St. Michael Prayer QUESTION from H October 26, 1999 Dear John-Paul:
Speaking of impreccatory commands . . . my good friend tells me that there is an older, more powerful version of the St. Michael prayer. Do you know of it and can we still use it? If so, please post it.
Also, she tells me that there is one (a St. Michael prayer) specifically for priests that the laity may NOT use. Is this true?
Thanks and God Bless You, Mrs. H.
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius on November 5, 1999 Dear Mrs. H:
Yes, there is a longer and more intense St. Michael Prayer written by Pope Leo XIII who also wrote the small St. Michael Prayer commonly said after Mass. This is the prayer your friend is thinking of as belonging only to clergy.
However, no, this prayer was never restricted to clergy, though at least one phrase had to be changed if laity were to use it. That phrase is and powerful in the holy authority of our ministry. This refers to the ministry of the priest. Changing the phrase to: and powerful in the holy authority of His name would be acceptable.
However, since the 1984 Legistlation restricting the use of imprecatory commands, this Prayer, if used, will have to be edited rather extensively since it uses imprecatory commands (commanding the devil directly) and also speaks directly to the devil.
The current legislation of the Church prohibits this direct confrontation with demons even on the part of Priests. No Priest outside of a Church approved formal solemn exorcism, and no layman, may use imprecatory commands or speak directly to the demons. Thus if this prayer is to be used at all, it MUST be revised.
I have offered a revision below.
BUT TAKE NOTICE: This prayer, even in its revised form, is a very in your face prayer. It should NOT be prayer lightly or for just any reason. It is far better to use the Rosary or some of the other spiritual warfare prayers that are found in the SW section of the WebPage than to use this one.
This prayer, even in its revised form, should not, in my opinion, be used by anyone except those formally in deliverance ministry and only upon serious reflection an preparation, including fasting, over a period of time.
I have also taken out the reference to exorcism so as not to confuse this with the solemn exorcism of the Church.
I reluctantly post this, but the original prayer of Pope Leo XIII is readily available to anyone, so it is best to post a revision.
Whenever you see ANYONE proposing the original prayer, PLEASE, suggest to them to not use it, and use this one instead, and I would advise you to counsel them to leave serious efforts of deliverance to those qualified.
PRAYER OF DELIVERANCE
(Mention the person(s) and/or places you are saying these prayers for)
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
Most glorious Prince of the Heavennly Armies, St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in our battle against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. (Eph. 6:12) Come to the assistance of men whom God has created to His likeness and whom he has redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil. Holy Church venerates thee as her guardian and protector; to thee, the Lord has entrusted the souls of the redeemed to be led into Heaven. Pray therefore the God of Peace to crush satan beneath our feet, that he may no longer retain men captive and do injury to the Church. Offer our prayers to the Most High, that without delay they may draw His mercy down upon us; take hold of the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and satan, bind him and cast him into the bottomless pit so that he may no longer seduce the nations. (Rev. 20:2)
In the Name of Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, strengthened by the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of Blessed Michael the Archangel, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and all the Saints, and powerful in the holy authority of His name, we confidently resist the attacks and deceits of the devil.
Let God aris, and let His enemies be scattered: and let them that hate Him flee from before His face.
As smoke is driven away, so are they driven; as wax melts before the fire, so the wicked perish at the presence of God. (Psalm 67:2-3)
V. Behold the Cross of the Lord, flee bands of enemies. R. He has conquered, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the offspring of David.
V. May thy mercy, Lord, descend upon us. R. As great as our hope in Thee.
(+ = Make the sign of the cross silently)
We ask you Father in Heaven to drive the evil spirits from us, whoever they may be, unclean spirits, all satanic powers, all infernal invaders, all wicked legions, assemblies and sects; in the Name and by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, + may they be snatched away and driven from the Church of God and from the souls made to the image and likeness of God and redeemed by the Precious Blood of the Divine Lamb. + By the power of the Most High God and Father we ask you Lord to come against and command + the cunning serpent that he shall no more dare to deceive the human race, persecute the Church, torment God's elect and sift them as wheat.
+ Most High God please command this evil one with whom, in his great insolence, still claims to be equal to You. Let the evil spirits know without doubt that You want all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (I Tim. 2:,4) and that this evil one and all his minions have no truth within them.
God the Father please command the evil spirits. + God the Son please command the evil spirits. + God the Holy Spirit please command the spirits.
+ Christ, God's Word made flesh, please command the evil spirits; command them oh Lord, You who saved our race despite the evil one’s envy, who humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death; (Phil.2:8) You who built Your Church on the firm rock and declared that the gates of hell shall not prevail against Her, because You will dwell with Her all days even to the end of the world (Mat.,27:20).
Let the sacred Sign of the Cross be a sign that I am owned solely by Christ who commands all things + and that I am protected by Him who is All Powerful, the Lord God Almighty.
Lord God, let the power of the mysteries of the Christian Faith + be a sign to the evil spirits of Your authority and command. Let the glorious Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, who by her humility and from the first moment of her Immaculate Conception, crushed the proud head of Satan + be a sign to the evil spirits of Your authority and command. + Let the faith of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul and of the other Apostles be a sign to the evil spirits of Your authority and command. + Let the blood of the Martyrs and the pious intercession of all the Saints be a sign to the evil spirits of Your authority and command. +
Thus, by the living God, + by the true God, + by the Holy God, + by the God who so loved the world that He gave up His only Son, that every soul believing in Him might not perish but have life everlasting (John, 3:16); by Your power and glory oh Lord command the cursed dragon, and diabolical legions, to stop deceiving human creatures and pouring out to them the poison of eternal damnation; to stop harming the Church and hindering her liberty.
We resist the devil and his minions and declare that they have no business with us who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, command this Satan, this inventor and master of all deceit, enemy of man's salvation to begone and to give place to Christ who in all things is obedient to the Father and through whom all things are sustained; and to give place to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church acquired by Christ at the price of His Blood; and to stoop beneath the all-powerful Hand of God and to tremble and flee when Your people invoke the Holy and Terrible Name of Jesus, this Name to which the Virtues, Powers and Dominations of Heaven are humbly submissive, this Name which causes hell to tremble, this Name which the Cherubim and Seraphim praise unceasingly repeating: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, the God of Armies.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. May the Lord be with Thee. R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray…
God of Heaven, God of earth, God of Angels, God of Archangels, God of Patriarchs, God of Prophets, God of Apostles, God of Martyrs, God of Confessors, God of Virgins, God who has power to give life after death and rest after work, because there is no other God than Thee and there can be no other, for Thou art the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, of whose reign there shall be no end, we humbly prostrate ourselves before Thy glorious Majesty and we beseech Thee to deliver us by Thy power from all the tyranny of the infernal spirits, from their snares, their lies and their furious wickedness; deign, O Lord to grant us Thy powerful protection and to keep us safe and sound. We beseech Thee through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
From the snares of the devil, deliver us, O Lord. That Thy Church may serve Thee in peace and liberty, we beseech Thee to hear us. That Thou may crush down all enemies of Thy Church, we beseech Thee to hear us.
HOLY WATER IS SPRINKLED IN THE PLACE WHERE WE MAY BE)
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