, he will try the strength, boundaries, and virtue of the Exorcist, threatening to exhaust or compromise his priesthood. In modern times, a few have succumbed. Exorcists should know that they themselves are no match for the wiles of the Evil One. They will always be one step behind him. Just when they think they are winning, they will find out that Satan has been playing them and they are on the brink of losing. But there is one sure remedy. Trust in Jesus and listen to the Holy Spirit. And an added sure protection: love the Virgin Mary and let her mantle of protection cover you. God will give the Exorcist and his team the graces needed to unmask and confound even Satan's "A Game." ----------------------------------- *Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session July 15 . Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here  or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org  (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) **Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter *** Beware of scammers!  There are a number of scammers on social media and YouTube posing as Msgr. Rossetti and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa or for a fund for sick children. These are scams. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate  safely.

[" Healing of the Cripple and Raising of Tabitha , " Masolino da Panicale, 1426-1427] As an exorcist, one image that is seared into my mind is the "Look of Evil." When we conduct an exorcism, the demons come to the fore and I look into their eyes. The total evil and murderous rage that I see is stunning and impossible to forget.     Sadly we also see glimpses of such evil in the world around us. We see the face of evil when we witness violent rages, terrorist attacks against children, destruction of churches and holy images, greed and selfishness. Similarly, I have noticed that those who spend decades practicing the occult, witchcraft and unholy divination are typically unhappy, emotionally isolated, and often exude a darkness that surrounds them. These seem to me to be reflections of the face of the Evil One.  Fortunately, as we pray over them and the light of Christ shines on them, the darkness slowly lifts and they once again come alive. I experience many daily touches of grace.  So many people are genuinely kind and thoughtful, willing to help, such as the generous and faith-filled members of our exorcism teams.  The joy of our team members and God's powerful healing graces greatly overshadow the demons' dark presence. One unmistakable sign of God's presence is the joy that springs up from someone’s heart and radiates from their faces. These “looks," some full of rage and darkness, and others full of heavenly joy, confirm for me both the reality of the Evil One and the reality of God. Even if there were no heavenly reward in the next life (which assuredly there is!), I would choose to follow the Lord.  It is He who is the source of our joy and peace.  Such joy and peace is its own reward in this life and a promise of happiness in the next. These are my daily “proofs” of God’s existence.  What is yours? -------------------------------------- *Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session July 15 . Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here  or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org  (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) **Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter *** Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa or for a fund for sick children. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate  safely.

["Envy," "The Seven Deadly Sins" detail, Hieronymus Bosch, 1475-1480] This past week, in the midst of an exorcism, I heard something I had never heard before in a session. We had just finished praying the Prologue of John’s Gospel: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”  The afflicted person came to consciousness and looked up at me. I asked her how she was doing.  She responded, “I was just overwhelmed by an incredibly powerful feeling of ENVY!” She was not normally an envious person so where did that come from?  Obviously, it came from the demons.  People who suffer demonic affliction typically have a symbiotic relationship with the demons: they can feel and sense some of what the demons are experiencing and vice versa. Listening to the Prologue of John’s Gospel, which emphasizes the Incarnation of God in Jesus, was a torment for them—it filled them with envy. It is commonly thought that the fallen angels originally sinned through pride.  But many theologians, including St. Thomas, speculate that they also sinned through envy. From the beginning, God revealed to the angels his plan to become incarnate in the Word. The idea that God would humble himself and become a human, and not an angel, enraged Satan and his followers. Pride and envy fueled their rejection of God. These fallen angels wanted more than what God would give them and they wanted to get it for themselves, not depending upon His generosity. These days you don’t hear much from pulpits about the sin of envy.  But when looking at the widespread unrest, conflict and discord throughout our world today, much of it stems from envy- not being grateful for all that God has given us. Demons are constantly goading us to commit the same sins of which they are guilty, particularly their sins of pride and envy.  They want us to suffer with them and under their brutal yoke in this life and the next. I know an antidote.  It is a simple prayer that can only come from the heart of a soul that is saved:  “Thank you Jesus." Say it often. And join me in this prayer: Jesus I thank you! Jesus I thank you. I thank you for humbling yourself as the Son of God and becoming one of us. I thank you for teaching us about the Father and sharing your Word. I thank you for your loving sacrifice on the Cross. I thank you for sharing with us your beautiful Mother. I thank you for sending down your Holy Spirit. May gratitude well up in my heart and deepen each day. I ask for the grace to praise and thank you this day and forever. Jesus, I thank you. Jesus, I thank you. Jesus I love you. (not copyrighted; please share with others) -------------------------------------------- *Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session July 15. Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) **Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter ***Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.

["Adoration of the Trinity," Vicente López Y Portaña, 1791-1792] We were getting to the end of the possession. Most of the demons had left with just the leader and a small cohort remaining. The leader was greatly weakened and "on fire." I had been using the "Prayer of Liberation from the Spirit of Divination" developed by our friends in the Philippines.* This was important because the woman had been involved in witchcraft, as had her mother and other ancestors before her. It was time to close the "Occult Third Eye." I blessed her forehead with exorcized oil and prayed three times: "Occult Third Eye given by the spirit of divination, I command you, in the Name of +Jesus to be closed and never to be opened again." There was an ear-piercing scream! Wow! That definitely hit a demonic nerve. It had been clear throughout the possession that her Occult Third Eye was opened, that is, she was bonded to the demons and thus she had access to some of their thoughts and perceptions, just as they had access to some of hers. There is a kind of symbiotic relationship between the demons and a possessed soul. It appears that some demons actually like to inhabit an incarnate soul. For example, I once commanded a demon to tell me: "Why don't you leave?" The demon responded, "I like it here!" No doubt it's better than being in hell- although wherever they go, they "take their hell" with them. In subsequent sessions, we repeated the ritual of closing the third eye. Over the course of the process of closing the third eye (that is- her eye into the demonic world and their eye into hers), the demons texted us several times: "I cannot see or breathe I am finished." "My eyes are burned to ashes." "I can't breathe Stephen. Doesn't this bother you?" "I cannot see anymore. He took my final eye away." Of course, it is important to take all demonic communications with a grain of salt. They are inveterate liars and manipulators. But occasionally God makes them tell the truth. Many mediums, spiritualists and occultists claim to have insight into the spiritual world. Some of them actually do, but unfortunately it typically comes through the workings of demons. Using a demonic channel only further bonds the user to the Dark World. And whatever you get from such an evil channel is never good. We have a safe and holy means to access the Triune God and the heavens: prayer in Jesus. In Him, we might not get tantalizing knowledge or the information we want. But we need to trust that whatever the Lord chooses to give, it is what we should have. Whatever the Lord gives is always for our benefit and contributes to our happiness. ---------- *The laity are welcome to use the prayer "Consecration to Mary for the Closing of the Occult Third Eye" found on our APP/website under Deliverance Prayers for the Laity. **SOON!!!!Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session June 17. Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) ***Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter ****Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.

["Storm on the Sea of Galilee," Rembrandt van Rijn, 1633] I was speaking with a converted witch who had practiced the occult for almost three decades. He said that witches fuel their curses by tormenting their victims. They try to incite strong "negative" emotions such as fear, anger, resentment, and/or a desire for revenge in these victims. He said witches believe these intense emotions strengthen their curses and fuel them. This helped me understand why one of our clients has been receiving hundreds of taunting texts from a witch. She is enraged at him and has been cursing him and his family, including his children, for over four years! Why would she spend so much time in provoking them? It fuels her curses. However, it is really she who is being consumed by her own rage. Previously, I knew that demons were "fed" when we are frightened by them, angry, or vengeful. So, it makes sense that witches would do the same since a witch's power comes from demons. Thus, an exorcist should approach his ministry with resolve and calm, and not let the demonic antics get to him. Moreover, anyone who is being tormented by witches or demons should try to remain calm and often repeat the prayer, "Jesus I trust in you." These dynamics might give us insight into Jesus' admonition to forgive our enemies, instead of harboring anger and resentment. It also helps us understand why He told us to trust in Him and his Heavenly Father, rather than giving into fear. ----------- *Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session June 17! Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) **Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter ***Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.

The demons have been targeting our virtue of hope on all fronts! Three of our exorcism teams have gotten demonic texts goading us to give up. A deacon and I, working on a difficult case, recently received this text: "Give up...this can all be over" and then "I'm waiting. Tick tock." One of our other priest-exorcists received a similar text from demons on another difficult case: "You won't succeed. Don't even try." In the midst of a third big case, a gifted lay team member also received a demonic text: "She is ours. Never shall she leave us. There's nothing you can do." In all three cases, the demons were pushing team members to give up. We believe God responded with a heavenly sign: a "fire rainbow," appeared (is that an angel next to it?). These little signs encourage us and bolster our hope. Hope, of the three theological virtues, is often forgotten. But in an exorcism, it is critical, particularly in the early stages. The demons taunt and tempt, telling you it won't work, they say they will never leave, and they mercilessly attack the possessed person and the Team. Despite conducting hours of exorcisms, there is initially little to no visible progress and the afflicted person often feels worse. I suspect more than a few who are reading this have or are experiencing the temptation to give up. A voice in your head tells you that God has forgotten you; you cannot succeed; you might as well give up. This is the voice of Satan and it is a lie. The demons are desperate to have us give up because this is the ONLY way they can win. Don't give up the fight! It is in such moments that we must trust in Jesus. Jesus has triumphed. Jesus will triumph. Satan has lost. Satan will lose once again. In an exorcism, we hold onto these eternal truths and press ahead. Join us in hope! --------------------------------------- *Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session June 17! Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) **Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter ***Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.

["The Light of the World," William Holman Hunt, 1851-1856] Recently I walked into a building and was approached by a woman who said, "Father, would you pray over me?" I did not know her. I do not think she was Catholic but she recognized my Roman collar and reached out for help. I responded, "I am happy to.' I placed one hand on her head and another on her shoulder and, in the midst of that crowded public place, I prayed. I have no doubt God blessed her. She was deeply grateful and publicly said so when I returned a few hours later. I then walked outside the building. There was a woman who had fallen and was lying on the ground in a bit of blood. She was surrounded by police and friends waiting for an ambulance. In a quiet moment, I simply introduced myself as a priest. She looked up, saw my Roman collar, and practically screamed with disdain and anger: "Get him away from me!" She laced her speech with four-letter words. This second encounter was a bit unnerving. Earlier that day I had conducted an exorcism. I recognized the woman's voice as similar to that of demons. They shout: "Get away from me!" Their demonic rants are laced with profanity, arrogance, hatred, and terror. They hate priests and are terrified of them. I felt very bad for the second woman. Her body needs some healing. But I believe her soul is in the greatest need of healing. Jesus said, "Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the One who sent me" (Lk 10:16). I ask you all to join me in prayer for her. Some mystics have had the "grace" of being given a vision of hell. One such mystic, accompanied by her guardian angel, saw two souls that she knew suffering intensely in the fire. Instinctively, she leaned forward to help, but her angel held her back saying, "There is no help for they who have willfully chosen fire." Jesus comes to each of us daily in many disguises. Will we say "yes" to him and welcome him into our hearts? "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me" (Rev 3:20). ------------------------------------------------------ *Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session June 17! Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) **Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter ***Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.

[Paul Gustave Doré, Satan depicted in Milton's Paradise Lost, 1866] I received the following note: "My adult, college-aged daughter converted to witchcraft/paganism and, in her words, 'violently rejects,' her Catholic faith. She lives away at college and now avoids contact with us and other family members whom she views as traditional Catholics. Recently, she has been successful at convincing a younger sibling, also an adult, to stop going to Mass and question Catholicism. What should we do? Is it problematic for her to return home- even if she wants to do so? We pray for her all the time, but she seems to be actively working against certain family members." Sadly, this issue is becoming common. For example, one social media account of a self-proclaimed witch has half-a-million followers. WitchTok, a subset of Tik Tok for witches, boasts of having 30 billion views! While I understand and support the importance of women's rights and a valid, healthy feminism, witchcraft might be thought of as feminism gone awry ... although there are male "witches" as well. Witchcraft is inherently tied to the dark kingdom, whether intended or not. It is not surprising that it would lead to a "violent rejection" of the Christian faith. Satan hates Jesus and his Church. The increasing spate of violence against the Church reflects this hatred. Since Spring of 2020, there have been over 300 known attacks against Catholic Churches in the USA. What should the parents do for their daughter who became a witch? Certainly, as they noted: fervent persevering prayer. Never underestimate the power and importance of a parent's prayer. Parent have a God-given authority over a child and their prayers are uniquely efficacious. On our APP/website, we have provided a special prayer for such purposes. I would not recommend cutting off relations with the daughter but rather continuing to love and welcome her. However, it is a problem if the daughter returns home and practices witchcraft in the house. This can negatively affect everyone present. When adult children return home, there should be basic rules within parents' houses, which likely includes no unmarried cohabiting, no illicit drug use, and I would include no occult practices. If the daughter was willing, some family counseling might be helpful, particularly if there were other sources of strain within the family. Moreover, speaking to other siblings would be important as well, particularly in light of the daughter trying to convert them. Some basic education about the dangers of witchcraft and the occult are needed both in our families and the wider society. Frankly I think the Church is not doing enough to teach and to warn people. Church leaders often do not realize how widespread and dangerous these occult practices are. The resulting demons of divination are particularly difficult, although not impossible, to cast out. We have provided a prayer to assist: "Pray With Me: Casting Out Spirits of Divination". Perhaps the best witnesses to the evils of witchcraft are from those who practiced witchcraft for years and left.** I have worked with several and what I noticed among them all was a darkness, heaviness, and isolation that surrounded them. They were miserable, joyless, and often angry. Satan cannot share with you what he does not have. He is without joy and he is angry and miserable. Jesus promised us his joy and peace: "That my joy may be yours" (Jn 15:11) and "My peace I leave with you" (Jn 14:27). May God give each of you Jesus' overflowing joy and peace this day and always! --------------------------- *Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session this Monday May 20th! Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) **There are a number of videos on the internet of former witches who converted to Christ. A simple google search will yield many. ***Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter ****Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.

["Man Meditating in a Garden Setting," anonymous, 1820-1840] The woman in the story below wished to share her experience as a warning to others. She does not want others to "learn the hard way," as she did... I was baptized as a Catholic but was nominally Christian for most of my adult life. Gradually, I became convinced that all earnestly forged spiritual roads lead to the same God.* In so believing, I failed to notice that I had strayed from the only path to the one true God. In Spring of 2021, after years of dabbling, I began a more rigorous exploration of Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist practices and philosophies. I attended introductory-level online retreats with various teachers with backgrounds in Advaita Vedanta, Zen, Tibetan Buddhism and other belief systems, studying their key texts and tenets. During these retreats the leaders invoked Hindu “gods” and “goddesses.”  I also downloaded a mainstream meditation app and took up yoga via streaming video lessons, setting aside maybe fifteen minutes to half an hour per day for each activity. By the fall of 2021, when my body began moving on its own during those daily meditation sessions in my basement, I thought it was a good thing. In fact, I took it as an auspicious and mystical sign that I was heading in the right direction. I had heard of such phenomena but assumed they were reserved for only the most dedicated devotees of certain elite gurus. In actuality, the spiritual catastrophe known as a ‘kundalini awakening’ was slowly and systematically ensnaring me.  As I was doing visualization exercises and reading the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, I felt a rising pressure up the spine to the top of my head, constant movement and pressure, and the opening of my chakras. The acute phase of demonization was the most spectacular and included involuntary movements – spontaneous asanas, or bodily postures, and mudras, or symbolic hand gestures – that I’d neither seen nor done before. Through experimentation, I quickly progressed to automatic writing, counterfeit visions, and near-constant communication with a being I mistook for the Holy Spirit of the Bible but hailed from a different source entirely. Turns out those passages in the New Testament in which Jesus casts out demons are journalistic reports, not allegorical relics of a time before modern science could properly identify mental illness. By the spring of 2022, it was becoming clear that, if I wasn’t fully there already, I was very close to being fully possessed by an impostor Holy Spirit that had suddenly begun torturing me. I lost nearly everything – my marriage, many friends, and two careers -- because I had fervently sought God through the wrong channels. The overwhelming presence that was constantly accompanying me, so loving and beneficent during the initial months, had abruptly turned wrathful and accusatory, claiming I would soon go to Hell for a lifetime of sins, which it laid out in exhaustive detail. (Satan isn’t called The Accuser for nothing!) In a series of intensifying episodes, I was squeezed and burned from the inside with choking, suffocating, and crushing sensations that ramped up whenever I tried to rest. Shortly thereafter, my so-called “god” revealed its real identity as a pair of demons, if not more, who mocked and insulted me. Their goal had always been to drive me to destroy myself, using methods that were very specific to me.** Being demonized has been a shocking and devastating experience for which I have struggled for more than two years to find words, despite having spent nearly 25 years as a professional communicator, writer and scholar. Most shocking of all has been the understanding that it is very possible to become a vessel for evil while harboring the exact opposite intention. As one example, I regularly said the Lord’s Prayer while sitting down to meditate.*** No matter. I had violated the First Commandment by turning to other traditions, however established or complementary to Christianity they might have seemed. I am still attacked every night with the same dynamic pressure and sleep disturbances, and at times during the day I feel what a trusted friend has described as full-body vertigo paired with pangs of dread that I know are not my own. Thankfully, I have been greatly helped by sessions with an exorcist and his prayer team, whose efforts have loosened the demonic hold on my mind and body and are showing me my worth as a child of God. As the Bible spells out, the cost can be extremely high for adopting a syncretic worldview, and the fallout can easily start on this side of eternity. In my confused pursuits, I missed a crucial, if controversial, detail: It is impossible to take up the practices and rituals of other religions while staying faithful to Christ. My yoga mat was an unholy prayer rug, hiding in plain sight. Even going through the motions of yoga or sitting in meditation for the sake of cultivating mindfulness can send a particular message, even an invitation, through the body. In so doing, I had repeatedly and unwittingly worshiped other gods – who weren’t gods at all. I learned the hard way. -------------------- *A common New Age belief is that all religions are the same and lead to the same God. This belief is not compatible with Christianity. See: Acts 4:12. **For those who are oppressed by such demons of divination, see: "Pray With Me: Casting Out Evil Spirits of Divination. *** It should be noted that there is a common practice of meditation in Christianity which is healthy and holy, which validly invokes the presence of the true God. ****Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session Monday May 20th. Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) *****Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter ******Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.

["The Father's Curse," Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 1777; "The work depicts the dramatic scene of a son who is announcing to his family that he is leaving to join the army. His father is forbidding it and curses him as he leaves."] I recently received the following email*: I wanted to thank you for your online deliverance sessions. I am a mother to two children. I am a baptized and confirmed Catholic, but fell away during my twenties while in school. I actually stopped believing in God during that time, and began to suffer from rather severe depression and demonic attacks (which I learned about after speaking to a priest). With God's grace, I found my way back to the church during Lent last year. However, since January of this year, my health has deteriorated quite rapidly. My declining heath (which doctors attributed to an autoimmune disease), made it very difficult to do anything. Getting out of bed hurt...doing simple tasks like making phone calls or doing the dishes took so much energy that I would have to nap afterwards. I had migraines every day. My relationship with my husband and children was not doing well. I was struggling, and started to think that I would rather be dead than live like this. But that all changed last week after I happened to watch one of your deliverance prayer videos: it was one for breaking curses/spells/hexes/etc.** I am honestly shocked by the change in my health. I woke up that morning feeling horrible as usual (a migraine upon waking and feeling like I had been running a marathon all night). I happened to watch your video, and not even an hour later, I started feeling better. Since then I have only been getting healthier. I have my energy back, I don't have migraines anymore. Most importantly, I am able to be the mother that I want to be for my kids. I have no doubt in my mind that this was all because I participated in your deliverance prayers. Not a single doubt. So I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. First of all, we thank God for healing this person; it is God who does the healing. Second, one would naturally wonder: "Did the healing last?" Some days later, I emailed her and asked that question. I also asked what she thought was the open door to the demonic affliction. She answered: Yep, I am still doing well--and still in shock over the fact that I was healed after participating in your prayers. I am a scientist and I still have a difficult time wrapping my brain around all of the supernatural phenomena, especially regarding the power of prayer.... [My pastor] suspected a generational curse, most likely through my Mom's side of the family. Depression and autoimmune diseases run on that side of the family... The existence of generational curses is a debated subject. It is striking cases like this one that suggests they are very real. Her experience also reminds us of the power of prayer. God hears our prayers. While most of us will not receive such a miraculous healing, the most important graces of faith, hope and charity, plus the gift of everlasting life, are given by God to us all. On a personal note, I and all the staff at St Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal appreciate her and everyone's feedback and support. It encourages us to continue in this healing ministry. We raise our hearts with her, and you all, in gratitude to God. ------------ *Used with permission. **She prayed with the "Pray With Me" video: "Lifting All Curses"-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbsClF1dink. One might also pray with our "Pray With Me" video: "Lifting Generational Curses" : https://youtu.be/CE3qeshUZD8 ***Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session Monday May 20th. Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) ****Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter *****Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.

["Delivery of the Keys," Pietro Perugino, 1481-1482] As I was beginning the formal Rite of Exorcism, I prayed in a firm voice: "I invoke the full authority of the Keys of St. Peter and I command the demons to leave!" The reaction was immediate and intense. Clearly, the demons recognized the Church's authority and were reeling at the mention of it. Some come to an exorcism expecting the priest to read arcane, mysterious prayers that have a kind of magical power to them. And if you read the Rite of Exorcism with those magical expectations, you will likely be disappointed. The Rite is simply a series of prayers, albeit of ancient origin refined and tested over hundreds of years, which are full of Scriptural references, invoking the power of God in Jesus to cast out the demons. For example, the imperative prayer in the new Rite includes the following: I command you, Satan, prince of this world: acknowledge the power and strength of Jesus Christ, who defeated you in the desert, overcame you in the garden, despoiled you on the Cross, and, rising from the tomb, transferred your spoils into the kingdom of light. The Scriptural references in the above passage are obvious. Experience in exorcisms shows that Satan has a particular abhorrence in recognizing how Christ overcame him. He does not like to be reminded of his defeat! There is no great mystery to the prayers in the Rite of Exorcism or their meaning. But to miss their power over the Prince of Darkness would be to miss the source of their true efficacy. The power does not come from some magical incantation. Rather, Jesus Christ, truly human and Divine, has conquered the Evil One and has given to the Church his power to cast out demons. I regularly remind new exorcists in training: do not search for some special prayer that will magically cast out the demons. The great weapon against Satan, which is the weapon given to you, is the power of Christ in his Church. The core of an exorcism is the Church's formal Rite wielded by a priest given the proper authority from the Bishop. Never doubt it! -------------------------------- *Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session this Monday May 20th. Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org (If you have already registered and received a link, no need to register again.) **Pray with our short "Pray With Me" videos for healing: https://www.catholicexorcism.org/copy-of-deliverance-guidelines-for-pr ***Join us on YouTube: @stmichaelcenter ****Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.

["Christ healing the lame at the pool of Bethesda," Pieter van Link, 1619-1690] Suffering people can become desperate to find healing and some will turn to just about any source that promises relief. In recent times, people have told me that they sought out "healing" witches, shamans, spiritualists, curanderos and other occult healers. A few have paid quite a bit of money to be "liberated". Some may experience a temporary relief of symptoms but the problems then return worse than ever. A recent case in point from a man's feedback after an online deliverance session:* This session was particularly powerful. Especially the new prayers you’ve added- the ingestion of cursed objects. I consumed the Amazonian psychedelic brew, Ayahuasca, administered by a shaman in a pagan ceremony. I was looking for healing. This was before I turned back to Christ and his Church. I went to hell under the influence of this pagan drug. It was horrific. A place without God, life or humanity. I prayed and came back to Jesus. I had been experiencing entities strangling me in my sleep. Having constant fear and weight loss, inability to sleep more than 4 hours for 2 years. No doctor could help. I was being demonically oppressed. After confession and doing a formal renouncement of the occult with a priest, it all stopped, praise God! I still experience heaviness in life, but the more I lead a Catholic life, doing confessions, receiving the Eucharist, adoration, Mass, these sessions, praying - the better I feel. Thanks to all of you at SMC for your healing ministry. I feel more healing from this session than any other so far! God Bless You!! Satan cannot truly heal you. No one who practices witchcraft, the occult and/or invokes pagan "gods" can heal you. Invoking the powers of the dark world can only make you sicker. Jesus alone is Lord and He truly heals. Turn to Him and trust. God may or may not give you the healing grace you want. Trust that God's plan is for the best. Be assured, God will give you the graces you need to endure your sufferings in this life. And He will welcome you into the next. ------------------------ *Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session this Monday May 20th. Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org **Pray with our short "Pray With Me" videos for healing: https://www.catholicexorcism.org/copy-of-deliverance-guidelines-for-pr ***Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.

[Mary crushes the head of the Serpent Gen 3:15] Most people greatly underestimate the evil and potential spiritual damage caused by divination such as ouija boards, mediums, tarot cards, magic, and consulting the dead. People often say to me, "It was just a game" or "We thought it would be fun." Sadly, as a result, some are tormented by demons. I recently received the email below and it well summarizes the experience of more than a few: "I follow you on TikTok and downloaded the app. I am in need of some prayers...I recently started watching psychics and mediums on TikTok which I knew was wrong. This went on for a few weeks. I noticed that I started to have severe anxiety and depression. I also was unable to sleep at night and would wake up between 2:30 and 3AM which is still happening. I have since stopped and prayed for forgiveness. This morning as I was talking to my children, a spoon flew off the counter. It scared my kids....What prayers do you recommend I say?"* Upon reading this email, it has several hallmarks of an authentic demonic experience: 1. Unusual severe anxiety/depression as a result; 2. Sleep disturbance including awakening near the demonic hour of 3am; 3. Preternatural events such as a spoon flying across the room. I suggested that this person engage in an intensive regimen of deliverance prayers including prayers to cast out spirits of divination, in addition to bringing this into a sacramental confession.** Fortunately her involvement was limited and her symptoms are already starting to abate. For those more deeply involved, the process of liberation takes longer, even years. I understand that WitchTok and such sites have billions of views! We do not have enough exorcists to handle the tidal wave of demonically afflicted people that will result. A day will come when many will cry for priests to pray over them for liberation and few will be found. Actually, that day is already pressing upon us. -------------- *Used with permission. **Pray with our short video: "Pray With Me: Casting Out Evil Spirits of Divination." ***Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session this Monday April 15th. Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or at:  https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/xbgpb22/lp/98601fd8-6649-4f77-ac6f-94d91bf34df2 or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org ****Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. They are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.

["Resurrection," Albert Pinkham Ryder, 1885] My heart bleeds for those who are fully possessed. The process of liberation is brutal. The demons have a unique access to their bodies and their minds. So, the demons can tempt and torture them. And they do. Demons fill the possessed's mind with doubts and despair. They will batter them with accusations of worthlessness and sinfulness. They will choke, pummel, bruise, scratch and even sexually torment them. In short, the demons drag them through an experience of hell.* One of the important tasks of the Exorcist, in addition to shepherding the process of liberation, is to keep the afflicted coming to the sessions. Who could fault them for not wanting to go through this hellish experience? So, the priest is not only an exorcist and guide for the possessed, but also a kind of cheerleader- encouraging them to continue on this painful and tortuous road. One quality I have noticed in those who do successfully complete the journey to liberation is the virtue of hope. The demons keep knocking them down, emotionally and physically, and the person who is successful keeps getting back up. The demons try everything to get them to quit, i.e., despair. The demons tell them it will never work; the demons tell them that God doesn't care; the demons taunt them with their sinfulness and weakness. Despite such mental and physical tortures, the afflicted person perseveres. Giving up, that is despair, is perhaps the central theme of hell: "Abandon all hope ye who enter here." But, in the midst of a demonic possession, when the afflicted person is made to suffer an experience of hell, they cling to a divine hope, as should we. I am edified by such faith. Surely, they will be saved. May we, too, be filled with such a saving hope. ----------------------- *One need only read the descriptions of hell in the great mystics, such as St. Faustina, to realize that what the possessed experience is a kind of hell. **Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session Monday April 15th. Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or at:  https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/xbgpb22/lp/98601fd8-6649-4f77-ac6f-94d91bf34df2 or go to our website and register: www.catholicexorcism.org ***Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. Our site is msgr.rossetti (Instagram) and they are, at this moment, using msgr.rossetti32 (Instagram) but this keeps changing; Also on Tik Tok our site is: msgrrossetti with scammers using msgrrosseti, msgrrossetti11, msgrrossetti1, msgrrossetti18 (Tik Tok). There are also fake sites on Facebook as well. Moreover, they have made an email address which looks like me but it is not (stephenjrossetti1@gmail.com) and they are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.

[Judas Iscariot Retiring from the Last Supper," Carl Bloch, Late 19th Century] The Scriptures strongly suggest that Judas was possessed by Satan. The Gospels of Luke and John both say: "Then Satan entered into Judas" (Lk 22:3) and "Satan entered him" (Jn 13:27). To make matters even clearer, Luke's Gospel uses the same description of demonic possession in the man with the Legion of demons: "Many demons had entered him." Thus, a possessed person is someone whom demons "enter into" and Judas was such a person. Judas was apparently not fully possessed until his final act of betrayal of Jesus, although he was previously under Satan's sway. John's Gospel says: "The devil had already induced Judas...to hand him over" (Jn 13:2). But it was only at the very end, when he formally betrayed Jesus, that "Satan entered him." While we are all tempted by the Evil One to betray Jesus in our own way, Judas appears to have been particularly susceptible to Satan's temptations.... We see in Judas' life some dynamics which make someone more vulnerable to temptation and can eventually lead to possession: (1) Judas was apparently living in perpetual serious sin. The Gospel of John describes him as "a thief ...and used to steal the contributions" which were meant for the poor (Jn 12:6). (2) One can presume from his act of betraying Jesus that he did not have faith in the Son of God. (3) Finally, he committed the egregious act of formally and deliberately betraying Jesus. These three steps are certainly one way of becoming possessed: no faith, perpetual serious sin, plus giving into Satanic temptations and betraying Jesus in one's own life. Demonic possession does not take away one's free will and Judas remained culpable for his sins. In fact, some of those who are possessed have turned their lives around and begun to live exemplary lives: daily Mass, frequent confession, assiduous daily prayer, and living a virtuous life. The trial of being possessed and eventually coming to liberation in Christ can be a great source of sanctification, when abandoning one's self to Jesus and trusting in Him. Some canonized saints are said to have experienced demonic possession as part of the cross given to them by the Lord. What is most sorrowful about the story of Judas Iscariot is his final act of despair. Instead of turning back to Jesus, as Peter did after his triple denial, it seems that Judas turned away from God's mercy and took his own life. It is possible that Judas repented in his final moments, something we will never know, however the declaration of Jesus is ominous: "It would be better for that man if he had never been born" (Mk 14:21). At some point, we are all faced with the truth that we are sinners and have crucified Jesus. This week we are presented once again with the fundamental option of human life: choose the hope of St. Peter or the despair of Judas. As we look upon the crucified Christ this Holy Week, pray with me the ancient Jesus prayer of the monks of the 3rd and 4th century: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." -------------------- *See Exorcist Diary 234: Was Judas Possessed? **Don't miss our next free monthly deliverance session Monday April 15th. Rosary at: 6:30pm Eastern USA time and Deliverance Session 7-8pm. Register here or at:  https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/xbgpb22/lp/98601fd8-6649-4f77-ac6f-94d91bf34df2 ***Beware of scammers!  There is someone posing as Msgr. Rossetti on social media and pirating our posts. Our site is msgr.rossetti (Instagram) and they are, at this moment, using msgr.rossetti32 (Instagram) but this keeps changing; Also on Tik Tok our site is: msgrrossetti with scammers using msgrrosseti, msgrrossetti11, msgrrossetti1, msgrrossetti18 (Tik Tok). There are also fake sites on Facebook as well. Moreover, they have made an email address which looks like me but it is not (stephenjrossetti1@gmail.com) and they are contacting people asking for money for an orphanage in Africa. This is a scam. If you want to contribute to our ministry, go directly to our website and donate safely.