That's the part I can't figure. My best guess is that he couldn't bear the thought of being contradicted by a bunch of superstitious, almost-dead white men. So he dug in.
That’s the part I can’t figure.
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Are you aware of how many people have regularly been praying this prayer (among others):
“O Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Savior, scatter the forces of evil so they are not engrossed in darkness but can come to light”