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296 • Part II. The Sacraments: The Faith Celebrated
BLESSINGS
Among the sacramentals, blessings hold a major place. There are bless-
ings for persons, meals, objects, places, and special occasions. All bless-
ings praise God for his gifts. Most blessings invoke the Holy Trinity
as expressed in the Sign of the Cross—sometimes accompanied by the
sprinkling of holy water.
There are blessings that consecrate persons to God: leaders of reli-
gious orders or congregations, religious men and women, virgins and
widows, and others, such as readers, acolytes, and catechists. There are
blessings for vessels such as chalices or ciboria, bells, medals, rosaries,
and similar objects for religious use. The text for these and other bless-
ings may be found in the
Book of Blessings
. Making the Sign of the
Cross at the beginning and the end of each day, saying morning and
evening prayers, and offering a prayer before and after meals are among
the most common ways to invoke God’s blessing on our lives.
EXORCISMS
The Gospels report that Jesus performed exorcisms that removed a per-
son from the power of evil as personified in the fallen angels—Satan and
the devils. For example, when a man with an unclean spirit entered the
synagogue where Jesus was preaching, and the unclean spirit challenged
him, Jesus said to the demon, “Quiet! Come out of him” (Mk 1:25). The
unclean spirit convulsed the man and left him. Christ’s exorcisms were
both a compassionate act of healing as well as a sign of his power over
evil.
From Christ the Church has received the power and office of exor-
cism. At each Baptism, there is a simple form of exorcism, accompa-
nied by the renunciation of Satan and sin. Within the Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults, minor exorcisms are celebrated as we are freed
from sin and its effects. The elect receive new strength in the midst of
their spiritual journey, and they open their hearts to receive the gifts of
the Savior (cf.
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
, no. 144). A major
exorcism can only be performed by a priest with a bishop’s permission.
The priest is to act prudently and follow the Church’s rules for exor-