Prayer is to our lives what breathing is to our bodies. As we can’t live long without fresh air coming into our lungs, our spiritual lives cannot remain alive and vital unless we are regularly communicating with God. There are many forms of prayer in the Church’s treasury but often, when we gather in public, we recite together vocal prayers that include the simple but profound theological truths of our Faith.
One of these such prayers is the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel. Several years ago, Bishop McManus asked all parishes in the Diocese of Worcester to recite the St. Michael prayer at the conclusion of each Mass. This prayer can be
found on the back cover of “Today’s Missal” which you will find in the pews. This prayer is based on Holy Scripture and reminds us that St. Michael was the archangel who won the victory against Satan and his angels, throwing these fallen angels out of Heaven as a consequence of their rebellion against God. The St. Michael Prayer calls upon the Archangel
to protect us from evil and to continue to fight against any form of oppression that we experience in the world.
It should not surprise us that the Church asks us to recite together The St. Michael The Archangel Prayer at the end of Mass. The state of today ’s world and of our society leaves us no doubt that evil is real and that we, as Christians, are engaged in spiritual battle each day. When we pray this prayer together, we are reminded that prayer itself is an important spiritual weapon against evil.
I began praying the “Hail Mary” at the end of Mass almost ten years ago because I believe that through our devotion to her, we grow closer to Jesus. Mary ’s example of faith teaches us to say ‘yes’ to God in our daily lives as Mary gave her ‘yes’ to God’s plans for her. When we pray to Mary, her powerful intercession helps us and she acts as our Mother.
The Mass is the greatest prayer we have. It is a joy to share in this prayer with you weekly and daily. Through the Mass, the Church and parish community is built up and we receive God’s graces. May St. Peter’s Parish be blessed by the heavenly help of St. Peter, our patron, Our Blessed Mother Mary and St. Michael The Archangel. Through prayer may we all grow in faith, hope and love.