“a man with an unclean spirit”
The climax of the Gospel Reading today is when Jesus drives a demon out of a man. There are many times in the Gospel when Jesus drives out demons from people. This lesson will focus on demons and what the Church teaches on the subject. “As time goes on the devil’s opposition to Jesus becomes ever clearer; in the wilderness it is hidden and subtle; it is noticeable and violent in the case of possessed people; and radical and total during the Passion, the devil’s ‘hour, and the power of darkness’ (Lk. 22:53). And Jesus’ victory also becomes ever clearer, until he triumphs completely by rising from the dead.” [1]
What are demons? “Originally a spirit between the gods and men. In the New Testament a demon is the same as an evil spirit, which may be translated as ‘devil.’ It consequently means a malevolent, invisible being, which the pre-Christian word ‘demon’ did not imply.” [2] The Church teaches “The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing.” [3]
What is demonology? “The science or doctrine concerning demons. Already in ancient times, among the Jews and outside the Judaic tradition, belief in demons was common. The modern interest in demons is partly the natural reaction of the people in societies where generations of rationalism and skepticism have ignored or ridiculed the existence of evil spirits who are permitted by God to prowl around ‘like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour’(1 Pt. 5:8)” [4]
What is the difference between a demon and an unclean spirit? There is no difference between the two. Both are the same just different names for the same thing. It is like saying the Devil instead of Satan. “The devil is called unclean, St. John Chrysostom says, because of his impiety and withdrawal from God. In some ways he does recognize Christ’s holiness, but this knowledge is not accompanied by charity. In addition to the historical fact of this cure, we can also see, in this possessed man, those sinners who must be converted to God and freed from the slavery to sin and the devil. They may have to struggle for a long time but victory will come: the Evil One is powerless against Christ (cf. note on Mt. 12:22-24).” [5]
Do we believe demons are real? Yes, we believe that demons are real and do exist.
Why do demons exist? Demons exist because they were once angels with immortal souls. They were good and chose to fall away from God. Many people may ask why then does God allow them to still exist? While we do not know the full answer we do know that when God created all the angels, He created them good. Just because they chose to fall away does not make their spirit go away. This is why when one dies not in the state of grace their soul still exists, but they are not in heaven and can end up in hell. When a soul is in hell, they still exist for all eternity.
Can someone really be possessed by a demon? Yes, people can truly be possessed by a demon. However, the church is quick to note that we must be cautious before we claim someone is possessed. “John Paul II teaches that it is possible, in certain cases, that the evil spirit manages to exercise his influence not only on material things, but also on a man’s body, which is why we can speak of possession by the devil. It is not always easy to discern how much of the preternatural there is in these cases. The Church does not favor or submit easily to a tendency to attribute many happenings to the direct intervention of the devil. But in principle we cannot deny that in his determination to cause harm and to lead us to evil, Satan can resort to these extremes in order to assert his superiority.” [6]
The devil and other demons influence us in a two-fold manner: internally (temptation to sin) and externally (physical possession). “It is the doctrine of the Catholic Church that the evil spirit most perniciously influences man in twofold manner: by enticing his soul to sin, and then influencing his body which he often entirely or partially possesses, manifesting himself by madness, convulsions, insanity, etc. …She however warns her ministers, the priests, who by their ordination have received the power to expel the evil spirits, to distinguish carefully between possession and natural sickness, that they may not be deceived, and the faithful should guard against looking upon every unusual, unhealthy appearance as an influence of Satan, and should give no ear to impostors, but in order not to be deceived, should turn to an experienced physician or to their pastor.” [7]
Why did the unclean spirit recognize Jesus? The demon recognized Jesus because it is far more supernatural than any human being and thus can recognize the divinity of Christ. “Demons possess a supernatural type of knowledge and therefore they recognize Jesus as the Messiah. Through the people they possess they are able to publish this fact. But our Lord, using his divine powers, orders them to be silent. On other occasions he also silences his disciples (Mk. 8:30; 9:9), and he instructs people who he has cured not to talk about their cure (Mk. 1:4; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26). He may have acted in this way to educate the people away from a too human and political idea of the Messiah (cf. note on Mt. 9:30). Therefore, he first awakens their interest by performing miracles and gradually, through his preaching, gives them a clearer understanding of the kind of Messiah he is.” [8]
Why can’t we see demons? Demons are fallen angelic beings. Can we see our guardian angel or any other angel? Just because we cannot see them does not make them not real. They are just as real and alive as all of us human beings.
Why does it matter if Jesus drove out demons? The importance of Jesus driving out demons shows that He was able to overcome the Evil One under His own power. Many people thought Jesus was driving out demons by using demon magic. They thought this because only God could drive out demons in a pure way and this is exactly what Jesus did. “The Gospels give us many accounts of miraculous cures, among the most outstanding of which are those of people possessed by the devil. Victory over the unclean spirit, as the devil is usually described, is a clear sign that God’s salvation has come: by overcoming the Evil One, Jesus shows that he is the Messiah, the Saviour, more powerful than the demons: ‘Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out’ (Jn. 12:31). Throughout the Gospel we see many accounts of this continuous and successful struggle of our Lord against the devil.” [9]
Discussion Question
If the demons could see Jesus for who He is why can’t people recognize Him?
How do we combat demons? We have all sorts of prayers specifically to combat Satan. Simply praying to God is good enough because we are moving our heart and mind towards God and away from Satan. However, the three simplest prayers that specifically deal with keep Satan away is the name of Jesus, the Our Father and the Saint Michael prayer. Just saying the name Jesus helps drive away demons. We know that at the name of Jesus the disciples were able to drive out demons. (cf. Lk. 9:1-2, Mk. 9:38-39). The Our Father speaks directly to the fact “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Finally, the Archangel Michael has done battle and is victorious against the devil. We call upon him to protect us in our daily battle against Satan.
[1] Navarre Bible, Gospel of Mark pg. 74
[2] Hardon, Modern Catholic Dictionary pg. 152
[3] Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 800
[4] Hardon, Modern Catholic Dictionary pg. 152
[5] Navarre Bible, Gospel of Mark pg. 74
[6] Fernandez, In Conversation with God 3, 26.1
[7] The Church’s Year, pg. 159-160
[8] Navarre Bible, Gospel of Mark pg. 75-76
[9] Navarre Bible, Gospel of Mark pg. 74