"What is wrong with him?" "Why does she do things like that?" These are not questions asked only about rebellious teenagers; we now hear these questions asked about people in every age and category. It is asked about politicians and doctors, police chiefs and teachers. "What is wrong", is being asked of more and more people in society than it used to be. There was a time--in the not too distant past--when the majority of citizens (at least in their public behavior) acted with civility, used "common sense", and showed respect for others. That time is long gone.
So then, "what is wrong?" In today's gospel reading we are told that Jesus healed "all who were . . . possessed with demons". In other words, there were a great number of people who were "possessed with demons". I do not give in to the modern lack of faith toward the Scriptures; if it said they were "possessed with demons" then they were (whatever that looked like or however it was experienced). It is well documented that demonic activity in the first century was at a high point. Even some pagans of the time have pointed this out (Nero Caesar himself was considered by those closest to him to be possessed). Is this what is going on today?
I have already made reference in previous posts to the fact that many exorcists have said recently that demonic activity is clearly on the rise, but that the standard idea of a "screaming and yelling demoniac" is much less common. You have to understand that the demons know that if they are recognized as such, they will be more easily exorcised. Therefore, the old adage that "the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist" applies to this situation as well. Demons are clearly active (I myself can point out that I have been called on to do quite a few minor exorcisms in the past couple of years), but they also do not want to "get caught". It appears that the well known pattern of possession (like with Anneliese Michel) is not as much their chosen method today.
This is why I will say that there are apparently people in the world today who are "functional demoniacs". I certainly cannot prove this point (since the whole idea of demons hiding means that they cannot be easily identified by more traditional means), but the enormous spread of evil in modern society makes us consider this as an option. Yes, evil does spread without the help of demons; we are sinners and we can fall into sin on our own. This is not rocket science. Yet, few would deny that the spread of grave sin over the last few decades has been at a rate that far exceeds what had come in previous centuries.
Think for example about the sexual perversions of many clergymen of late; this is not something that is merely a weakness that they struggled with--they were clearly influenced by wicked powers. Think of the quick and serious degradation of politicians--many of whom show a clear desire to promote horrendous evil, and seem to have no conscience telling them to repent. Think of the speedy acceptance of sodomy and the widespread rejection of the laws of marriage (even by Catholics!). Think of the quick and sudden spread of pagan thought and heathen practises in cultures that used to be influenced by Christian truth and morality. When these things happened in the past, it was rarely at the rate that is has been happening today.
All of this tells us that there is a demonic activity behind much of these things, and it is especially evident when you see how much hatred there is toward the Catholic faith (after all, the demons know who their greatest threat on Earth is). Yet, we do not see people behaving the way that we have heard (mostly from exorcists--but hollywood does not have it all wrong on this subject) that possessed people do. Thus, it seems that the demons have chosen (figured out how?) to influence, obsess, and possess many people and yet still have them be "fully functional" in society. This means that they can still drive a car, hold down a job, and even get elected to the US Congress!
Who are these people specifically? I am not about to make any kind of an accusation as I do not have first hand evidence to make a determination. What we do have, though, is the example of so many who do not think rationally about morality. We have the evidence of widespread approval of things that were well known (as recently as the last century) to lead to the destruction of society. We have public schools, and universities openly teaching and encouraging illogical and foolish thought.
If I am correct in this assessment, this means that you could have a functional demoniac in your workplace (hopefully, not in the Church, but that is possible as well). You could have a functional demoniac as your next door neighbor. The person who works at the grocery store could be a functional demoniac. It could also be the police officer who pulls you over for some minor infraction of the law. They will not necessarily be trying to attack you physically (like you see in the movies), but they will likely be attacking you spiritually.
I do not write this to make you fear, but to make you be on your guard. We are concerned with protecting our Churches from possible "shooters". Are we as equally concerned with protecting our hearts and minds from "functional demoniacs" who will turn our very way of thinking against the Lord and make us think that we being holy in doing so? This is what is happening in so many circles. Priests lead people astray from Catholic teaching; parents allow children to be taught by pagans; and politicians pass laws that prevent holiness and encourage wickedness. What will we do about it? It is time to "hunker down" and protect ourselves. It is time to be more discerning about what we allow to influence us (and our children). It is time to recognize the assaults of the devil. It is time to say, "no more compromise".
