The Exorcist Files - Case #04 - Infested

Episode Date: March 27, 2023

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where we relisten to past episodes and cases, and father reflects back on insights and anecdotes he just didn't have time to get into in the podcast. To subscribe, head on over to exorcistfiles.tv and sign up, or just click the link in the show notes. Again, that's exorcistfiles.tv to get access to the vault. Let's see what Tom's up to. Hun, I can't take any more Magnopi.

Yes, you can. Or that mustache. Now don't you dare hate on his mustache. You know I like who's better though. Charlie, what are you doing? Shh! Go get a room. There's glass all over the...

No, Linda. Keep looking straight at the TV. Do not move. Listen to me. Be still. I want you to look to your right only with your peripheral vision. Tell me if anything is moving in the corner. Keep looking straight ahead. That thing is back. The look to the behavior of the demon to get a clue about the open door.

You may not know which open door it is, but you may not know which open door it is, but It really doesn't matter which one. As an exorcist, even if you close 99 out of 100, the demon, it's going to quickly dash to that one. You better close them all or else your work is futile. There's no such thing as 99% effectiveness in exorcism. It's either 100 or nothing. Welcome back to the Exorcist Files, an exploration of the unseen realm told through the case files of real-life exorcist and priest, Father Carlos Martins.

In today's case, we revisit a chilling question that an unfortunate few have had to answer. How much do you endure before you call an exorcist? Linda and Charlie were loving parents, raising their two children in a small, quiet home. And things were generally fine until they weren't. Many families deal with infestations of the material kind, such as mice or cockroaches. But for Linda and Charlie, well, they found themselves. overrun with an intruder that required a different kind of exterminator. I received a call one day from a woman asking me to come over and bless her home.

For Catholics, a house blessing is as natural as praying before meals. You don't need a reason to bless your home. It's just common practice. But over the years, as an exorcist, I've come to ask people why they want their house blessed, because it can reveal what their real motive is. And so when I asked this question of Linda, who had called asking for the blessing, her reply was, Because things are sure it sounds ridiculous, but I don't even know where to begin. Objects are themselves, just like you see in the movies. There's also this an apparition.

There were four people that lived in the home, Linda, Charlie, and their two young boys. The eldest was nine. The youngest was five years old. All of them observed the same strange phenomenon. Hey-oh! Linda? Boys! For example, they put the car keys down on the kitchen counter,

turn around, say to go get a drink out of the fridge, and the object that they left, it's now been moved into a different room. This phenomena would happen in the blink of an eye. Hello? One day, the TV remote was gone. It just disappeared. So they flipped the living room upside down looking for it.

It was right here. Boys, how many times do I have to tell you not to move the remote? We were watching TV last. I didn't touch it. You always lose things and blame us. No one listens to me around this house. Boys, please help us look for it. Fine.

Did you check the recliner? Yes, of course I checked there. Maybe it slipped below into the... I put it back here on the table where I always put it. I'm on the show. You sure you didn't accidentally throw it away? Throw it away. The trash pan is for trash, Dad.

Enough of that live. Okay. Enough of this arguing. It's a Sunday. Let's be a normal family and go outside. No. I hear there are things to do. Yes.

Normal families watch TV with the remote. Come on. We're going for a walk. I'd rather keep looking for the remote. We can do later. This isn't a choice. Your mom's right, boys. It's beautiful outside.

Let's do the hibiscus. trail. Yes. A few steps wouldn't hurt us. Don't I bring the metal detector? Only if you'd carry it the whole time. Well, no minds. When they came back into the home, the remote control was lying in plain view on top of the coffee table.

Who says no plus ones to a Christmas party? I mean, if they want to tighten the budget, I mean, at least, oh, you've got to be kidding me. How in the hell? Okay. My hat's off to you. Linda? Me.

This is your best work yet. You think I did this. Come on, you put it there right before we left. Charlie, I left the house in front of you. Boys, was this you? Was it what? Did you put the remote back? Are you joking while?

I'll hide the remote. That's it. Go play somewhere else before I get mad. This is a miscarriage of... Okay. Talks me that. Let's see what Hannity's talking about. Aren't you mad enough right now? There was manipulation of the lights.

When someone turned on a room's lights, the lights in another room turned off. Someone turned the lights off. Somewhere else, the lights would turn on. There was a kind of mimicking going on with the lights. Sitting right here. I swear these are your children. I thought you checked on them. I did.

I checked the lights. They were fine. I swear if they're doing another prank like that remote thing. Boys, come on. It's too late for this. No, but it seriously won't turn off. Did you try the light switch? Yes, Dad. We aren't dumb.

Well, let's try it. Okay, I swear to you, it wouldn't go off. This is breaking me out. I don't want another word from you guys. Okay? It's late. Good night. Wait, but how are we...

Our lights just came on. All of them. Really? Yes. You're for real? Yes. All right. I give out.

I'll call electrician in the morning. Charlie? Yes, Linda. Look at the light switch. What is going on? It seems likely by this point that Linda and Charlie are experiencing what's known in the spiritual world as a demonic infestation. According to the encyclopedia of demons and demonology, infesting demons create chaos and fear through poltergeist-like activity, the manifestation of shadowy figures, and other paranormal phenomena. Victims may hear knocks on the door when no one is present.

The knocks usually occur in threes to mock the Trinity, or in sixes, which are double threes. They're scratching sounds on doors or within walls, hot or cold spots, rooms that feel creepy, sounds of baby animals in pain, whisperings, knocks that become pounding on the walls or roof, plumbing that does not turn off, appliances that go on or off without help, and levitation of objects. Unfortunately for the family, quite a few of these boxes have already been checked. At this point, I wondered whether if Linda and Charlie had a dog in the house, would they have been privy to the demonic activity any sooner? In his book, An Exorcist tells his story.

Legendary Exorcist Father Gabriel Amorth wrote, It is worth mentioning that the behavior of house pets, when these phenomena occur, is very interesting. For instance, if there is a feeling of an invisible presence in a room, a cat or dog often fixes its eyes toward a particular spot. Other times, the animals will jump up and run away in terror as though a mysterious presence advanced on them. I believe that while animals do not see anything concrete, they are much more sensitive to a strange presence than we are. I do not deny that the behavior of house pets can be one of the deciding factors to determine whether to exercise a house or not. Charlie one day was home alone. The kids were at school and Linda was at work.

Well, it's hard to believe. I know it sounds weird, but... Hey, Mike, let me call you back in just a bit. Charlie was walking towards the front of the house. Hello? He then suddenly heard the footsteps of a child behind him. Hey! And he heard the back door open and closed.

Charlie dashed immediately towards the back door. Just seconds after he had heard the door closing... Hey, who's there? The backyard was enclosed by a tall wooden fence, and there was nobody present in the backyard. What the hell is going on? It was empty. Although spooky to them, these phenomena were harmless enough,

but over time, the occurrences became more malicious in nature. As we learned in episode one, demons can manifest within the physical realm through four degrees of increasing severity. At its most extreme, there is taking full control of the body through possession. Below that, our attacks on human thoughts and dreams through obsession, attacks on the human body or condition through oppression, and at the inception point of most demonic behavior, the inhabiting of a place or the manipulation

of an object or objects through infestation. There is also diabolical subjugation, where a person willfully submits to Satan, but let's save that topic for a later episode. According to Father Gabriel Amorth, renowned exorcist of the Diocese of Rome, infestations refer only to objects, animals, or locales, never humans. and they generally are caused by curses, witchcraft, or by the sinful actions of people living in the infested locale. And as Father Martin says also pointed out, using spirit communication devices, dabbling in the occult or committing immortal sin, are all common behaviors that permit infestations, among other demonic activities.

From the time he was a toddler, the eldest boy had a habit of shaking his leg at night. Just a kind of unconscious movement that he would do as he slept. That was a familiar sound. One night, Linda heard his leg shaking only much more rapidly, much more aggressively. So Linda walked into the kid's room only to find them sleeping sound like there was no movement at all. Daniel? No one's stirring. Herman?

Are you okay? And then from the dark corner of the room heard a deep, guttural growl. The family lived in a small two-bedroom home, so the boys slept in one room. And they had a bunk bed. The five-year-old slept on the bottom bunk, and the nine-year-old slept on the top bunk. And Charlie had a routine when he would put them in at night. He would grab the bed and start shaking it around and saying, I'm going to throw this thing across the room.

And the boys loved it. Charlie? Did you hear that? What is? Charlie, wake up. Tell you what? I heard a thump or something. Maybe in the boys' room?

But one night after the children had fallen asleep, Linda and Charlie were in bed, and they heard the kid's bunk bed twisting and shaking, followed by screaming. No, I don't hear it. That's okay? What are you talking about? Everything's fine. It's okay. Oh, shit.

They ran into the kids' room, and they witnessed the bunk bed in a flurry of twisting and shaking autonomously. sleep. Peace up. All right, kids, come on. Now. Now.

All right, come on, son. I got you. We'll be right back after a short commercial break. Amen. Father Martin's here. I want to do a quick plug for one of the most powerful tools I've seen for breaking free and growing closer to Christ. Exodus 90. The Exodus 90 challenge begins this year on January 20th.

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Welcome back to The Exorcist Files. When we left off, Linda, Charlie, and their two boys, experienced what began as something akin to Casper the Friendly Ghost, but has now escalated to a full-fledged infestation, straight out of a horror movie. A gradual progression from benign. and peculiar to overtly malicious phenomena has been reported in many hauntings, such as the case described in the Amityville horror, which chronicled the diabolical experiences of the Lutz family within their home in

Amityville, New York. According to Father Martins, the escalation of the severity of the manifestations is due to an increase in relationship with the entity or entities. It is clear by this point that a doorway has been opened, and no significant attempts to close it have been made yet. Now, let's get back to our clearly haunted home. Several weeks after the first manifestations, the family, began to see, out of the corner of their eyes, a shadowy figure. First, it appeared only peripherally at the edge of one's vision, and when they would turn their head to look, it would vanish into thin air.

But as time went on, that figure lost its shyness, and they could look on it directly. 100 channels You can't find a thing to watch Let's watch Sign Fest How many times do we need to see it, Charlie? Just pick something, please. What are you in the mood for?

I just told you what I'm in the mood for. Besides that. Hold still. Let's hold still. No. Hold still, Linda. It's here again. Just to the left.

It looked like an adolescent child, but it had no facial features, no clothing. It was translucent. It was a shadow. What do we do? Boys, go back to your room. What's going on?

Go back to your room now. Don't worry about it. Let's go play. I can't do this in a maternity. This has to end. We need help. Who to ask for him? It began walking through the house,

but it was especially fond of the children's bedroom. It walked in and out of the room as if it belonged there. The presence of that figure terrified the family, and the children were now too scared to even enter their bedroom, and all of them slept with mom and dad. So the family has officially encountered what Dr. Raymond Stans, from Ghostbusters, would call a free-roaming, vaporous, full-torso apparition. And it's obvious, the local homeowners association isn't going to be of much help.

Now, due to the nature of the happenings, for which father is usually called, the cases in this show primarily deal with the demonic. However, many of our listeners may be interested to learn that within the Catholic framework, not all apparitions are angels or demons. In a notable point of divergence from Protestant traditions, many Catholic theologians maintain that some ghost sightings are actually, quote, distressed spirits, the souls of humans who have died and are now experiencing purgatory, a state of purification whereby the soul is cleansed so that it can enter the presence of God in heaven.

God may allow a soul who is in this state to communicate its existence so that it may obtain prayers from the living. In a notable example, the 12th century Cistercian monk and church doctor, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, wrote of apparitions appearing to his dear friend St. Malachi, Ireland's first canonized saint. Malachi's sister appeared to him after her death. Even renowned theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas, reportedly observed ghosts during his life, and he refers to the possibility of their appearing in his incredibly influential work, the Summa Theologier, which means a summary of theology. In it, he writes, quote,

If God wills it, the souls of the deceased, who are detained in purgatory, sometimes come forth and appear to seek our prayers. Furthermore, if God wills it, it is also credible that the souls of the damned may sometimes be permitted to appear to the living as well, either to provide learning or provoke fear. end quote. Now, back to the case, where in order to rid her family of these frightening phenomena, Linda has requested Father Martins to bless her home. But before he can do that, father first needs to get to the root cause of the matter. So presented with this phenomena,

an exorcist needs to find out why the phenomena is happening. All right, well, um, look, I know how this is going to sound. Trust me, Linda, I've seen it all. We really are at our width, and I don't even know how to say this. Well, let's just take it from the beginning, okay? Let's start with this. How long have these phenomena been occurring? About five months or so?

Yeah, five months. Okay, and about how long have you lived in your home? Three years. Father, I'm sorry, but do you think you'll get it out? Do the phenomena occur anywhere else? At work or at the kids' school? No. Perhaps in the homes of your relatives?

Only at home. Has anyone else in your extended family experienced anything similar? No, not that I know of. So what do we do next? When can we get rid of this thing? Linda's answers, what they established for me was some key facts. For one, the family did not inherit a harassing spirit. There was not a spirit,

in the home left over from the home's previous owners. Secondly, the family is the explicit target of the harassing spirit. And thirdly, the phenomena right now was contained inside the home, but in my experience, as time goes on, the presence becomes increasingly intimate with the family, and it starts following people to work or to school or to their friend's house and so forth. I know that what I'm about to tell you is going to be. be a bit shocking and sound very strange, but I need to be very honest with you. What you're

experiencing right now is a demonic infestation. Now, I don't think it originated from the house itself, because this demon seems to be attached to you and your immediate family alone. I always thought this stuff wasn't real, but after what we've seen these past months. I assure you, they are very real. And if we don't determine... why these harassments are happening, how this thing got in here, and what's enabling it, then it could get much, much worse. I just want this thing out. When can you get this thing out?

Linda, at this point, what I was hearing from her was just an impatience, an impatience, which I can understand. She has something disturbing going on in her home, and she wants it out. So she kept interrupting me and saying, when can you get this thing out of our home? Linda, I'm going to ask you some questions, and I need you to be completely honest with me. Do you understand? Yes, Father. Do not omit anything. Okay.

Do you currently attend any church? Not really. Charlie and I were raised Catholic, but honestly, for the last few years, we haven't been attending, really. Sure, sure. Is there anyone in your extended family that might hold a serious grudge again? against you or perhaps your husband or your sons no i don't think so look we're good people father please do what you need to do pray what you need to pray it's been a rough year and i can't deal with this thing terrorizing my kids any longer i hear you and i'm sorry this is happening but i can't

i need this thing out of my house linda you don't understand this thing is not in your home you are in It's home. For some reason, it has been welcomed into your lives. This sort of evil does not harass a family out of nowhere. Evil needs to be let in. Somewhere down the line, a door has been opened. Linda started weeping. An exorcist often spends a lot of time finding the doorways,

because oftentimes people open a door and they don't know that they open the door, or even if they know they will often be embarrassed that they did, and they're reluctant to disclose it. But Linda surprised me with her honesty. Oh, God, it's all my fault. Pardon? Six months ago, I had an affair. It was only a few months, and it's over, but I don't think I'll ever forgive myself.

Adultery is a grave violation of one of the Ten Commandments, the Sixth Commandments, it is what Catholics call a mortal sin, a sin so grave that it cuts us off from God's grace. Other than the previously mentioned levels of demonic activity, the most common activity of demons is temptation, and among the myriad of sins humans are tempted to commit, adultery is not uncommon. At some point, rather, virtually every committed couple suffers this temptation, and not by your run-of-the-mill evil either. Some of Satan's most infernal demons are purveyors of adulterous temptations. Our listeners may remember the ancient demon Asmedias referenced in previous episodes. Known as the demon of lust, the third of the seven deadly sins, and of jealousy, anger, and

revenge, this demon has made an appearance throughout many cultures, including the Persian and Hebrew. His main objectives are to prevent intercourse between husband and wife, wreck new marriages, and lead people to adultery. And notably, he commonly appears in cases of possession. More on the exploits of Asmedias later. For now, back to Linda's admission. So that is more than enough reason for a demon to start harassing the family. But she went on, she said, I lost her up with my marriage.

Charlie is a recovered addict, but right before my affair, he had relapsed badly. It started as pain prescriptions. for an ankle injury and it led to oxy abuse and eventually heroin. And one day I found my husband nodding off while watching the kids. I've never been so angry in my life. This man comes along who seemingly had his life together. And I felt for that.

I was drawn to his stability. I'm not excusing it. I know it was wrong, but it was a choice that was made from desperation. I wanted to escape. Charlie knew about the affair. He's forgiven me. He's clean again, and we worked it out. I think we worked it out.

But it did happen. So here we have a second mortal sin. Drug use is a violation of the Fifth Commandment. Thou shall not kill. and that applies even when talking about oneself, drugs do violence to the temple which God created. And so using drugs is a form of killing of the self. Here one enters an interesting conundrum that some of you may already be pondering. What constitutes, quote, sinful drug use?

According to the Stedman's medical dictionary, a drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. By that definition, caffeine is a drug, and I think it's fair to state that we will not get possessed by drinking coffee every morning, though to be sure many feel like they are in bondage to caffeine. Also, what about recreational drugs like marijuana, which could in theory do harm but can also offer therapeutic or medicinal benefits? While it's obvious that hard drugs, such as heroin and methamphetamines, wreak havoc on the mind

in the body, there's definitely a gray area when navigating morality around recreational drugs. I asked Father if there was a Catholic position on drugs in general, and more specifically on these, quote, soft drugs. Here's from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. For the uninitiated, the Catechism is a general summary of beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church. Article 2291. The use of drugs inflicts a very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices.

They constitute direct cooperation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law. Now, while that teaching on drugs is helpful, it leaves some questions unanswered. For instance, where does that leave us with sugar? A very pleasurable substance used in food, but which is highly addictive and causes medical problems and overall poor health in so many. And what about perhaps the most ubiquitous drug there is? Alcohol, which in the form of wine is so present in the scriptures,

but is so destructive to the alcoholic and their immediate relationships. Alcohol is a drug, and if it's not used in a therapeutic way, then you're entering in the realm of sin. According to Christians, essentially it all comes down to honoring your body, which is a vessel gifted by God. So, eat a slice of cake, but let your friends have some too. enjoy a glass of scotch, if that's your thing, but don't impair your mind with intoxication. All mind-altering substances have a line you can cross, but as for where that line is,

it's difficult to precisely define. And I don't know where the line is. But the demon tells the whole picture. I tend to agree with father. If you start having demon problems because of a caffeine addiction, maybe it's time to try herbal tea. We'll be right back after the short commercial break. Welcome back to the Exorcist Files. After enduring a horrific string of demonic manifestations in their home,

Linda and Charlie finally sought spiritual help and began the work of unburdening their secret pasts. Now, let's find out if they can evict their demonic squatters. I told Linda I would be glad to come and bless their home. I made the appointment with her. What I did next was I went into the chapel and I asked the Lord for some insight into how I could best pastorally minister to this family.

And what I kept seeing in my mind was the word imitation. The demon was the demon of imitation. A family member would put an object down here. The demon would move it over there. Someone turns on a light. The demon would turn off a light. Dad shakes the kid's bunk bed. The demon shakes the kid's bunk bed.

The eldest boy shakes his leg at night. The demon imitates. The children walk in and out of their bedroom. the demon does the same. So all of these phenomena mirrored the essence of Linda and Charlie's sins. Linda left the happiness of her marriage and chose an imitation marriage by way of an affair. Charlie left the joy of his family and chose an imitation happiness offered by the drugs. No, no, I'm fine. Thank you. Please, have a seat. Thank you. We really appreciate you coming on such a short notice. Oh, of course. On the day I went to the family,

family's home, Linda introduced me to her husband and the children. After the initial pleasantries, I suggested the children go and play in a separate room. Since most of the conversation was going to be about the parent's sins, there was no need for them to be present. So I described to Linda and Charlie how their sins were the cause of the demonic attachment, the infestation in their home. and although Linda accepted my explanation well enough, she was satisfied with it. Charlie was largely unsatisfied. Okay, yes. Something is happening, and it's probably demons.

But look, father, this doesn't add up. Our lives ain't perfect, but we're doing far better than when we were young. With all due respect, you don't know where I've come from. And sorry, honey, I don't want to overshare, but Linda was no angel when we met. Charlie, honey, he told us to be honest. So we're being honest. It's fine. Please continue.

Okay. Now, I ain't looking for no sympathy. I had a shit childhood. Forgive my swearing. I wasn't always given proper guidance when it came to sinning. Now, we might be in a rough patch, but we're living way better than before. We are good people. We grew up and got our shit together.

Sorry again. So tell me, Father, why now? Why wasn't I infested for selling Kualudes behind my uncle's sandwich shop? Charlie's question was a really good one. Because sometimes we are doing better than we ever have. We slip up and we make a mistake. And that's the moment where the devil pounces on us, but he didn't before. So what gives?

Why is that? Well, I don't have an answer for that. But when we're moving from one sin to another, the devil doesn't take much notice of us. Why would he take notice? We already belong to his kingdom. But when you start perfecting yourself as a person, then he's going to take more interest because now there's the potential that he's going to lose a soul. That is the answer I give.

Charlie, you're right. I don't know what you've been through. But I do know what you're going through now. To God, sin is sin, and all of us have fallen short, myself included. Right now, you have a door open. We need to shut it now. Evil is real. It's in your house.

I don't have all the answers, but I can tell you how to get it out. I'm sorry, father. Would you excuse me for a moment? As I'm having this talk with them, the children are playing in the next room, and it just starts getting really rowdy. There's a great commotion coming from the room, and charge, Charlie gets up, settles the boys down. He comes back and he sits down and we keep talking. Shortly after his return, the noise started again, but this time only louder. Once again, he left to restore order. He comes back and sits down. I'm sorry about that. Where were we? Well, I was just saying...

But Linda and I, we've done those same sins in the past and have never had demon problems. He already answered that question, honey. Well, maybe I didn't like the answer. This is all crazy. I can't believe I'm living in an actual haunted house. As I said, Charlie, I don't know why this is happening for sure, but God permitted this to happen. It's part of his plan for your family's salvation. But in order for this to happen, he needs you to get on board with the plan and fast. Boom. A tremendous bang comes from the room.

A bang so loud, it shook the entire house. Charlie shot out of his chair with a start and dashed towards the room. I swear. These boys are about to make me sit in front of peace. Is it like this all the time? Yes, but never this bad. I see. We need to act fast.

When he emerged, it was clear from the disbelieving expression on his face. He found no cause for the thought. I could see his face flushed with emotion. What the hell is happening? I'm losing my mind Breathe Breathe, babe, just breathe Father, this has to end

I could tell Charlie was about to pop I said to him Charlie I need you to focus on me and listen Very carefully You have a demon in your home He knows his time is short And his only hope to remain

Is to distract you from what I'm telling you The doors must be closed I know you regret opening them But regret alone is insufficient to close them. Your sins must be sacramentally confessed and then formally renounced. Then, only then, will the demon lose his rights and leave you. Focus on me. We'll get through this together.

Oh, okay. Okay. Right. I'm ready. Let's get this thing out. After hearing each one's confession, I absolved their sins. And then I led them through a series of formal renunciations whereby they, quote-unquote, canceled their choices. I had an affair.

I broke the vows I made to my beautiful husband. I repent Jesus. And you, Charlie. I relapsed, poisoned my body, and betrayed my family. And I will never do that again. In the name of Jesus. Linda, repeat after me. In the name of Jesus, I renounce, repent, and reject my adulterous acts.

I want no part of them. I want no part of them. I choose to follow Christ and His commandments. And I recommit faithfulness to my husband, Charlie. And I recommit faithfulness to my husband, Charlie. Amen. Charlie, repeat after me. In the name of Jesus, I renounce, repent, and reject drug use. I renounce for pain and reject drug use.

I no longer want any part of it. I choose to put my family first, and I accept them as the gift from God that they are. Amen. from God that they are. Amen. In confessing and renouncing their evil choices, Linda and Charlie closed the doorways, and they canceled the demon's rights to harass them. All that remained was for the demon to be cast out. So I stood up and I said the following prayer.

In the name of Jesus, I take authority over you, the harassing spirit present in this home. I bind you in Jesus' holy name. And upon my command, you are to leave this house, this family, and never return. Go immediately and directly to the foot of the cross and remain there, defeated. Leave wholly and completely. Do not retaliate or contaminate anyone or anything else as you depart. I command you to leave now.

Next, I made holy water, and I gave sprinkling rods to the children, directing them to splash holy water throughout each room? They loved it. As we mentioned in episode four, the most common holy water and exorcist uses is created with a rite from the 1614 edition of the Roman ritual, where the priest exercises and blesses salt, exercises and blesses water,

mixes the two elements together, then gives a further blessing to that mixture, thus creating holy water. The specific function of exercising salt is to protect places from an evil presence or influence. Father Amorth was a huge proponent of using salt for expelling demons, and in cases of suspected infestations, he would recommend victims sprinkle salt over the threshold

and in the four corners of each room. And as for mixing salt with water? Father elaborated. Because some demons are bound by salt, others are bound by water. And in mixing those two elements, you're bringing the properties of those elements into one single thing. And even long after the water has evaporated, you have a residue that is left behind in the form of salt.

That residue binds demons and makes that residue repulsive to them. A church's prayer, a church's blessing, is designed to be aversive to demons. The church specifically asks within the blessing that demons be repulsed, that their venom be driven away, that the effects of their labors be rendered inoperative. And equally important that whoever uses the water experiences the peace of God. When expelling evil from an infested home, the method of exercising every room with a blessing and sprinkling of holy water is a common practice among exorcists.

Then I gave a thurible, an incensor, to the oldest child in which I had placed a lit charcoal. A thurable is a tool used within capital. Catholic and Orthodox liturgies to disseminate incense smoke throughout a church or place. To incense is to purify and sanctify, and as smoke rises, filling a space, it symbolizes the church's prayers rising to God. Thus, it's an act of worship. Incense has a long history of use in the driving out of demonic spirits. Father Amorth affirmed that blessed incense is useful for the blessing of houses and can also aid in the battle against evil. Which brings us back to the demonic purveyor of adultery.

The demon Asmadias can also be found in the Book of Tobit, which the Catholic and Orthodox churches consider part of scripture, but the Protestants place it under biblical apocrypha, that is, non-canonical books that are useful for instruction. The book of Tobit describes Asmedeus, lusting after a young woman named Sarah, and murdering each of her seven husbands before the marriages can be consummated. Finally, on the eighth husband, Tobias, Sarah prayed for help, and God sent down the Archangel Raphael, who instructed Tobias to make an incense using the heart and liver of a fish. After the wedding between Tobias and Sarah, as Medias appeared intending to kill Tobias,

but the incense forced him to flee. We often use incense when we worship God. I like using an incensor during a house blessing because it leaves the house smelling like the inside of a church. And that's the experience I wanted to give this whole family, but in particular the children. I wanted to give them the satisfaction of being part of the cleansing that would bring a stop to this evil that had been making their lives miserable. I told the oldest boy, take this incensor and I want you to swing it all throughout the house, make this house as smoky as possible. He loved it. The ritual took just over 10 minutes, after which I departed.

the family never experienced any manifestations again. Nothing warms my heart, like knowing Linda and Charlie, now know where the remote control is at all times. I checked in with Father and how Charlie and Linda are doing now, and he said that all is quiet, as it should be. Now, after hearing many of Father's cases, we know that oftentimes these spiritual deliverances take multiple sessions, and some listeners might point out that this case resolved itself rather quickly. It is important to note that when it comes to exorcism, there are actually two distinct forms of exorcism. Up to this point, we have focused primarily on the major or, quote, solemn exorcism, a right intended to bring about the liberation of the possessed that can only be performed by a bishop or by a priest he authorizes.

But there are also what are called simple or, quote, minor exorcisms. In 1890, Pope Leo XIII added the minor exorcism, also called the Leonine prayers, as an appendix to the solemn right of exorcism, and its use is not limited to just exorcists. The minor exorcism can be prayed by any priest to resolve demonic infestation cases, such as was present in Linda and Charlie's home, and it is regularly administered to infants prior to baptism,

as well as adults prior to being received into the Catholic Church. It can also be used with permission as a diagnostic test for possession in cases that are not yet confirmed to be authentic. The more Catholic doctrine I learn, the more I realize that the church really does have a prayer for everything. The Roman ritual even contains a ritual against an infestation of live insects or other vermin, such as mice or rats. And if you were curious about infested objects, severely infested objects are destroyed by burning while praying, and then scattering the ashes and running water.

Mildly infested objects can be exercised merely with prayer and sprinkling of holy water. Speaking of making holy water, as Father was describing that process, I began to wonder, is there a limit to how much volume you can bless at once? Could one in theory bless an entire pond and make a holy pond? This question I had to ask Father. You absolutely can bless a pond. When I go camping in the summers where I have a little secret spot in the Canadian wilderness, so I have this lake all to myself, and the first thing I do there is I bless the

entire lake. Hey, why not? No one is harmed in the production of that, but it's also just really cool that I've turned this whole body of water now into holy water. I use it to bless the campsite. Do I need to do that? No. But you also don't need to do many of the things that you do in your life, but you do them because they're fun and they're cool. And there you have it. We have Father on record stating that something is cool. You know what would be really cool, though? A real estate show. where an exorcist like father scours properties with suspected infestations and then clears them out. We could call it repossessed. You're welcome.

Stop rolling your eyes. Thank you for joining us for another episode of The Exorcist Files. Make sure you follow us on social media, visit our website, and sign up for our email list to be made aware of new case files. You can also email us absurd and overly specific criticisms at exorcistfiles.g.com. All cases in the Exorcist Files are recounted by Father Carlos Martins, from his personal archives. The Exorcist Files is hosted by Father Martens and myself, Ryan Bethay.

This episode's reenactments were directed and recorded by Chandler Mays and Ryan Bethay in Atlanta, Georgia. Linda was portrayed by Annie Reese, Charlie by Jonathan Wade, David by Briscoe de Paulo, Herman by Landa Dubois, and Father Martens by Eli Banks. Any likeness or similarities of characters

are entirely coincidental and unintentional on the part of the writers. Additional research provided by Anne-Marie Robson and Miranda Hawkins. Script written by Chandler Mays and Ryan Bethay. Original theme and select scores written and composed by Dan Carey Bailey. Assistant editor is Christoph Ears. Supervising producer, sound designer, editor and mixer is Chandler Mays.

Executive producers are Carlos Martins, Ryan Bethay, and Chandler Mays. And a special thank you to Danny Miller for the craft services extravaganza, the best coffee on the East Coast, shout up to counterculture, and her gracious hospitality. The Exorcist Files is a production of IHAR radio. Just go through those, what's the four or five phenomena? Just go through them one more time as they were described to you. Phenomena. Yeah, so.

Is that Muppets? Phenomena. Boob-do-dib-do-do. You just ruin that word for it. No, every time you say it, you know, phenomenon. Phenomena. Phenomena. Okay, so we are recording, right?