In preparation for Holy Week, and in preparation of the liturgy for Holy Saturday, or The Great Paschal Vigil as it was known centuries ago, I have been studying Holy Week celebrations and baptism ceremonies that have roots going back to the earliest centuries of the church. I find these fascinating, but I’m kind of a geek sometimes, so take that into account.
One of the things I had not realized up until now was the connection between exorcism and baptism. In the Fourth Century (and many centuries following), it was common practice to exorcise those who were to be baptized on Holy Saturday. It was seen as part of the spiritual preparation for what was coming. I realize that this notion may seem farfetched and almost theatrical to us, who have been more shaped by horror movies about exorcism than the church’s teaching on exorcism. When we allow our view on such things to be shaped by the horror movies of popular culture, it both sensationalizes what the church has historically done, as well as places it into the realm of fiction. So when we picture an exorcism it is quite possible that the first thing that comes to mind is a person convulsing, eyes rolling around in their sockets, and spewing something out of their mouths. And then we would quickly remind ourselves that these are the products of an imaginative film director armed with powerful, computer generated special effects. In other words, the whole thing is both obscene and unreal.
This was not, however, the belief of the majority of Christians who have lived in the centuries prior to ours.
In Edward Yarnold’s book, “The Awe-Inspiring Rites of Initiation,” he writes, “One of the most important elements in the final preparation for baptism was the rite of exorcism, by which the candidate was released from the power of the devil.” (p.9) Steve Wilkins, in his article, “Baptism as Exorcism,” examines Alexander Schmemann’s book, “Of Water and the Spirit,” and observes that in the past, where culture was full of paganism and idolatry, Satan and his works were more easily recognizable. However, as Christianity advanced, the devil moved into more subtle forms of idolatry. But there still exists a darkness, a presence of evil that is opposed to God. So, Wilkins writes, “baptism was the public act in which the Church declared to the world (and Satan) that the new Christian no longer belonged to the kingdom of evil.” Schmemann writes about baptism as a form of exorcism and writes about the devil, “We may not see him, but the Church knows he is here. We may experience nothing but a nice and warm family ‘affair,’ but the Church knows that a mortal fight is about to begin whose ultimate issue is not explanations and theories but eternal life or eternal death. For whether we want it or not, we are all involved in a spiritual war that has been raging from the very beginning. A decisive victory, to be sure, has been won by God, but the Devil has not yet surrendered.” Therefore, in our baptismal liturgy is the question, “Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world and repent of your sin?” This question is then followed by a question about resisting evil, injustice, and oppression. And finally, the person to be baptized is asked, “Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord?” This is a publically performed proclamation of allegiance. It is the rejection and casting out of the devil and acceptance of Christ. It is the very battleground of the spiritual war that has been raging from before our births.
Have you considered the possibility that the things we do on the human plane have effects in the spiritual realm that we may not fully comprehend? While we no longer bow to statues, nor sacrifice animals to pagan gods, we still have idols that take God’s place in our hearts and we certainly bow to and sacrifice to those things. Saint Paul writes that our battle is against the powers and principalities (Ephesians 6:12). It is appropriate for us to recognize that there are forces of evil that will steal, kill, and destroy us at every chance. On Holy Saturday we will baptize people into Jesus Christ’s church, and in doing so, we will be engaged in a war that has been raging. And when we baptize, the devil will be cast out, because Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the grave bestowing life! Christ is Risen! Amen.