DL writes: “What is the difference between precatory and imprecatory prayer, and which type should be used in spiritual warfare?”Great question!
A simple explanation is that imprecatory prayer (from the Latin im and precari) is one which the individual commands a demon to leave. Deprecatory (derived from the Latin deprecari) prayer is one in which an individual petitions the Lord or Our Lady or St. Michael to drive out a demon.
As for which type of prayer should be used, that all depends upon one’s authority. According to exorcists, demons recognize the lawful spiritual order established by God which includes sacramental and moral authority as well as the rights and responsibilities established by God. In other words, Satan recognizes and must abide by the chain of command; therefore, so must we.
The chain of command goes like this:
Christ has complete authority over Satan and demons (Mark 1:27, Luke 10:19; Matthew 28:18). Any legitimate spiritual authority exercised against demons is derived from Christ and exercised through His Mystical Body, which is the Church.
The highest authority in His Mystical Body is the Bishop and those priests delegated by the bishop under Canon Law to perform exorcisms. All exorcisms require the explicit permission of the bishop because exorcism is a public act, not merely a private prayer. This is the strongest and least controversial level of authority.
As this article explains, “As it is, no one but an exorcist may give a direct command to the devil, for such a direct command, given in the name of Jesus, is by definition an exorcism. The most one can do is make prayers of intercession for the deliverance of the besieged person or thing in conjunction with other sacramentals of the Church such as holy water.”
Next in line are ordained priests who have sacramental authority and that authority which is tied to apostolic succession, as well as the authority attached to his office. This does not mean that every priest can perform an exorcism without permission, but they do possess spiritual authority through ordination.
The laity have some authority, but it is limited. As exorcists such as Father Chad Ripperger teach, a person has authority over himself/herself. They have the authority to renounce sin, to reject temptation, and to command demons to depart from oneself in private prayer. They have authority to say things such as “In the name of Jesus Christ, I renounce Satan,” or “In Jesus’ name, leave me.” This is generally considered to be the maximum level of authority cautious theologians are willing to grant to the laity.
Next, is authority within the family. According to exorcists, parents have authority over children because they possess natural and God-given responsibilities for these children and demons must respect lawful authority structures. This enables a parent to pray more directly for their child than they could for an unrelated person.
As for the authority of husband and wives, this becomes more murky. Exorcists generally teach that spouses possess certain spiritual rights/responsibilities toward one another through sacramental marriage. But even here, many exorcists recommend deprecatory prayer such as, “Lord, protect my spouse from evil.”
It’s when we stray outside this established order of authority, such as when we try to cast out demons from unrelated people, that we put ourselves in grave danger.
“It is not prudent, in my mind, for laity to be confronting someone who may have a demonic affliction and ‘taking authority’ over the person's demons and commanding them to leave,” says Adam Blai, an expert on religious demonology and exorcism for the Diocese of Pittsburg. “This direct confrontation with demons can stem from spiritual pride or, at the least, imprudence and thus open the person to a demonic reprisal. Sadly, this has happened. Moreover, do laity have the authority to do so? One does not ‘take authority;’ you either have it or you don't.”
But this does not mean the laity have no role in casting out demons, he adds. “There are unique individuals, by dint of a personal charism, who can cast out demons. This is the realm of the great saints, such as St. Catherine of Siena. But these individuals are rare and their charism should be confirmed by the Church. Also, parents do have authority over their own children who are minors, and also spouses have authority over each other, and we all have authority over our own bodies. So, in these circumstances, the person can legitimately exercise this God-given authority and cast out demons.”
However, even with authority, the laity are still limited. As Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, exorcist for the dioceses of Arlington, Virginia, writes: “One erroneous idea that comes out of this tradition is that anything commanded to a demon by a baptized Christian in the name of Jesus will be obeyed immediately. This is a magical-thinking approach as it doesn’t take into account the free will of the person in relationship with that demon. We cannot foist our choices onto other adults; they have their own free will.”
But fight we must! As Father Ripperger said during this interview on WQPH radio, if a demon attacks, “you have an obligation to fight them, to combat them in ways that are proper…To just generally say you should ignore them and never go on the offensive is not just ill advice but is contrary to what St. Paul says in scripture” when he advises Christians to “"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against...the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places". (Eph 6:11-12).
This fight is a crucial one into which all of us are thrust by virtue of our baptism.
“When you were born, you were born into a war zone,” says Catholic author John LaBriola in his book, Onward Catholic Soldier: Spiritual Warfare According to Scripture, the Church, and the Saints. “When you were baptized, you were fitted with combat boots. You also, in that precise moment, became the redeemed child of God and an enemy of Satan. . . Welcome to the Church Militant.”
Because of the enormous power of Satan, and the risks involved in confronting him, official Church guidance generally encourages the faithful to rely upon deprecatory prayer rather than directly commanding demons. This is because deprecatory prayer relies solely upon the power of Almighty God, whose very name makes the demons tremble.
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