Given the testimony in the Old Testament, and the devilish attack upon Job, it is no wonder that the devil targets Mary, Christ and the Church. He attacks the family of our Lord. While it seems that he has utterly escaped hell to pursue his mischief, there are a few points we need to remember. First, Satan and his demonic horde are pure spirits and have no bodies. One can only identify their presence by their activity. Second, any abode outside of heaven may constitute at least a fringe boundary of hell, if not hell proper. Third, it might be possible for the demons to stretch the fabric of hell. Milton’s Satan as the great anti-hero cries out, “Me miserable! Which way shall I fly Infinite wrath and infinite despair? Which way I fly is hell; myself am hell.” I am reminded of the famous exorcism in Washington, purportedly in Georgetown but really in Cottage City. Completed in St. Louis months after a local failure, the demons identified themselves with scratches on the afflicted boy’s chest. The words read, “Hell Spirit.” The demons literally take hell with them, wherever they want to go. Fourth, the theme of freedom is likely engaged again. While there can be no reform or contrition on the part of fallen angels, their intrusion in human affairs sets the stage for us to prove our fidelity. Yes, some will abuse freedom and make bad choices. But liberty in this regard sets the groundwork for great saints and heroes of faith. There is an irony here, but some men and women would never step up unless they were severely tested.
While there is concurrence among authorities that devils might not be restricted to hell and thus roam the earth; the verdict is less clear about damned human beings. I am reminded of the story about the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. While there is some conversation, which might be merely a literary device, the rich man is told by Abraham that he can neither command Lazarus to refresh his tongue nor offer warning to his brothers about their looming fate. A great chasm both separates him from others and imprisons him. If taken literally as a depiction of hell, then there is no getting out.
Most Protestants deny the existence of ghosts. Catholicism does not. Ordinarily ghosts are understood as the suffering souls in purgation. There are many stories about them appealing for prayers so that they might be sped on their way to heaven. Further the reality of ghosts finds testimony from Christ in Luke 24:39. Jesus says, “Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” As a pastor of souls, I have seen evidence that the dead and the damned might also continue to exert a negative influence or manipulation upon the living. While I would not deny psychological elements, it is hard in certain cases not to discern a genuine and malicious spiritual bondage, particularly against family members. It may be that God allows such things so that the living might face the darkness and demons of life to find true liberation and healing. However, speaking generally, the ordinary negative spiritual agencies are not dead human beings but rather angelic demons or the devil.
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