Diary of an American Exorcist: Demons, Possession, and the Modern-Day Battle against Ancient Evil
This is an excellent spiritual read! Msgr. Rossetti, an exorcist, and his prayer team regularly perform exorcisms to drive out demons from people and places. Nothing is done by his own power but only through Jesus, the sacraments, and the intercession of the saints. An exorcist has a special authority given to him to command demons to leave. It is essential that the exorcist is obedient and faithful.
I had wanted to read this book since hearing Msgr. Rossetti speak at a Marian conference. As with spiritual warfare-type books, temptations can always arise. As a precaution, I always pray before reading from the book.
The book is organized with diary entries, each of which is essentially a short story spanning 1 or 2 pages. In many of these diary entries, Msgr. Rossetti gives a theological reflection that helps keep us grounded in truth as we read his possession cases. The format worked well, making the book easy to read.
This book has helped me grow in my spiritual life. It has particularly given me a greater awareness of demons and evil spirits that try to afflict us. For example, Msgr. Rossetti once got upset during an exorcism. After this moment, the prayers were no longer effective, as demons feed on anger. Once he went to confession, he was able to continue the exorcism. This is also true in our own spiritual lives.
I’ll end this review with a quote from the book:
“The more Satan is in our lives, the more we become angry, isolated, self-centered, and disobedient, and the more we feel victimized and blame God and everyone else for our misery… The more God and Jesus are in our lives, the more we begin to realize His promise of joy and peace. Gratitude slowly fills the hearts of the faithful.”
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and learned a lot! We do not typically hear of the modern-day battles against evil that an exorcist experiences regularly. I recommend this book to those seeking spiritual growth who are already somewhat grounded in their faith. This is not a book for the spiritually unprepared. As St. Paul advises, we should start with ‘milk before meat’ in our faith.