DIVINE POSSESSION

‘DIVINE POSSESSION’
“Apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).

We rarely hear of cases of demonic possession nowadays. It is said that after Christ's redemption the devil's power has been weakened. Nevertheless the Evil One is still very much active today, in fact in even more subtle ways. Apart from authentic cases of demonic possession, today’s many growing secular ideologies are themselves tools and portals for the Evil One to get through to our societies and homes–even through the media, our very television sets and computers. In other words humanity itself seems to be cooperating with Satan's mission– even through social media, with all its trivialities that take us away from God, and being inundated with so much SELF-PROCLAMATION, so pleasing to the Devil. We are well advised then to be very careful.

Nevertheless even outside authentic demonic possession a person in the state of sin is, 'in a sense’, under the dominion of Satan. For, “by our first parents’ sin (and by extension, our personal sins) the devil has acquired a certain domination over man, even though man remains free. Original sin entails ‘captivity under the power of him who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the devil’ (CCC 407, CT 1546). Why? Because SIN creates a darkness in us, and a proclivity to sin (cf CCC 1865). We may even say that a person in the state of sin is potentially in Hell.

In contrast a person in the ‘state of grace’ is under the dominion of God (a kind of ‘divine possession’, we might say), with abundant graces available to him, if he but ask; though without our cooperation this divine life in us may remain dormant and eventually be lost, too. Now despite the wide spectrum of those in either state, the fact is that there is no in between. We are either in the ‘state of grace’ or in the ‘state of sin’ (disgrace).

We may recall that sanctifying grace is a supernatural quality that inheres in the soul, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Soul of our soul. By grace we are united to Christ intimately. In a word we are IN CHRIST, partakers of the divine nature (2Pt 1:4). This grace enables us to do holy actions, and thereby merit grace and salvation. These are the fruits we bear as branches grafted onto Christ, the divine vine. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bear much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5).

[“That is why it is only the soul that is in the state of grace which can gain merit for its actions. Indeed it is being in the state of sanctifying grace that gives eternal value to an action. Human deeds, so long as they are purely human, have no supernatural significance at all. It is only when these deeds become the work of God Himself will they have a divine worth. And our deeds are in a sense the work of God Himself present in the soul when the soul is living the supernatural life which we call SANCTIFYING GRACE.

This is so true that even the least of our actions has a supernatural value when it is performed in union with God. Whatever God does, even when He does it through us as His free and willing instruments, has a divine worth. That is why even the least of our actions, provided it be a morally good action, is meritorious so long as we have the intention, at least habitual, of doing all for God.”] (From “The Faith Explained”, by Leo Trese).

Let St. Alphonsus Liguori inspire us even more: “Whosoever, then, is in the state of grace is a FRIEND of God. He also becomes the son of God: You are gods, and the sons of the Most High (Ps 82: 6). This is the great gift which we have received from the divine love through Jesus Christ. Behold, says St. John, what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us--that we should be called, and should be, the sons of God (1Jn 3:1). Moreover the soul in the state of grace is the spouse of God. I will espouse thee to me in faith (Osee, ii, 20). Hence the father of the prodigal, when his son returned, ordered a ring to be put on his finger, in token of his espousal. Lastly, the soul becomes the temple of the Holy Ghost. Sister Mary d'Oignies saw a devil go out from an infant who was receiving Baptism, and the Holy Ghost enter with a multitude of angels.” (taken from “Preparation for Death”, by St. Alphonsus Liguori).

So then, what do we do when we are not sure of the state of our soul? Then we ought to prepare for a good confession, asking God for the grace to see our sins and the grace of genuine contrition. Incidentally, the Church teaches that as soon as we make a PERFECT act of contrition we are restored to grace on condition that we have the intention to go to Confession as soon as possible; though we are forbidden to receive Holy Communion by positive precept, until we receive sacramental absolution; in which case we can still make a fervent spiritual Communion instead. What a grace!

So, far from being scared of demonic possession, may we rather be impressed by the gift of divine filial adoption, a kind of ‘DIVINE POSSESSION’ through grace. This is our calling– to be ‘gods’ in God. Apart from grace we are so small, in fact we are nothing, we are just worms, maggots. But grace elevates our nature to the supernatural level– literally DIVINIZED.

May we all be ‘divinely possessed’ habitually!