The Best Out of the Movie of Vilma Santos: The Healing
To all Core
Members and Prayers Warriors of the Knights of Saint Benedict, Catholic Lay
Deliverance Team, and to those who engage in the ministry of healing and
deliverance, I recommend the movie of Vilma Santos “The Healing” for awareness
and practical study of common infestations brought about by the fascination of
people in consulting the world of occult and witchcraft.
The movie presented the following:
- The folk religiosity of people and their belief in Faith Healing, Divination, and the like;
- The actual desperation of people to be healed from their ailments no matter what;
- The real and various attitudes of people towards Faith Healing and occultism after experiencing the so-called healing and relief;
- The risks in being involved in the world of occultism and New Age beliefs, causing bondage with satan;
- The various diabolic effects and haunting after engaging into the occult, causing chaos among members of the family and among families in a given community.
BELIEF
IN FAITH HEALING
Many
have placed their beliefs in divination and faith healing (occult) especially
the people in rural areas where they find in them the cheap yet quick and
urgent relief from ailments. They are fascinated with the ritualistic moves and
presentation of procedures. Many are deceived in its authenticity and
religiosity by using the names of God, angels and saints, while displaying at
the same time religious icons like Virgin Mary, St.Padre Pio, St.Joseph, Sto.Niño,
Nazareno, Crucifix, etc., and using the Holy Rosary to complement their cosmic
drama.
But what does the
Catholic Church specifically teach us about this? Those in the ministry of
Healing and Deliverance must understand, and be ready to caution people as much
as one can, to refrain from getting involved in this kind of practice and to
ask help through the Sacrament of Confession if one has already been involved
in the past, voluntarily or involuntarily.
AFFLICTED
PEOPLE DESPARATELY IN NEED
People
experiencing various types of sickness and diseases come and consult the faith healer (played by Daria Ramirez in
the movie). Ironically, not only the poor within the locality consults the
healer, even the well-off families from urban areas come to seek help out of
desperation. Characters like the one portrayed by Robert Arevalo is an example
of a medical patient who wants quick and instant healing, not wanting to
surrender the old unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle. The desire of people
to cut-short the normal process of healing (usually at length and requires
sacrifices to abstain from old harmful habits) make them impatient and
desperate, thus, resulting to their submission to occult practitioners like
“albularyo”, “tawas”, “santiguar”, etc. who promise instant healing.
But
is there real healing in them and through them? What does the Catechism of the
Catholic Church teaches the faithful about it? All forms of divination are
reprehensible even if it is for the sake of restoring ones health. We pray for
the healing of the soul, more than the healing of our physical bodies. The
regretful comment of Janice De Belen, whose daughter was demonically possessed
in the movie by consulting the faith healer goes something like “Mas mabuti
pang nanatili na lang na bulag ang aking anak…” (it should have been better if
my child has remained blind).
When
a paralytic enters a room, and goes out still a paralytic but has become more
loving, forgiving, humble and prayerful, this is True Healing. When the same
paralytic consults a diviner, faith healer, witch doctor, occult and New Age
practitioner, instantly comes out walking, jumping and dancing but remains poor
in prayer life, unbeliever, unfaithful & disobedient to God and His Church,
there never was a True Healing. In fact, he has become sicker and more miserable
than before.
ATTITUDES
OF PEOPLE ALLEGEDLY HEALED BY FAITH HEALERS
Why
one has to appear (instantly) healed after consulting witchdoctors, diviners,
faith healers, New Age? Precisely because, they have to win the hearts and
minds of the people.
When
Vilma Santos’ grandfather was instantly healed the very next day after their
visit to the faith healer, Robert Arevalo sees to it that he enjoys everyday of
his life, eating, drinking, and hanging-out with friends some 50 to 60 years
younger than him - a strong tendency to enjoy and abuse the joy, living
everyday of his life happier and merrier, not anymore giving importance to the
value of life and health. After all, he can always seek the help of faith
healers who give instant healing.
Friends
and neighbours, in amazement, have pooled-in to ask help from Vilma to
accompany them to the faith healer. This is a very classic bandwagon scenario.
Everyone believed and placed their faith in advance to the healer. Afflicted
with various illnesses and diseases, they placed their hope only to the person
(faith healer). This is a very good advertising strategy of the devil, a display
of unimaginable power and magic, where people are being deceived in admiration
of the devil’s preternatural power.
Even
after each member of the group experienced the so-called healing, not one of
them is seen praying, or visiting the Church, or approaching a pastor of the
Church and minister of God. There was no mention of God at all. God wasn’t
present in the plan, during the healing, after the healing, and even in the
entire period of crisis and hysteria when each person is being killed one after
another, and causing distress and anxieties to other members of the group while
waiting for their turn to die. To take God out of the picture is another best
reason why there has to be instant healing. People would not want anymore a God
who requires them to pray and obey rules of the Church if they have a faith
healer at hand who (seemingly) heals them in an instant and quickly eases their
pain and agony. A person who loves consulting occult practitioners will visit
them over and over when they become sick. The faith healers and diviners are on
top of their minds, replacing God and the Church in their list. Afterall, they
get the physical relief that they want, and they don’t even have to pray hard
and long. They have no tiring obligation of serving the Church, nor studying
the Word of God.
Instant
superficial healing done by the devil aims to take every family and individual
away from the care of the Church. In this way, the devil may work to destroy
each one without difficulty.
THE
RISKS INVOLVED
Are
there risks? Actually, the word “risks” is an understatement. Risk could mean
just a threat or a possibility of danger. When one engages in the world of
occultism, knowingly or unknowingly, there sure is a price one has to pay.
There is a sure danger in the realm of evil - a very important note every one
must be aware of. So important, that Christ Himself cautions us against it. The
Holy Scripture, since the beginning, has been telling God’s people that the
devil really exists. So important, that the Church up to the present has been
vigilant in evangelizing the faithful through written guides in the Catechism
of the Catholic Church, Doctrines of the Faith, Encyclicals, etc.
When
one engages in occultism, he puts not only himself at stake, but his entire
family, clan and the community where he lives in. Life becomes at stake, and
there could be no simple way out.
DIABOLIC
EFFECTS AND HAUNTINGS
The
movie shows real forms of diabolic infestations from the time the group
consulted the faith healer.
- Terrifying dreams;
- Presence of a black bird;
- Scratching sounds, knocking (from unknown sources);
- Physical changes and manifestations (ugly and piercing looks, change of voice, physical deformity)
- Anger and violence (murder and suicide);
- Unwanted fears, worries and anxieties (diabolic depression & obsession);
- Misunderstandings & broken relationships (among friends and among family members);
- Lust, excessive love for self, pleasure and belly (gluttony);
- Total demonic possession.
Other parts of the
story are just products of the producer’s creativity to make the movie
appealing and interesting to the viewers.
No comments:
Post a Comment