Restore Prayer
to
St. Michael
to
St. Michael
****When I was a girl, every Mass was ended by the congregation kneeling down and praying to St. Michael for protection against "the wickedness and snares of the devil." After Vatican II this prayer disappeared. I have no idea exactly when this worthy practice was swept away by the "spring time" ushered into the Church. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than I could answer that question.
****There is no doubt in my mind that the devil is alive and well and working his magic in our world. And yet most Catholics act like he doesn't exist, or was just some scary thing dreamed up to"keep us in line." After all, God is Love (He is), and He will protect us no matter what we do.
****Truth has become a concept we no longer understand or embrace. Tonight I have to teach a RCIA class about the eighth commandment which tells us we cannot lie. That's the "shall not" part of this commandment. But this commandment also tells us to say "Yes" to the truth.
****If the laity of the Catholic Church are not saying "yes" to the truth, much of the blame can be laid at the feet of the very people who are to guide us in the ways of God and lead us to everlasting salvation. When was the last time your priest stood up in the ambo and spoke out about abortion, birth control, homosexual "marriage", or any subject they might consider to be inflammatory? Some of you are blessed with a wonderful priest who is not afraid to speak the truth, but many of us do not have that luxury.
****It's time we got on our knees at the end of Mass and recited the prayer to St. Michael, not only for our souls, but for all the souls ensnared in the deceitful web of the evil one.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him we humbly pray;
and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.
Read the long version
I suggest you print out the long version and make it part of your daily prayer. And ask your priest why you can't say the short version of this prayer after Mass. I know I will be doing that very thing.
11 comments:
Thanks for posting this...
Well, All I got to say is...10-4!
At the parish I go to, this prayer was recited after the weekday Masses. Several years ago we were assigned a new pastor and he put a stop to that practice. His reason? He didn't want the children to be frightened.
I'm going to be printing out the long version, and am going to give a copy of it to each of my 8th grade catechism students. Thanks, Adrienne.
My parish priest has just restored the public recitation of the Angelus. You should hear the liberal Catholics moan. Most dangerous mistake to make is to think the devil doesn't exist.
I don't think our parish ever quit reciting the St. Michael prayer; they've been doing it as long as I've been here (14 years). It's one of my favorites.
Excellent post Adrienne!!
Glad you posted this. I've been praying the St. Michael prayer after Holy Communion.
Yes, you are completely right here! The elimination of the prayers at the foot of the altar after Mass was a major mistake. These prayers are beautiful and powerful and were placed there for a reason by Pope Leo XIII. Protecting the Church from the power of Satan is just as important today as it was back at the turn of the 19th century!
And if the hierarchy won't officially restore the prayers at the foot of the altar, there is nothing that prevents us from praying them on our own after Mass, as part of our own post-Mass devotions. From those devotions great fruits will grow, I have no doubt.
Another great post, Adrienne, and another great idea! Well done!
Cheers!
I pray it after every Mass...and the prayers before the altar I pray before Mass.
I might pray this next time the Praise and Worship band plays...I bet it has a catchy tune when accompanied by drums...
As bad as it is having drums our priest does talk about the evils of contraception, abortion, etc.
The prayer to St. Michael has been said at our parish after the "teen" Mass every Sunday for quite a few years now, but not after the other Masses. I would like to see it after all the Masses too.
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