Took me two or so weeks to finish this book. 馃槅 Of course life happened and I couldn't just sit around and read it.
I was fortunate to find this book in a public library. Good thing someone donated it so people can read it. This is the third book in a series but it's the only one available to borrow. That's good enough for me. Better than nothing. 馃榿
Upon reading the first pages I already got inspired to write something about it. 馃槅 It truly inspires one to be closer to God. Just with the Bible quotes alone I wanted to write more articles/posts. Hehe. But of course I haven't done so yet.
There are many things to learn when one reads this. It shares cases/examples of demonic possession, infestation, obsession and oppression. There are chapters by other Filipino exorcist priests and important details too. Here are some of the best points I got from the book.
One of the things I haven't read or heard of before is of a supposed holy person in the 19th century. She was a nun and was thought to be of God but was actually being driven by the devil. Ah the lies and deceit she spread. Even kings and queens consulted her as she eventually became a mother superior (head of a convent)! Tsk tsk.
Anyway thru the mercy of God at last she was eventually set free and exorcised after four decades. The woman was able to repent and truly be a bride of Christ until her death.
Fr. Jose Francisco "Jocis" Syquia says that we must always discern if something is from the devil or God. The problem with that supposed holy nun was the absence of a spiritual director. Thus we see how important having priestly guidance in our life is.
Even if you don't believe in the devil, fallen angels are all over the world. If you don't want to or know how to protect yourself then you're easy pickings. 馃槀
Sorry to say but this is the truth. It is mentioned and explained well in Exorcist Volume III: Spiritual Warfare and Discernment.
If someone has psychic powers it only means their third eye is open. Meaning they have opened themselves to the evil spirits or the fallen angels that has been on this planet even before man populated the world.
If you read the Bible, God has been warning his chosen people against every pagan or demonic experience. Witches, soothsayers and such are frowned upon by the Lord even before Christ was born. And even until Jesus already ascended, His disciples were badgered by psychics!
A popular Bible verse talks about St. Paul exorcising the demon from a female slave. She was a fortune-teller who kept proclaiming they are of the Lord. (Acts 16:16-18) What other form of evidence does one need? No saint has any psychic abilities except whatever was given to them by God Himself.
Clearly nowhere before the Bible was written and within the Holy Book itself will you find anyone with sixth sense, extra sensory perception (ESP) or open third eye as a representative of God. What you will read are all contrary to having such powers.
Well in the Philippines (like other countries) we've had pagan practices before the Spaniards came along. Unfortunately it is still alive today despite the many centuries under Spanish rule, even until after the American occupation.
Blame it on syncretism, ignorance and the persistence of believing in folk practices... Many people act like Catholicism is just something to be taken for granted. This is why so many Filipinos are lukewarm Catholics. Many are easily swayed into occult practices and Feng Shui or horoscope things and other Christian denominations. Tsk tsk.
Exorcist Volume III: Spiritual Warfare and Discernment gives a blow by blow on the difference of having a pagan oriented outlook on Catholicism versus what a real Catholic mindset is really like.
I also learned various things like how to discern if something (spirit, vision, etc.) is from God. Not all visionaries or those getting messages from heavenly beings are real. The devil is a liar and is infinitely smarter than humans since they were previously angels. Thus many people get duped into thinking they are getting heavenly communication when they aren't.
As I previously learned and written about last year, a truly holy person has these three qualities:
God, Jesus or Mama Mary will not directly communicate with someone who is full of pride, does not follow what priests or bishops say and are really selfish. If you notice, all saints God has gotten in touch with all have the three qualities.
So it means having visions and receiving supposedly heavenly messages causes you to live a holier life. That's one good sign we should all look for to know if the person is really communicating with God, Mama Mary, Santo Ni帽o, angels or saints, etc.
Otherwise if the "contact person" and their followers continue to live in sin and don't really grow spiritually then you are experiencing something from the devil. You can read about the examples in the book.
Let me share one example: God would never want you to hurt yourself to the point of being detrimental to your wellbeing. Even Mama Mary reprimanded the three shepherd children of Fatima for doing severe mortifications. So if a certain "visionary" is spreading extreme forms of religious penances to their followers, that can already be a red flag.
We must remember that God is love. He is merciful and loving to everyone but He is also a disciplinarian. Like a good parent, He wants us to grow well and properly in our spiritual life. Thus we will experience trials and tribulations in this life. We will be molded and formed into saints in the right way if we allow Him to.
The complete set of Exorcist books by Fr. Jocis Syquia
As you can see, the topics discussed in the Exorcist Volume Three are really interesting. These are just some of them.
This is the second book I've read since I started reading again. (I bought the violet book on Exorcism by Fr. Jocis but I don't feel like writing a review for that yet. 馃槄) It's been years since I last read anything from cover to cover. And boy it's really worth going through each page of his books, especially this one.
Reading this gave me insight into many things. It's truly a must read today and even in the future. If you can't read it from your local library then buy a copy from St. Pauls Bookstore or anywhere online where it's for sale. 馃槈
If I would rate the book I'd say it's a full 5 over 5 stars. Why? Because it's very informative and insightful. Whichever chapter you read you will learn many things. It's not some fantastic or worthless drivel to entertain you for hours. It has actual weight and value that can help change our lives for the better.
Anyway, have you read anything like this before? What do you think about it?
XOXO,
