Prayer, Segment 5: Defend Us in Battle

In honor of the feast of the Archangels.  St. Michael and I are getting close... or at least, he has been a sort of heavenly body guard for me.  I've prayed his prayer at the end of Mass for years now, but only in the very recent past have I grown to appreciate his guardianship.  Or maybe he's been watching over me a little more intensely lately.

I had a moment with him when taking an exam for one of my distance classes.  My mind was wandering in negative circles, and I thought, "This is ridiculous.  It is absurd to fail a test because I can't make my mind focus."  Then it occurred to me that someone has a vested interest in people failing in their contemplation of God.  So I prayed the St. Michael prayer and finished the test.  Since then, I have started calling on Michael so often that most of the time, I only have time for a quick invocation: "St. Michael, defend me!"

I say all this to give a shout-out to the angel who has been constantly with me for the past six weeks or so, and thank him for it!  Here's his prayer as my home parish prays it; you find all sorts of variations, depending on where you go:

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 Heavenly Hosts, by the divine power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who roam throughout the world, seeking the ruin of souls.  Amen.