“Quiet! Come out of him!”
Saint Mark wrote his Gospels for catechumens; hence an important place in it is the fight against evil, against demons. The first miracle he describes is the healing of a man with an evil spirit. In Jesus' day, many diseases, especially mental ones, were attributed to the influence of evil spirits, i.e., demons.
Jesus does not cut himself off from the mentality of his time, he even seems to share it. The diagnosis of Christ, which goes back to the roots of evil, is not, however, a medical diagnosis. The possessed person is, above all, one weak, defenseless, enslaved by evil, broken. In the possessed person "lives a demon, an enemy" who usurps man, that is, what belongs to God. Therefore, the unclean spirit must come out so that the possessed person can come out of his prison and find the lost unity and harmony. The way of man to God begins with forcing various parasitic demons to leave.
The expulsion of an evil spirit is the removal of evil forces, "cleansing the poisoned organism, the terrain." Ernst Käsemann wrote: "where Jesus passes, the earth is set free". “The earth freed from the power of evil can once again become a human dwelling, a space of freedom and a place of community" (A. Pronzato).
Evagrius Ponticus, a representative of Eastern monasticism, who lived in the 4th century, writes about eight demons who can take over a monk's heart. Experience teaches that not only the monk. These demons are: pride, vanity, anger, sadness, greed, impurity, gluttony and acedia, that is, spiritual emptiness, apathy, laziness. In our time, these demons captivating outside and inside are more subtle and refined. They are "rooted" and result from human, sensual and consumer thinking. Their external manifestations are contemporary idols: social rank, success, money, relationships, sensuality, culture ...etc.
Jesus casts out demons with the word. He even commands unclean spirits and they obey Him. People who witness the miracle are amazed. Jesus works, makes miracles with the power of the word that heals and makes man free. Jesus' word does not resemble the rhetoric of the Pharisees and scribes. It flows from within him, from his person, from the divine source.
The Desert Fathers and the Church Fathers advise us to do likewise. Cast out demons with the word of Scripture. It is a simple method that consists in opposing negative thoughts, temptations with positive thoughts, words, sentences taken from the Holy Scriptures.
You must first name "your demon", get to know your own thoughts, temptations, desires. And then, during temptations, attacks of evil - utter with force, like a mantra or supplication acts, the words of the Holy Scriptures that are the opposite of temptations. Verses from Psalms, Proverbs, or individual sentences from Jesus are especially useful. This simple method releases and brings you inner peace. It also gives a greater sense of security and trust in God.
Do I already know "my demon" ? What "impure forces" distort my thinking? What are my favorite Scripture words ("my mantra")? How do I deal with temptation?
Until Tomorrow
fr. george