Article — Marc, Institutiones Morales
ARTICLE II: On Adjuration
- DEFINITION. Adjuration is an entreaty under invocation of God, or of sacred things, or of the Saints, for inducing someone, by asking or by commanding, to do or omit something (III, 193, App., n. 1).
It differs a) from prayer, which is petition to God, while here something is asked from another through God; b) from oath, because God is invoked not as witness, but because he is to be revered and feared.
DIVISION. Adjuration is distinguished: 1. By reason of authority, it is solemn or private, according as it is done either by the ministers and modes instituted by the Church, or
without solemnities of this sort. 2. By reason of manner, it is deprecative or imperative, according as it is done by prayers or by command. Sometimes it is deprecative and imperative at the same time.
- PRINCIPLES. I. For licit adjuration three things are required: truth, justice, and judgment. 1. TRUTH, that is, that the one adjuring truly intend to attain what he asks, and that the cause on account of which he asks be true. But the lack of this truth will rarely be more than venial fault, as if a feigned poor man asks alms by God. 2. JUSTICE, from the lack of which he certainly sins gravely who asks a gravely evil thing; indeed, according to the more probable opinion, he sins gravely who asks a thing only lightly evil, because it seems a sufficiently grave irreverence to induce another to an evil thing by the help of divine authority. 3. JUDGMENT, that is, due discretion, the lack of which certainly is only venial (III, 193, 2).
- II. The direct object of adjuration is every intellectual being; the indirect object is also an irrational creature. 1. God is adjured only deprecatively, either by himself, by his goodness, mercy, etc.; or by the merits of Christ; or by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints, whose merits we exhibit to him. 2. The Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels, and the Saints of God are also adjured deprecatively when we beseech them to help us on account of God. 3. Men who are wayfarers are adjured, whether deprecatively, for instance if a subject adjures a Superior, a friend adjures a friend, that by the love of God, or of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or of some Saint, they furnish something, thus St. Paul, II Cor., 10, 1; or imperatively, when the one adjuring has some power over the one adjured.
We can likewise adjure demons, but only imperatively, namely by repelling and restraining them through the power of the divine name, lest they harm us spiritually or corporally. This adjuration comes under the name of EXORCISM (Muller, l. II, § 62).
We adjure irrational creatures indirectly, by adjuring either God, that their use may help us, or demons, that through them they cease to harm. In these ways water, salt, a new house, locusts, clouds, tempest, etc., are commonly exorcised (III, 193, 3).
- III. Adjuration does not induce an obligation of furnishing what is asked. The reason is that it has not been instituted except for exciting in the one adjured fear or love of the divine name, by which he may be moved to furnish what is asked (Noldin, n. 239).
On the Rules of Exorcism
- I. SOLEMN adjuration against a demon can be done by the ministers of the Church alone, and not without the permission of the Bishop. The Bishop can permit it even in doubt concerning diabolical possession, provided a grave cause is present, all scandal is guarded against, and the matter does not redound to contempt of the Church. Concerning the mode of proceeding, see the Roman Ritual, and St. Alph., l. III, 193, App. See also the formula issued by command of the Supreme Pontiff Leo XIII on Jan. 17, 1902 (App. Rit. Rom.).
We note only two things here: 1. Exorcism is to be employed only for removing harms and the vexation of the possessed person. The demon can be questioned only about those things which conduce to his expulsion, for example about the time and cause of possession. Hence he would sin gravely who should have many useless conversations with the possessing demon; but venially, if he should ask one or another curious question in an imperative mode. 2. Exorcisms obtain an infallible effect, and as if from the work worked. But if they do not always obtain the perfect effect, they obtain at least an imperfect effect, namely by weakening the powers of demons (III, 193, end).
II. PRIVATE adjuration of a demon is licit to all, and especially to ministers of the Church; nor is the special permission of the Bishop required for it. - As regards the FORMULA of exorcism, behold what kind St. Alphonsus advises to be recited (Prax. Conf., n. 113) over those whom the demon harasses with extraordinary temptations: I, as a minister of God, command thee, or you, unclean spirits, that ye depart from this creature of God. - The venerable Servant of God Vincent Pallotti used even private exorcism when he noticed that penitents were not sorry for sins, or were concealing some sin; and he also commended its use to confessors, adding that exorcism is to be employed with great confidence and humility (Muller, § 62, n. 5).
As regards the SIGNS of true possession, cf. Rit. Rom., tit. X. They are: to speak an unknown tongue in many words, or to understand one speaking; to disclose distant and hidden things; to show strength above the nature of age or condition; and other things of that kind, which, when very many concur, are greater indications.