Monday, June 24, 2013

Fr. Raymond J. Bishop, S.J. And His Diary

Many consider the 1973 "The Exorcist" the scariest movie of all time....If the mere thought of the famousflick gives you the chills, consider this: It's directly based on a true incident that happened in St. Louis. The real story that inspired the famous book and movie happened in 1949. It began in Maryland, ended in St. Louis, and involved several Jesuits from Saint Louis University. Father Raymond J. Bishop, S.J. kept a day-by-day account of the exorcism. Click here to read the diary. When Pat McGonigle's series on the history of the exorcism in St. Louis was airing last fall, he received a phone call from a woman that he can't forget. Read Pat's blog about what the woman said that still gives him chills months later.
Link (here) to KDSK channel 5 out of St. Louis to watch the video interview.

1 comment:

TonyD said...

Different people can hear different things. Some read the bible and hear "obedience". Some read the bible and hear "love". Some read the bible and hear "truth". For most, what is heard usually reflects their own beliefs more than it reflects God. Conservative people hear a conservative message, while liberal people hear a liberal message.

The bible is written for such a people. Simplified "rules" as a substitute for judgment and a substitute for an understanding of complexity. A truth made true based on the nature of those who hear the message.

As for the evil of "The Exorcist", there is a reason for such evil to exist. In the bible we get an oversimplified caricature of evil. A message at an appropriate level of hearing. So, for most reading this, feel free to ignore what I'm saying. You should think of me as "just some guy on a blog".

The more complex truth is that God is willing to use evil to his ends.

This is not a message for most people. It would be used to justify Man's using evil to his ends -- and we are not capable of emulating God's judgment.