By Fr. Troy Richmond
Many in today’s culture view exorcism and deliverance prayer as something scary due to Hollywood’s portrayal of such phenomenon. Admittedly, I shared the same perspective and feared encountering the presence of evil in my priestly ministry — that is until I attended a special conference on the ministry of deliverance this past summer.
Each time we pray the Our Father we end with this petition. “Deliver us from evil.” Deliverance is not something reserved for those tormented by evil spirits. Rather, each one of us needs deliverance at one level or another. Because of our fallen nature, we must be on guard against our own tendency to sin, the evils in of the world around us, and the temptations of the devil.
Seeking deliverance from evil is not something we should fear. Jesus never instructs us to fear Satan. Rather, on many occasions we hear in the Gospels that the evil spirits being expelled were afraid of Jesus. Yet, at the same time, we should take the necessary steps to defend ourselves against the influence of evil.
To read the rest of this article, subscribe to The Catholic Messenger’s e-edition.
