Vade Retro Satana

 

It's been a little busy at the Compound with one thing or another, including a visiting seminarian. He's a good guy and we discussed the iniquity of the present age over delicious bean and brisket burritos from Karen's on the porch, and agreed that Satan was waxing strong.

To the point, I was struck by this, via Adrienne:

Lucifer has placed his stamp upon the present age. Open and secret revolt against God and His Church, the spirit of criticism, unbelief and immorality are spreading. The arrogant boast of Lucifer, "I will be like the Most High!" re-echoes everywhere. Puffed up with their discoveries and the progress in material science, men loudly proclaim their self-sufficiency and deny the existence of a Supreme Being. Governments and secret societies, plotting against God and striving to blot out from homes and schools, from offices and factories, all traces of Christianity, show plainly whose standard they follow. Never before in the world's history were God's rights so blasphemously mocked and denied, or the rights of man so arrogantly asserted, as they are today.

These frightful evils must convince us that we must turn to St. Michael, the Archangel, that glorious prince of Heaven who rendered all glory to God, conquering Lucifer and casting him into the abyss.

Already three centuries ago, St. Francis de Sales wrote: "Veneration of St. Michael is the great remedy against despising the rights of God, against insubordination, skepticism and infidelity" - vices which are perhaps more prevalent now than ever before.

Surely, it is time for Christians to "rise from sleep" and to offer vigorous resistance to the enemies of salvation. The weapons in this conflict are not the arms of civil warfare, but the spiritual weapons of prayer and penance, increased fidelity to the Commandments of God, and frequent reception of the Sacraments.  And surely we can choose no better leader in this conflict than the powerful captain who led the faithful Angels to victory.

Let us, then, with confident trust invoke the aid and protection of this mighty Archangel whose shield bears the inscription: MICHAEL -- "Quis ut Deus" -- Who is like unto God?

 

Rise from sleep and enlist the aid of the heavenly host and its archangelic prince, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph. 6:12) 

We are in a war, ultimately a spiritual one, of good v. evil, light v. dark. And victory is assured, in fact it's won, though the fight's ongoing. St. Benedict, the founder of Western monasticism, gives us a weapon to add to our spiritual armory with this powerfully short prayer:

CRUX SACRA SIT MIHI LUX / NON DRACO SIT MIHI DUX

VADE RETRO SATANA / NUNQUAM SUADE MIHI VANA

SUNT MALA QUAE LIBAS / IPSE VENENA BIBAS

Dragon, ipse venena  bibas, drink your own poison.

Yes indeed,

LSP