Exorcist Father Dan Reehil of the Diocese of Nashville, Tenn., recently appeared on Matt Fradd’s Pints with Aquinas podcast to discuss various topics, including spiritual warfare, exorcisms, and dating.
The exorcist priest revealed in a reel published on Instagram that he was married for five years before he became a priest. However, he says he easily obtained an annulment because his former wife did not want children.
Father Reehil then provides dating advice for those seeking the sacrament of matrimony.
“When I prepare people for marriage, I can tell you the red flags,” Father Reehil says. “I did it and I did it wrong. If you don't put Jesus in the center of it, you're not going to make it.”
He adds that couples should be “equally yoked,” spiritually speaking, because it “puts a strain” on the marriage, particularly if one party is not Catholic.
“It's very difficult for one person to start getting too far ahead of the other person, and then they potentially could even resent,” he says.
“‘You're spending too much time praying or going to church, or adoration.’ I see it all the time with couples. One person's moving forward …the other one is kind of staying put.”
Here’s the video below:
Here is the full text of Father Dan Reehil’s dating advice:
“I did meet a pretty woman in the Hamptons. We got married, big New York wedding, big Paris engagement. She didn't want kids, so after five years of continuing the party, we divorced, and then, because she didn't want kids, it was a pretty easy annulment.
“When I prepare people for marriage, I can tell you the red flags. I did it and I did it wrong. If you don't put Jesus in the center of it, you're not going to make it.
“You really have to because it's very difficult for one person to start getting too far ahead of the other person, and then they potentially could even resent… ‘you're spending too much time praying or going to church, or adoration.’ I see it all the time with couples. One person's moving forward …the other one is kind of staying put. And it puts a strain, particularly when one's Catholic and one isn't, it's hard to explain to them what you're going through because they're not seeing the same things you are. They're not experiencing the Eucharist. They’re not experiencing confession.
“I always use the analogy of like a family gets on this boat--staying in one of the lifeboats hidden. And then, one day, the little boy ventures out of the lifeboat into the main part of the lifeboat with this giant 100-yard buffet. And he says, ‘Who is this food for?’
“And they said, ‘It's for everybody on the boat. For you. It's free. It's all part of the trip.”
"And he goes back and tells his dad, ‘They have all this food inside and we're eating this bread. It's all part of the trip.’
"And he goes, ‘No, it can't be.’
:‘No, it is! The guy told me!’
“And the father is reluctant to believe him because, ‘How could this be possible? It's too good to be true.’
“And that's kind of like what we have as Catholics. So it just seems too good to be true. How could God be fully alive and living in your church? There's more than just what you're doing. I just want you to have what I have, and that's the great thing about Catholics. We want everybody to be Catholic.”
As of this writing, Matt Fradd's reel with Father Dan Reehil has generated 364,000 views, over 27,000 likes, and more than 200 comments. Several users commented, sharing their personal experiences.
Here’s how three users reacted:
“I’m married to a non-Catholic, and it’s certainly a challenge, but we are so utterly compatible. He has moved closer and closer to the Church, even going to confession though he couldn’t receive absolution,” one user commented. “I have entrusted him to Our Lady, and she’s doing powerful things for him. I just have to surrender to God’s timing. I didn’t set out to change him, but I truly want him to feel the freedom I do as a practicing Catholic. I don’t know if this gives anyone hope, but it certainly has been enormously beneficial on my journey towards Jesus.”
“This is one of the biggest reasons I only wanted to date Catholic men,” another user shared. “It broke my heart to know that the Protestant men I would go on a date with would be obviously and painfully seeking Jesus. ‘He’s right there!’ But they couldn’t or weren’t ready to see His presence. It felt like encountering someone in the desert thirsting to death, me pointing out the gigantic oasis right in front of them, the person believing the oasis is a mirage, and refusing to believe that the oasis is real even when seeing me swimming in it.”
“I definitely think one of the things that has most helped me and my husband is that we share a weekly Adoration hour (we alternate who goes each week),” another user shared. “We have a prayer journal where we take turns writing our reflections on the week's Mass readings as well, and it's been such a beautiful way to keep up our prayer lives, be reminded to regularly pray for each other, and be refreshed and take necessary time away from the demands of house, children, and work. We are expecting our third child, and life is busy, so an opportunity to slow down is such a blessing. God is good!”