An Exorcist Explains the Demonic by Fr Gabriele Amorth, Sophia Institute Press, £12
Fr Amorth, famous as the late chief exorcist of Rome, wrote this book with a priest-confrère before he died this year. It sums up his experiences, recorded in earlier writings, about facing “the antics of Satan and his army of fallen angels”.
Of particular interest is his view of ghosts, or “wandering souls”. Their status is still “unresolved” by the Church, though he personally thinks they are evil spirits in disguise. Anyone who has ever wondered about the diabolic or dabbled in the occult should read this straightforward account of demonic activity. On the question “Do the sins of our ancestors affect our life?” Amorth writes simply: “It is always opportune to celebrate Mass for our dear deceased.”
He discusses spells, magic, spiritualism and the four forms of satanic involvement with humans: possession, vexation, obsession and infestation. There is no such thing as “white magic” and Christians should avoid horror films and mutilating the body by piercings and tattoos.
“The Devil is content,” Amorth observes, “when people consider him solely a medieval relic.” He champions the rosary as “an extremely powerful arm against the Devil” and warmly recommends it “to anyone suffering from spiritual evils”.
Catholics do not need to see Satan prowling behind every corner but it is prudent to recognise that he exists “for the ruin of souls” and to give him a wide berth through prayer and the Sacraments.
Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive Pontifical Council for the Family, £45
Past documents that I have received from the Pontifical Council for the Family have all been worthy, Catholic – and dull. This (admittedly very fat) book is refreshingly different: it contains all the talks, lectures and reflections on the family, marriage and human life presented to the 8th World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in September 2015, along with heart-warming photographs of the participants and their children. The articles are lively, readable and very human.
Unlike last year’s family synod in Rome, there are no controversial statements made by German cardinals here. I bring it, despite its size, to readers’ attention because it shows the Church at its best, celebrating ancient theological teaching on marriage and family, mainly through the eyes of married lay people who are loyal to the Church but do not shy away from difficult subjects.
Love is Our Mission contains dozens of pieces worth reading and pondering. Among this rich collection there are several particularly relevant to contemporary society, such as an essay by Edith Stein on “The Special Place of Women in the Family”; Christopher West on “Sexuality in the Divine Plan”; an article on “Domestic Violence in Catholic Families”, with statistics and advice for priests and parishes; and “Always Consider the Person: Homosexuality in the Family” by Ron Belgau and his mother, Beverley. Ron, a celibate gay Catholic who runs a blog called Spiritual Friendship, writes that he learned from reading St Aelred of Rievaulx that “true friendship is concerned with virtue and shared discipleship and that sexual desire and activity is a distraction from friendship’s true end”.
I have also singled out Suzanne Muldoon’s thoughtful essay, “Loving on the Edge: Healing the Hurts of Damaged Relationships”. Catholic marriages are just as vulnerable as others to the effects of the psychological and emotional wounds of childhood. As Muldoon, a practising Christian therapist, observes: “Those who have not been loved well are often limited in their [own] ability to love well.” The difference for Christians is that “If we are willing to look at the brokenness with honesty, we can invite God to help us to find healing.” She defines the grace to do this as “God’s active power in our lives”.
Cardinal Robert Sarah, author of the acclaimed God or Nothing, introduces the collection, stating that “All those wounded by personal sin and the sins of others – the divorced and separated, those who have cohabited or lived closed in on themselves – can and must find in the Church a place for regeneration.”
The Message and Prayers of Fatima by Timothy Tindal-Robertson and Donal Anthony Foley, CTS, £2.50
This is an excellent summary of the important features of Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima to the three shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta.
Tindal-Robertson has written the first part, which explains the significance of the revelations by the Angel of Portugal as well as those of Our Lady. He is emphatic that the consecration requested by Our Lady was fulfilled by St John Paul II in his act of consecration of March 25, 1984. She repeatedly asked for the daily recitation of the rosary (also mentioned by Fr Amorth in his book above).
The last part of this publication, compiled by Donal Foley, includes all the Fatima prayers and devotions, which make it a very useful handbook for reference.
Officially endorsed by the Church, the Fatima apparitions should be taken seriously by all Catholics.
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