Dear Father,
Maybe you can settle a disagreement I’m having with my friend about the St. Michael Prayer. He thinks it should be said at every Mass sometime after the homily. However, I was taught that, after Vatican II, we don’t pray that prayer anymore. We aren’t going to lose our friendship over this, but we’d like your help.
-Rand
Dear Rand,
The St. Michael the Archangel Prayer was composed by Pope Leo XIII (not to be confused with our current Pope Leo XIV). For the sake of my readers who may not be familiar with it, here’s how it goes (there are variants):
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against 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 the evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
In 1884, the pope ordered that the Leonine prayers (named after him, Leo XIII) be prayed throughout the entire Church. The prayers consisted of three Hail Marys, the Hail Holy Queen prayer, the St. Michael Prayer, and three prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The reason for the prayers was two-fold: thanksgiving to God and for liberty and protection for the Church, especially in light of difficulties with the Italian government at that time. Later, Soviet Russian threats to the freedom of the Church posed another reason for these special prayers.
After the Second Vatican Council and the updating of the Mass, the Leonine prayers were suppressed. In other words, they were no longer mandatory at the end of Mass. Private recitation of the prayers, however, was always permitted.
Many bishops permit the St. Michael prayer provided that it is recited after Mass because it is not part of the Mass. This means that the St. Michael prayer may not be prayed before the final blessing and dismissal. Nor should it be recited before the priest kisses the altar upon departure from the sanctuary. Use of the St. Michael prayer is usually left to the discretion of the pastor, provided he does not insert devotional prayers in any part of the Mass.
Other prayers after Mass, such as the St. Thomas Aquinas Prayer of Thanksgiving after Mass, are yet another concern. As a Dominican, I love that prayer, but I also know that many people want to pray privately after Mass, and they should be allowed to do so.
St. Thomas did not intend his prayer to be prayed aloud by the congregation. As a Dominican, he knew the importance of private thanksgiving to God after receiving Holy Communion, also recommended by the Doctors of the Church, saints and theologians. Priests may be zealous to help their congregants make an act of Thanksgiving, but they should leave individuals to do this on their own.
Having just received Jesus Christ into our bodies and souls, it is most important to speak intimately with Him. It is the time to thank Him for uniting us to Himself and to intercede for others. You will grow in holiness to the degree that you spend time in thanksgiving after Mass, at least for a few moments. We must not be in a hurry to exit the church after Mass.
It is interesting to note that the prayers were said only after the “low Mass.” Our current form of the Mass does not admit of degrees of solemnity, that is, low, sung Mass (missa cantata) and the solemn high Mass (missa solemnis). Thus, when the Leonine prayers were in force, they were only for Masses without hymns and chant, or organ accompaniment.
While there is no such thing as a low Mass in the current form of the Mass, it makes most sense that the St. Michael prayer would not be recited at Masses with hymns and musical instruments, for example, on Sundays and Holy Days (except when there is no music). On these days, nothing impedes someone from praying the St. Michael Prayer privately.
One abuse of the St. Michael Prayer is to use it as the closing prayer by the priest after the Universal Prayer (the General Intercessions). In this case, the priest is to offer a very short summary prayer addressed to God the Father through Christ, His Son.
The forces of darkness are prevalent in our world. We are involved in spiritual warfare, even if the Leonine prayers are no longer required after Mass. St. Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God “to stand against the wiles of the devil.” We are contending, he says, “against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:11-12).
Use the beautiful St. Michael Prayer especially in your private devotions and when you experience temptations. For many people, St. Michael is an aid when browsing the internet. He is also the patron saint of military personnel, the police and others whose work involves protection from danger. Give special thanks to God on St. Michael’s feast day, September 29, aka Michaelmas Day.
Questions about the sacraments should be sent to sacraments101@columbuscatholic.org.