Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Return of the Prayer to St. Michael
Crisis Magazinei ^ | December 9, 2014 | JOE BISSONNETTE

Posted on 12/09/2014 2:09:19 PM PST by NYer

Eugene Delacroix St. Michael defeats the Devil 854-61

Modern philosophy is full of all sorts of absurd theories about the illusory nature of existence and the unreliability of everything we know to be true. But the boots on the ground, living, breathing, day to day philosophy of even the most angst-ridden German nihilist or the most wild-eyed French existentialist has to be common sense realism. Even German and French philosophers must eat, sleep and conduct themselves in civil society.

There’s great consolation in the reliability of the law of gravity and the fact that it means something specific to me or anyone else when you say dog, cat, house, person, good, true and beautiful. But the last three of those words; good, true and beautiful, and maybe even person, do enjoin some philosophical reflection. They are the basis for making sense of right and wrong, obligation, prohibition and so on. Philosophy isn’t just a waste of time.

Catholicism is deeply philosophical and also deeply mystical and of late the mysticism of the Catholic world view has been confronting me with great force, and confronting the minimalist common sense realism I had more or less taken for granted.

Our parish and a number of Catholic churches I’ve been to recently have begun saying the St. Michael prayer after Mass. It is a breathtaking departure from the modern psychological deconstruction through which I have made sense of my own mental states and those of others. Pride, envy, sloth, greed, lust, gluttony and wrath are not merely maladjustments, but rather they are the snares of a spiritual being who seeks the ruin of souls. They are our weaknesses within our wounded souls, but they are also passions from outside of us, which act upon us, against which we must not be passive, or we will be swept away.

The idea that there is a spirit of pride, envy, sloth or any of the other deadly sins which can emanate from people, entertainments or places—or from the devil—is an enchanted, mystical, ancient Catholic view. Since the 1200’s the Tridentine Mass invoked St. Michael in the Confiteor as a protection against evil. Ours is a faith shot through with struggles between powers and principalities, angels and demons.

The resurgence in the St. Michael Prayer reclaims much of the domain seized by Freud, Jung, Adler and their redactors in outlining the landscape of the soul. And it rings true. We are not merely struggling to harness internal engines of the soul like the desires for sex, meaning and power. We are not merely hot-house orchids, isolated, hermetically sealed, gazing upon the tempests which rage within our spiritual navels. We are also the objects of a cosmic struggle between the forces of God and the Devil.

Scott Hahn explained the sign of the beast, 666, the mark of the devil referred to in Revelations, as the spiteful declaration of spiritual war by Satan. It was rooted in Satan’s offended pride and envy. According to St Thomas Aquinas, angels have perfect knowledge of that which they know, and at the instant of creation, saw all that would unfold throughout history, including the fall of man and the incarnation of God in the Person of Jesus Christ. According to Hahn, that God would become a lowly man was such an affront to the vastly superior angels that Satan rebelled in disgust, and 6, the day upon which man was created, was repeated as a cuss three times, as a mock of the Trinity and a declaration of rebellion. The fall of the angels was directly linked to their envy of man because God took on lowly humanity in the Person of Jesus Christ. So from the beginning, the principle objective of the fallen angels has been the seduction and ruin of human souls. According to Catholic theology we are hunted by the devil and his minions but also protected by hosts of angels, including angels specifically assigned to the protection of each one of us.

Now there is good reason to have pause. Most sane Catholics stiffen up at some point in the discussion of devil sand angels. We live in an age of progress and practical solutions and the idea of an intractable struggle between invisible forces of good and evil seems pre-modern and nutty. And this is so among good Catholics who have closely adhered to the Church. In fact Vatican II officially suppressed the then widespread practice of praying the St. Michael prayer after Mass in the Instructio Prima. And the denuding of the churches of frescoes, statuary and all but the most abstract stained glass windows signaled a strong de-emphasis on the theology of powers and principalities. This has been the moment in the Church in which we have grown up. If one were to propose a spectrum extending from dismissal of the devil as a pre-scientific mythological representation of the psychologically and physically unexplained all the way over to a constant awareness of external forces both attacking and defending us, most of us would locate far closer to the former.

But in the past few years things have changed both among Church hierarchy and in the pews. In 1994 Pope John Paul II urged Catholics to recite the prayer again. And it has become increasingly evident to a growing number that abortion, pornography, same-sex “marriage” and no-fault divorce are not just isolated evils but part of a broad, concerted effort. Anthropologists accept it as axiomatic that we are religious by nature, always seeking to make sense of the meaning and purpose of our lives and creation. As these things have become more and more prevalent in our culture, their soul-transforming effects have given them a somewhat symbolic quality. It looks more and more like these evils are sacraments of darkness, rites aggressively promoted in a massive spiritual struggle for souls. Witness revelations of abortionist Kermit Gosnell’s practice of keep hundreds of tiny feet from the babies he killed in plastic bags in his freezer. More and more, ordinary Catholics think in terms of the ancient Catholic understanding of a cosmic struggle between good and evil, God and the devil.

At the April convocation of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy in Barry’s Bay, Thomas Cardinal Collins gave the keynote address. He began with Chesterton’s observation that we love The Iliad because life is a struggle, we love The Odyssey because life is a journey, we love the Book of Job because so much of what befalls us is incomprehensible. To this he added a fourth; we love the Book of Revelations because we want to know how it all ends. He then said that we do know how it all ends—and these were the truest words he spoke that day.

If all the madness we face were merely phantasms in our tortured souls we could have no confidence in the triumph of God. From all the times we have made earnest resolutions and then fallen again, each of us knows that we can’t trust ourselves and so we know that we could not be certain that we would choose good over evil in the end if it were only up to us. The struggle between good and evil would be too much to bear if it were left up to us. We could have no confidence in how it all ends. But mercifully it is not only up to us.

After the cardinal had spoken, after the final blessing at the end of the convocation mass at St Hedwig’s church, several hundred voices and the cardinal recited the prayer to St. Michael. He then said that he had already printed up thousands of copies of the prayer and he planned to promulgate it in the archdiocese of Toronto as soon as opportunity allowed. As the storm gathers and the division between good and evil becomes more stark, the unfolding of history is providing that opportunity.

 

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

St. Michael the archangel defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him we humbly pray, and do though o prince of the heavenly host
By the power of God cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl the world
seeking the ruin of souls.



TOPICS: Catholic; History; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120 ... 141-150 next last
To: NYer

**Beautiful explanation of intercessory prayer!**

Thank you!

**No one prays to dead saints, because those in heaven are more alive than we are.**

Paul says they are asleep in Christ at the present.


81 posted on 12/10/2014 5:06:17 PM PST by Zuriel (Acts 2:38,39....Do you believe it?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: defconw

Sure! I hope you’re not one of those thin-skinned Catholics.

Jesus was called:

a blasphemer, a deceiver, a perverter of the nation, a malfactor, etc.

So, you are free to call me whatever you want. I can take it.

Peace


82 posted on 12/10/2014 5:20:59 PM PST by Zuriel (Acts 2:38,39....Do you believe it?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: defconw

I type quite slow, so I use abbreviations when they are handy. No disrespect is intended by using ‘RC’. I find ‘Prods’ a handy shortcut, too.


83 posted on 12/10/2014 5:25:21 PM PST by Zuriel (Acts 2:38,39....Do you believe it?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: Zuriel

It’s not thin skin and it’s not the initials, it’s the tone. I don’t use abbreviations. But to each his own. That could be the start of a really bad poem. :) I need to go to sleep. I get up at 3AM. Good Night Everyone!


84 posted on 12/10/2014 5:28:23 PM PST by defconw (If not now, WHEN?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 83 | View Replies]

To: Grateful2God

Next up, graphics. Same concept (substitute less than and great than for the braces). (center) (img src="jpg file") (/center). That will place the image in the center. Otherwiie, you can omit the center command and the image will post on the left side of the comment box.

85 posted on 12/10/2014 5:41:28 PM PST by NYer ("You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears." James 4:14)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 71 | View Replies]

To: Campion

**Only because of *what* Adonijah was asking for, not *how* he did the asking, or *who* he had doing the asking for him.**

Well, it was sneaky on Adonijah’s part, and Solomon saw right through it. The fact that Bathsheba didn’t, showed why a seat had to be brought in to sit at Solomon’s right hand. Solomon’s response surely showed her that, in such serious matters, she certainly shouldn’t be representing anyone that could make the same request themselves.

“Ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother...”.

I’m sure Bathsheba was embarrassed, maybe even ashamed when she heard those words from Solomon.

As far as saints that are ‘asleep in Christ’; I know to not bother praying to them, thank God.

And, I think God answers some prayers not directed straight to him because he is so merciful and gracious. Just as when my baby sons would cry for ‘momma’, I would come to his aid, seeing his mother might not be home, or in the bath, etc.


86 posted on 12/10/2014 5:50:28 PM PST by Zuriel (Acts 2:38,39....Do you believe it?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: NYer

Thank you! I’ll try it! :)


87 posted on 12/10/2014 5:56:45 PM PST by Grateful2God (preastat fides supplementum sensuum defectui)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 85 | View Replies]

To: defconw

**I get up at 3AM.**

usually 4AM for me (truck driver), sometimes earlier. And good night to you!


88 posted on 12/10/2014 5:57:27 PM PST by Zuriel (Acts 2:38,39....Do you believe it?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 84 | View Replies]

To: NYer; boatbums
Listen, Nyer -----

It is rude for you to have now pinged me to this -- before responding to that which I just said to you, otherwise.

What is being engaged here in this is prime example of what in forum debate parlance is referred to as a moving of the goalposts, which all in all, is infuriating.

That said, these alleged, and/or alluded to instances to which you have now referred to, beyond having attributed the results to have come from God himself, suffer condition of being the logical fallacy of confusing correlation (if there truly is even, much of any of that) with causation as to process -- in this case the process under by which God Himself is seen to be responding in something of supernatural, miraculous way chiefly or mainly for reason of the process which is being assumed to have occurred.

Remember here also --- that in the previous discussion --- what or whom was being "prayed to" then?

It was not some passed on saint (an individual dear to the heart of God, perhaps even hidden in Christ, but rather was concerning praying to angels, instead. Remember?

Since that be deficient, theologically, biblically speaking --- before going any further here in this moving of the goalposts which you have indulged yourself in, I must remind you there is unattended business --- things left still undone.

Clean up, on aisle six. Not only are you the store-clerk, but you did cause the spill itself.

Please see to that rather than dashing about willy-nilly around within the store, offering further items to me, even forcing those upon myself as having been made by God's own hand directly, and that now equate that any should now put faith in this less-than-proven process, rather than more simply and more directly in God, Himself.

89 posted on 12/10/2014 7:07:41 PM PST by BlueDragon (I could see sound,love,and the soundsetme Free,but youwerenot listening,so could not see)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]

To: Zuriel
It does appear that you just may have set extended, pointed finger to touch upon a key element of the issue -- which curiously enough has as it's central focus, that one central sentence whereby you had quoted Solomon.

That was a-puttin' 'er in the ten-ring, in theological/logical way, and visual preventative form, both.

kerpow.

Or as one may hear on the gunrange --- bang-splat (the latter "splat" being the paper of the target being pierced).

90 posted on 12/10/2014 7:16:24 PM PST by BlueDragon (I could see sound,love,and the soundsetme Free,but youwerenot listening,so could not see)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 86 | View Replies]

To: BlueDragon; boatbums
WHO ... are we instructed to direct our prayers -->to

It was an uncomplicated question. Where does the Holy Scripture instruct us that unless a prayer is not found in the Scripture it should into be prayed?

I don't think any obfuscation is needed here. A chapter and verse would suffice.

91 posted on 12/10/2014 7:31:55 PM PST by annalex (fear them not)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: NYer; BlueDragon
I've heard all these rationalizations, justifications and reasons why Catholics say they can pray to saints and to angels to intercede with God for them before. You can cite examples of people who did pray to deceased "Saints" and had their prayers answered, but let me ask you this, was it God's will to answer those prayers? Was it God's will to answer this janitor's prayer whether or not he prayed first to this would-be saint? I can give you numerous examples of people who prayed to Saints, followed all the "right" rules, said the "right" words, and they DIDN'T get their prayer request. What happened in those cases?

I hope you know that there is a vast difference between asking a living person you know to pray with you over a need and asking someone you know is already dead and may be in heaven or may not be. Those, for example, on these threads who have asked others here to pray with them has the effect of involving them in our lives and joining with each other in praise as we see how God works in our lives. Almost all the times I've read of supposed Saints working "miracles" - and it really isn't the saint DOING the miracle, you know that, right? - it is the saint that gets the glory and praise. You even talked about how your religion goes about verifying if someone is a saint in heaven based on if they have verified miracles to their credit or not. Can you not see how easy it would be for people to be deceived into believing whatever a so-called saint said was the truth? Things like visions, apparitions and other mystical things get passed off as genuine based on nothing more than a "Saint" declared it so and they MUST be speaking the truth because they are in heaven, right?

This thread was about praying to angels. You posted it in an OPEN Religion Forum thread so you must have wanted others to discuss the topic who may or may not be Catholic. I happen to believe that we aren't supposed to pray TO anyone BUT God. Y'all may justify this by saying it's no different than asking a friend to pray for you, but you have to know that it is a VASTLY different thing. Offering prayers to created beings, beings that do not have the Divine powers of God to be everywhere, hear everyone, all at the same time, especially those who have passed from this life and are no longer here, is presuming they have the same power as God. NOWHERE in Scripture are we ever told we can or should pray to departed people - in fact, we are commanded to NOT seek the dead on behalf of the living. Don't you think that if this were something that God desired we do for our benefit He would have said so?

We know that in all things all glory, honor and praise should go to Almighty God and that is not God being boastful or proud, it's Him just being honest. He alone deserves it because everything was created by Him and for Him and without Him NOTHING would exist that exists or existed. His glory He will not share with another because to do so would BE dishonest.

92 posted on 12/10/2014 8:21:29 PM PST by boatbums (God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]

To: annalex; BlueDragon
WHO ... are we instructed to direct our prayers -->to

It was an uncomplicated question. Where does the Holy Scripture instruct us that unless a prayer is not found in the Scripture it should into be prayed? I don't think any obfuscation is needed here. A chapter and verse would suffice.

Obfuscation is what you're continuing to show. The question NEVER was about "prayers" being found in Scripture but to WHOM we should "pray". It's not at all a difficult question, but for some reason, you continue to dodge it.

I'll repeat my original question, where in Scripture are we told to pray to angels? Because everywhere Scripture talks about these spiritual and powerful beings, they are the ones who deliver messages FROM God TO people. They rejected worship whenever anyone tried to give it - the HOLY ones, that is. I'm sure Satan and his fallen buddies would gladly accept our worship, but that would be a sin.

So, what is a good reason for having composed prayers directed to angelic beings when we are taught in Scripture to pray TO God, alone? We don't have the go ahead from God to tell His angels to do anything for us - they do what HE tells them. If we have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ, what possible extra benefit is there from petitioning angels anyway? God hears our prayers and in His will He answers them - to HIS glory and praise no matter what His answer is.

93 posted on 12/10/2014 8:48:38 PM PST by boatbums (God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 91 | View Replies]

To: boatbums; annalex; BlueDragon
Because everywhere Scripture talks about these spiritual and powerful beings, they are the ones who deliver messages FROM God TO people. They rejected worship whenever anyone tried to give it - the HOLY ones, that is.

Indeed.

And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. - Revelation 22:8-9


94 posted on 12/10/2014 9:49:45 PM PST by Alamo-Girl
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 93 | View Replies]

To: Alamo-Girl

Amen. God bless you, dear sister in Christ.


95 posted on 12/10/2014 10:14:06 PM PST by boatbums (God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 94 | View Replies]

To: annalex; boatbums

The original question was uncomplicated, focusing there not on content of prayers, but to whom prayers unto God, according to Scripture -- are to be addressed or 'sent' as it were...

The next question, which you had crafted in response was more complex, having included a re-directing conflating & confusing change of identities & issue, rather than provide answer to the lady's own initial and uncomplicated question.

Then why did you bring any?

Go back and provide chapter and verse for the question which you had initially responded to with your own question -- before demanding of others that they do the same.

Carry the burdens which you would have others carry, perhaps?

96 posted on 12/10/2014 11:53:55 PM PST by BlueDragon (I could see sound,love,and the soundsetme Free,but youwerenot listening,so could not see)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 91 | View Replies]

To: Alamo-Girl; boatbums

Thank you, both of you dear persons.


97 posted on 12/11/2014 12:36:09 AM PST by BlueDragon (I could see sound,love,and the soundsetme Free,but youwerenot listening,so could not see)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 94 | View Replies]

To: Zuriel

Well we both should be up again! :)


98 posted on 12/11/2014 5:08:30 AM PST by defconw (If not now, WHEN?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 88 | View Replies]

To: boatbums; Alamo-Girl; annalex; BlueDragon
The question NEVER was about "prayers" being found in Scripture but to WHOM we should "pray"

Your original question is:

Can you demonstrate anywhere in Scripture that we are to pray to angels?

Granted that the scripture does not say "pray to angels!" anywhere, it is logical for me to ask:

Can you demonstrate anywhere in Scripture that prayers must be mentioned in the Holy Scripture in order for us to pray them?

Yet to this simple question neither of you has an answer.

99 posted on 12/11/2014 7:33:18 AM PST by annalex (fear them not)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 93 | View Replies]

To: Alamo-Girl; boatbums; BlueDragon
Revelation 22:8-9

Correct, as the Catholic church teaches both in Revelation and today, we should worship God alone. The question was whether we should pray to angels, not worship angels.

100 posted on 12/11/2014 7:38:18 AM PST by annalex (fear them not)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 94 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120 ... 141-150 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson