Defend us in battle. Protect us from the snares of the Devil.
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Editor's note: Our online store carries a wide variety of religious articles associated with St. Michael. Keep him nearby to remind you of his powerful protection!
Like this very headline, more people are calling on St. Michael the Archangel for help during these truly dangerous times.
As we navigate our way through the peril – both spiritual and temporal – we need St. Michael as our ally, leading us in the charge to defend our faith, our nation and our souls against the powers of evil attempting to vanquish all three.
"Devotion to St. Michael is an essential act of self-preservation today."
It is no exaggeration to say, as one source puts it, "devotion to St. Michael is an essential act of self-preservation today."
Invoking St. Michael – the archangel who defeated Lucifer and his legions – is not a quaint Medieval or poetic practice, but a powerful nod to St. John's words in Revelation: "And there was a great battle in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought, and his angels. And they prevailed not ... "
"You will need the help of St. Michael living in this world." – Padre Pio
So powerful is the practice that even the archangel's name, in itself, is a prayer – a sort of spiritual battle cry. "Michael" (Mikha'el in Hebrew) means: "Who is like God?" It is the question Michael posed to Lucifer when the evil angel claimed he was "like God."
There are other ways the Catholic Church has provided for appealing to the great Archangel for help.
THE ST. MICHAEL PRAYER
The powerful Prayer to Archangel Michael was composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1884.
After offering Holy Mass, the pope remained at the altar to make a prayer of Thanksgiving as he closed out the most sublime act of worship.
As the pontiff was ending his prayers, he later explained, he heard an otherworldly conversation between two opposing voices – one gentle and the other crude and jarring. In it, Satan boasted that even though Jesus said the gates of Hell would not prevail against the "rock" of the Church, he could destroy it with "a little more time and power – within the next 75 to 100 years."
A witness to the event said Pope Leo's expression "was one of horror and awe ... Something unusual and grave was happening in him."
After the vision, the pope headed to his private office, where, after about half an hour, he penned what has come down to us as "The Prayer of St. Michael the Archangel." Understanding the the significance and severity of the spiritual battle being waged for the soul of the Church, he decreed that this invocation be recited at the end of the Holy Mass offered throughout the world:
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Pope Leo XIII's decree was heeded until the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) which largely ended the practice – some Church officials and laity finding the language too old-fashioned and aggressive.
But, Pope St. John Paul II picked up his predecessor's thread. During the International Year of the Family in 1984 – one hundred years after Pope Leo XIII's frightful vision – the Polish pontiff warned that humanity was in grave danger and called on Catholics to recite the St. Michael Prayer daily:
"I ask everyone … to recite [the St. Michael Prayer] to obtain help in the battle against forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world." – Pope St. John Paul II
So mighty is the prayer in defeating the powers of evil, it is sometimes called the St. Michael Exorcism Prayer.
"[The St. Michael Prayer] frightens demons, causes them intense pain, and they scream in agony. I will be more diligent in using this prayer in … future exorcism sessions.” – Msgr. Stephen Rossetti, American exorcist, in his diary
CHAPLET OF ST. MICHAEL
The Chaplet of St. Michael is another way to call upon the archangel for help in defeating demons and acquiring a battle-ready pure heart.
The history of the Chaplet dates back to 1751, when St. Michael appeared to a Carmelite nun, Servant of God Antonia d'Astonac, in Portugal. He advised that the Chaplet be prayed in his honor, as well as in honor of the entire angelic hosts.
St. Michael told the nun to begin each section with a salutation to one of the nine Choirs of Angels – Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels.
He promised that whoever practiced this devotion would be escorted by angels as they approached the altar for Holy Communion. He also promised to assist these faithful continually during their earthly life, and to accompany them after death in their journey Heavenward.
Sister Antonia's revelation and prayers were officially approved by Pope Pius IX in August 1851.
HOW TO PRAY THE CHAPLET
Editor's Note: Full instructions on how to pray the Chaplet are included in the Chaplet of Saint Michael available from the Souls and Liberty store along with many other St. Michael items such as statues, Rosaries, and more.
Begin with this prayer:
O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, etc.
Then, after each of the following intercessions, pray one Our Father and three Hail Marys.
1. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Seraphim may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen.
2. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Cherubim may the Lord grant us the grace to leave the ways of sin and run in the paths of Christian perfection. Amen.
3. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Thrones may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility. Amen.
4. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Dominions may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and overcome any unruly passions. Amen.
5. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Virtues may the Lord preserve us from evil and falling into temptation. Amen.
6. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Powers may the Lord protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil. Amen.
7. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Principalities may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen.
8. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Archangels may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works in order that we may attain the glory of Heaven. Amen.
9. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Angels may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted in the life to come to Heaven.
Amen.
Then, pray one Our Father in honor of each of the following Angels – St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael and our Guardian Angel.
End with this aspiration: Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus Christ, that we may be made worthy of His promises.
(For online help reciting the Chaplet, visit this site.)
'Michael is the Breath of the Redeemer's Spirit, Who at the end of the World, will combat and destroy the antichrist, as he did Lucifer in the beginning.' – St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
THE FEAST OF MICHAELMAS
Yet another way to implore the powerful help of St. Michael is to honor his feast day, Sept. 29, traditionally known as Michaelmas.
The feast, literally meaning "Michael's Mass," celebrates the day St. Michael the Archangel threw Satan out of Heaven. Let's all make that a day of prayer, that with our humble pleading, God will do the same with the devils in our government, and in those throughout the world.
The feast, celebrated since at least the 4th century and deemed during the Middle Ages a holy day of obligation (days on which the faithful are expected to attend Mass and abstain from work, according to the Third Commandment), was abolished as such in the 18th century.
'St. Michael the Archangel, please protect President Donald J. Trump. Amen.' – online comment
However, today there's an undeniable increase of interest in, and attention paid to, St. Michael. More priests throughout the world are reciting his prayer after Holy Mass. And a quick scan of social media posts on any given day shows a plethora of invocations to him, asking for protection for the nation and for President Trump, as well as protection against the evil forces seeking the ruin of the United States.
The stakes are simply too high in this current battle NOT to invoke St. Michael. Devotion to him is indeed an essential act of self-preservation.
Editor's note: Our online store carries a wide variety of religious articles associated with St. Michael. Keep him nearby to remind you of his powerful protection!
Be sure to watch the One True Faith episode of St. Michael and the Angels.
Dr. Barbara Toth has a doctorate in rhetoric and composition from Bowling Green State University. She has taught at universities in the US, China and Saudi Arabia. Her work in setting up a writing center at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahmen University, an all-women's university in Riyadh, has been cited in American journals. Toth has published academic and non-academic articles and poems internationally.