["Delivery of the Keys," Pietro Perugino, 1481-1482]
The first time I spontaneously prefaced one of my exorcism prayers with: "I invoke the keys of St. Peter", I was stunned with the demonic reaction.* They clearly recognized the power of these keys and were bound by them. This should not be a surprise. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus gave the keys to St. Peter and promised that "The gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it" and "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" (Mt 16:18-19).
Throughout the Rite of Exorcism, the demons are reminded of their defeat. Some of these lines are: "Why then do you resist, knowing that Jesus brings your plans to nothing?" "Depart, therefore, Satan, depart in the name of Jesus Christ, the mighty one who cast you out by the finger of God and destroyed your kingdom." And: "Give way to Christ...for He has already stripped you of your powers and laid waste your kingdom."
I recall one moment in an intense session when the demons said, "You have no power over us; you have no faculties."** It turns out, at that time, I was being given faculties for each case. I had gotten a verbal OK from the Archdiocese so, in fact, I had faculties, but it was not in writing. I explained the situation to the Vicar General and he sent me a letter confirming it. I brought the letter into the next session. The demons response? Dead silence. Eventually, they left.
It is common for people to say today that they are "spiritual but not religious." I think the demons would be pretty happy with that; they wouldn't have to deal with the power of the keys. The person doesn't have the protection and abundant graces that the Church offers. I would not even think of entering a spiritual battle without them. I would be defenseless.
As an exorcist, I realize that I have no power of my own. In the ancient Rite of Exorcism, we admit to the demons that we are weak human beings: "I adjure you Satan, not by my weakness ..." and thus "I cast you out, unclean spirit, along with every satanic power...in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...For it is He who commands you..." Yes, when I authoritatively command the demons to leave, I invoke the keys of Peter and it is Christ himself who is actually commanding the demons. And they know it.
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*See the blog "The Great Weapon Against Satan": 289 https://www.catholicexorcism.org/post/exorcist-diary-289-the-great-weapon-against-satan
**The demons were trying to disempower and distract me, as always. But I got my faculties in writing to emphasize that the Church had empowered me.
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