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November 14, 2021
St. Michael the Archangel & your Guardian Angel
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There are truly diabolical forces assaulting our world and our church. One only has to listen to the evening news to realize the evil that seems to be building on a daily basis in our country and in our world. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ took the devil very seriously. In fact, his life on earth was a tremendous battle between himself and the evil one. We know that He ultimately has won the battle. He has destroyed the power of Satan. But we must embrace Christ and the salvation He offers us. Satan still wages war against us. He is powerful, insidious, and unrelenting. We have to take the devil seriously. He is most powerful when he is denied. This is when the devil dupes us the most.
Some time ago, Pope Francis suggested that we pray the St. Michael Prayer for protection against the diabolical forces that seem to be raging
throughout the world. Beginning on the first Sunday of Advent, before Mass begins, we will pray together the prayer of St. Michael the Archangel to
defend us in battle against the evil one. We are praying this prayer at the
beginning of Mass so we have the assistance of the Archangel in our prayer. The devil likes to distract us when we are trying to grow closer to God.
We pray,
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 thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
This may also be a good time to renew your personal devotion to your own guardian angel. Recently, I have personally done this, and have found it to be of great value. To assist yourself in your relationship with your guardian
angel, you may wish to give them a name. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen tells us, “There are angels near you to guide you and protect you, if you would but invoke them. It is not later than we think, it is a bigger world than we think.”
In my own life experience, I am certain that my guardian angel has protected me on countless occasions. This protection is not only from physical harm, but also from spiritual harm. The more you and I can become sensitive to the spiritual realms around us in which we live our everyday lives, the less likely we are to fall victim to the evil one.
Our Savior said in the Gospel more than any other phrase, “be not afraid” or “fear not.” Although fear can be a great motivator, it can also cause us to sin. Knowing that the Lord is with us and is more powerful than any evil; we do not need to live in fear. But we do need to take sin and evil seriously. If we are honest, and we truly
examine our lives, it will become apparent that most of our personal suffering, and the suffering in the world, has been the result of sin. When we suffer from doing good, the Lord tells us we should rejoice. But how often do we suffer from doing evil? Sin carries with it its own punishment. Many of the problems we face in the world today can be traced back to sinful behavior. And the most basic of all sinful behavior is self-centeredness and self-interest.
Next week we will celebrate the Feast of Christ our King. May He be the ruler and guide of our lives. With this feast day we will end the liturgical year and begin a new year on the First Sunday of
Advent. Knowing that Christ’s kingdom is a kingdom of love and justice and stands opposed to a kingdom of sin; we will begin our new year praying for St. Michael’s and our Guardian Angels’
protection.
God love you,
