Michael is, of course, one of the archangels. \u00a0It is Michael who is credited with defeating Lucifer. \u00a0For much of the Middle Ages, this day was a holy day of obligation, though the practice fell off in modern times, and in America at least, it is no longer such a day. \u00a0I\u2019m not sure if it is even mentioned. \u00a0A shame, since it does help us remember that despite the media and the\u00a0scientific\u00a0explanation\u00a0for everything, ours is still\u00a0ultimately\u00a0a struggle with the principalities and powers and rulers of this present darkness. \u00a0The demonic that is. \u00a0Sometimes I think that Bultmann was correct, that in our age of iPads and electric coffee makers, we have a hard time seeing beyond the wiring and the plumbing, the DNA and the molecules. <\/p>\n
Still, it\u2019s a time that beckons us to think of the supernatural, the cosmic struggles, the powers of Good and the powers of Hell. \u00a0It brings to mind that we are near to that witching month, that month associated with decay and death, of hell and terror. \u00a0Though it begins with a bang, celebrating that saint of saints Francis of Assisi, it ends on the night of All Hallows, and turns out thoughts to the world beyond this one, beyond the reach of mere physics and chemistry and biological theories. <\/p>\n
So get out the blackberry crumble (an old custom said blackberries were not to be picked before the old date of Michaelmas), make some apple dolls, and cook the roast goose (a gamy bird, we tried it once \u2013 we loved it better than it loved us), and say that old, traditional prayer that Catholic invoked for ages against the powers of darkness:<\/p>\n
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our safeguard 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 other evil spirits, who wander throughout the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s September 29, a date which for many ages in the Old Countries meant almost as much as Labor Day or Memorial Day does to most Americans. \u00a0It was a seasonal date, a time that signaled ends and beginnings. \u00a0There was a time when this was the beginning of autumn, and if I\u2019m correct, English […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2805,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a><\/div>\n