San Miguel is, together with San Gabriel and San Rafael, one of the main archangels of the ancient and new testament. In Hebrew, his name means “who is like God?”. In other words, “who claims to be equal to God?” The intercession of Saint Michael Archangel is powerful, because he is the chief of the lord’s army against Satan, and gives us strength and courage in our fight evil. Let us not hesitate to pray to him, as the church invites us to do.
Seven days with the Holy Archangels
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Prayer of Pope Leo XIII to Saint Michael Archangel Defender
“Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the perversity and snares of the devil.
Restrain me, oh God, we ask supplicants,
and you prince of the heavenly militia cast into hell with divine power
satan and other evil spirits
who are scattered throughout the world for the perdition of souls. Amen.”
Pope Leo XIII
Why pray to Saint Michael the Archangel?
In the book of Revelation, Saint John has a vision of the archangel Saint Michael slaying the dragon during a great heavenly battle: “Then a battle was fought in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and he counterattacked with his angels, but they were defeated and expelled from heaven” (Revelation 12:7-8). San Miguel is therefore “the commander of the Lord’s army” (Joshua 5:14), which, “strong in the fight, won the victory” against Satan and the demons (Roman Breviary). In this way, his strength, merits, and love for God surpass those of other angels.
In the same way that the prayers of the saints save us, the intercession of Saint Michael is very powerful. That is why Saint Alphonsus de Liguori invites us to pray to him: “If it is convenient at all times to pray to Saint Michael, is it not necessary at this time to resort to his powerful intercession, to ask this glorious conqueror of Lucifer, this bearer of the banner of Christ, to defend the Church, already ourselves, in the terrible and atrocious struggle of the enemies of God against religion and our souls?”. Therefore, we can ask for the help of Saint Michael for the Church and public causes, as well as for our particular needs.
San Miguel, guardian of the church and patron saint of the Infantry and the Army
In the Old Testament, Saint Michael is described as “the angel of God, who went before Israel” (Exodus 14:19). He is sent by God to “protect on the way and drive to the place I have prepared” (Exodus 23:20). This mission attributed by God to the archangel makes him, on the one hand, protector of God’s peoplethat is, of the Church, and on the other, in the defender of the nations.
San Miguel is the patron saint of various trades, the army, the infantry and the police. In fact, French and other military paratroopers also seek his protection.
Saint Michael, defender of our souls
In addition, the Catholic Church recognizes Saint Michael as the angel to whom God has entrusted the mission of taking souls to paradise: “The archangel Michael came with a multitude of angels. God entrusted to him the souls of the saints so that he may lead them to the joy of paradise” (Roman Breviary). Therefore, we can, with all believers, address this invocation to Saint Michael: “Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in the fight, so that we do not perish in the terrible judgment” (Roman Missal).
In this way, Saint Michael can help us in a special way at the moment of our death, but also in our fight against the enemy throughout our lives, which is why our prayers for liberation and protection are directed to him. In fact, God himself gives his angels the mission of keeping us on our paths. “They will carry you in their hands so that you do not stumble against any stone”(Psalms 91:12).
When and how to pray to San Miguel?
Prayer to Saint Michael for every day
For almost a century, a prayer was prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel at the end of each mass. In 1886, Pope Leo XIII established it this way, and later, the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican Council suppressed this practice. However, the Holy Father John Paul II strongly recommended “the daily practice of prayer to the Archangel Michael, established by Leo XIII”.
“Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the perversity and snares of the devil. Repress it, oh God, we ask supplicants, and your prince of the heavenly host throws into hell with divine power Satan and the other evil spirits who are scattered throughout the world for the perdition of souls. Amen.”
In addition, we can choose to consecrate ourselves personally or as a family to Saint Michael, and renew this consecration every day.
Pray on the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel
The festival of San Miguel is celebrated several times a year. In fact, the main festival is that of the holy archangelswhich is celebrated on september 29. For this occasion, we can recreate several of his prayers, for example, the prayer of consecration, or the little exorcism of Leo XIII.
On the other hand, we must know that San Miguel is also celebrated on May 8, the day of his appearance on Mount Gargano (on this occasion a special hymn is sung).
Pray to San Miguel with
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