O glorious prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the heavenly hosts, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, servant in the house of the Divine King and our admirable conductor, you who shine with excellence and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil, who turn to you with confidence and enable us by your gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day Amen
And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Revelation 12:7-9
I'm not a theology major or a scripture scholar, but the book of Revelation is full of symbols and word pictures, it cannot be read as if it were a map or dictionary. In this mysterious passage about St. Micheal and his companions fighting Satan, we learn there is warfare. The battle of God's will agaisnt the power of evil. Simply put, St. Micheal and his army are waging a war for US, for our souls.
Overcoming evil is a spiritual battle and its not easy, nor is it romantic or gratifying as it is made to appear in those long sword fights of movie fame. This scripture deals with the battle in heaven that results in /satan's defeat and loss of access to heaven. Again vs.8 "and they were not strong enough and there was no longer a place for them found in heaven."
It reminds me of the battles we face which require perseverance through prayer, good habits, confession and sometimes help from others, like a wise spiritual director. It calls foran awareness of where you are being lead (vice or virture) Most importantly it calls for each of us to understand who we are in Christ, so by that understanding we can sweep the rooms of our soul from those things which are not from God.
Because the primary tactic used in the battle for our souls is deception, remember now he is what-the father of lies.
The enemy desires to lead you to sin so your fellowship with God is interrupted, he knows God has provided you with everything you need to win the spiritual battle. Here is where prayer is important because it is the source of true power and strength, it is the awareness of the abundant life you have in Christ and his bride the church. Witness heaven invade earth by our prayers, opening up the floodgates for God to act in our everyday lives.
Prayer has been vitally important in my journey of faith. It has been most effective where it was raw, learning the lessons of being real and honest before God, knowing the battle will bw won and has been won. So let's grab our swords with these words;
St. Micheal the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection agaisnt 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 evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls. AMEN
To Jesus through Mary-Susan Sabahi
image by thesaintsproject.org
Download for Free: Saint Michael Audio Chaplet
http://www.heartofmarywf.com/the-chaplet-of-saint-michael-the-archangel