Saint Michael the Archangel

Saint Michael the Archangel

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..

     I have always been fascinated by St. Michael the Archangel. It started when I was a child but I think that had more to do with the fact that He had a sword and that was cool to me. That there was someone in the stained glass windows in the church that had a sword in His hand. As I grew older it was more because He defends our souls. Saint Michael is on the forefront of the battle to save our souls from those who seek the ruin of souls. 

      Having the Archangel there to help us in this battle is comforting to me. We have someone ( well... an angel) there not just by our side but there in front of us taking on evil firsthand. It is not just on Him to deal with evil but for us as well. It is our own souls that lay in the balance.  Just as I said in earlier blogs there are those temptations that are there in front of us and it is up to us threw prayer and strength to resist them. What or Who puts those temptations there in front of us? At times I do think it is just how things have come to be but other I do see that another force is at play. 

     That force is not of God but of evil. Evil things do happen and evil does prowl about the world. We can look back on history and see evil acts that have wrecked havoc in the world. It shapes our faith and how we see each other and even God. When evil things happen we question God as to why it had happened? We look for the good things that surround those evil actions. Maybe someone missed a bus that day when the Twin Towers Fell. Maybe someone missed their flight that day. It is not of God these actions and they fall onto free will and who we decide to listen to. We have the same right to follow evil as we do good. Yes, that is disturbing but a choice we only decide on. 

     It is when those who choose evil that we are need of the intercessions of Saint Michael. He does not cast those to hell but it is by the power of God that He does cast them into hell. We can not do this alone. It is not a peaceful act when we are battling evil in the world.  

      St. Michael has four main roles or offices. First He is the leader of the army of God that defeated the Devil and was cast into Hell. Second role is that at the hour of death St. Michael descends and gives the soul the chance to redeem themselves and carries the souls to heaven. The third role is He weighs the souls on His perfectly balanced scales. His last role is that He is the guardian of the Church.  In all but the third role I must say that I am glad He carries a sword with Him. He can defend our souls with swift justice of the sword. He means business and not just in a passive way. 

        When we pray or ask for St Michael to intercede for us, we are asking the head of God’s army for His protection. He seeks out out souls and brings them before God so we can be in heaven. This fact should not be feared but embraced for God has an army to help us, an army of angels and with them our souls may return home.

Until tomorrow, God Bless, and ask for St Michael to defend you in the battle for your soul.