One night, Lisa’s parents discovered her sleeping under her bed. Lisa told her parents that a man’s voice had told her to crawl under the bed and that the puppy would come to her. Lisa did as she was instructed by the voice.

The very same day her parents sought the help of a psychologist. They found a doctor who had a private practice in Albuquerque, but who also worked parttime for the Veteran’s Hospital. The psychologist evaluated Lisa and diagnosed her as schizophrenic. Lisa was placed on medication, but the medicine caused her to become drowsy most of the day. After two weeks had passed, poor Lisa worsened to the point of yelling obscenities at her parents and staring for hours at a time at her image reflected in a mirror. She also began to recite the Lord’s Prayer, also known as the “Our Father,” backwards! She began by yelling loudly, “Amen, evil from us deliver, etc.” When she reached the first word, “Our,” her father took his daughter by the shoulders and shook her, pleading for her to stop. Lisa’s reaction was to open her mouth wide and scream out a wild, explosive laughter.

She was beyond the point of being reasoned with, and her parents could think of no other response but to take their daughter to the Veterans Hospital to visit the psychologist on an emergency basis. It was during this visit that I got to meet Lisa and her parents personally.

As I approached the hall where the hospital staff had restrained Lisa to the metal bed with linen ties, I could not help but notice the despair on her parents’ faces. Lisa’s arms and legs were tied firmly to the bed, as if she was a savage beast.

Since the psychologist was unavailable, and Lisa’s parents were Catholics, they asked for a priest. The parents asked me to bless their daughter with holy water.

Lisa had been given a shot of morphine and was quite tranquil in her bed. I assured her parents that everything would be fine. I went to my office and located a small bottle of holy water and then returned to Lisa’s bedside. Arriving in the hall where I had seen her just a few minutes before, I saw Lisa moving hysterically and yelling, “Get away from me! Don’t come any closer!”
Automatically I paused, but her parents bid me approach their daughter. I must admit that I had mixed emotions about the situation before me. I decided to do a simple blessing over the child. I unscrewed the bottle containing the holy water and placed a few drops on my hand. Quickly, I recited a short prayer and placed my moist palm on Lisa’s forehead. Immediately, the young girl
yelled out the words, “Stop! You’re killing me! You’re killing me, you son of a bitch!” I backed away in shock! Then I immediately said, “Child, be at peace with your Savior who will deliver you.”

She opened her eyes wide and stared at me with what appeared to be the eyes of the devil himself. At that point, there was no mistaking that I was in the presence of evil. I’ll never forget the intense hatred directed at me in those large brown eyes. Being a young and inexperienced priest, I was shaken. Attempting to gain control of the situation before me and of my own emotions, I said aloud, “The love of our Father in Heaven and of his son, Jesus Christ bless you.”At that point Lisa went crazy! She broke away from the linen restraints, and we backed away as she sat up in bed. By this time, there must have been about five nurses looking on. No one made an attempt to intercede.