A Question Recently Received
Q: I was recently talking about the evils of the Ouija board and had a flashback to when I was young. I remember my sister and I were at a friend’s house and they were playing with a Ouija board. We did not play with it, but we were there.
Is it possible for us to have been affected in some way? We have a child who suffers from depression, suicidal thoughts, and hears a voice in its head. The child can’t stand to be without some device to keep their thoughts quiet. Can there be any connection? What would you recommend we do?
A Growing Danger
This is a very important topic and Catholics are rarely taught these things from the pulpit, even though their necessity has grown dramatically in the past few decades. Exorcists acknowledge that there is now much more demonic activity, that the effectiveness of the Church’s traditional prayers used in the rites of exorcism are less potent (serious exorcists won’t even consider using the new rites of exorcism and always prefer Latin), and that it takes exorcists much longer to deliver a person from demonic influence than was previously the case.
Life is Spiritual Warfare
Before addressing the specific question, it helps to review some basic principles.
Our life is a spiritual warfare. We must always be fighting against the enemies of our soul’s salvation. These enemies are traditionally listed as three: the world, the flesh, and the devil.
To combat them we must use the aids given to us by Christ and His Church. Above all, we must have a regular sacramental life: frequent confession, consistent Sunday Mass attendance (and on Holy Days of Obligation), and reverent reception of Holy Communion. We should also practice devotions to Our Lord’s Precious Blood and Sacred Heart, Our Blessed Mother, St. Michael, our Guardian Angel, St. Joseph, and all the heavenly court of angels and saints. We are to use the Church’s sacramentals (blessed crucifixes, holy water, Brown Scapular, Miraculous Medal, St. Benedict medal, exorcised salt, blessed candles, etc.).
And we are to fast and pray. A regular and disciplined life of prayer and penance is very important. Our Lord Himself said that some devils are only cast out by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:20). We should pray the Rosary every day, as well as morning and night prayers, including an examination of conscience. Five minutes of daily mental prayer will help us grow in virtue and holiness, and we can strive to increase that to 15 minutes or even 30 minutes.
As for penance, we should at the least fulfill the duties of our state in life and keep the Commandments of God. And we should strive to detach ourselves from the world (its pleasures, vanities, wealth, entertainments, values, lies, false maxims, and the like). Although there is much more to being Catholic (including the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, works of charity, almsgiving, using the gifts of the Holy Ghost, the study and handing on of the Faith, devotions of the liturgical year, and many other pious exercises too numerous to list), these are the basics for how one lives a healthy supernatural Catholic life.
As you can tell, this is not something we can “complete” and then move on, or just do occasionally. The enemies of our soul never sleep and are constantly devising ways to seduce our soul. We must constantly be vigilant, for the devil is like a prowling lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Yet the Catholic who lives such a life has little to fear from the devils.
We will always suffer temptations. God permits those so that we can grow in virtue and gain merit by resisting the temptation. Many temptations come from the world, which is why we seek to detach ourselves from it. Many temptations come from our own self – our flesh, our curiosity, our self-will, our envy, and pride. Prayer, fasting, and penance help us gain mastery over the willful self. And some temptations come from the devil. His more overt attacks are not the norm. However, they have definitely grown over time. You see this in our society as things of the occult are far more common, new age and eastern and native religions (all demonic) are seen as ‘hip,’ and our society becomes increasingly pagan.
Dangers to the Soul
Anytime we commit a mortal sin, we open the door of our soul to the devils. In what manner and to what degree he enters is governed by God. Perhaps the devils only tempt us more vigorously, but in some cases, they may also receive the power to obsesses our minds or to possess our bodies. We should also note that our own sins affect others, especially those over whom we have authority and closer contact. For example, a devil can begin to attack an entire family on account of a father committing mortal sin. And the more sin abounds within our society, the more permissions the devils receive to increase their temptations and exercise greater influence upon souls. Nevertheless, we take hope, knowing that “where sin abounded, grace did more abound” (Romans 5:20).
Demonic obsession can be likened to the devil hanging over us like a black cloud. It is often noted by depression, animosities, repulsion to holy things, and intense temptations that do not have a natural cause and seem to strike without reasonable provocation. Demonic possession – when the devil has control over some of our human faculties – is usually accompanied by preternatural effects (e.g., superhuman strength, unnatural contortions of the body, fluidity in speaking unknown languages, and other examples of unexplainable knowledge). Obsession is far more common than possession. Possession usually requires the assistance of an exorcist, whereas obsession can be effectively combated by a healthy Catholic life and the aid of some practices and resources listed below.
Opening the Door for the Devil
Now, let’s move on to the specific questions.
‘Playing’ with a Ouija board is a grave [mortal] sin. Even if one does not play with it himself, but remains present while the activity takes place, it can be mortal sin – by participation in the mortal sin of another. (We should not even use the word playing, because things involving occult matters are serious. Speaking this way actually encourages people to view them as inconsequential.)
So, yes, involvement with a Ouija board could affect a person, and yes, this in turn could even affect one’s child.
Did that happen? One has no real way of knowing. How probable is this? I’ll address that below.
A Plan of Action
If I am faced with this case, what should I do?
First and foremost, make sure to confess this in the Sacrament of Confession and make a good confession. If one has not made a General Confession in several years, one should do so. I strongly recommend that one make his confessions with a traditional Catholic priest to receive all the graces associated with the absolution and other prayers the priest prays in the traditional rite.
When one has a ‘flashback’ to a past sin, especially if it involves contrition and remorse (such as when we are acknowledging it as an evil), then it may very well be a sign from the Holy Ghost, or your Guardian Angel, that this needs to be confessed and dealt with.
Second, follow the principles above for a healthy Catholic life.
However, if your child (or anyone else in your family) is really suffering from some demonic influence, it is likely that there are other proximate causes. For example, does the child in question make good confessions? Do they have unconfessed mortal sins? What about the other members of the family living in the house? Are there occult, pagan, or new age things in your house? What kind of music, movies, and television are viewed in the home? Have persons in the home mutilated themselves (piercings, tattoos, etc.)? Is there pornography in the house? Is the 6th Commandment grievously violated by anyone in the home – for example, by self-abuse (masturbation), fornication, adultery, or any homosexual activity or homosexual sympathies (to include transgenderism)? Has anyone in your family lineage practiced freemasonry and, if so, to what degree? These are some of the questions which need to be asked and will help determine if there is a demonic issue.
Third, these first two steps should be followed by everyone in the family. That is, everyone should make a good confession, and the head of the household should encourage all to live a healthy Catholic life.
Helpful Resources and Associations
Fourth, many Catholics have had success in such matters with help from the Association of the Auxilium Christanorum. I would encourage you to read through their website. Look up their prayers and the protocol which they recommend. In nearly all cases, if there is demonic activity, then it will manifest itself when this protocol is strictly followed for thirty days. These spiritual prayers are also related to the Liber Christo method being promoted by faithful Catholics.
Finally, I would also encourage you to listen to talks by Father Chad Ripperger on this subject (Spiritual Warfare, Exorcism, Demonology, Our Lady’s Role in the Spiritual Life, Generational Spirits). Many of his talks can be found on YouTube. He published a book called Deliverance Prayers for Use by the Laity, and the prayers of the protocol – along with much additional valuable information – are in that book. It is a very good resource. You may also be interested in reading Mr. Charles Fraune’s books, Slaying Dragons and The Rise of the Occult. He spoke at one of our micro-conferences.
Live the Message of Fatima
Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not encourage you to live The Message of Fatima. An easy way to remember this is with the acronym, Roman Catholic S.O.S.
Live that healthy Roman Catholic life. Fundamentally this means avoiding mortal sin and remaining in the state of grace. Our Lady said we must cease offending God because He is already too much offended. The acronym then reminds us of the means by which we can merit many graces, but only one who is in the state of grace can gain supernatural merit.
R for Rosary
– Pray the Rosary every day with devotion.
C for Consecration.
– Consecrate yourself to the Immaculate Heart of Mary;
– Pray and sacrifice for the proper Consecration of Russia.
S for Scapular
– Be enrolled in the Brown Scapular and wear it always.
O for Offer
– Offer prayer and penance for the Catholic hierarchy and for the conversion of sinners.
S for Saturday
– Practice the First Saturday devotion of reparation every month.