The St. Michael Prayer in Latin and English

November 23, 2021


St Michael Prayer In Latin  

Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio, contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur: tuque, princeps militiae caelestis, in virtute Dei, in infernum detrude satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo. Amen.

Saint Michael Prayer in English 

Saint 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. 

Learning Latin Prayers

For me, it's much easier to learn a prayer in Latin when I can match up the Latin word or phrase with the English. This is why I always work on learning a new prayer using a side by side or line by line translation like the one below. 

While it's possible to guess the English meaning of some of the Latin when reading the prayers side by side, other lines and phrases can be confusing. If you use Chrome, you can translate the Latin by highlighting a given word or phrase with the Google Translate add-on (here). If you don't use Chrome just google Google Translate and copy and paste.

Side By Side / Line By Line Version (Latin and English)

Sancte Michael Archangele,
 Saint Michael the Archangel,
defende nos in proelio,
 defend us in battle,
contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium.
 be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur:
 May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
tuque, princeps militiae caelestis,
 and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host,
Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo, divina virtute,
 by the power of God, cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the earth,
in infernum detrude. Amen. seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Why Pray in Latin?

And Pilate wrote a title also, and he put it upon the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.  This title therefore many of the Jews did read: because the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, in Greek, and in Latin. - John 19:19,20 (Douay Rheims Bible)

It commonly said that the devil hates Latin and, in my own experience with prayer, this is absolutely true. Latin (along with Greek and Hebrew) is a sacred language by virtue of its use upon the cross. It is also the language of the Mass.

The angels love the Mass. For me, attending the traditional Latin Mass with an awareness of the presence of the angels is beyond beautiful. When I drop to my knees for the Sanctus, I can almost feel them hovering, gentle and pure, all around us.

At every Holy Mass, heaven is opened for us and we join in the praise and adoration of the Angels who stand night and day before the Throne of God singing unceasingly, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty..." Through the perfection of their praise, the Holy Angels can lead us more deeply into this praise of God and loving communion with Him and His divine Son in the Sacred Liturgy. - The Holy Mass as Communio (Opus Angelorum Circular: Advent 2021)

Holy Communion by Angelo Graf von Courten, 1848-1925.

Printable St. Michael Prayer Card

If you'd like a printable St. Michael English - Latin Prayer Card (as pictured below), please check out the new listing in my Etsy shop here. This is folding prayer card to allow for the English and Latin versions of the prayer (85¢).

Front of the St. Michael English - Latin Prayer Card

Inside of St. Michael English - Latin Prayer Card

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You can use Google Translate offline as well. More info here.


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Genre Writing and Being Catholic

November 15, 2021

 


All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king. - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of The Ring

I'm participating in the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing) for the first time this year.  For those who aren’t familiar, the challenge of NaNoWriMo is to write a complete, 50,000 word novel during the month of November. And I've reached the halfway point and while I am struggling I'm also learning a lot about writing. 

I didn't blog much during November or work on my etsy shop and, while I did manage to get to Mass and say the Rosary most mornings, my focus on my home definitely slipped.  So, I'm happy to go back to writing at my previous pace.

But the main issue that came up for me during NaNo is the conflict I'm feeling about writing any kind of popular fiction.  Before I came back to the Church I had no issues.  Now, I sometimes feel that I'm writing things that conflict with my Catholic faith. 

This is not to say that Catholic authors can't write genre fiction because, of course, they can.  J.R.R. Tolkien managed it.  And lots of people in the Catholic Writers Guild seem to be managing it too.  

So maybe I'm over complicating it.

I may just need to read more Catholic fiction!

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St. Hildegard of Bingen: 12th Century Healer & Visionary

November 1, 2021


Vision is a German film that chronicles the life of the 12th century Christian mystic St. Hildegard von Bingen. The film begins with her early childhood and covers all of the known major events of her adult life. It is subtitled but moves at a readable pace.

St. Hildegard von Bingen was not only a visionary. She was also a gifted healer, a painter, religious leader, poet, and composer. One of the things I especially liked about Vision was the beautiful sound track based on St. Hildegard's own compositions. I was less impressed with emphasis on the saints personal relationships.  

Not that I doubt that she had them or suffered at times with them, as do we all.  But, to me, she is so much more than that. 

St. Hildegard's Visions


According to multiple sources, including Barbara Newman, author of Voice of the Living Light: St. Hildegard of Bingen and Her World, St. Hildegard experienced (and recorded) a series mystical visions that she had been having since childhood.  These writings describe a brilliant light pouring down from heaven, which the saint referred to as "the living light."

Because angels appeared to St. Hildegard in her visions, she gave a lot of thought to the relationship between angels and man. The saint foresaw an apocalyptic future giving way to a new heaven and a new earth as described in the book of Revelation. 

Direct translations of St. Hildegard's visions may be found in Hildegard von Bingen's Mystical Visions which I have not read. But hope to read soon.

St. Hildegard attributed most of her accomplishments (including her incredibly beautiful musical compositions) to her visionary experience. But she remained modest throughout her life, giving all glory and honor to God as shown in the following letter to another religious leader:

A wind blew from a high mountain and, as it passed over ornamented castles and towers, it put into motion a small feather which had no ability of its own to fly but received its movement entirely from the wind. Surely the almighty God arranged this to show what the Divine could achieve through a creature that had no hope of achieving anything by itself.  ~ St. Hildegard's letter to Abbot Philip


St. Hildegard and Holistic Wellness


St. Hildegard believed in a strong connection between body and soul and regarded physical disturbance as a sign of a deeper imbalance.  Her pharmacopoeia, The Physica (Hildegard von Bingen's Physica: The Complete English Translation of Her Classic Work on Health and Healing) discusses the specific medicinal qualities of plants, elements, living creatures and metals. 

The Physica does mention the use of crystals which (as an ex new ager) I do not recommend. It is worth noting, however, that St. Hildegard seemed to be attempting to utilize the mineral (rather than the magical) qualities of the stones. In many instances she placed the recommended stones directly against the skin or asked the patient to hold them in their mouth.

To me, fact that the Physica must be read critically (like all historical medical treatises) doesn't detract from its value. As one of the three female doctors of the Catholic Church, St. Hildegard's medical and visionary writings may be taken seriously.

St. Hildegard's Legacy


Assuming a leadership position throughout her life, St. Hildegard served as magistra of the sisterhood at Disibodenberg and went on to found her own convent at Rupertberg in the face of great opposition. She was the author of the Physica three books of visions, numerous musical works and what many consider to be the first morality play.

Canonized after her death, St. Hildegard's progressive and holistic approach to the treatment of illness was far ahead of its time and an inspiration to anyone with an interest in holistic wellness.  

Her many visions are thought provoking and well recorded.  

Her delicate and haunting liturgical melodies speak directly to the heart. To me, their survival over these last 800 years is a remarkable testimony. I listen to them often.  To me, they are more effective then any new age or Eastern meditation.

One of the things I love about St. Hildegard is that she reminds us our Catholic faith IS all encompassing.  Thanks to St. Hildegard and other saints we are the recipients of both a rich mystical tradition and an approach to wellness that is well worth exploring.


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