MYSTAGOGY RESOURCE CENTER: Demon Possession

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May 4, 2026

Prologue in Sermons: May 4

The More Humble a Person Is, the More He Receives Grace-filled Gifts From God

May 4

(A word about Saint Sisoes, how by a word he raised the dead.
A word from the Paterikon about Bessarion, how by a word he cast out demons.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The virtue of humility brings one so close to God, so unites him with Him, that it makes the whole being of the humble person a vessel of divine grace; and this grace pours forth through the humble one also upon others and works great deeds, sometimes even apart from the will of the humble lover of humility himself. To be convinced of this, listen to the account of two incidents from the life of our Venerable Fathers Sisoes the Great and Bessarion of Egypt.

A certain common man set out with his sick son to the Venerable Sisoes, in the land of Egypt. On the way, the sick boy died. The father was not troubled by this; he took the dead body and brought it to the Venerable one. Knowing the latter’s humility, the common man did not openly ask him for help, but, entering with the dead child in his arms, he made a bow before the Saint and, while bowing, placed the dead son at the feet of the elder. Not knowing that a dead man lay before him, and thinking that the one who had bowed did not wish to rise, Sisoes said to the dead man: “Rise and go out.” And the dead man came to life, stood up, and went out to meet his astonished father. Then the father went in to Sisoes and told him what had happened to his son on the way and how he had brought him dead to the Venerable one. And the holy elder was grieved when he heard this, and he forbade the common man and his disciples to speak of what had happened until after his death.

Prologue in Sermons: January 2

True Repentance and the Prayer of the Righteous for a Sinner Work Miracles

January 2

(On How our Holy Father Basil the Great Delivered a Deceived Youth from Demons Through his Prayers)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

In the lives of saints, we sometimes encounter miraculous, terrifying, and astounding events. To convince you of this truth, today we present to you one such event, recorded in the life of Saint Basil the Great.

In Constantinople, there lived a nobleman who had an only daughter, whom he wanted to dedicate to the service of God. The devil, unable to tolerate the nobleman's desires, aroused in one of his servants a passion for the girl. This servant, determined to marry her at any cost, went to a sorcerer to seek advice and assistance in his matter. The sorcerer referred the young servant to Satan, who asked him, "Do you believe in me?" "I believe," the youth replied. Satan continued, "Yes, you all believe in me when you need my help; and when I help you, you return to your Christ. Write to me in your own hand that you renounce Him forever, and then I will fulfill your desire." The youth granted Satan's desire, and Satan granted the youth's desire. Driven by demons, the nobleman's daughter, in turn, felt an irresistible passion for her father's servant and began begging him to give her in marriage. No matter how much her father objected, how much he cried, how much he begged her to abandon her intention, the daughter remained adamant and declared to her father that she would commit suicide if she did not marry the servant. The father then relented and gave his daughter to the young man.

Prologue in Sermons: November 18

Through Humility, We Shame the Devil and Drive Him Away From Ourselves and From Others

November 18

(On Humility, Which Is What Demons Fear)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Since the devil, through pride, abandoned obedience to God's will and was cast out of heaven for it, it is clear that this sin is most contrary to God, as the chief sin of the devil, the enemy of God and the destroyer of human souls. From this, it follows that if pride is especially dear to the devil, then, of course, humility is especially unbearable. Yes, brethren, the devil cannot tolerate humility, and those who possess this virtue put him to shame and drive him far away, both from themselves and from others.

Homily for the Tenth Sunday of Matthew (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily for the Tenth Sunday of Matthew
(10th Sunday of Pentecost)

By St. John of Kronstadt

Today the Gospel was read about the healing of a possessed lunatic by Jesus Christ, and at the very end of the Gospel – the Lord’s prediction of His suffering and death in Jerusalem. The Gospel shows how strong a person can be in faith in the Lord, namely, so strong that he can move mountains, and how weak, powerless and pitiful an unbeliever is, for he is a pitiful plaything of demons and his own and others’ passions; it also shows the great power of prayer and fasting, when they go hand in hand, mutually reinforcing each other.

Let us repeat this Gospel, so that it may be more firmly established in your memory. When Jesus Christ with His disciples, after the transfiguration on Mount Tabor, came "to the people, then came a man to Him, and kneeling before Him, said: 'Lord, have mercy on my son. He is a lunatic, and is grievously afflicted, for he often throws himself into the fire, and often into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not heal him.' And Jesus answered and said, 'O faithless and perverse generation! How long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? Bring him here to Me.' And Jesus rebuked it, and the demon came out of him; and the child was healed that hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately, and said, 'Why could we not cast him out?' And Jesus said to them, 'Because of your unbelief: For verily I say unto you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, Move from here to there, and it shall move, and nothing shall be impossible unto you. But this kind does not go out but by prayer and fasting.' While they were in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, 'The Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him, and the third day shall rise again'" (Matthew 17:14–23). Here is the end of the present Gospel.

February: Day 20: Teaching 1: Saint Leo, Bishop of Catania

February: Day 20: Teaching 1:
Saint Leo, Bishop of Catania

(It Is a Sin To Believe That Sorcerers Can “Corrupt” People)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. In the Sicilian city of Catania there was a sorcerer named Heliodoros, who was very skillful in performing false miracles. He was repeatedly condemned to death, but he would suddenly disappear and appear in different places on the same day. In vain did Saint Leo, Bishop of Catania, whose memory is celebrated today, persuade Heliodoros to repent. He laughed at the admonitions of the Saint and one day came to the church where Saint Leo was celebrating a service, and by his sorcery he caused the Christians praying in the church to begin stomping, jumping, laughing and doing other indecent things. For such an insult to the holy temple, Leo approached Heliodoros, tied him with his omophorion and led him out of the church. Then he ordered a fire to be lit, went into the fire with Heliodoros, and stood there until the sorcerer was burned. The fire that destroyed Heliodoros did not even touch the clothes of Saint Leo, who remained unharmed. This is the great and instructive punishment that befalls those who commit outrages in the temple of God.

An Unforgettable Vigil for Saint James the Brother of God in Kefallonia

Metropolitan Gerasimos (Fokas) of Kefallonia

One year, at the vigil in honor of Saint James the Brother of God (October 23) which was held at the Monastery of Saint Gerasimos in Kefallonia, Father (later Metropolitan) Gerasimos Fokas (+ 2015) was serving. The following incidents happened that night, as reported by witnesses.

A sick woman had come to this service, who heard a voice say to her after she was anointed once with the oil of Holy Unction: "Go and let Father Gerasimos cross your neck one more time with the oil of Holy Unction." It was observed by the people in attendance that she got back in line and returned to be anointed for a second time. The next day, as she later reported, she went to the hospital and the scheduled pre-operative medical tests were done, but they showed that there was nothing and no surgery was needed.

Homily Two on the Sixth Sunday of Luke (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two on the Sixth Sunday of Luke

By St. John of Kronstadt

“And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs” (Luke 8:27).

In today's Gospel, the Holy Evangelist Luke told us the story of the Savior casting out many demons from a possessed man. How pitiful this man was! He did not wear clothes and did not live in a house, but in tombs, i.e. in tomb caves. For a long time the demons tormented him so much that he beat himself against stones, and his neighbors, protecting him, "bound him with chains and bonds, but he broke the bonds, and was driven by the demon into the desert."