It is indeed a remarkable fact that, as the devil made use of Luther, an apostate-monk, to abolish the Mass and deny the real presence, in like manner God made use of his arch-enemy, the devil, to prove the real presence. He repeatedly forced him publicly to profess his firm belief in it, to confound the geretics for their disbelief, and acknowledge himself vanquished by Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. For this purpose God allowed a certain Mme. Nicola Aubrey, an innocent person, to become possessed by Beelzebub and twenty-nine other evil spirits. The possession took place on the eighth of November, 1565, and lasted until the eighth of February, 1566.
Her parents took her to Father de Motta, a pious priest of Vervins, in order that he might expel the demon by exorcisms of the Church. Father de Motta tried several times to expel the evil spirit by applying the sacred relics of the holy cross, but he could not succeed; Satan would not depart. At last, inspired by the Holy Ghost, he resolved the expel the devil by means of the sacrament of Our Lord's body and blood. Whilst Nicola was lying in a state of unnatural lethargy, Father de Motta placed the Blessed Sacrament upon her lips, and instantly the infernal spell was broken; Nicola was restored to consciousness, and received the holy communion with every mark of devotion. As soon as Nicola had received the sacred body of Our Lord, her face became bright and beautiful as the face of an angel, and all who saw her were filled with joy and wonder, and they blessed God form their inmost hearts.
with the permission of God, Satan returned and again took possession of Nicola
As the strange circumstances of Nicola's possession became known everywhere, several Calvinist preachers came with their followers, to "expose this popish cheat", as they said. On their entrance, the devil saluted them mockingly, called them by name, and told them that they had come in OBEDIENCE TO HIM. One of the preachers took his Protestant prayer-book, and behan to read it with a very solemn face. The devil laughed at him, and, putting on a most comical look, he said " Ho! Ho! My good friend; do you intend to expel ME with your prayers and hymns? Do you think that they will cause me any pain! Don't you know that they are mine? I helped to compose them!"
"I will expel thee in the name of God," said on preacher; solemnly.
"You!" Said the devil, mockingly. "You will NOT expel me either in the name of GOD, or in the name of the DEVIL. Did you ever hear of one devil driving out another?"
"I am not a devil," said the preacher, angrily, "I am a servant of Christ."
"A servant of Christ, indeed!" Said Satan, with a sneer. "What! I tell you you are worse than I am. I believe, and YOU do not want to believe. Do you suppose that YOU can expel me from the body of this miserable wretch? Ha! Go first and expel all the devils that are in your own heart!"
The preacher took his leave, somewhat discomfited. On going away, he said, turning up the whites of his eyes, "O Lord, I pray thee, assist this poor creature!"
"And I pray Lucifer," cried the evil spirit, "that he may never leave you, but may always keep you firmly in his power, as he does now. Go about your business, now. Your are ALL MINE, and I am your master."
On the arrival of the priest, several of the Protestants went away- they had seen and heard more than they wanted. Others, however, remained; and great was their terror when they say how the devil writhed and howled in agony, as soon as the Blessed Sacrament was brought near him. At last the evil spirit departed, leaving Nicola in a state of unnatural trance. Whil she was in this state, several of the preachers tried to open her eyes, but they found it impossible to do so. The priest then placed the Blessed Sacrament on Nicola's lips, and instantly she was restored to consciousness.
Rev. Father de Motta then turned to the astonished preachers, and said, "Go now, ye preachers of the new Gospel; go and relate everywhere what you have seen and heard. Do not any longer that Our Lord Jesus Christ is really and truly present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar. Go now, and let not human respect hinder you from confessing the truth."
During the exorcisms of the following days, the devil was forced to confess that he was not to be expelled at Vervins, and that he had with him twenty-nine devils, among whom were three powerful demons: Cerberus, Astaroth, and Legio.
On the third of January, 1556, the bishop arrived at Vervins, and begain the exorcism in the church, in the presence of an immense multitude.
"I command thee, in the name and by power of the real presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, to depart instantly," said the bishop to Satan in a solemn voice.
Satan was, at last, expelled the second time by means of the Blessed Sacrament. On leaving, he paralyzed the left arm and right foot of Nicola, and also made her left arm longer than the right: and no power on earth could cure this strange infirmity, until some weeks after, when the devil was at last completely and irrevocably expelled.
Nicola was now taken to the celebrated polgrimage of Our Lady at Liesse, especially since the devil seemed to fear that place so much.
Next day Father de Motta began the exorcism in the church of Our Lady at Liesse, in presence of an immense multitude.
He took the Blessed Sacrament in his hand, and, showing it to the demon, he said, "I command thee, in the name of the living God, the great Emmanuel Whom thou seest here present, and in Whom thou believest."
"Ah, yes!" Shrieked the demon, I BELIEVE IN HIM." And the devil howled again as he made this confession, for it was wrung from him by the power of Almighty God.
"I command thee, then, in His Name," said the priest, "to quit this body instantly."
At these words, and especially at the sight of the Blessed Sacrament, the devil suffered the most frightful torture. At one moment the body of Nicola was rolled up like a ball; then again she became fearfully swollen. At one time her face was unnaturally lengthened, then excessively widened, and sometimes it was as red as scarlet. Her eyes, at times, protruded horribly, and then again sunk deeply into her skull. Her tongue hung down to her chin; it was sometimes black, sometimes red, and sometimes spotted like a toad.
The priest still continued to urge and torture Satan. "Accursed spirit!" He cried, "I command thee, in the Name and by the real presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ here in the Blessed Sacrament, to depart instantly from the body of this poor creature.
"Ah, yes!" Cried Satan, howling wildly, "twenty-six of my companions shall leave this instant, for they are forced to do so."
The people in the church now began to pray with great fevor. Suddenly Nicola's limbs began to crack, as if every bone in her body were breaking, a pestilential vapor came forth from her mouth, and twenty-six devils departed from her, never more to return.
Nicola then fell into an unnatural swoon, from which she was aroused only by the Blessed sacrament. On recovering her senses, and receiving holy communion, Nicola's face shone like the face of an angel.
The priest still continued to urge the demon, and used every means to expell him.
"I will not leave, unless commanded by the bishop of Laon." Answered the demon, angrily.
Nicola was now taken to Pierrepont, where one of the demons, named Legio, was expelled by means of the Blessed Sacrament.
Next morning Nicola was brought to the church, Scarcely had she quitted the house, when the devil again took possession of her.
The bishop who was requested to exorcise Nicola, prepared himself for this terrible task by prayer and fasting, and other works of penance.
On arrival of Nicola in the Church, the exorcism began. "How many are you in this body?" Asked the bishop.
"There are three of us." Answered the evil spirit.
"What are your names?"
"Beelzelbub, Cerberus, and Astaroth."
"What has become of the others?" Asked the bishop.
"They have been expelled. Answered Satan.
"Who expelled them?"
"Ha!" Cried the devil, gnashing his teeth, "It was HE whom you hold in your hand, there on the paten." The devil menat our dear Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
The bishop then held the Blessed Sacrament near the face of Nicola. The demon writhed and howled in agony. "Ah, yes! I will go, I will go!" He shrieked, "But I shall return."
Suddenly Nicola became stiff and motionless as marble. The bishop then touched her lips with the Blessed Sacrament, and in an instant she was fully restored to consciousness. She received holy communion, and her countenance now shone with a wondrous, supernatural beauty.
Next day Nicola was brought again to the Church, and the exorcism began as usual.
The bishop took the Blessed Sacrament in his hand, held it near the face of Nicola, and said, " I command thee in the name of the living God, and by the real presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ here in the sacrament of the altar, to depart instantly from the body of this creature of God, and never more to return."
"No! No!" Shrieked the devil. "I will not go. My hour is not yet come."
"I command thee to depart, go forth, impure, accursed spirit! Go forth!" And the bishop held the Blessed Sacrament close to Nicola's face.
"Stop! Stop!" Shrieked Satan. "Let me go! I will depart- but I shall return." And instantly Nicola fell into the most frightful convulsions. A black smoke was seen issuing from her mouth, and she fell again into a swoon.
During her stay in Leon, Nicola was carefully examined by Catholic and Protestant physicians. Her left arm, which had been paralyzed by the devil, was found entirely without feeling. The doctors cut into the arm with a sharp knife, the burnt it with fire, they drove pins and needles under the nails of the fingers, but Nicola felt no pain, her arm was utterly insensible, Once, while Nicola was lying in a state of unnatural lethargy, the doctors gave her some bread soaked in wine, (it was what the Protestants call their communion, or Lord's Supper,) they rubbed her limbs briskly, they threw water in her face, they pierced her tongue till blood flowed, they tred every possible means to arouse her, but in vain! Nicola remained cold and motionless as marble. At last the priest touche the lips of Nicola with the Blessed Sacrament, and instantly she was restored to consciousness, and began to praise God.
The miracle was so clear, so palpable, that one of the doctors, who was a bigoted Calvinist, immediately renounced his errors, and became re-born.
Several times, also, the Protestants touched Nicola's face with a host which was not consecrated, and which, consequently, was only bread, but Satan was not in the least tormented by this. He only ridiculed their efforts.
On the twenty-seventh of January, the bishop, after having walked in solemn procession with the clergy and the faithful, begain the exorcism in church, in presence of vast multitude of Protestants and Catholics
The bishop now held the Blessed Sacrament clost to the face of Nicola. Suddenly a wild, unearthy yell rings through the air- a black, heavy smoke issues from the mouth of Nicola. The demon Astaroth is expelled forever.
During the exorcism which took place on the first of February, the bishop said, "O accursed spirit! Since neither prayer, nor the holy gospels, neither the exorcisms of the Church, nor the holy relics, can compel thee to depart, I will now show thee thy Lord and Master, and by His power I command thee."
During the exorcism, which took place after Mass, the bishop held the Blessed Sacrament in his hand, and said " O accursed spirit, arch-enemy of the ever-blessed God! I command thee, by the precious blood of Jesus Christ here present, to depart from this poor woman! Depart accursed, into the everlasting flames of hell!"
At these words, and especially at the sight of the Blessed Sacrament, the demon was so fearfully tormented, and the appearance of Nicola was so hideous and revolting, that the people turned away their eyes in horror. At last a heavy sigh was heard, and a cloud of black smoke issued from the mouth of Nicola. Cerberus was expelled.
Again Nicola fell into a death like swoon, and again she was brought to consciousness only by means of the Blessed Sacrament.
During the exorcism which took place on the seventh day of February, the bishop said to Satan. "Tell me, why hast thou taken possession of the honest and virtuous Catholic woman!"
"I have done so by permission of God. I have taken possession of her on account of the sins of the people. I have done it to show my Calvinists that there are devils who can take possession of man whenever God permits it. I know they do not want to believe this, but I will show them that I am the devil. I have taken possession of this creature in order to conver them, or harden them in their sins. And by the sacred blood i will PERFORM my task."