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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Making Sure The Door Is Closed	Stephen	Thursday, June 15, 2017
Question: Dear Br Ignatius - I hope you are well. I am writing to ask for some advice. I'm a convert to the Catholic Faith (formerly a protestant). I love the Lord and His Church dearly, and regularly partake of the sacraments (even though, because of health issues, I rarely make it to Mass). Holy Communion is brought to me every Sunday - and a priest comes (usually on a monthly basis) to hear my confession. My question is this. Many years ago now (back in 1971 when I was a very young Christian), my mother and I created a home-made ouija board and we both played with it. It worked! It warned us to stop using it, saying it was very dangerous to continue. We stopped, and then the wine-glass started moving off the table - floated in mid-air across the room - and dropped to the ground and shattered. Both mother and I were scared and we stopped. We destroyed the letters of the alphabet and numbers written on cards, and we sincerely repented. However, the cards re-appeared - intact! Once again, I destroyed them (this time, by burning them). They have never returned. You need to know that when mother and I used the ouija board, I was a very young Christian and had absolutely no idea (initially) that such an involvement was gravely sinful. Quite a few years later, I realised how grave it was, and again I sincerely repented and renounced any involvement. Now that I am Catholic, there is the Sacrament of Reconciliation! I think I may have confessed my involvement with the ouija board in the sacrament, but I am unsure. What should I do? I still have a fascination with preternatural horror films particularly involving possession - and the ouija board - but I have not succumbed, praise God! Should I go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation again and confess this involvement (even though it's going over in ink what's already been done in pencil, so to speak)? And also ask for some sort of deliverance prayer? This way, we can make sure the door/portal is definitely and irrevocably closed. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt I am not demon possessed - having done what I did without knowing the gravity of the act means I haven't sinned mortally. However, to be on the safe side, it's a good idea to bring this up again in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and with the deliverance prayer, to be assured I am totally free from any ill-effect. Do you agree?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD Dear Stephen: Thank you for your questions. Occult or cursed items are best destroyed by burning them if the item is burnable. If not, then to destroy the item by other means, if possible, so that it no longer resembles what it was. This also requires prayers and blessing the item with Holy Water. We have online a Procedure Destroy Occultis and Cursed Objects. (pdf) In the future, and all readers, refer to that document whenever the need arises. When the priest absolves you for a good confession, all forgotten sins are forgiven too. But, since you have had a problem with this, and are still fascinated by it, I personally, would specifically mention the sin at my next Confession. This is not to be on the "safe side" as I know that the Sacrament has already absolved it, but to help in the psychological sense and to help to break a bondage, which you still seem to have (via the fascination). I highly advise you to stop watching all TV shows, movies, preternatural horror films, videos, books, games, etc. that deal with the occult, ghosts, ghost investigation, the preternatural, possession, or anything else of this natural. I tell my clients that for them watch such media can be like an alcoholic frequenting a bar. It is the near occasion of sin, which we are also to avoid in addition to sin, and it is an opportunity for demons to attach themselves to you. Thus, you need to exercise self-discipline and stop watching such media, for the sake of the health of your soul. I also highly advise you to go through the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance, linked below, and use the Prayer Catalog, also linked below. This will help ensure that there are no bondages, attachments, or hooks in your life that demons can use as an excuse to hang on to you. In the Prayer Catalog, you do need to specifically pray the Renunciation of Ancestral Sins. We all need to do this as none of us know what ancestors or current family members may have done to attract the devil to the family, to put the family on the devil's radar. In your case, your mother is culpable for the Ouija board incident. (She needs to follow all this advice too) You should be okay by doing these things. If, you find a current problem, you can always ask for a consultation or a Help Request for full deliverance counseling. See the links below. We will be praying for you. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Making Sure The Door Is Closed

Stephen

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Question:

Dear Br Ignatius - I hope you are well. I am writing to ask for some advice. I'm a convert to the Catholic Faith (formerly a protestant). I love the Lord and His Church dearly, and regularly partake of the sacraments (even though, because of health issues, I rarely make it to Mass). Holy Communion is brought to me every Sunday - and a priest comes (usually on a monthly basis) to hear my confession.

My question is this. Many years ago now (back in 1971 when I was a very young Christian), my mother and I created a home-made ouija board and we both played with it. It worked! It warned us to stop using it, saying it was very dangerous to continue. We stopped, and then the wine-glass started moving off the table - floated in mid-air across the room - and dropped to the ground and shattered. Both mother and I were scared and we stopped. We destroyed the letters of the alphabet and numbers written on cards, and we sincerely repented.

However, the cards re-appeared - intact! Once again, I destroyed them (this time, by burning them). They have never returned. You need to know that when mother and I used the ouija board, I was a very young Christian and had absolutely no idea (initially) that such an involvement was gravely sinful. Quite a few years later, I realised how grave it was, and again I sincerely repented and renounced any involvement.

Now that I am Catholic, there is the Sacrament of Reconciliation! I think I may have confessed my involvement with the ouija board in the sacrament, but I am unsure. What should I do?

I still have a fascination with preternatural horror films particularly involving possession - and the ouija board - but I have not succumbed, praise God! Should I go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation again and confess this involvement (even though it's going over in ink what's already been done in pencil, so to speak)?

And also ask for some sort of deliverance prayer? This way, we can make sure the door/portal is definitely and irrevocably closed. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt I am not demon possessed - having done what I did without knowing the gravity of the act means I haven't sinned mortally. However, to be on the safe side, it's a good idea to bring this up again in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and with the deliverance prayer, to be assured I am totally free from any ill-effect. Do you agree?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), LTh, DD

Dear Stephen:

Thank you for your questions.

Occult or cursed items are best destroyed by burning them if the item is burnable. If not, then to destroy the item by other means, if possible, so that it no longer resembles what it was. This also requires prayers and blessing the item with Holy Water. We have online a Procedure Destroy Occultis and Cursed Objects. (pdf) In the future, and all readers, refer to that document whenever the need arises.

When the priest absolves you for a good confession, all forgotten sins are forgiven too. But, since you have had a problem with this, and are still fascinated by it, I personally, would specifically mention the sin at my next Confession. This is not to be on the "safe side" as I know that the Sacrament has already absolved it, but to help in the psychological sense and to help to break a bondage, which you still seem to have (via the fascination).

I highly advise you to stop watching all TV shows, movies, preternatural horror films, videos, books, games, etc. that deal with the occult, ghosts, ghost investigation, the preternatural, possession, or anything else of this natural.

I tell my clients that for them watch such media can be like an alcoholic frequenting a bar. It is the near occasion of sin, which we are also to avoid in addition to sin, and it is an opportunity for demons to attach themselves to you. Thus, you need to exercise self-discipline and stop watching such media, for the sake of the health of your soul.

I also highly advise you to go through the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance, linked below, and use the Prayer Catalog, also linked below. This will help ensure that there are no bondages, attachments, or hooks in your life that demons can use as an excuse to hang on to you.

In the Prayer Catalog, you do need to specifically pray the Renunciation of Ancestral Sins. We all need to do this as none of us know what ancestors or current family members may have done to attract the devil to the family, to put the family on the devil's radar. In your case, your mother is culpable for the Ouija board incident. (She needs to follow all this advice too)

You should be okay by doing these things.

If, you find a current problem, you can always ask for a consultation or a Help Request for full deliverance counseling. See the links below.

We will be praying for you.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.