EXORCISM OF APRIL 5, 1978
Exorcist: Father Ernest Fischer, retired missionary, Gossau (Saint-Gall, Switzerland.)
Demon: Verdi-Garandieu, a human demon.
Thousands of priests are living outside the state of grace, and they no longer say their breviary - just as I myself used to act. If only, at the very least, I had called on my Guardian Angel[34] to help me; but no, I rejected every means which would have allowed me to pull myself together, and in following this way of life, I indeed neglected to teach the young people, and yet I was not nearly as bad as what is happening today with the priests and the young people. This warning should be a. light for the priests who are on the way to perdition.
Formerly there were still many priests who were watchful, for their own sanctification, but today they have adopted the wide road that is, at the same time, the road to perdition. If prayers are not said for them, if penitential souls do not rise to their defense and to obtain graces for them, they are lost. That seems incredible, it is tragic, but I am obliged to tell it the way it is.
It is all the more tragic because our God is not a God who resembles a “sugar daddy”. He has created laws; these laws are eternal. They must be obeyed, and the faithful should not listen to those in the clergy who advocate change, because it is not the clergy who fix the laws, but the Lord, and His laws remain in force eternally. It is not for nothing that the Lord caused it to be noted in the Gospel that it is better to enter the Kingdom of Heaven blind in one eye, then to have both eyes in Hell.[35]
It is indeed through his sight that the priest of our times is becoming more and more lost. These days. the priests do not mortify their gaze sufficiently. They receive into their hearts far too many images that are constraints on their interior life. This begins with television, and continues on in the activities of the parish where women are now numerous. Formerly the women in the church used to have their heads covered. In our times, that isn't done any more. Then why turn the altar to face the people? I, Verdi-Garandieu, used to say Mass with my back turned to the people, and even then I was still seduced by women; today's priests with Mass said turned towards the people, have more temptations than ever.
It is not for nothing that the Lord, in the Gospel, has said that it is better to enter (into the Kingdom) blind in one eye, or with only one hand, or only one foot, than to enter the terrible torment of Hell with both eyes, both hands and both feet. Could the priests believe that the Gospel has lost its value today, and they can change it about to suit their taste? Could they believe that the Lord Jesus spoke only for the men in whose presence He gave His message? In His time, they used to wear long robes.[36]
It doesn't occur to the priests that perhaps He might have been speaking more for the people of our age, where perdition is being spread more and more through technical means, and where no one is capable of stopping what is happening. It is a burning furnace of perdition that cannot be extinguished by the rain of efforts, to which a certain number of good priests who are struggling here and there, feel themselves compelled.
The Lord always addresses Himself to the freedom of each individual. Besides, the Bible is there, the Gospel in particular; and also all THE MESSAGES WHICH CONSTANTLY RECALL THE DIRECTIVES WHICH HAVE BEEN DETERMINED BY THE LORD. If people refuse to listen to them, Heaven can do nothing about it, especially if people are amusing themselves by adapting the Gospel to their own taste.
If all these mercies are thrown to the wind, what can Heaven do about it? How will grace be able to act if holy books are no longer read, or books about the Saints, for example the life of Catherine Emmerich, or that of the Cure of Ars, or even that of Padre Pio who has given a great example to our times. Each of these Saints feels the same love for the same sacrifice, in the same self-denials, through love of others. The penance of these Saints has been acceptable to the Most High.
He would be just as prepared to accept still more reparations, still more sacrifices, made for the conversion of souls. The Good God would often love people to be capable of saying to Him: “I accept the sufferings You will send me. Give me the grace to bear them for the conversion of this one or that one.” But on the whole, it must be said that when the Lord sends Sufferings, very often the Christians reject them with horror and with all their strength. Man too often does his best to avoid suffering. It should be up to the priests to live according to this way of seeing things and to preach it to the faithful.
All those who reject suffering and seek only to eliminate it are not living in conformity with the first commandment of God. The best way to conform to the Will of God is to say: “Not my will, but Thine be done!”[37] This uniting oneself to the Agony of Christ would be the best way of honoring the love of God. If suffering was united with acceptance of the Will of God, it would take on a very great value.[38]
Excruciating as certain sufferings may be, by uniting them with those of Christ, they would be the means both of sanctification and of reparation for the sins of others. I am thinking of all the sufferings which are sometimes inherent in the state of marriage and how they are rejected in the hope that one day, perhaps, one will be able to separate from one's partner, and yet, if they are borne, these sufferings would accomplish great reparations. Thousands and thousands of people would be able to suffer thinking of others and these sufferings offered up would not be in vain.
All that is completely forgotten in your Catholic Church of today. Very rarely is it mentioned from the pulpit, and that applies everywhere. The imitation of Jesus Christ and the solicitude for the salvation of one's neighbor are the things that are important. The rest is secondary, and this is what “Love you neighbor as yourself[39] is all about.
If Christ were to come back into your midst, there would be thousands and thousands of people who would again look on Him as a revolutionary and a madman. All those who are pledged to following Christ today are looked upon as fools. Instead of raising themselves up to the heights, people are going down to the depths, and so many priests are no longer preaching these truths because they are for them a vivid reproach, because they are no longer living by them. If they themselves were to practice virtue, they would be able to ask much more from the people. How can I think that others might want what I do not want myself?
It is a truly tragic state of affairs in which you are living now in the Catholic Church. That applies from the priests right to the cardinals in Rome. If the priests were to live like Christ and the Apostles, they would be leading souls along a much better-lit and much safer road. As Saint John the Baptist and Jesus preached in their time, they must be converted and do penance.
So many priests nowadays are fighting against effort and good because they themselves have turned in the direction of evil. They are already on the broad highway which leads to the abyss. This is what the priests should be told straight to the face, but in a manner which respects the ways of psychology and which indicates that one is only concerned about their well-being. It is not a question of telling them that they are bad, but of MAKING USE OF PSYCHOLOGY,[40] to bring them to the point of coming back (to where they should be).
It is necessary to ask questions in their presence, at all events very discreetly, to find out whether they have stopped praying or not, and to bring them to the understanding that the things of God become clear only through prayer, just as solicitude for the salvation of souls. As for those who are more capable of accepting criticism, one could make use of that with regard to them, and, perhaps, thanks to God, bring them back again. Natures are different. It is necessary to adapt oneself according to what one is faced with, in the same way that Padre Pio used to do.
Some among the priests are perhaps victims of ignorance, but the majority know very well into what a state of deficiency they have fallen; reminding them of their vocation could perhaps be a way of bringing them back onto the straight road and to the Lord. All, without exception, would lead the souls they have to be concerned with, much better, if they were to enter onto the road of self-denial[41] It is very, very true that I would prefer to remain silent, except that Those from On High (he points upward) are ordering me to reveal and to recall to mind, although I am in Hell, into which I never thought I would fall.
What sufferings I would undergo, on my knees, for the defense of my flock, if I could come back on earth! I would accept even martyrdom to save my flock, and several times even. I would accept it voluntarily and with the greatest devoutness, if this were the Will of Those from On High (he points upward). My main goal would be first of all to carry out the first commandment, and to seek means of honoring it and making myself worthy of this commandment. I would ask the Good God to enlighten me about His Will concerning me.
There is a principle that says that, when in doubt, one should choose the way that costs the most.[42] Are the priests and the faithful giving any thought to this principle? It is only a proverb. God did not say it, but it is quite suitable to the situation. Thousands of priests are on the road to perdition because they have chosen the easiest road. Yes, they choose the way of least resistance. This manner of action is not what is pleasing in the eyes of God.
It is necessary to know, paying heed to the Apostle Saint Paul, how to distinguish between the possible solutions, and to choose the best. It is essential to pray to the Holy Spirit, as Beelzebub, Judas and all the other demons have already said, before me. Everyone must strive to recognize his true vocation, because THE LORD HAS A PRECISE PLAN FOR EACH PERSON. Already highly regarded before the Lord, because of his priestly state, the priest should also present himself before men with a great authority.
He must draw near men and make himself esteemed among them because he is truly following the way about which he speaks, which is in line with his vocation.
The faithful need to see before them someone who gives them example, and not someone who leads them to perdition, or who, at all events, in spite of the fact that he is a priest, lives the way of perdition. There should be a great distance between a priest and a layman. The Most High has always wanted that, because THE PRIEST IS A TREASURE-HOUSE OF BLESSINGS. The priest ought to make people think of this High Priest Who is Jesus Christ, and for this reason, should draw to himself the respect of the faithful. Throughout his life he must remember untiringly, what a great majesty the Divinity represents, and he must believe that we have the duty to adore It and to live It as It commands.
It is something which should be taught from earliest years. Children, even the very young, must be led into the churches in such a way that, when passing in front of the Tabernacle, they get into the habit of genuflecting with the greatest devotion; they must be helped to adore the Most Blessed Sacrament, by saying prayers such as this one: “Praised and adored be the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.” The children should then be invited to invoke the Holy Angels so that they can help them to praise the Divine Majesty and the grandeur of the Most Holy Trinity in the highest heavens.
What does a Church stand for which is no longer capable of raising hearts towards the Most Holy Trinity? What does a Church stand for which no longer presents God as being above men in every way, which no longer points out the sublimity of the Most Holy Trinity, which no longer recalls that it is absolutely essential to be pleasing to the Almighty in Heaven? If the priests don't do this any more, at least the parents should be doing it as far as their own children are concerned. One must never cease making it known that God must be adored, even if all around one, the state of souls is very bad and very distressing.
It should be known that, when suffering is accepted, it is necessary to thank God for the triumph which He will know how to extract for us from this difficulty. The Lord should be thanked on one's knees, for the sufferings that He sends to us in order to make us better and to lead us on the way of virtue. THOSE WHO FLEE FROM DIFFICULTIES AND SUFFERINGS ARE DOOMED TO LOSE VIRTUE. In past centuries, there were always priests who were at the heights of their vocation. But, in our times too, there are some who are living the same way, in very humble circumstances; because they carry the peace of the Lord in their hearts, they surpass everyone on earth.:'' What use is it if a man gains the universe, but ends up losing his soul?”[43] I, Verdi-Garandieu, have to say that our era is very badly enlightened on this subject. It is in an age, where there is no love of neighbor, that the Church has set about preaching the love of neighbor, exclusively. The true love of neighbor begins with concern for his soul, and not with concern for his body. Isn't it better for men to perish through plague and war and all kinds of suffering, and, by saving their souls, to acquire the glory of God?
Furthermore, men who live in luxury and earthly pleasures are in great danger of losing their souls. CHARITY OF THE MASONIC TYPE HAS THE SMELL OF DECAY. It is the perdition of so many souls because it is not truly love of neighbor, but comes from hypocrisy. If they (the priests) knew into what perdition they are making their faithful sink, they would hurry away from this kind of talk and would speak completely differently.
It is obvious that one should help others materially, especially if they are suffering much misery, but it is not the main thing. The main thing is to remain faithful to the Doctrine which one must defend, and not to sell one's soul. To practise love of neighbor is to lead the neighbor onto the straight road. Alas! Thousands of priests, directed by their bishops and cardinals, have imposed on the Church this way of living charity;[44] by doing this, they have altered the shape of this virtue in a manner, which is not at all what God determined it should be.
This is because TRUE LOVE OF NEIGHBOR IS NEVER PRESENT WITHOUT SOLICITUDE FOR THE SOUL OF THE NEIGHBOR, because making him suffer by telling him and showing him the truth, is also practicing love of neighbor. Later on, he will recognize[45] that this was, indeed, the right medicine.
The priest, from the height of the pulpit, should, in his language, make use of the stick and very determined words, because justice exists in eternity; and because Hell exists, which they never speak about any more, since they no longer believe in it. They no longer even believe in Heaven in it's supreme reality. If they did believe in it, they would not be leading thousands of people into error, people whom they should be leading towards Heaven.
What kind of priests are we up against today? I myself did not speak in my time as contemptibly as they do today. They are running towards perdition and their place in Hell is already prepared (the demon shouts this last observation). ‘
But what I am saying now, I am saying equally as much for the cardinals, the bishops, the priests, the lay people. If all these people knew the chaotic situation in which they are entangled, they would say a thousand times 'mea culpa' - a thousand times a thousand times. They would take themselves by the scruff of the neck and they would tear out these worms that are eating away their souls. They would not stop tearing these worms out in order to prevent them from spreading everywhere. They should use red-hot pincers to destroy these parasites that are working so much destruction in souls. They should immediately put into practice the first part of the commandment of love, and after that, the proper love of neighbor.
True love is not manifested only through gifts, because even with these gifts, the neighbor can still be being maintained on the road to Hell. That is what I have been obliged to say, and that is what explains why, for such a long time, I refused to say my name. But Those from On High (he points upward) have forced me to speak, because I have lived this destiny myself; because I myself did not carry out my priesthood as I should have.
The difficulties of the Sixth Commandment,[46] I must say this, together with luxury,[47] have become the means of perdition for many priests. If they were to recognize this immense tragedy they would sacrifice themselves to the last drop of their blood. They would have an immense sorrow for everything which has happened, and they would go right back to square one. They would call to their rescue all the Saints and Angels, so that they could help them to find the true road again, because in the eternity of Hell the fire is continuous, and the worm eats away at your soul for ever. This immense pain, this horrible tragedy of Hell, lasts for eternity, and I, Verdi-Garandieu, am forced to say these things.”