St. Anthony"s Prayer no longer valid?

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Dominic_Brother

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HELP…

St. Anthony of Padua is one of my favourite saints. One of his more famous prayers is:

Behold, the Cross of the Lord!
Begone, all evil powers!
The Lion of the tribe of Judah,
The Root of David, has conquered!
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Much literature encourages the faithful to say this prayer. As examples, you can visit these sites:
St. Anthony Shrine
Catholic-Forum.com

MY QUESTION:
Is this prayer no longer allowed by the laity??? After reading about imprecatory prayer, it appears I can’t say this prayer anymore because you are considered to be talking with demons!!! Is my interpreation of imprecatory prayer in this case correct? For example, read info about imprecatory prayer at this link:
saint-mike.org/
 
No, such a prayer is proper in its proper setting especially if under demonic attack. It is the smarter course to first implore heaven so that you have the power to admonish hell.
 
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mosher:
No, such a prayer is proper in its proper setting especially if under demonic attack. It is the smarter course to first implore heaven so that you have the power to admonish hell.
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Thanks mosher. But what would be an improper setting?
 
Dominic Brother:
Thanks mosher. But what would be an improper setting?
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I think that common sense applies here. One must take care to only antagonize the damned if one is first antagonized. Also, if a person is not spiritually strong enough to do such battle. Remember, prayers such as this and the more fully developed prayer of St. Michael against the Rebellious Angels are direct assaults on Satan and his lot. It is bound to happen that if a person fires vollies in such a way they can expect a direct attack by the enemy. That is why great care must be used when praying such prayers.

Think of it this way. If you keep poking a dog with a stick what do you think it is going to do?
 
I agree with you mosher.

St. Anthony’s blessing appears in the prayer by Pope Leo XIII
See link www.truecatholic.org

But I’m still confused when I read, “binding/commanding” by Brother Ignatius Mary. In it he quotes a Cardinal as saying that not even parts of that prayer can be used.

My reasoning is if your are under personal attack by a demon then I think you have the right to use imprecatory prayer as long as your prayer refers to the power of Jesus who actually does the work for you. ie It is not YOU who drives the demon away but it is Christ himself.

But to use imprecatory prayer over another person who is attacked, then I tend to agree with brother Ignatius Mary.

*ANOTHER QUESTION THEN. *
If I was under attack by a demon, would I be in good standing to recite the LONG St. Michael prayer composed by Pope Leo III???
 
Dominic Brother:
MY QUESTION:
Is this prayer no longer allowed by the laity??? After reading about imprecatory prayer, it appears I can’t say this prayer anymore because you are considered to be talking with demons!!! Is my interpreation of imprecatory prayer in this case correct? For example, read info about imprecatory prayer at this link:
saint-mike.org/
Click to expand...
You seem obsessed with demons, having had many demonic dreams where-by I was unable to move in bed for what seemed hours, (probably minutes) saying the Name of Jesus got me through this terrible time and the evil left.
The demon’s tremble and bow to that name, ok the prayer, ummm, I use it for my signature and it wasn’t given to the lady in question with the request to say the prayer.
The prayer was found on Saint Anthony’s Brief, the lady didn’t say the prayer, the thought of suicide left the lady just by having the cloth on her person,the cloth and the prayer go together.
As you probably know the original is with the Crown jewels in Portugal.
I don’t see how the prayer can antagonize a demon, apart from the deafening sound it would make to them.
Anyway I have Saint Anthony’s Brief in my home and say the words from time to time and will continue to do so.
Posession of someone is a different thing and needs adressed by the Church in an Exorcism.Here
What next, give up the Saint Michael Prayer, The Our Father, Hail Mary, surely the evil one is toying with us.
Demons don’t like the scapular either, they confessed this in exorcism,(another story) shall we take it off to please them, I don’t think so.

My :twocents: God Bless.
 
Dominic Brother:
I agree with you mosher.

St. Anthony’s blessing appears in the prayer by Pope Leo XIII
See link www.truecatholic.org

But I’m still confused when I read, “binding/commanding” by Brother Ignatius Mary. In it he quotes a Cardinal as saying that not even parts of that prayer can be used.

My reasoning is if your are under personal attack by a demon then I think you have the right to use imprecatory prayer as long as your prayer refers to the power of Jesus who actually does the work for you. ie It is not YOU who drives the demon away but it is Christ himself.

But to use imprecatory prayer over another person who is attacked, then I tend to agree with brother Ignatius Mary.

*ANOTHER QUESTION THEN. *
If I was under attack by a demon, would I be in good standing to recite the LONG St. Michael prayer composed by Pope Leo III???
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Let a priest deal with persons under attack as it is part of his ministry. If you are under attack there is no problem with that prayer you just can’t do that parts that are reserved for a priest.
 
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mosher:
Let a priest deal with persons under attack as it is part of his ministry. If you are under attack there is no problem with that prayer you just can’t do that parts that are reserved for a priest.
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Thx again Mosher, this may sound like another stupid question, but which parts are reserved for the priest in the LONG prayer to St. Michael?
 
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Eireann:
You seem obsessed with demons, having had many demonic dreams where-by I was unable to move in bed for what seemed hours, (probably minutes) saying the Name of Jesus got me through this terrible time and the evil left.
The demon’s tremble and bow to that name, ok the prayer, ummm, I use it for my signature and it wasn’t given to the lady in question with the request to say the prayer.
The prayer was found on Saint Anthony’s Brief, the lady didn’t say the prayer, the thought of suicide left the lady just by having the cloth on her person,the cloth and the prayer go together.
As you probably know the original is with the Crown jewels in Portugal.
I don’t see how the prayer can antagonize a demon, apart from the deafening sound it would make to them.
Anyway I have Saint Anthony’s Brief in my home and say the words from time to time and will continue to do so.
Posession of someone is a different thing and needs adressed by the Church in an Exorcism.Here
What next, give up the Saint Michael Prayer, The Our Father, Hail Mary, surely the evil one is toying with us.
Demons don’t like the scapular either, they confessed this in exorcism,(another story) shall we take it off to please them, I don’t think so.

My :twocents: God Bless.
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Thank you **eireann ** for the history of St. Anthony’s brief! I am happy you invoked the name of Jesus!! God Bless you.

As for being obsessed with demons, maybe the word obsessed is not the right one. I would say that I am always on my guard because the Devil is prowling around like a lion waiting to devour someone. 1 Peter 5:8-9

You are correct in that every knee must bend at the name of Jesus. I learned that the hard way. But I still prefer a simple sign of the cross while invoking the Holy Trinity (ie, in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen). For me, nothing beats the belief in the Holy Trinity. (of course the key word being **belief ** or **faith **)

As for the scapular, I used to wear one and I do believe in its promises. I consecrated my scapulars (brown, green, red, purple, and sacred heart badge) to my rosaries via a simple prayer to God. The scapulars are kept in a safe place. Thie consecration may not be proper and will thus invalidate the promises, but then that’s for God to decide in the end. I trust in his mercy.

Having said that, I now only need to carry 2 religious objects.
I wear a gold medal of St Anthony on a gold chain around my neck and a Rosary in my pocket. I pray that I will die with a Rosary in my hands.
 
Dominic Brother:
Thx again Mosher, this may sound like another stupid question, but which parts are reserved for the priest in the LONG prayer to St. Michael?
Click to expand...
It tells you in the prayer. First of all the blessing with the sign of the cross is reserved and there is a phrase that invokes ecclesastical power which is to be omitted by the lay faithful.
 
Dominic Brother:
MY QUESTION:
Is this prayer no longer allowed by the laity??? After reading about imprecatory prayer, it appears I can’t say this prayer anymore because you are considered to be talking with demons!!! Is my interpreation of imprecatory prayer in this case correct? For example, read info about imprecatory prayer at this link:
saint-mike.org/
Click to expand...
Thanks for that link. I had never heard of the prohibition of imprecatory prayer. I did know about the need for permission from the bishop for solemn excorcisms, though.

Now that I have read various documents and perspectives, I now see that the Church views imprecatory prayer as a solemn excorcism, even if not public. That is the part of the Long St. Michael prayer we are supposed to remove or alter into deprecatory ones (besides the mention of ministry).

While one might be tempted to think this is a trick of the devil to allow him to get off the hook, it need not be construed as such.

Even St. Michael in scripture used deprecatory prayer:

Jude 1:9 When Michael the archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses, he durst not bring against him the judgment of railing speech, but said: The Lord command thee.

The short St. Michael prayer is safe from this also. It is more humble and childlike to rely on someone else to do the delivering for us, anyway. And humility and obedience have more power of the devil. That is also why fasting on days appointed by the Church is more meritorious than on days appointed by ourselves.

So let us use this deprecatory format as we are obliged, even in private. It looks like it is the more powerful and orderly way to do it, and the way the Church has determined.

hurst
 
It is not YOUR place to do battle with the underworld UNLESS it is in self defense. Going aganist Satan and his army on behalf of someone else can only be successfully done by a priest with the OFFICIAL backing of the Catholic church behind him. Which is why a priest will not perform an exorcism unless it is first approved by his Bishop. Without that approval, he is just a weak & sinful human going off to do battle with a super powerful immortal but with his bishop’s approval, he is confronting the underworld with the authority of the church established by the Son of God Himself – a BIG difference … and even then, victory is a huge struggle.
 
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hurst:
Thanks for that link. I had never heard of the prohibition of imprecatory prayer. I did know about the need for permission from the bishop for solemn excorcisms, though.

Now that I have read various documents and perspectives, I now see that the Church views imprecatory prayer as a solemn excorcism, even if not public. That is the part of the Long St. Michael prayer we are supposed to remove or alter into deprecatory ones (besides the mention of ministry).

While one might be tempted to think this is a trick of the devil to allow him to get off the hook, it need not be construed as such.

Even St. Michael in scripture used deprecatory prayer:

Jude 1:9 When Michael the archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses, he durst not bring against him the judgment of railing speech, but said: The Lord command thee.

The short St. Michael prayer is safe from this also. It is more humble and childlike to rely on someone else to do the delivering for us, anyway. And humility and obedience have more power of the devil. That is also why fasting on days appointed by the Church is more meritorious than on days appointed by ourselves.

So let us use this deprecatory format as we are obliged, even in private. It looks like it is the more powerful and orderly way to do it, and the way the Church has determined.

hurst
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Thx Hurst. I need to do more reading on imprecatory prayer. I don’t think I have a full understanding of it.
 
Sir Knight:
It is not YOUR place to do battle with the underworld UNLESS it is in self defense. Going aganist Satan and his army on behalf of someone else can only be successfully done by a priest with the OFFICIAL backing of the Catholic church behind him. Which is why a priest will not perform an exorcism unless it is first approved by his Bishop. Without that approval, he is just a weak & sinful human going off to do battle with a super powerful immortal but with his bishop’s approval, he is confronting the underworld with the authority of the church established by the Son of God Himself – a BIG difference … and even then, victory is a huge struggle.
Click to expand...
Hi Sir Knight and I thank you too also for replying and helping me to understand a little more about prayers. SORRY ABOUT THIS LONG REPLY, but I hope you can shed more light or am hoping others who have the time to read this thread, can help.

Self Defense as you say is what I was refering to. (see my previous post to mosher time 04:39, I used the term “if you are under personal attack”)

I propose 2 distinct stitauions. If we can use the analogy mosher used of a dog representing a demon then here are the possibilities. (see mosher 04:13 previous note)

Situation A
  1. Bad Dog is watching to see what you are doing
  2. Bad Dog is barking at you, preventing you from doing good works
  3. Bad Dog is biting you and won’t let go (attempting possession)
Situation B
  1. Bad Dog is watching your brother
  2. Bad Dog is barking at the brother
  3. Bad Dog is biting *brother * and won’t let him (ie is possessed)
Under situation A, this is what we may call self defense. I call it a personal attack, same thing to me, just different terminology. As you say, you have every right to defend yourself. I agree with you. In A1, where the dog is watching you, (I believe they always are watching and waiting for an opportunity to pounce), the short form of prayer to St. Michael or other prayers (Rosary, litanies etc) are great. Now an imprecatory prayer should be allowed in the case where the dog is barking at you, Situation A2. This is a more serious situation with different degrees of severity. I fail to see why, (rather I fail to understand why), the LONG prayer of St. Michael cannot be used or even a portion of it because it is yourself who is under attack. Why can’t I use the imprecatory prayer **“Behold the Sign of the Cross, Begone Ye Enemy Powers, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David has conquered all, Alleluia”. ** Now, in the case where the Dog is biting you, which is I think is very rare, you don’t even have time to recite the LONG prayer to St. Michael. You have to be quick. In that case you need to call on the name of Jesus or use the sign of the cross, immediately.

NOW Situation B is a whole different ball game because you are a third party. Here you have to very careful what you do especially if you are not a priest (and I am not a priest or even a deacon or even a religious). For me, imprecatory prayers should not be used unless proper authorization is obtained.

But as I said in a post to hurst, I need to know exactly what imprecatory prayer is.** So in effect, I don’t know what I am talking about. ** As I understand it, the St. Anthony’s Blessing/brief is an imprecatory prayer because it directly talks to the demon and is kind of like a command. BTW, the brief/blessing is in the LONG form of prayer to St. Michael. I have to do more research. Ciao for now as I am signing off and God Bless.
 
Just did some quick research into the matter of proper use of impreccatory prayers.

Here is a quote from Benedict M. Heron OSB. His book is called
"I Saw Satan Fall"
I Saw Satan Fall

Catholics can also rebuke the devil or demons if they feel that they themselves are being tempted or attacked by them. Thus Catholics who felt that they~ were being attacked could pray aloud, for example: “Devil (or evil spirit of anger, or lust, or fear, on witchcraft), in the name of Jesus Christ I bind you, I command you to leave me and to go to Jesus.” Or a shorter prayer could be used, for example: “Devil, in the name of Jesus I command you to be gone!” Or they may prefer to use a deprecatory prayer, for I example: “Jesus, please bind this evil spirit of hate I and command it to leave me and not return”

So, the laity can use impreccatory prayers when you feel a demon is attacking you. Using an impreccatory prayer over another person is another matter.

The Inde Ab Aliquot Annis document by Cardinal Ratzinger refers prayers/excorsism over another person.

Therefore, I now feel very confident that the impreccatory prayer named St. Anthony’s Brief/Blessing:, " BEHOLD THE SIGN OF THE CROSS BEGONE YE ENEMY POWERS THE LION FROM THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, THE ROOT OF DAVID HAS CONQUERED ALL, ALLELUIA!" can be said by you to protect yourself against the evil one(s).

Which means that if this impreccatory prayer can be used in a private matter, then most likely, many other impreccatory prayers can be used as well, including the LONG form of prayer to St. Michael.
 
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