The Exorcist Files - The Jezebel Spirit, Tithing and Blessing, and The Power of Praying Parents

Episode Date: May 14, 2026

Is the Jezebel spirit an ongoing threat? How does it manifest today? Does Tithing unlock blessing in our lives? Father Martins offers reflections on these vital topics in this week's episode. Questions addressed in this week's episodeWhat is The Jezebel Spirit?What Were The Original Purpose of Demons before their fall?What is the role of the saints in the exorcism room?Why is tithing so important?Why is Porn so dangerous spiritually?and many othersOrder Father's Book- FatherCarlosMartins.comSponsorsMiracle Made- Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to https://trymiracle.com/EXFILES and use the code EXFILES to claim your FREE 3 PIECE TOWEL SET and SAVE over 40% OFF.”Mars Men- For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off FOR LIFE, Free Shipping, AND 3 Free Gifts at Mars Men at Mengotomars.comBUBS- Live Better Longer with BUBS Naturals.  For A limited time get 20% Off your entire order with code INSERTCODE at Bubsnaturals.comQualia- Magnesium, multiplied. 10 forms for total support. Go to https://qualialife.com/EXFILES to get 50% off and save an extra 15% with the code EXFILES.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to The Exorcist Files, or as I like to call it, the pod that talks about God with a Catholic Padre and a prod. I'm your co-host. You love second most Ryan Bethay. And with me is the brov whom I love, Father Carlos Martins. Hello, Father. Hi, Ryan. How are you? I'm doing well. Thank you. Are you excited to be here? I'm always excited. Always excited. Always excited. Okay. Well, you know, I love to say. surprise you with little segments like a variety show, since this is the closest I'll get to hosting Letterman. So are you ready to play? In the spirit of our last game we played, which was for Luther's, can I present to you today our new intro section, Three Calvins? Are you ready to play, Father?

Oh, let's do it. Okay. I'm going to give you a quote, and you're going to tell me, Was it President Calvin Coolidge, reformer John Calvin, or designer Calvin Klein? Okay. Okay. All right. Here we go. You can't know too much, but you can certainly say too much. Oh, that sounds like a politician's answer, so I'm going to say the president.

President Coolidge. All right. He's going with Coolidge for 500, and that is correct. It is President Calvin Coolidge. Nice work. Next one. I don't dwell on success. Perhaps that's one reason I have been so successful.

That is Calvin Klein for sure. Okay. Well, I probably don't even need to read the next one, but just so we can continue and finish the game. I'm going to say Calvin the reformer or 25 million, Alex. Well, don't you want to hear the quote? When God wants to judge a nation, he gives them wicked rulers. agree or disagree father maybe that's the one area that i can agree with with calvin all right well thank you for playing three calvvvins that was three calvins also before we start today's show i want to give a

special shout out to a super fan who has written the show and been a huge supporter of ours for a long time and so i want to say a shout out one to katie and her sister stacey father is fighting a terrible illness right now, and the stakes are very high. And so she asked for our prayers. And so Katie and Stacey, we're thinking about you. We're praying for you. And thank you for listening to the show. And so, Father, could you say a quick prayer for Stacey? Who needs good health. So may Almighty God and his healing power come down upon Stacey and all those suffering from cancer. My godson, Henry, is also battling right now. And so we lift up all sufferers of all illnesses, but especially Stacey and especially Henry now in this moment.

And Lord, in your mercy, please grant them healing, grant them peace, grant them your victory. And in Jesus' name, we command cells in the body that are out of order in Stacey and in Henry to come into order and to be healthy and to receive the Lord's grace and that their bodies be made whole. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. All right. Stacey, get well soon. We are rooting for you. And let's get to some questions. Because we know that the more we know about spirit warfare, the more questions we get. So it's like a hydra. So, Father, we're going to start off. You have mentioned on the show a few times, the Jezebel Spirit.

We have a listener who wrote in asking, is this an actual demon or more of a condition you're referring to that, refers to some sort of spiritual oppression, regardless of what it is exactly, how does it manifest in men and women? So let me give a two-part answer to that. Is it an actual demon? The short answer is, I don't know. I don't think anybody can know because that realm is a mysterious realm, the realm of the demon. So we judge them, we judge their activity based on what we see immediately in front of us. And so we extrapolate patterns based on what we see.

And so we'll call a pattern a Jezebel spirit. Is it one spirit? We don't know. Is it multiple spirits, perhaps? Is it, can every demon be a Jezebel spirit, quote unquote? Can any and every demon manifest that pattern? Maybe. So the isolation of that realm, I don't believe, is available to us.

I just don't think that we're able to come in with a precision and judge that like we can, you know, in the biological kingdom where we kind of classify dogs. We classify behaviors with precision based upon things like genetics and strength and the, you know, body types and so on and so forth. But, you know, Jezebel, of course, was the wife of Ahab. and she had a reputation for murder lying and sexual promiscuity. So whatever it took to get the job done, she was prepared to do. And she was a woman of terrible iniquity, and she led Israel away from the covenant with God to worship foreign idols. We hear that in the first book of kings. She was an attacker, somebody who was a thorn in the side of Elijah, the great prophet.

and set her sights on his destruction. Why we call something a Jezible Spirit is not necessarily because there's a sexual component to it, not necessarily, although there often is. But the way in which that spirit, that demon, attacks the person. And he does so by kind of reprogramming the person. person, just like he did with Israel. The way that Jezebel came in and reprogrammed Israel to turn away from God and turn on to idols, that's the reprogramming. That is what the Jezebel spirit is. It often occurs through sexuality, it often through sexual temptation, sexual behavior, sexual perversion, and so

forth. There's an indulgence in something that is being offered that reprograms you and it destroys you from the inside. It would be akin to allowing somebody, allowing a computer programmer to get at your computer and how your computer normally behaves, well, it doesn't behave like that anymore because it's been reprogrammed to do something else. That's what the Jesble spirit does in persons, in families, in companies, in nations. And it's interesting too, right? Because, Father, it's also mentioned in Revelation, where one of the accusations against one of the churches

is that they were tolerating the Jezebel spirits. And so this does seem like something that at least, you know, is indicated as an ongoing threat to walking with God correctly, right? Absolutely. Yeah. Many demons, perhaps most demons, you know, they come at somebody with badness. The Jezebel Spirit comes at you with something that is really tantalizing, something that is really good for you.

It's presented as a good, not as an evil good, but as something that's going to be good for you. And once that demon is in there, he starts rewiring things. So you, yourself, are going to be reprogrammed. So when we say a Jezebel spirit, perhaps, and we've mentioned the show, a Jezebel, you say you've detected of Jezebel spirit. That's not necessarily saying there's a demon in its name Jezebel. It's more that there are patterns of behavior.

And, Father, do they manifest in your experience, this Jezebel spirit in different ways, in different genders? It seems like Jezebel is normally associated with just, like, false prophet and, you know, tolerating and basically an inversion of God's preferred good. But are there any specific, you know, manifestations you've seen in your experience? So the condition, kind of what makes a Jezebel spirit a Jezebel spirit, what would get us to apply that label would be precisely that reprogramming such that you begin to become that very thing that you hate. What would be your normal behavior in order to achieve good is reprogrammed such that your very behavior is bringing about the end that you don't want. And yet, you insist on performing it in that way.

So you are reprogrammed to get to ensure the outcome that you don't want and yet are unable to stop it. You drive to it with a kind of craving. There's a terrible disorder craving that's there. Much like my appetite for food, right, father? I'm going to leave that one alone. It's too easy to make a joker. that I don't want to make a joke out of the Jezbo's Spirit. As I write this, last night, something profound happened.

An occurrence so deeply significant and utterly odds defining as to confirm with ultimate finality the existence of the miraculous among us today. What was the seminal event, you ask? Well, I slept seven and a half hours through the night. It's true. They say joy comes in the morning, but only if you got almost eight hours of sleep. And for this miracle, I thank God, but also miracle made sheets. sleep is something we take for granted sometimes.

And while yes, in olden days you probably slept on the ground and had to worry about wolves and such, it's a different battle today. And sheets are a part of it you may not be considering. Miracle made sheets are crafted with NASA-inspired silver-infused fabric that helps regulate your body temperature. Are you a hot sleeper? Cold sleeper? It doesn't matter.

These sheets help keep you in the perfect comfort zone all night long. Miracle-made sheets also stay cleaner and fresher up to three times longer than regular sheets due to that silver-infused fabric which is naturally antibacterial. This means fewer odors, fewer wash cycles, and way less laundry. It also means you might have better skin, as sleeping in bacteria can apparently clog your pores and give you yet another reason not to get out of bed. You may not think about your sheets that often, but you should. Sheets are a major variable in the riddle of good sleep. Don't overlook it. So are you ready to try Miracle-made sheets? For some of us, this may be the closest we get to working with NASA. So take the

up on the offer. Upgrade your sleep now. Go to try Miracle.com slash X-Files to try Miracle-made sheets today. You'll save over 40% and when you use our promo code, X-Files, you'll get an extra 20% off plus a free three-piece towel set. They make an amazing gift. And with 30-day money-back guarantees, there's no risk. That's tri-miracle.com slash X-Files. Code EX files at checkout. Thanks to Miracle Made for sponsoring this episode. Today, we are in a war, a war for our hormones, a war that we are basically beset on all sides by microplastics, food additives, stress, and a million other things. In a perfect world, we wouldn't have to think about this, but as we know, we don't live in one,

which is why if you care about maintaining optimal testosterone levels, guys, you may want to try Mars Men, an awesome supplement that has clinically-dosed ingredients like vitamin D, zinc, and boron to help optimize natural testosterone levels. Now, the biohacking longevity thing can totally be abused. Aging is part of the process of being human and growing, and our identities can't be in just how we look. Otherwise, we'll be in big trouble. But the truth is, we live in a world where our environment, food, and lifestyle is slowly degrading our testosterone levels. And for many men, that can rob them of the energy, libido, and just that sense of well-being that is crucial to tackling the job of renewing the Earth. You can go buy all

these ingredients yourself, or you can just take Mars Men. So, Mars Men, you know, you can just take Mars Men. So Mars Men features natural ingredients, things like vitamin D, Sheila Jeet, things you can look up and see the evidence for. It's made right here in the USA and third party tested, and there's a 90-day money-back guarantee, so there's no risk. Worst case, you don't absolutely love it and you get your money back. But over 91% of users report higher energy levels. You could go buy a lot of these ingredients separately, but that's going to get real expensive, fast. So getting Mars Men is just really convenient. For a limited time, our listeners get 50% of it.

off for life plus free shipping and three free gifts at men go to mars.com. That's men go to mars.com for 50% off and three free gifts when you check out. After you purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show. Tell them we sent you. Okay. Amen. All right.

Let's move on. Next question. Father, we know from your protocol when interacting with demons in the room that one of the questions you ask is what purpose did God make you for originally? and we've shared a couple examples in the show. What are some of the strange ones that you've heard? Or I should say just ones that you find interesting, demons have said they were made for. First of all, so they're all interesting.

So what I, you know, here are some that I can immediately recall. By far, by far, the most common one that I've ever heard is to proclaim the glory to God in the highest to the shepherds above the shepherds field. So I've heard that one more than any other. What is especially astounding about that is that God created beings for this absolutely exalted moment. Right. So this is God celebrating the birth of his son, his only begotten son, in the flesh, and he's created beings as kind of supernatural fireworks, if you will, to proclaim that. In the past, you know, when we, I mean, it was a tradition, gosh, many, many decades ago.

It's not so much a tradition right now. But I remember it being in place up and two through the 80s. You know, it was a tradition that a father, when a baby was born to his wife, he would give a cigar to his friends. So, you know, help me celebrate. And what God does here, I mean, these are the divine cigars, if you will. He creates these magnificent beings. So by far, those are the most common type that I've heard. But I've heard this, to protect our lady, to be part of our lady's dowry, to ensure purity, to protect nations, to accompany virgins, to bless families, and just to illuminate, to illuminate and to make clear, to make truths known.

Okay. Very interesting. So nothing would be weird per se, but these, you know, the God's plan in a pre-fallen universe was that the angels would be constantly engaged in his ministry. So that ministry is a company, it is continues anyway. right, the demons, the fallen angels can't stop it. But they had a profound place within it. They had a dignified place, which they rejected. All right. So you didn't hear anyone like, oh, I was in charge of catering in heaven.

No, gosh, remember? Imagine how busy they would be because, boy, we, you know, heaven is a banquet. And many, many, many ghost sightings, they reference that authentic ghost sightings. where there are sightings of souls that are in distress, disembodied souls that are living out there purgatory, so to speak, they're looking for that banquet. So, you know, amen, sign us up. There you go. All right, Father, we have a question that comes in. In many religions, not just Christianity, the eye is viewed as sort of a major diagnostic tool to gaze into someone's state of their soul or their spiritual, there's kind of spiritual aura.

Obviously, reading scripture that the eye is the lamp. And so, Father, what is it about the eye? And have you found looking into the eyes of someone who may or may not be demonized to be a useful tool? Then can you discern anything oftentimes from looking into their eyes? The answer is yes to all of the above. The eyes, more than anything, are the window into the soul. They're a window into the person. And, you know, think about how often you can.

look into a friend's eyes and see that something's wrong or that something is profoundly right, that something is really good. So there's a massive amount of communication given through the eyes. And through somebody who was afflicted, or especially in an exorcism, that is very true. The eyes can reveal in terms of somebody who is oppressed, disassociation, a hatred, a personality shift. Like I'm thinking of, you know, for example, when there's a switchout or a demon, the demon hides and pretends like he's left,

but he hasn't left. And so he's pretending to be the person. And we have people that are intently gazing upon the eyes and gazing upon the person in front of them, and they will call out to say, no, he's hiding. And of course, what the exorcist does, what I would say immediately is a prayer. Are you still here?

And I would start coming in and see a manifestation. So if we think that the demon is gone, then we end the session and this guy gets what he wants. Like he has been able to accomplish something extremely covert. We let down our guard. We end the session. We go off to have that Mexican dinner, and the person is still carrying the demon in, you know, and it's not to say that the session will end, and there's always a liberation, but you want to end the session on your terms. You want to decide. You want to pick as the exorcist when this ends. It's when it feels fitting and suitable for you. You don't want the demon to pick that. So this is the danger. So there's a line in Matthew somewhere around chapter 6 that, you know, the eye is the lamp of the body.

The eye is the light of the body. And so that it only makes sense then that we pay careful attention to the eyes in a session. So I guess watch out for demoniacs wearing sunglasses, right, Father? We do not let them wear sunglasses. That's correct. All right. So there are like 10 billion supplements out there, and I choose to take five of them. One of those is collagen, collagen plain and simple.

And that collagen is from bub's naturals. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It's the glue that holds almost everything together, so to speak. But you don't have to take my word for that. You can go ask any of the AI models, or if you really want to have some fun, go to a library and actually look it up. But the idea is that as we get older, we do produce less collagen. So collagen supplements pop up, and well, the idea goes, we can offset that by taking supplemental collagen, and we can thus improve our ligament, joint, and tendon health.

And there actually is some science to support this as well. Now, not only do I love the product, I know the founder, and they're serious about their quality. In fact, it's NSF for sports certified, which means it's safe for those who have to track meticulously what goes into their body. And honestly, with a lot of supplements, that's just not a given. I look for the certification whenever I can. So are you ready to live better and longer?

Live better longer. For a limited time only, our listeners are getting 20% off at Bubbs Naturals by using our code X-Files 20. That's X-Files20 at checkout. Just head to bubsnaturels.com and use code X-Files20 and you're all set. After you purchase, they'll ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them we sent you. So here's an exercise.

Go on any AI model or search engine right now and ask it, how important is magnesium for? sleep, thinking, muscle recovery. Honestly, ask it just how important is magnesium in general for the body? I think you'll find it's very important. Now, most of us know that magnesium is critical for a lot of things. But did you know there are different forms for different functions? For example, some forms help with muscle recovery, some forms help with brain function, some with heart health, bone health, mood, and honestly, over 300 functions in the body. That's why Qualia magnesium Plus is the only product to combine 10 bioavailable forms of magnesium with more than 70 trace minerals that help fuel magnesium support. It's full spectrum magnesium to deliver magnesium's full potential.

So you should try it because qualia might lead to better sleeping, better thinking, better recovery. It might support muscular strength, steadyer mood and stress response, and even better energy metabolism. Now, it's not just a sleep supplement. It's a full body magnesium system. Built for modern living to help you feel your best every day. It's time to improve your sleep and enhance your recovery with Qualia magnesium plus. So I do take magnesium religiously and I think I can feel an enormous difference when I'm not taking it. Now, you can experience the most trusted magnesium for purity, potency, and performance, plus it's non-GMO, vegan, and gluten-free, making it a choice that you can feel good about.

Go to qualilif.com slash X-files for 50% off. And here's a bonus. Use the code X-Files for an additional 15% off your order. order. That's qualialife.com slash X-Files and use code EX-Files. Thanks to Qualia for sponsoring this episode. Next up, a listener writes in, Father, I'm having a tough time believing in the intercession of the saints. I know the church teaches this, but do you have a personal story or anecdote that for you confirms that they are somehow still active and involved in praying with us? Anything that you could share, Father? Gosh, I don't think I've told a single

exorcism story without having intercession of the saints present. I mean, you could listen to anyone that I've told, and I'm a big fan of the saints and of their relics, and if I've done nothing else, I've testified to their intervention, to their presence. You know, personally, I've witnessed impossible timing connected to completing a novena. Remarkable, you know, remarkable, you know, effects interventions after invoking the saints in a situation, you know, personally or or ministerially, such as in an exorcism or what have you. I've just seen time and time again exorcisms where demons have reacted violently to the invocation of a saint and to their relics, my goodness. You know, one thing in particular that I'm convinced of is the demons hate the saints. You know, maybe one of the most visceral ways that I've seen it, and I talk about it in my book,

and by the way, if you haven't purchased a copy of the book, it's on sale on Amazon right now. So I would encourage you to do it. And if you haven't already, and if you have, buy one for a friend. But regardless, even if you already have, please write a review. If you thought the book was something worthwhile, please write a review because that, it really, really helps. It helps in many ways. It helps other people who see the reviews and who see the number of, of reviews to make a decision to purchase, but also it helps increase the rankings of the book

on book sites, Amazon and otherwise. But in the book, and in one of our cases, on the Exorcist files, and in numerous interviews and so forth, I talk about the prayer card that I designed for Alessandro Serinelli, the repentant murderer of St. Maria Greta. In 2015, the Vatican delegated her body to me as custodian to bring it on a tour of the United States in preparation for the year of mercy that Pope Francis had proclaimed for 2016. And so in addition to prayer cards of St. Maria Goretty, I composed prayer cards of Alessandra Serenelli, her repentant murder. And, you know, I love St. Maria Goretty. I've seen her work time and time over again. Her direct hand, I have come to perceive, was involved in my conversion from atheism, her direct hand.

But also, you know, Alessandra Serenelli, I love him just as much. I've invoked his intercession and never has he not come through for me. So these prayer cards produced in order to induce his intercession, to provoke his invocation in order that cause for canonization may begin for him. But I touched each one of those cards and I produced a quarter million of them. for that tour. And I touched each one to a letter that he hand wrote. And, you know, a relic of the man, if you will, although he's not, we wouldn't call it yet a sacred relic because he hasn't been beatified or canonized. He hasn't been glorified formally by the church. But each one of these cards

was touched. And I use them within my sessions. So I put one down each of the sleeve of the victim, and then one down the back of the shirt such that it is against the skin. And I have never, ever had a session where the demon didn't complain and complain viscerally and violently and belligerently about the presence of those cards. And more often than not, and again, I don't know that I can recall a time where I didn't see the demon turning to the cards and speaking to them. as if they were speaking to Serenelli himself, saying, I hate you, I Fn't hate you.

And so, you know, the saints are active, they are alive. And, you know, we're told in the scriptures, the Lord Jesus says to us, this is in Mark chapter 12, he says that the Lord, that the Lord God, God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. So the saints are more alive now than they ever were on earth. And if they're more alive now, then they would have more power than they ever did. And of course, we ask one another, hey, can you pray for me?

And we believe that it's a good thing to have your friends pray for you, to have people on earth pray for you. Well, my goodness, how much more in heaven when they are fully alive in God? So as I said before, Father, you want to be in that number. when they go marching in? I want to be in that number, boy. Like, point me to that banquet. Hmm. You know, there's going to be some damage done to that roast beef up there.

The lobster, you know, I'll probably hit the seafood table first. Right. Are there going to be any Christians? Are there going to be any, you know, folks from the old covenant who are going to be surprised of the shellfish options, father? Or are they going to be aware of Peter's vision? There, you know, everything has been made clean. So, boy, they're going to say it was worth waiting.

It was worth it. They're going to get their first taste of bacon. They're going to, the fat and pig is going to come out. All right. On earth, we had the fat and cow, but boy, in heaven, like the Jews, boy, that first taste of pork, my goodness. What a banquet. Now, Father, of course, you have to wonder at the big banquet. Imagine what the, imagine how old the cognac is that God, the father's been saving up for that banquet.

My goodness. Sounds like a new show. Cognac and Domeniacs, you know, a new interview series. Now, here's the question, Father, at this banquet table, which saints do you want to sit between? If you had to pick right now at the seating chart, which two saints do you want to sit and ask you for your first meal? I want them all because I love them all. I have stories with so many of them. And, you know, one thing in particular, of course, I work with their relics. I do repairs for the church for reliquaries, and I'm sent relics by, you know, I've received so many from monasteries that have closed down and so forth.

I am infatuated with the nobody's, you know, the saints that nobody has heard about, that even I haven't. You know, I'm learning about new ones all the time, and then I go look up the story, and there's, and there's fascinating stuff, but you know what? Sometimes their stories are so obscure. there's so little that has survived the centuries about them. But yet, you know, here's a relic. And I want to meet those people.

They have a story to tell. So we know they exist. We know they're in heaven. You know, because they're saints, the church has regarded them as saints, has invoked them as saints, has used them in her liturgy essay. So, hey, there's a guarantee, baby. The church can't be wrong about that. You know, when something is used in worship, that is the sign. That is the present of the Holy Spirit.

This is the criteria. This is one of the main criteria by which the books of the Bible were granted into the canon, into the Bible. That's what made them scripture. The same goes with anything else. When the church uses something in her worship, that is a clear sign that the Holy Spirit is present. He is the one provoking that. He's making that happen. Well, you know, if St. Teresa was at your table, it would be a levitating experience. And, you know, the real upside is Padre Pio, apparently, he could be sitting in two places at one. once probably at the banquet, right? I would take them on both my right and my left side. No problem. There you go. And here's the thing. Here's the thing.

Okay. Padre Pue loved a good cigar. I mean, what's not to love about that? So here, I mean, what could be more lovely than enjoying a good cigar with Padre Pio and a nice cognac probably a 40,000-year-old cognac. We'll start with one of the younger ones in heaven. Imagine that would taste like, we'll start with one of the younger ones.

And, you know, sign me up. I want to be in that number. Sign me up. Sign me up. All of this, all of the bad stuff that happens in this light, it's worth it. It's worth it. I'll see you at the food table.

See you there. All right. Father, we have a Presbyterian writing in, mother of three children. She writes that she's so concerned about the state of the world right now, and it's got her thinking about just the role of a praying mother. We've talked a little bit about parenting over the years. But, Father, any specific advice for this mother who's asking how you would pray for children and how she can protect them from evil? And maybe a better way to phrase this is, for parents, for praying parents out there, what do you recommend? Obviously,

pray for your children, but anything else to nuance that even more? time and time again, what scripture shows us is one of the great spiritual forces is praying parents. And in particular, praying mothers. You know, look at, you know, if nowhere else, look at, look at the blessed mother, the mother of Jesus and what happened at the wedding at Cana. And so, you know, the couple runs out of wine. Now, you have to understand, you know, what this meant, the implication of this in the ancient world. So in the Middle East, back then in the ancient Middle East and now, the tradition is very different than our tradition. Our tradition is we send out wedding invitations.

So you receive an invitation, you know, Sally and Stephen, they're getting married, and you were asked to RSVP. And so they know whether you are coming or not, whether to plan for you or not plan for you. And so that gives the couple control. It gives them, they know exactly how much catering to get and so on, so forth. it, you know, it's controlled. It's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, there's a precision. But, but, but an invitation would be an insult in the Middle East then and today. So how do you accomplish this? Well, it's a celebration. So you publish the fact that this event is happening and everybody is welcome. Everybody is. And so if you invite somebody in

particular, then that's seen as, well, it's insulting because that means you're excluding some people and they don't. So if you ran out of food or in this case at the wedding a cane, a wine, it was horrifically embarrassed because what it showed is that you weren't planning for people to come or sufficient people to come. And you have nothing to offer them. They've gone through the effort to help you celebrate and be part of this. And, Now you have nothing to offer them. And so our lady sees this. Our lady sees this, wants to avoid the embarrassment of the couple.

Goes to her son. She knows he can do something. She has never seen him perform a miracle before. Never seen him do that. For all intents and purposes, that has never happened. And so she lays this before him. And he says, woman, what is this to you? me. My time has not yet come. Right? Like, so this is not part of the plan. I and the father, we have

or at least the father, has a time to begin this, but this isn't it. And then, you know, so he leaves it with the court, what is this to you and to me? And then she turns to the servants and hurry. She doesn't answer him directly. She answers him by telling the servants, whatever he tells you to do, you do so there's a kind of wholly compelling that she does in this situation by affirming the son's anointing and divinity by affirming what he is in god she knows he can do something he says well this isn't the time she makes her intercession anyway by informing the others this is somebody who can do something. So whatever he tells you to do, you do it.

And of course, we know that that was the occasion for the first miracle. So that kind of intercession is not lost on Catholics with the Blessed Mother, but praying parents, praying mothers, have a great role. And do not, under any circumstances, underestimate your influence as a parent. And today in society, parenthood is often portrayed as you're managing schools, schedules, sports, your activities, you're driving kids from here to there. You're putting food on the table. You're managing the schedules and the lives of your kids. But spiritually, motherhood and fatherhood are profoundly, priestly, in their dimension.

your home is an atmosphere in which souls are formed. God's children are formed and come to maturity. So pray for your children every day by name. Bless them. Bless them in the morning, if you would bless them in the evening or both. But bless them. The blessing of a parent is the blessing of God. Pray with them.

teach them to pray and give them, and this is one that is so important, give them good spiritual experiences. Take them one day on the street to feed street people. Take them to a monastery. Look one up, look up your closest one, and ask if you can come by a visit and that you want to show your children what it's like. Ask your pastor, would it be okay if you and your kids one day brought a bunch of and you just cleaned up the church. You cleaned up the pews and I just for no other reason

other than you're doing this act of service for God. Bring them along in these kinds of experiences. Like bring them on the inside and allow being on the inside of these experiences speak to them because they never forget these kinds of experiences. Children are protected by rules, but they're even more protected by the holiness that you invoke into your house and that you invoke on their behalf and that you bless them with. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. We can do these last ones kind of quickly. But Father, actually, I can write from experience on this one too.

So I was recently on a trip and I got to meet with a bishop and handed him a rosary and he prayed and blessed it. and we also had a deacon on the trip who also blessed objects on there. Father, what is happening at an ontological level when an object is blessed? And I'm just, obviously, we can't know 100% what's actually happening. But between an object that is blessed versus non-blessed, are there any assumptions about it and essentially what is going on there? And would it matter? This is a little bit of a cheeky question.

But for example, if a cardinal blessed something versus the pope blessed something or a deacon, would you expect any difference ontologically even in the blessing that is bestowed by who is who is giving it? Very good question. So look, Christ gave birth to the church on the cross. It came forth as his bride from his open side, which invokes the story of Adam and the creation of Eve coming from his side. Christ as the new Adam gives being to the church. church, which was taken from his side. And he died for the church to empower her, to bless her, to be his instrument on earth. And that's a big deal. That's a mighty big deal. So God has bestowed

his power on the church. And she does so. She dispenses the goods from the storehouse. When the church blesses an object, something real occurs spiritually. Physically, the object is no different. But spiritually, something profound happens. The object is set apart. That's what to bless means. It's set apart. It's deputed for sacred use and placed under the prayer and authority of the church.

So automatically, that object is going to be caustic to the devil and to demons. But more than that, it's also protected against the powers of nature. the aberrant powers of nature. So I'm thinking of, for example, when in the church's ritual to bless bells, you know, to bless church bells, you know, that ritual is absolutely beautiful. It's magnificent and really long. The church bells are given names and they, God's power is invoked on them. And you see in church bells in cathedrals in Europe, like written in Latin, it will say, I dispel storms. You know, and another one will say, I vanquish demons. So when storms were coming, violent storms, they would start ringing the church bells.

The church bell itself becomes the church's prayer to dispense the storm. This is very different from magic. The object doesn't become, quote unquote, enchanted. Rather, the church invokes God's protection and grace on it. It invokes God's power, which is in the prologue. of the church to do, to dispense that power. I have seen dramatic effects from a blessing, obviously in exorcisms with the use of holy water, sold, crucifixes, and so forth. Demons know immediately whether something has been blessed or not. And if someone has a, well,

let me put it this way, the higher the office someone has in the church, the more is in the blessing. The deacon can impart certain blessings. He can bless a rosary. He can bless generally smallish objects. A priest can impart more. But a bishop, because he possesses the fullness of holy orders, he can convey blessings that are reserved proper to him, for example, to consecrate a church, to ordain another bishop and so forth. He has a power that the others don't have. But I will tell you this. In addition to that, in addition to the rankings of the hierarchy, terms of holy orders. There's also the particular holiness of the man that has an effect. So that doesn't have an effect in the sacraments. So if a priest is a valid priest and he

conducts a valid consecration of the Eucharist, right? So there's valid matter, valid words, valid intention. It's the same Eucharist that the most holy priest confects. But that is different when it comes to conveying a blessing. The particular holiness of the person does have a value-added effect. All to say that this physical object that receives a blessing enters into a new relationship with reality, with the physical universe and the spiritual universe, and it is all because of the prayer of the church. Wow. And Father, just to piggyback on this, when we'll say, you know, Protestants have to go up when I've gone to Mass and I have to do the King Tut, you know, the sarcophagus thing that you go up front and the priest does the blessing. What is happening? Because it's fine. I had friends go with me to a Mass. We were out when we were traveling. And I said, and they're like, oh, well, we can't do communion. Should we just stay in your pews? Like, no, of course not. Get up. Get a blessing. Like, but we can't do communities. It doesn't matter. You're going to get a blessing. And like, well, what is that?

And I was trying to explain them. I'm going to get blessed. I don't know how to explain it to you. Don't you want that? Also, it takes like 30 seconds. Catholic blessing very quick. But what is happening there when you ask a priest? I was actually also eating with a good friend of mine as a priest in California recently.

And people would stop him all the time, recognize him on campus. And I go, Father, can I get a blessing from me? Can I get a blessing from you? Right. So our lunch was routinely interrupted so he could do his blessing. So what is happening there, in contrast, to say an object, what's similar and what's different there? Well, there's much more similar than there is different.

God's grace is being invoked upon you. And you, who are a child of God, because you're baptized, there's much more grace being bestowed upon you than on, say, your rosary or some inanimate object. But God's power in its amazing plenitude is being invoked upon you, and this is part of God's plan. He has set up his economy of the... salvation if we can speak like this whereby his grace is able to be dispensed by his agents who are

priests so bottom line don't miss out on the spiritual conga line right get in line or as harry belafonte saying jump in the line and even if you're not getting the communion that day get the blessing right yeah absolutely okay all right uh father we have a listener writes in and detailed a struggle with Do you have any advice and also any thoughts about pornography as it pertains to the spiritual battle? Yeah. Gosh. You know, pornography, it's one of the great scourges of today. So it trains people to separate sexuality from love, dignity, sacrifice, and so forth. And it reduces one's quote unquote sexual partner to a consumable object. And I say partner. although, you know, the partner becomes just merely an image.

So one of the devil's greatest strategies against humans is degradation. And it's to make people neglect and then trample upon their own sense of dignity and what has been bestowed upon them by God. So that's one. Two, using pornography creates, and we know this from science, it creates, it creates neurological pathways such that the viewing of pornography makes you want to view pornography. So there's a physical addiction that's there. But there's a spiritual addiction because you're bonding with that image that you see.

You're bonding with that actress or actor that you see on the screen with that sexual object. And because of that, you're bonding with everyone else that is also lusting after that actor, actress, or object. So what you have is you are entering into this horrific nexus of abuse, this horrific nexus of addiction, of bonding. And so now you're entering into that. And so that nexus has the ability to exert itself upon you. And so the more that you engage in it, the more you're going to crave it. And so is there a spiritual warfare dementia to? Absolutely, right? Because the devil wants to

sabotage you and he wants to to darken your perception, to weaken the will, to make you dependent on this and to make you believe that you'll never be free of this. But also, he wants to corroge you such that you're not able to receive graces that are normally available to you. You're not able to be in that state where you can receive from God. People engage in pornography for a number of different reasons, and it's not the same for everyone. It's a dependency that can form for many different reasons. There are a lot of resources on the Internet, and I encourage you to look through them and to engage in them, you know, to try them. That, you know, and it may involve seeking out a counselor so that you can discover what are the triggers that cause you to turn to this as a means of satisfaction?

Because ultimately, you know, anybody, if you've engaged in pornography, you know, you know, know that it's not satisfying. I mean, everybody afterwards says this. There's feelings of guilt. There's feelings of shame. And there's a kind of destitution that the person is left with. You know, pornography, lust is the great liar. It promises a fulfillment. And in the end, you have a profound emptiness. And so because of that emptiness, you're seeking to fill it up. And so the cycle continues. It's a vicious, vicious cycle. But there is no magic pill. for this. But you know, you are absolutely loved by God. You're loved even when you're in the state of sin. And he loves you so much. He desires you to go look for ways in which you can be free of this.

And I'll tell you this. As a confessor, I mean, we hear this a lot. We hear it from both men and from women. But, you know, and I've had many penitents. They come back and they're confessing the same thing over again. It's really got them. And but I, I commend them for coming back to the saccharacter. and have the courage to come back and try to reconcile with God. But I'll ask in that moment, are you praying for an end to this every day? 99.9 times out of a thousand, out of a hundred, pardon me. I'm hearing no. You know, I don't always remember.

And so this has to be, you know, if you're enslaved to this addiction, you've got to be invoking the Lord with this every day. You know, how badly do you want it eliminated? If you were in prison, physical prison, were there unjustly, you'd be praying every day for it, every day, every day, every day. So this is a prison that you're under. And so you have to be doing your business with God. You have to be. You have to be. Amen.

Our last question, Father, in Malachi, we read about tithing being correlated with rebuking the devourer. I was curious. I've actually never really done a teaching on the Catholic Church's view of tithing. this verse seems to indicate that there is some sort of a spiritual protection conferred upon people by tithing. But Father, do you read this, or does the church read this as just an Old Testament principle, or is there a modern New Testament principle that tithing is, in fact, spiritually protective in a way? Absolutely it is. Yeah. So look, what was in the Old Testament is also in the new, save for what was fulfilled by Christ. And, you know, so the purpose. So the, so the

precept to tithe, to give back to God, because that's what you're doing. You know, when you're helping out a charity, you're helping God, you're assisting God. When you're helping the church, you're helping God. The verse from Malachi, I looked it up, it says, bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, and I will rebuke the devourer for you. So Malachi chapter three beginning at verse 10. So under the old covenant or the Jewish understanding of this was that it referred very concretely to a covenantial blessing that was tied to Israel. Now, so we, there was something correct in that.

There was something incorrect in that in the sense that, you know, what is in the Old Testament was not always 100% understood accurately by Israel. Case in point, our Lord, right? They were expecting a Messiah that comes in and he's going to vanquish their physical enemies. But he came to do something much more, much deeper than that. And because they were so fixated on the physicality of the Messiah and what he would do in physicality, that they weren't able to perceive the genuine Messiah. Nevertheless, what Malachi is saying is that if you bring your tithe, tithe, tithe meaning 10% of your riches, of your income to the Lord, he will. will rebuke the devourerer for you. So he who is attacking you. So I will bestow graces upon you that will protect you from he who wants to devour you. So we need to be careful. It doesn't mean this can't be reduced into give God money and God's going to make you rich, right? Like this. So that's not, that's not the, this is a prosperity gospel distortion because nowhere in scripture does it say that.

fact, on the contrary, you know, those who are holy, God often allows to suffer more. And why? Well, because they can suffer best. And we are told that through suffering, we become even better, that we become, that more grace and more blessing is bestowed upon us. But money is one of our chief temptations. It's one of the chief craves that we have. and we're told in a New Testament, the love of money is the root of all evil.

And so it can enslave us. And so in giving, we free ourselves from that. That's one spiritual dimension. But I'll tell you this, look, it is a very, it would be a wrong thing. For example, it would be the wrong attitude to give money to a charity simply because the charity has a need for it. It would be a wrong thing to give money to your church simply because your church has a need. Those are bad reasons to give money. You give money because you want to be part of the blessing of God and what that is going to bestow on you.

And so if that is your attitude, no matter what happens, say that the charity dispends some money. there was a scoundrel in the charity that siphoned part of it or in your church or so on and so forth, which we hear about periodically. You still haven't lost what you contributed if that's your attitude. If that's your attitude, you win regardless because at the end of the day it's not about the amount of money. It's you want to imitate God in bestowing his blessing. He bestows his blessing on the earth. Look how often you and I reject it. and yet he still does it.

So in your attitude, you have the ability to imitate God. And that is a profoundly spiritual thing, and that bestows an incredible blessing. That is a sign of profound spiritual maturity. Amen. Well, profound wisdom per usual, Father. I think it's time we have to end with a dad joke.

So can I have a special indulgence or dispensation to do a dad joke? I can give indulgences and dispensations. So can I have? The answer is yes, I have the ability. May I have is a different thing. May I have either one or both? That denotes permission.

So if you're making the request, the proper way to make that request is say, may I have? So, well, yes, you may have. I give you leave to make your dad joke. Okay, I'll do two now since you insulted my grammar. One, how does Moses make coffee? He bruise it.

Well done. Good job. Father got one. There we go. I have the grace of holy orders. I have the grace of holy orders. I can't take that. And what is the name of my biblical dentistry practice?

I don't know. Casting crowns. Oh, gee. Okay. All right. God bless it. Well, Father, thank you so much for joining us, folks. Thank you for listening.

And stay demon free and we'll talk to you soon. Thanks again, folks for listening and supporting us. We love all of you. God bless you all. Father, any parting words? Yeah, so may Almighty God be with everyone. Please pray for Stacey, pray for Henry, who are both battling cancer, pray for the sick. We love you all.

We love your presence here. We're truly grateful for it. If you haven't purchased a copy of my book, The Exorcist Files, please do. like I said, it's on sale on Amazon. And please leave a review. I'd be so grateful if you would. And may Almighty God bless you, your family members, and all those whom you love,

the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. And we'll keep you posted on the Exorcist Files coloring book, right, Father? You bet. Exercise within the lines. We'll talk to you soon.