Church Magic - a method to influence the supernatural

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AS A METHOD TO INFLUENCE THE SUPERNATURAL

Sincere souls rub the feet of Peter's statue (note his 'keys') in St. Peter's, Rome, August 2005.

The anger of God expressed against Israel's worship of other gods in our Old Testament does not represent His jealousy as though He competed for attention. The Bible teaches us that worship of gods other than the Creator of all derives essentially from an attempt to manipulate the power of God, the supernatural, through various rituals and ceremonies rather than trustfully submit to His revealed character. (Romans 1:18-21)

'Christian'

use of magic is common to this human manipulative tendency and derives from pagan belief that a supernatural force can be used or manipulated, or the services of a god may be employed, by means of special ritual. Magic in church practice as derived from this involves the attributing of supernatural influence to certain objects, words, gestures and actions.

Catholic practice in this regard has varied according to the society in which that church functions. The following is based on Roman Catholic practice in England during the time in which it dominated that society.

Eamon

Duffy (Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge) writes –

'They [Prayer Primers] therefore pose in an acute form the question of the relation between orthodox Christianity and magic in the religion of the late medieval laity. It is my contention this ...can best be understood in the context of official liturgy, from which it borrowed most of its rhetoric and ritual strategies: in this perspective it represents not superstition ...but lay Christianity.' (1992, p.8).

Note: This so-called 'lay Christianity' was developed over the years under the influence of the Clergy.

The

need for magic went beyond this present world. Although Dante's Purgatory made it an antechamber of Heaven staffed by angels, among the common people it was certainly not so!

Purgatory was rather an out-patient department of Hell, according to St. Thomas More, staffed by –

'cruell damned spirites, odious, envious and hateful, despitous enemies' (Workes, pp.337-8).

A place, according to St. John Fisher (c.1510 AD), which is –

'so great acerbite of paynes that no dyfference is betweene the paynes of hell, but only eternyte, the paynes of helle be eternall, and the paynes of purgatory have an ende'. (English Works, p.10).

escape or shorten this frightful fate then, much effort and expenditure poured into the hands of the Clergy, from out of which extortion most of the great cathedrals of Europe were built.

CONTINUING UNDER CONSTRUCTION

– Some Feasts of the Church Year

St Nicholas' Day
6 December

Date of death of the pastor of the church in Myra, Lycia, upon whose reputation the Father Christmas myth eventually developed.

Epiphany

Candlemas
2 February

The 'Purification of Virgin Mary' or 'Presentation of Infant Jesus'

Candles carried, to represent infant Jesus ('Light of the world') being brought to the Temple, are specially blessed and regarded as therefore having special powers to ward off evil (apotropaic properties). (See 4 below).

Annunciation

Holy Week
From Palm Sunday
to Easter Day

Palm Sunday:

Wednesday:

Maundy Thursday:

Good Friday:

Easter Sunday

Ascension

Pentecost

Trinity

Assumption

Nativity of Mary

– Initiations

Baptism

Confirmation

Wedding

– Incantations and Gestures

The Holy Name

Sign of the Cross

With two fingers, one bent (Russian Orthodox), or with three fingers (Roman), as a 'life-giving symbol' and to repel evil.

– Charms and Objects of Influence

Silver Penny

Bending a silver coin constituted a promise to a (deceased) saint to obtain help in return. This pledged the coin. It was an 'earnest penny' – a cash payment to strike a deal with the saint.

Salt & Water

Hallowed by the Holy Name and Sign of the Cross –
Salt and Water:

'salvation of the body and soul to all who take of you ...wherever you are sprinkled,
let every delusion and wickedness, and every craftiness of devilish cunning,
scatter and depart when called upon.'

It thus gives 'effectual power' to cast out demons and drive away disease –

per invocationem sancti tui nominis.

BUT Important Note:

•	God's power cannot be detached from His person;
•	God is spirit (non-material) and as the Creator of all things, He cannot become a property/quality of any created thing;
•	God cannot be manipulated by appearance or behaviour for He has always known all things about all;
•	God responds positively only because of His mercy in the atonement of Jesus Christ.

See: Animist Deception in Christ's Church Today