SHOULD A LAY WOMAN LEAD A PRIEST DURING AN EXORCISM?
In Catholic practice, during a solemn exorcism or a minor exorcism, the exorcist—who is a Catholic Priest with specialized training—guides the proceedings. Laypeople, including women, are generally asked to observe quietly and to cooperate as instructed.
It is not appropriate for a laywoman or any layperson to tell the exorcist what to do during the rite. The exorcist's actions are guided by Church regulations, the Code of Canon Law, and the specific instructions given in the Rite of Exorcism. This process requires reverence, discipline, and adherence to the priest's authority. He is the only one who should be speaking audibly. If a layperson has concerns or observations, they should respectfully communicate these to the Priest or supervising church authority before or after the exorcism, not during the actual prayer session. During the deliverance or solemn exorcism, the proper role of laypeople is to pray silently, support spiritually, and follow the instructions given by the priest.
In summary:
· During a solemn exorcism or a deliverance session, the priest leads and performs the rite.
· Laypeople should remain respectful, quiet, and cooperative.
· They should not attempt to direct or influence the exorcist during the ritual.
· Concerns or questions are best addressed outside the rite with church authority.
This approach helps maintain the solemnity, order, and spiritual integrity of the ritual.
God’s Word actually say’s that woman should not speak in Church or exercise authority over another man (especially a Catholic Priest). A woman praying over a man, (not her husband or children) violates Gods authority structure. Many charismatic woman believe they have the authority to pray over another man, they don’t.
*1 Timothy 2:12-14 “I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent. [13] For Adam was formed first, then Eve; [14] and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.”
*1 Corinthians 14:34-36 (RSV) “the women should keep silence in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as even the law says. [35] If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. [36] What! Did the word of God originate with you, or are you the only ones it has reached?
(The Devil’s role in the Spiritual Life by Fr Cliff Ermatinger, Exorcist, p.8).
Q: I have run across some charismatics that believe they have a gift that allows them information into another person life, they will say “the Spirit told me this about you.” Is it possible they are mislead?
A: The devil can lead a person into thinking he has a grasp of other people’s inner lives, their consciences, faults, etc. in an attempt to get these advanced people to fall into calumny, sinful thought and speech so that a multitude of sins be committed through such accusations. John of the Cross tells us also that Satan is the master of private revelations. These usually take the form of ‘locutions’. In this kind of revelation the devil may meddle freely. For, as revelations of this nature come ordinarily through words, figures, and similitudes, etc., the devil may very readily counterfeit others like them, much more so than when the revelations are in spirit alone. By way of a series of ‘locutions,’ the devil not only nudges the will to such point that it begins to desire such interior movements, but he can bring about a sort of fervor born of disordered self love… The devil manages to cause spiritual visions of a corporeal substance in the soul by way of intellectual concepts using the mind’s natural light which to see things even in their absence (ibid p.94)…the devil convinces the person that the origin of such experiences could not be anything outside of God given the attractiveness of the experience, the delight that accompanies it, and the truth of the ‘prophecies’ revealed to the person (Fr Ermatinger; ibid p.102).
Q: What are the most effective weapons of the devil?
A: The most effective weapons the devil has at his disposal are those that involve phantasms and the pleasure of the senses. Using phantasms, the devil gains influence over the soul. His worst deceits often involve phantasms and those things stored up in the memory. It is precisely there, in the interior senses, where he wreaks the greatest amount of havoc, since the other powers of the soul depend on this aspect of the mind. If the internal senses were hermetically sealed, and if the memory were able to annihilate all of its phantasms, the devil would never be able to work on the mind since he would have nothing to use against the person…if the soul is schooled in mortification and abnegation and the desire for sense pleasures has been snuffed out, neither the devil nor the world, nor the flesh have weapons enough to vanquish the power of the Holy Spirit in such a soul (ibid p.99).
Q: Can clamoring for the gifts of the Holy Spirit open one up to the diabolic?
A: The soul that opens itself up to diabolical influence by way of curiosity, desire for extraordinary things (special knowledge, charismatic gifts, etc.) makes itself easy prey to the devil’s deceptions…the devil insinuates falsehood from which a soul cannot free itself save by fleeing from all revelations and visions and locutions that are supernatural (ibid p.86).
Q: What type of Catholics are easy marks or targets for satan?
A: If well intentioned, good people can misunderstand the content of authentic public and private revelations, how much room must there be for people of mixed intentions to be led astray? Amongst these are the spiritually sensual, i.e., people who long for consolations. But also the spiritually proud, that is, those people who consider themselves specially favored by our Lord, those who long to stand out, those who are not satisfied with the ordinary path of holiness which presents enough hurdles in itself…To these people the devil will often simulate visions and other experiences so as to keep them in his service (ibid p.73-74).
Many people claim to be ‘mystics’ today, they start a podcast, claim the title of mystic and say without saying: “look at me, look at me I have a supernatural gift, listen to me.” They will convince Priest that he needs them on their exorcism or deliverance team because they have a charismatic gift of discernment or knowledge. A true mystic is someone who enjoys special union with God, generally speaking, nobody goes around calling themselves ‘mystics’ when they are alive, that title is usually given posthumously by Church authorities when their writings and lives are examined. All the mystics are saints or venerable’s. Examples of some Catholics who have been called ‘mystics’ posthumously are:
St. Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)
Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
St. John of the Cross (Juan de Yepes) (1542-1591)
Venerable Luis de Lapuente (1554-1624)
St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690)
Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824)
Saint Catherine Labouré (1806-1876)
Saint Faustina (1905-1938)
Saint Pio - Padre Pio (1887-1968)
Saint John Paul II (1920-2005)
Alot of these self-proclaimed mystics mix a lot of truth with their own opinions and conjecture, that is where it gets dicey and dangerous.
Many of our modern charismatic mystics fall into a form of Gnosticism called “ILLUMINISM”. It is a Christian heresy as one who believes in one’s own divine enlightenment, with a sense of mission to enlighten others, contrary to the express teachings of the Church’s magisterium – (Pocket Catholic Dictionary by Fr John A. Hardon S.J. p186.).
Lastly, when we have weak and corrupt leadership, many Catholics start looking for signs and wonders and mystics, they begin following alleged apparitions & listening more to private revelations and mystics because of there is a lack of Shepherds who teach boldly and with moral doctrinal clarity. Weak feckless wicked Shepherds cause the sheep to search for alleged ‘mystics’ who declare they are receiving messages from God. Satan is all over this, remember demons traffic through our senses. The easiest charism that a demon can imitate are ‘(false) apparitions’ and ‘(false) locutions.’