The Feast of the Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel
(September 29)

ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

"AND THERE WAS a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with
the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels; and they prevailed not,
neither was their place found any more in heaven, and that great dragon was
cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth
the whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown
down with him."         
-- Apocalypse 12:7-9

DEVOTION TO ST. MICHAEL
Most Suitable for Our Times

    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 the protection
of this mighty Archangel whose shield bears the inscription: "MI-CHA-EL" -
"Quis ut Deus" - "Who is like unto God?"

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The above is taken from the excellent booklet "St. Michael the Archangel"
published by TAN Books (www.tanbooks.com).