In this coming week, as we begin by celebrating the Baptism of the Lord on Sunday, it is timely to revisit a question raised in 2014 by Monsignor Charles Pope (Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. and Morning Glory show on EWTN):
Should the Church Consider Reintroducing the Exorcism Prayers in the Rite of Baptism?
We might put it a different way: “Parents! In this secular world today, would you rather have a household in which your children had received the exorcism prayers at Baptism, or not?” Just wondering. The “old rite” is still performed, with Baptism in the Extraordinary Form, but most parents don’t know that is even a possibility, and not all priests are prepared or willing to do so. (Elsewhere on CF you will find earlier posts ranting against “Butt-Baptism,” a serious degradation of administering the Sacrament. That is not what we refer to here.)
Excerpt from Msgr. Pope’s comments on reintroducing the exorcism prayers:
“Most significant among the changes in the Rite that occurred in 1969, … was the removal of the exorcisms, four in all. And these were not mild exorcisms at all! They were weighty and imperative (i.e. commanding). The devil is really given his walking papers; he is commanded in no uncertain terms that he must depart, recognizing his sentence as having been defeated by Christ who claims this child now for His own.”
So, what might Satan conclude from the Church’s dropping the exorcisms after centuries of including them in every Baptism? Msgr. Pope’s article is short, and well worth reading in its entirety.
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As I said, I believe, when we discussed this matter last, we should diminish the exorcism prayer from rite of Baptism and incorporate them as part of the rite of Penance. Satan does not work on babies but does work on adults. Who among us is not possessed by some form of sin, even the most minute faults.
@raymondfrice, were not Adam and Eve as innocent as babes when he worked on them?
As a mother who had her child baptized in the EF, I highly encourage others to do the same. The devil shall be given no quarter, and our children need to be claimed for God and Satan driven away from them posthaste after birth!
The formula of baptism according to the Latin Rite prior to the Novus Ordo changes:
http://www.traditionalcatholicpriest.com/2013/07/18/latin-baptism-vs-new-rite-of-baptism/
OK, so this is probably a crazy question. If I am too “young” to have experienced a baptism with the exorcisms, is there any way at all to now receive the exorcisms? I realize that baptism is a one-time occurrence, but can it be “added to?”
@militia
Not necessary (if you were Baptized Catholic). The current Baptism Rite DOES contain an exorcism. The prayer is just different from the EF form. So you already have experienced an exorcism.
Prayer of Exorcism and Anointing before Baptism:
“Almighty and ever-living God, you sent your only Son into the world to cast out the power of Satan, spirit of evil, to rescue man from the kingdom of darkness, and bring him into the splendor of your kingdom of light. We pray for N./and N. Set them free from original sin, make them a temple of your glory, and send your Holy Spirit to dwell within them. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”