The Exorcist Files - S2-Case #09-The Ties That Bind, Pt. 2

Episode Date: August 14, 2024

Things escalate dramatically when Maria faces a demonic relapse. Father John Szada returns.SPONSORS- WHO WE LOVE!A special thank you to our two sponsors of today's episode. As you know we went independent so we could control the advertisements and cut down on them to include only that which we love. Below are two sponsors we really enjoy.http://fieldofgreens.com Organic whole fruits and vegetables in an actually delicious greens mix. Use our promo code EXFILES for 15% off and free shipping. Your body is a temple right? Honor it!FireBreaker Series A dramatic and epic adventure recounting the legend of George and the Dragon. A fun narrative podcast that is great for the family, starring Wizards of Waverly Place Star David Henrie.  Click here to listenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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What were you doing? This is the third time this week. I'm done with this, Maria. Off my case. I was just hanging out with a friend. Yes, I can see that. Brust your hair recently? Screw you. I need some food. Don't you walk away from me? Lord help me with this child. Okay, breaking things now. Maria. Downer, over there. Maria, hold on.

Let's Mary. Help us. God protect. My daughter. What happens to a demon when it's cast out? We can't say for sure. But from scripture, we know they wander. Matthew 1243 says, When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. And this is the more chilling part.

The verse goes on to say, it comes back to the house, finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes it. takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there, and the final condition of that man is worse than the first. In my experience, this is very true. If the individual has not made the changes, if the individual has not closed the doors by which the demons have come in and reopens them, scripture makes it clear repossession can happen.

I've seen it happen. It's not pretty. Welcome back to the Exorcist Files, a frightening foraging into the spiritual spaces of the supernatural. Today we bring you part two of Father John Zeta's case, The Ties That Bind. If you're just tuning in now, well, go back and listen to Part 1. Otherwise, spoilers await you. You've been warned. Where we last left off, a young family was suffering from strange phenomena at their home. After the family sought assistance from local priest, Father John Zeta, to come and bless their home,

their daughter began to experience increasingly bizarre symptoms that ultimately proved to be demonic in origin. An exorcism was approved by the bishop, and Father Zeta successfully ousted the three demons after breaking a familial curse placed on Maria by her now estranged father. But alas, her freedom was short-lived. As a reminder, the Exorcist Files contains content not suitable for all audiences. This episode contains a hefty dose of exorcism, so either enjoy it or switch to local traffic and news now. And if you're in Los Angeles and it's near 5 p.m., the latter might actually be scarier. The choice is yours.

Here again to guide us on this journey is our guest exorcist and colleague of Father Carlos Martens, Father John Zeta. As an exorcist, one of the most concerning turn of events for a victim can be demonic relapse and repossession. I would say it's genuinely less common, only because when people are set free and find Christ, they are so grateful to be rid of their torment, there is less temptation to return. As Father Martin says, exorcism is a conversion process, but conversion does not mean you are spirit. temptation or attack. In fact, it's quite the contrary. The enemy, now evicted from territory, will always try and come back. I tell every person who has been set free that the exorcism is a battle that is won, but the war is ongoing until we are reunited with God for eternity. That is why

Scripture constantly admonishes us to stand firm. The scripture that Father Zeta is referring to is Matthew chapter 12, verses 43 through 45, and it reads, When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, I will return to my house from which I came.

When it returns, it finds it empty, swept, and put an order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there, and the latter state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be with this evil generation? While scholars have differing interpretations of this particular scripture, the general consensus is that the evicted spirit will try to reestablish a relationship, and if the individual has not made the necessary changes to their life, they can in fact become repossessed.

Father Gabriel Amorth, who we have mentioned extensively in the series, and served as the exorcist for the Diocese of Rome for decades, agreed with this wholeheartedly. He wrote in an exorcist tells his story that, after liberation, it is very important not to decrease prayer, the reception of sacraments, and living a Christian life. An occasional exorcism is also beneficial, because it is not unusual for the demon to repeat his attacks. Trying to come back, it is well not to give him any openings. We may call this a period of gathering strength to safeguard a successful liberation. Occasionally, some of my patients have experienced relapses. When there was no negligence involved, that is, he had maintained

an intense spiritual life, the second liberation was easy. However, when the relapse was helped by a lack of prayer, or even worse, by falling into habitual sin. The repossession was worse than before. Just as Matthew 1243 through 45 describes, the demon comes back with seven more worse than himself. While we were able to set Maria free in one session after removing a generational curse, sadly Maria did not choose to embrace a spiritually healthy and moral life service. style. She began engaging in some habitual sin and dangerous choices. As we have discussed, demons seem to primarily enter through sin and trauma. So it was with a heavy heart that I learned of strange symptoms and manifestations that began to haunt Maria not long after our exorcism.

I received another call from Christina one night who asked me if I'd come over right away, Normally an exorcist does not respond to immediate requests like this, but given my history with the family, I agreed to see her promptly. I got to the house, and when I saw Maria, I knew right away it was bad. She was manifesting again. Maria? Maria, it's Father Zeta. Are you okay? Maria, look at me.

No, I don't appreciate it, I don't appreciate it, no, I'm sorry, Dino. Christina, how long has she been like this? I don't know, father. One minute we were all watching TV and the next minute she was on the floor. Is this just some sort of side effect

from the exorcism? Or like a relapse? What is this? Ah, oh my God. Oh! Demon's silence. In the name of Jesus our Lord, you will be quiet. Can't you quiet our friends. So many new friends we bring along this time, priest. We're just prepping the big four slaughter. Your first one fails, praise. Priest, failed.

Christina. Tomas, please go into the living room and start praying for her now. I'll do what I can, but you need to schedule another session immediately. So, now what? You digulous excuse for me. As a priest of Christ's church, by his authority, I will speak to you now and you will answer. Demon, tell me your name. Who am I speaking with now? Nicosia.

That's that all the energy. Two and one. Three? so there are three of you again. Desecration is this you again? No, now we are 21. 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. But this isn't just a 90-day program. Exodus 90 is a spirituality for modern men that is built on three ancient

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X-Files to join tens of thousands of men from all over the world for Exodus 90. Again, it begins Monday, January 20th. God bless you. Both for the team and for myself, one notable change in Maria's condition was that she would regularly have seizures during the exorcism sessions. So we had medical doctors present at all times. This added an extra layer of stress and made it particularly challenging. One time we almost called 911 because we thought she might be having a heart attack or stroke.

While I can't, of course, know for sure, I believe that demons can and will leverage any tactic, including bodily harm and sickness to Stonewall Exorcism efforts. As Father Martens and Father Zeta have discussed, Exorcists and the Catholic Church rely heavily on medical assistance and expertise when attempting to discern whether an affliction has roots in the demonic or the natural. The exorcist wants to discern if the problem is in natural causes, so the victim can receive appropriate treatments. If it's a pathology, then they need a doctor.

And yet, we find an interesting tension. The exorcists we've interviewed, all start with the premise that cases of alleged demonic possession are likely going to be mental illness. So, time and effort will be spent to confirm this. Now, in the case of Maria, there was a recognized long history of mental illness. Could bipolar disorder or schizophrenia explain some of her behavior? It seems quite likely. Yet, for Father Zeta, watching Maria fly across the table at him was fairly convincing. So this begs the question, Experts like Father Amorth and Dr. Richard Gallagher claim that mental illness and demonization

are actually quite different and fairly easy to differentiate. So why all the time and effort to distinguish the two? Part of me wonders if it's a liability issue. As Dr. Gallagher famously quipped of a patient, mentally ill patients don't usually wake up speaking Latin. Father Amorth wrote of this proposed indistinguishable comparison between the two, saying, I have to laugh when some modern experts in theology state as though it were a great novelty that certain types of mental illnesses can be confused with diabolical possession.

Some psychiatrists or parapsychologists make the same statements, thinking that they have invented the wheel. If they were more knowledgeable, they would know that the first experts to caution about making this diagnostic mistake have been the ecclesiastical authorities themselves, In 1583, for example, it appeared among the decrees of the Synod of Rhymes. The church gave warning about the danger of mistaking mental illness for diabolical possession. But in those days, the science of psychiatry had not been born yet, and theologians believed in the gospel. We do know that demons can hide behind mental illness, too,

as we learned in the case of Lena from All in Your Head, Season 1, which makes sense because if their main goal, to avoid eviction, misdirecting the treatment efforts towards only medical treatments would render them able to stay. Demons are generally cast out through removal of their rights, not through pharmaceuticals, although I'm sure our drug companies could come up with one. Lastly, even Father Amorth acknowledged that of his thousands of reported exorcisms, only a fraction or actual bona fide demonic possessions, again pointing out just how rare this is.

is. So why not one and done again? Something was going on with Maria. We'd pray, we'd removed rights, she'd confess sin and see some improvement, then it would come back. In cases like these, if the demons are not leaving, it means that most likely there is some disconnect. The victim may not want to be free. Now someone may ask, why wouldn't a person want to be free? But many times, a victim may wish to be liberated from the torment of demons, but in their hearts may not fully desire God. They want God's blessing without the relationship. In most cases of genuine possession, the torment of having evil spirits is enough for victims to want to be set free, but there are many cases where sin is so entangling the victim, like an addict, returns to their behavior,

propping that door to demons wide open, and there's not much we can do in those situations. In the midst of these sessions, I received a call from Christina one day that Maria had been rushed to the hospital after suffering a very intense seizure late one evening. This highlights another dynamic of exorcism. I can pray for the victim.

I can help when I'm there, but you can't be with them. all the time. Maria apparently just spontaneously started convulsing on the floor and they immediately took her to the hospital, which of course was the right course of action. We're taking her to room 303. Patients' mother reports are having a series of seizures. Where? Ma'am, you're okay. You're in the hospital. We're taking you to her room so a doctor can... No, I don't want to go. Mom! Mom! It's okay, baby, they're going to help you.

Ma'am, please hold still. No, no. Can I get some help here? Get Dr. Sackiel. Ma'am, you're not going to feel a little more pinch. This will help you sleep. No, no, nothing can bind us. It was quite the spectacle.

Now I was not present for these events, but multiple people told me, what happened. Eventually they were able to medicate her enough to stabilize her. I was told it took four strong police officers to hold her down, and she was administered tranquilizers, enough that should have sedated an elephant, and it had little effect. This, of course, baffled the staff. No one was quite certain what to do. Stabilized and calm, finally, the nurses left her alone in a room to go confer with the doctor. When they came back into the room, well, Maria was awake and she was not in bed. How's she doing? She's resting in stable. Thank God. She was asleep when we checked on her about

15 minutes ago. Hmm. And how are you doing? That was pretty intense. I mean, what was that? Have you ever seen anything like that before? You know, when I did my residency at Palomar, we had a meth had come in one night. That was an experience. You practice medicine long enough, you'll see something crazy. Ah, toxicology came back clean. It's not drugs. Then what was that?

My guess is neurological, especially considering the history of seizures. Could be a brain tumor, maybe. We have her schedule for a CT scan. Let me just check out her real quick. Marie, wait, where is she? Needed to stretch our legs. No human cord can bind us. Shit.

You might feel a little pissed. The nurse and doctor had walked in and were stunned to see somehow she had freed herself from her restraints. Then they heard a heavy breathing and the nurse looked up and saw Maria completely glued to the wall like an insect. Needless to say at that point,

even the doctor came around to the fact, but this was not just mental illness. As I said, I have a PhD in psychology, and I can confidently tell you, I am unaware of any mental health psychosis that can confer Spider-Man-like abilities to victims. Given Maria's newfound athleticism, I certainly see why hospitals want that insurance information up front. I'm going to guess that Maria met her deductible that day.

Now, when I hear accounts like this, my first thought is to want to call the doctor and the nurse to hear what happened. I mean, that would be two really credible sources, right? Did they convert? Did they tell their story of what they saw? Alas, I was not able to speak with them. Just a thought experiment, though. If you saw a woman climbing up a wall and you're a science-minded doctor with a reputation, would you rush off to tell many people about what you just saw? I could see why restraint might be in order.

Now as Father Martens makes clear throughout the series, manifestations are parlor tricks, designed to intimidate and distract. As I have reflected on why demons might be willing to blow their cover, so to speak, I am guessing that demons are attempting to inspire fear and awe and to perhaps scare us by disobeying laws that we humans are subject to, like physics. Or they could just be slaves to their eternal vitriolic rage as they're cut off from God and envious of us all. Now, as scary as all this might seem,

these little demonic fits, contrary to their desire, can bring people to church real fast. Demons unwittingly, when they act out, can prove the reality of God to the unbeliever. Following the incident at the hospital, we immediately scheduled a session when she was discharged. Again, the challenge with Maria was that we were flying a bit blind. We'd leave her in renunciations, we'd say the prayers, some progress would be made, but in the back of my mind I wondered what decisions or doors she was opening, when we weren't there. I was determined to help set her free. The path she was on was not sustainable.

Something was going to have to give. Now, some of us may be wondering at the apparent lack of progress here. What is happening? As Father Martin shared in season one, some of his cases, in fact, a majority of them, are not one and done. They often involve weeks, months, or in some cases, years. While in the New Testament, the exorcisms we read about seem to be quick and instantaneous. According to Father Martins, this could be a result of the fact that Jesus, in his operation as the Son of God, and walking in perfect intimacy with the Father, would have perfect knowledge of the main issues at play, the doorways that had been opened, and could cut right to the chase. Most importantly, though, is that God has a plan for all illness and affliction.

He has his plan for the situation and what purposes he wishes to accomplish through it. victims of demonic possession, like anyone enduring any other form of suffering, are ultimately subject to God's sovereign will. He may have specific things he wants to extract from the situation. Perhaps this is why God lets people get to such low points. Everyone has a different breaking point. And God may use that so that they can genuinely choose him and his kingdom versus the darkness that has captured them.

It is a profound mystery. series. I won't say I lost hope, but I was losing stamina. I know God has a plan and God works in mysterious ways, but as an exorcist, it is very hard to see someone in the snares of demonic bondage and not see liberation. You wonder, what else can I do? You can't help but feel the burden for the victim as they endure the torment of demonization. Anyone who witnesses the horrors that these things, put people through, we'll realize how serious a thing it is. It's truly disturbing. We spent hours with Maria and attempted to close every suspected demonic entry point. We knew it wasn't the Santeria and demonic pacts because we had renounced those, but it was clear there was a pattern

of immoral behavior that was occurring, and more importantly, a lack of genuine repentance for those actions. You can say all the right things, but again, if the victim is not willing to turn their life around, there isn't much I can do. Insidiously, demons can pray on the victim's weariness. They are trying to wear down the exorcists and the victim. They are trying to instill a sense of hopelessness. Demons want you to give up and believe that no freedom can be found. In Maria's case, she finally hit that breaking point. All the seizures, mental health, and medical issues just weighed so much on her. Maria decided that she had had enough, and the demons had persuaded her, but it would never end.

Oh, wait, you'll be with us. Please. No sleep. We see all you do. This is our home now. Home with you. until you join us in your forever home. I can't do this.

In our father's house, there is room just for you, you fucking. One afternoon, in a fit of demonic torture, Maria, exhausted from everything, resolved it was time to end it. There was a large tree in her backyard, and she decided she would hang herself there on that tree. no doubt goaded on by the demons. She left the room and went out to the garden shed to get some rope.

Now just as she was walking outside, she paused for just a fleeting second and saw a statue of St. Michael the Archangel on the table near the door. And then, for whatever reason, she picked it up and carried it out with her. Placing it on the ground next to herself, she tied a noose, tied it to the tree, and placed it around her neck. There you go, Maria.

See, you can do something right. Now you can be with us forever. I'm so sorry, Mom. Tell me, God, if you're listening, I'm just so tired. No one wants to hear your excuse. St. Michael, if you can, will you please help me in whatever comes next? She is that horse! What happened next can only be described as a miracle.

There is no other way to explain it. At that exact moment, her mother Christina passed by the window, saw what was happening, and screamed. She ran to her daughter. And just then a police officer also happened to be passing by and heard Christina scream through his car window and immediately ran to the young. for help.

I've got her. Quick, untie the knot. Maria, honey, it's okay. I've got you. Can you hear me? Michael? Maybe.

Did you say Michael? Okay, let's get her over here. I'm going to get an ambulance. Move that statue. Say Michael. You see her, Mom. Charlie 11 on scene at 415, Mayble, attempted suicide.

Roll next. Code 3. St. Michael, defender of souls. Thank you for protecting my daughter. Maria, you're safe, Lovita. You're safe. This was the lowest point for Maria, and thankfully, the beginning of her life turnaround.

Maria believed her life had been spared for a reason, and with this new spark and confidence, we continued her sessions with a fresh fire. One can only imagine the pain and desperation that must be felt by a victim to contemplate ending their life. I am so thankful to God that he saved her. When we got back in the room, we made progress, and Maria gradually turned her life around.

She learned that exorcism is a conversion process, not a magic ritual or pill that you take when you are afflicted from the demonic. Maria learned that a godly lifestyle and regular partaking of the sacraments is the best armor against the demonic. She started going to Mass, going to confession, and spending time in prayer at the Adoration Chapel.

She fully gave her life to God and abandoned the sinful decisions she was making. In doing so, she found true freedom in Christ. The Catholic Church holds the sacraments to be acts of divine grace, instituted by Christ, and entrusted to the Church. They are gifts from God, powerful rights that remind and restore, and help bring forth the spiritual realities of God's kingdom here on earth. One might even call them blessed reinforcements in a world besieged by Satan and his minions. The Catholic Church recognizes seven sacraments, baptism, confirmation, Eucharist,

penance or reconciliation, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and matrimony. Each sacrament serves a distinct purpose for the faithful in their journeys. To quote the brilliant philosopher Peter Kreeft, sacraments are like hoses. They are the channels of the living water of God's grace. Our faith is like opening the faucet. We can open it a lot, a little, or not at all. It is a joy to report that she has now been freed and is doing very, very,

well. We continue to see her from time to time and can ascertain that she is no longer possessed. Thanks be to God. And that is how Father Zeta got a few gray hairs. If ever a margarita was deserved, surely it comes after this case. Although Father Zeta mentioned to us that he's not big on margaritas. Today, Father Zeta is as busy as ever helping set people free. As we wrote this episode, I was struck by the sheer amount of work that goes into the process. Remember, there is never a fee charged for exorcism, and the priests are not financially compensated for this work. And as Father Martens has told us, there is a shortage of priests and exorcists. Can't imagine why. Now, I know all of you are wondering, what happened to the Sontaria necklace? Father Zeta convinced Christina to get rid of

all the Sontaria items, and thankfully, they are now long departed from her home. Although, rumor has it. They were last seen on eBay for the affordable price of your soul and eternal punishment. Just kidding. She destroyed them all. That's all, folks. Thanks for tuning in. And remember, when in doubt, pray and confess it out. Peace be with you. To keep in touch with us and get some of our anointed merchandise, you can visit our website at exorcistfiles.tv. You can also email us, absurd and overly specific criticisms at Exorcist Files at gmail.com. All cases, except this one, are recounted by Father Carlos Martins from his personal archives. This one comes courtesy of Father John Zeta.

The role of Maria was played by Vanessa Carmela. Father Zeta by Tim Davis. Tomas by Bobby Hernandez, Dr. Salkald by Jack Kelly, the nurse by Krista Jameson, and the valiant policeman by Brandon Collins. It takes a legion of people to make this show possible. So thank you sound designer, editor, and mixers, Dan Blesinger, and Michelle Martinez, music and scoring by James Cavell and Tom Staley. This case was adapted and written for the show by Ryan Bethay. The episode also featured a guest writer and script doctor's, the wonderfully talented Melissa Gavarette.

Executive producers are Carlos Martins and Ryan Bithay. Stay demon-free, y'all.