Prayers for those in Spiritual Affliction
Bishop Julian Porteous
ISBN 9781860827921
eISBN 9781784692834
ASIN B07214F5L1
CTS Booklet D750
I have read over 80 books and booklets that are part of the CTS Prayers & Devotions Series. Some of the earlier ones are just mark CTS Devotions, but more recent ones have both Prayers and Devotions listed as the series name. This series has spanned decades. It has had books come in and out of print. This volume was published in the 2012 and the eBook was released in 2017Over the last several years I have fallen in love with the books and booklets from the Catholic Truth Society. As of the reading of this volume I have read over 430 volumes. And still have almost 200 on my ‘wishlist’. But back to the volume at hand.
The description of this volume states:
“This booklet brings together prayers for deliverance, St Patrick’s breastplate, the prayers of Pope Leo XIII, and others, offering a real weapon for the spiritual battle we are all called to fight.
In his introduction to this special collection of prayers, Bishop Julian Porteous of Sydney shows that all sins give the devil a chance and that although he is a defeated enemy, there are many ways in which he can gain a damaging foothold in people's lives. This booklet draws on the Church's vast treasury, bringing together prayers for deliverance, St Patrick's breastplate, the prayers of Pope Leo XIII, and many others. It offers a real weapon for the spiritual battle we are all called to fight.”
The chapters in the book are:
Introduction
Renewal of Baptismal Promises
The Lord’s Prayer
The Psalms
Texts from the Gospels
Anima Christi
Prayers invoking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Prayer of Pope Leo XIII
Prayer to St Michael the Archangel
Guardian Angel Prayer
Prayer against Every Evil
Prayer for Inner Healing
Prayer for Deliverance
A Personal Prayer
Prayer for Protection and Deliverance
Prayer for Protection of Family
Prayer of Blessing for Buildings
Putting on the Armour of God
St Patrick’s Breastplate
Litany of the Most Precious Blood
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Litany of the Saints
I highlighted a few of passages while working through this volume, some of them are:
“The booklet draws on the spiritual tradition of the Church in offering a variety of prayers. Different prayers will be suited for different needs and situations.”
“Points of entry for the power of evil to gain influence over our lives can be from such experiences as trauma or an area where we have been wounded. It can be due to habitual sin of a serious kind where a person has begun to lose control over behaviour. It can be the result of involvement in the occult where a person seeking power through other than divine influences allows demonic entry. Or it can have an origin in past generations where there have been sinful patterns or curses from our ancestry.”
“Then too, increased interest these days in other religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, or various pagan religions can lead people outside the protection of the Christian faith. The adopting of various practices emerging from these non-Christian sources–like Yoga and Reiki–is fraught with danger. Even a Christian delving into these practices can be spiritually affected without realising it.”
“Dabbling in the occult, which is quite widespread, is a more immediate opportunity for demonic activity. Any form of divinisation–séances, fortune telling, Ouija boards, tarot cards–is a sin against faith and invites in evil spirits. Even “white magic”–Wicca, for instance–sought as a source of healing can lead to deception and the influence of demons.”
“The general rise of interest in the New Age has become a significant source for people coming under the influence of the powers of darkness. Even what may appear innocuous can become the doorway to entry into a dark and dangerous world.”
“Finally, mention needs to be made of specific engagement with satanic rites. There are indications that there is a rise in this sort of activity and a morbid fascination with dark rituals. This, of course, is a most dangerous activity and will have deep and lasting consequences.”
“The Christian still must contend daily with temptation to sin. The Church has traditionally urged every believer to live in Christ and use prayer, fasting and the sacramental life-particularly the Rite of Penance-as ordinary means to resist temptation and grow in holiness.”
“May this booklet be a source of spiritual comfort and a means of obtaining grace and protection from God.”
“Fr Gabriel Amorth, exorcist of the Diocese of Rome, in his book, “An exorcist tells his story,” offers a number of prayers of deliverance suitable for lay people to use. The Prayer against Every Evil, Prayer for Inner Healing and Prayer for Deliverance are included here. These prayers can be recommended to lay people experiencing evil spirits, or can be adapted by priests to pray with such people.”
Many of the prayers in this volume I was familiar with. Some were new to me, especially those by Father Gabriel Amorth. This final quote I share really hit home for me.
“Some people can come under the influence of the powers of evil in more explicit ways. Some find themselves caught in forms of oppression. If we describe temptation as an inclination coming from without, oppression is something whereby a person senses that they are in the grip of forces that are quite overwhelming. This is the case where we experience a very strong drive to do something that we know is damaging to ourselves or to others. It can be drug taking, binge drinking, gambling, stealing or pornography. This is the area of addictions. A person here senses the power of an attraction to do something that is damaging to themselves and which is quite overwhelming. There is the feeling that the addiction is too strong to resist. Our freedom to decide is diminished. This attraction is oppressive. We can find that giving in to the craving only makes it more difficult to resist next time. We can find that we have become trapped. This is the lot of the drug addict, the alcoholic, the gambler.”
At the beginning of the pandemic I lost a brother through addiction. Since then I have discovered Matt Talbot, and pray a few prayers to him daily, but The above paragraph and some of the prayers regarding addiction were especially impactful. My other surviving brother and I have talked about the long history of addiction in our family. He is addicted to board games and I am addicted to books, which is better than alcohol or other substances but still an addiction.
I have worked through this volume once and will keep it on my bedside table I have a small collection of prayer books there. It is an excellent volume. I can easily recommend this volume it would be a great addition to any school, home, or church. Another excellent prayer book from the CTS.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.
For reviews of other books in the CTS Prayers & Devotions series click here.
Books by Julian Porteous:
A New Wine & Fresh Wineskins
After the Heart of God
Become What You Are
Becoming Missionary Disciples
Foundations: Preparing the Church in Australia for the Plenary Council and Beyond
Life of Fr John Gerard
New Evangelisation: Developing Evangelical Preaching
New Evangelisation: Pastoral Strategy for the Church at the Beginning of the Third Millennium
Saint Brendan's A Journey - The Story of an Australian Catholic Parish 1898-1998
Streams of Grace: Spiritual Movements That Shaped the Church
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