CONCERNED HUMANITY

ARCHANGEL MICHAEL, LIKE UNTO GOD
The Archangel Michael is the closest to the Lord in the Jewish scriptures, for his very name means Like Unto God. As the eldest Archangel, he is given captaincy of all of God's natural phenomena, including rain, wind, fire, snow, thunder, lightning, and hail. Michael is believed by many Jews to have appeared to Moses as the fire in the burning bush and to have led Daniel from the lions' den.

Michael is one of the principal angels in Abrahamic tradition; his name was said to have been the war-cry of the angels in the battle fought in heaven against Satan and his followers.

In the Christian Bible, Michael is said to be the Angel who told the Virgin Mary of her approaching death. According to Muslims, Michael's body is covered with fine hairs and each one, like a tongue, implores the Mercy of Allah on behalf of sinners.

As the Archangel of battle and defender of Heaven, Michael is said to be the Patron Saint of policemen. Additionally, because it is said in the Book of Revelations that Michael will lead God's troops against the dragon and his angels at the final battle, many people seek the aid of Michael against wrong-doers on Earth and all people in need of protection from crime or from physical or spiritual enemies may petition the Archangel for help -- and many have reported benefits from keeping an Angel Michael novena candle burning in the home.

POPE JOHN PAUL II URGES REVIVAL OF THE PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL
The Prayer to the Archangel Michael was composed by Pope Leo XIII (d. 1903) after he had a vision of the battle between the Woman clothed with the sun and the great dragon who tried to devour her child at birth, in the Book of Revelation, chapter 12. In 1886, the pope decreed that this prayer be said at the end of low Mass (not high, or sung Masses) thoughout the universal Church, along with the Salve Regina (Hail, Holy Queen); and the practice of the congregation praying these prayers at the end of Mass continued until about 1970.

In 1994, during the International Year of the Family, Pope John Paul II asked all Catholics to pray this prayer daily. He warned that the fate of humanity was in great peril (in particular because of the U.N. Population Conference to be held in Cairo that year). Though he did not order that the prayer be said after Mass, he urged Catholics to pray together to overcome the forces of darkness and evil in the world.

In his Angelus message given in St. Peter's Square, Sunday, April 24 1994, shortly before the United Nations Conference in Cairo, the pope spoke of the Woman clothed with the sun, who appeared in Saint John's apocalyptic vision, with the dragon about to devour her newborn child (Rev 12:1-4). The Holy Father said that in our time all the accumulated threats to life are placed before woman, and we must address the Woman clothed with the sun to overcome these snares.

In this message, as follows, he, too, encouraged the revival of the prayer to Saint Michael:

May prayer strengthen us for the spiritual battle of which we are told in the Letter to the Ephesians: 'Draw strength from the Lord and from His mighty power' (Ephesians 6:10). It is this same battle to which The Book of Revelation [Apocalypse] refers, recalling before our eyes the image of Saint Michael the Archangel (cf. Revelation 12:7). Pope Leo XIII certainly had a very vivid vision of this scene when, at the end of the last century, he introduced a special prayer to Saint Michael throughout the Church. Even if this prayer is no longer recited at the end of every Mass, I ask everyone to remember it and to recite it to obtain help in the battle against forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world.

A PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL

Saint Michael, 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, thrust into hell Satan
and all the other evil spirits who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Pope Leo XIII

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When a divine spirit grants your wish, it is customary, to give an offering of some kind in return. Because Archangel Michael, Who is Like God, Bulwark of Heaven is generally depicted as the protector of the weak, it is considered appropriate to make a contribution to your local police force or community watch program, or to a shelter for the victims of violent crime, as an offering of thanks.

What follows is a copy of a letter that was written by a young Marine to his mother while he was hospitalized after being seriously wounded, retelling an account of his unexpected and memorable encounter with Archangel Michael on a Korean battlefield in 1950. The letter came into the hands of a Navy Chaplain, who read the letter before 5,000 Marines at a San Diego Naval Base in 1951. The Navy chaplain had talked to the soldier, to his mother, and to the Sergeant in charge of the patrol. This Navy chaplain, Father Walter Muldy, would always assure anyone who asked that this is a true story. This letter was read once a year, in the 1960's, over a Midwestern radio station at Christmas time:
http://www.marypages.com/St.Michael.htm

The Archangel Michael is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, and in numerous medieval texts:
http://www.ago.net/www/michael/object/who.htm

Michael the Archangel from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_(archangel)