The Twelve Months Sanctified by Prayer: October, Month of the Holy Angels M. L'ABBE A. RICARD, D.S.G. Translated from the French. 1877 October 22 PROTECTION AGAINST THE DEVILS (continuation)
The Twelve Months Sanctified by Prayer: October, Month of the Holy Angels M. L'ABBE A. RICARD, D.S.G. Translated from the French. 1877 October 22 PROTECTION AGAINST THE DEVILS (continuation)
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Prelude.
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The devils declare war against us, but the angels fight for us, and support us.
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Meditation.
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God has far more desire to save us, than hell has rage to damn us; and as He knows perfectly our impotence in the excess of His Divine mercy, He gives us help proportioned to our weakness; and whilst hell seeks continually our ruin, His eyes are always watching mercifully over our protection, and by a Providence which the Church admirably calls ineffable, He sends us the blessed angels of His heavenly court to help us in the struggles which we must have against those powers, whose force would assuredly crush us without a special and particular protection. "The soul," says St. Bernard, "is sometimes in such trouble, the spirit feels so weary, the heart is in such fearful anguish, the body so violently afflicted, and temptations so dreadful, that without great help we should fall. And then," adds the Father, "the soul requires to be assisted by the angels; she needs the consolation of these holy spirits, for fainting, she cannot walk, and the angels must carry her in their arms." Yes, in this state the angels support our soul, and make it cross so gently the dangers which it even dreads the most, that it hardly sees or notices them. We must walk over asps and basilisks, we must trample under foot lions and dragons, so that it is most necessary to have angels for masters and guides, and most necessary that they should carry us, for we shall easily pass those dangerous roads if we are carried by their hands. So what can we fear? Angels are faithful, wise, and powerful, and it is sufficient for us to follow, and not to separate ourselves from them.
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Resolution.
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Renew our confidence in the holy angels.
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Aspiration.
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"He hath sent an angel who has brought us out of Egypt."(Numbers, xx. 16.)
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Example: The Ladder of Light.
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St. Coletta had suffered much through the persecution of infernal spirits; for the more Jesus Christ was pleased to load her with His favours, the more frequent and terrible their assaults became; but her faithful Spouse took care to fortify her by powerful consolations. Here is an example. In one of her journeys she received generous hospitality from a rich lady, and the furious demons projected nothing less than to overthrow the house from top to bottom. Warned of this design by revelation, she took refuge in prayer, which she prolonged till midnight; then she saw a ladder of light which reached to heaven, and she beheld a multitude of celestial spirits, who ranged themselves in battle array around the house, and sheltered it from every insult. One of her religious was witness of this wonder, and testified to it juridically, on the death of this servant of God.