LITANY OF SAINT MICHAEL

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,

Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God,
Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us.
St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
Most glorious attendant of the Triune Divinity, etc.
Standing at the right of the Altar of Incense,
Ambassador of Paradise,
Glorious Prince of the heavenly armies,
Leader of the angelic hosts,
Warrior who thrust Satan into Hell,
Defender against the wickedness and snares of the devil,
Standard-bearer of God’s armies,
Defender of divine glory,
First defender of the Kingship of Christ,
Strength of God,
Invincible prince and warrior,
Angel of peace,
Guardian of the Christian Faith,
Champion of God’s people,
Guardian angel of the Eucharist,
Defender of the Church,
Protector of the faithful,
Angel of Catholic Action,
Powerful intercessor of Christians,
Bravest defender of those who hope in God,
Guardian of our souls and bodies,
Healer of the sick,
Help of those in their agony,
Consoler of the souls in Purgatory,
God’s messenger for the souls of the just,

Terror of the evil spirits,
Victorious in battle against evil,
Guardian and Patron of the Universal Church,

Lamb of God,

Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God,

Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God,

Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

V. Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let Us Pray

Relying, O Lord, upon the intercession of Thy blessed Archangel Michael, we humbly beg of Thee, that the Sacrament of the Eucharist which we have received may make our souls holy and pleasing to Thee. Through Christ Our Lord. R. Amen.

Prayer to cast out the evil spirits

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

+ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Most glorious Prince of the Celestial Host, Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in the conflict which we have to sustain against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places (Eph. 6.12). Come to the rescue of men whom God has created to His image and likeness, and whom He has redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil. It is thou whom Holy Church venerates as her guardian and protector; thou whom the Lord has charged to conduct redeemed souls into Heaven. Pray, therefore, the God of Peace to subdue Satan beneath our feet, that he may no longer retain men captive nor do injury to the Church. Present our prayers to the most High, that without delay they may draw His mercy down upon us. Seize the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, bind him and cast him into the bottomless pit, that he may no more seduce the nations (Apoc. 20.2-3).

Exorcism

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, strengthened by the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of Blessed Michael the Archangel and Blessed Gabriel the Archangel, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, especially St. Enoch and St. Elijah in the flesh Thy holy prophets yet to return, we confidently undertake to repulse the attacks and deceits of the devil.

+

Psalm 67

Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered: and let them that hate Him flee from before His face.

As smoke vanishes, so let them vanish away: as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

V. Behold the Cross of the Lord! Flee, bands of enemies.
R. The Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root and the Offspring of David has conquered.
V. May Thy mercy descend upon us.
R. As great as our hope in Thee.

+ We drive you from us, whoever you may be, unclean spirits, Satanic powers, infernal invaders, wicked legions, assemblies, and sects. In the name and by the virtue of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

+ May you be snatched away and driven from the Church of God and from the souls redeemed by the Precious Blood of the Divine Lamb.

+ Cease by your audacity, cunning serpent, to deceive the human race, to persecute the Church, to torment God's elect, and to sift them as wheat.

+ This is the command made to you by the Most High God,

+ with Whom in your haughty insolence you still pretend to be equal.

+ The God Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth (I Tim. 2.4). God the Father commands you.

+ God the Son commands you.

+ God the Holy Spirit commands you.

+ Christ, the Eternal Word of God made Flesh, commands you.

+ He Who to save our race, outdone through your malice, humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death (Phil. 2.8). He Who has built His Church on the firm rock and declared that the gates of hell shall not prevail against Her, because He dwells with Her all days, even to the consummation of the world (Matt. 28.20). The hidden virtue of the Cross commands it of you, as does the power of the mysteries of the Christian Faith.

+ The glorious Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, commands you.

+ She who by Her humility and from the first moment of Her Immaculate Conception crushed your proud head. The faith of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul and of the other Apostles commands you.

+ The blood of the Martyrs and the pious intercession of all the Saints command you.

+ St. Enoch and St. Elijah in the flesh, The holy prophets yet to return of the Holy God, command you.

+ Thus, cursed dragon, and you, wicked legions, we bind you by the living God,

+ by the true God,

+ by the Holy God,

+ by the God Who so loved the world, as to give up His only-begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him may not perish but may have life everlasting (St. John 3.16). Cease deceiving human creatures and pouring out to them the poison of eternal perdition. Cease harming the Church and hindering her liberty. Begone, Satan, inventor and master of all deceit, enemy of man's salvation. Give the place to Christ in Whom you have found none of your works. Give the place to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church acquired by Christ at the price of His Blood. Stoop beneath the all-powerful Hand of God. Tremble and flee at the evocation of the Holy and terrible name of Jesus; this Name which causes hell to tremble; this Name to which the Virtues, Powers and Dominations of Heaven are humbly submissive; this Name which the Cherubim and Seraphim praise unceasingly, repeating: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, the God of Hosts.

V. O Lord hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. O Lord be with us.
R. And with our spirit.

Let us pray.

God of Heaven, God of earth, God of Angels, God of Archangels, God of Patriarchs, God of Prophets, God of Apostles, God of Martyrs, God of Confessors, God of Virgins, God who has power to give life after death and rest after work, because there is no other God than Thee and there can be no other, for Thou art the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, of Whose reign there shall be no end. We humbly prostrate ourselves before Thy glorious Majesty and we supplicate Thee to deliver us from all the tyranny of the infernal spirits, from their snares, their lies, and their furious wickedness. Deign, O Lord, to protect us by Thy power and to preserve us safe and sound. We beseech Thee through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Thy beloved and Only-begotten Son Incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the Unity and Power and bond of Love of the Holy Spirit our Paraclete, unceasingly and now and always and unto the endless ages of ages to come. Amen.

V. From the snares of the devil,
R. Deliver us, O Lord.

V. That Thy Church may serve Thee in peace and liberty,
R. We beseech Thee hear us.

V. That Thou would crush down all enemies of Thy holy Church,
R. We beseech Thee hear us.

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 Divine Power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

+

• (then)
• Prayer of the Cross
• (and)
• PRAYER AGAINST EVIL - 'HAWK WHICH IS NOT ISLAM' - ...
• 
  

Evening hymn

Give to us, O Lord, the peace of the evening and save us from the snares of the enemy in the strength of your Holy and victorious
Cross.
Lord of my salvation,
I implore you day and night,
may my prayers come unto you,
bend your ear to my pleading.
May there come to us, a Lord,
a guardian sent by you
to protect us always.
Implant in us, a Lord,
the power of your Holy Cross
which will protect us always.
Make us worthy, O Lord,
to spend this evening
in peace and without temptation.
Deign, O Lord,
during this night,
to keep us in peace and without sin.
The Lord God is with us;
know this, you nations, and be bewildered;
for God is with us.
In him will we hope
and he will be our salvation;
because God is with us. . .
And the people that dwelt in darkness
see the great light;
for God is with us.
And you who live in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
light will shine upon you;
because God is with us.

And we have been given a Son; for God is with us.
And the dominion
will be on his shoulders;
because God is with us.
And his name will be
“Messenger of the great mystery”; for God is with us.
And “Wonderful Counsellor”;
because God is with us.
And “God the strong prince”; because God is with us.
And the “Prince of peace”,
“Father of the world to come”;
the “Lord God with us”.

Armenian liturgy

Litany of Loretto

Seigneur,
ayez pitié de nous.

Jésus-Christ,
ayez pitié de nous.

Seigneur,
ayez pitié de nous.

Jésus-Christ,
écoutez-nous.

Jésus-Christ,
exaucez-nous.

Père céleste, qui êtes Dieu,
ayez pitié de nous.

Fils, Rédempteur du monde, qui êtes Dieu,
ayez pitié de nous.

Esprit Saint, qui êtes Dieu,
ayez pitié de nous.

Trinité Sainte, qui êtes un seul Dieu,
ayez pitié de nous.

Sainte Marie,
priez pour nous.

Sainte Mère de Dieu,
priez pour nous.

Sainte Vierge des vierges,
priez pour nous.

Mère du Christ,
priez pour nous.

Mère de l'Église,
priez pour nous.

Mère de la divine grâce,
priez pour nous.

Mère très pure,
priez pour nous.

Mère très chaste,
priez pour nous.

Mère sans tache,
priez pour nous.

Mère sans corruption,
priez pour nous.

Mère aimable,
priez pour nous.

Mère admirable,
priez pour nous.

Mère du bon conseil,
priez pour nous.

Mère du Créateur,
priez pour nous.

Mère du Sauveur,
priez pour nous.

Vierge très prudente,
priez pour nous.

Vierge vénérable,
priez pour nous.

Vierge digne de louanges,
priez pour nous.

Vierge puissante,
priez pour nous.

Vierge clémente,
priez pour nous.

Vierge fidèle,
priez pour nous.

Miroir de justice,
priez pour nous.

Siège de la Sagesse,
priez pour nous.

Cause de notre
priez pour nous.

Vase spirituel,
priez pour nous.

Vase honorable,
priez pour nous.

Vase insigne de dévotion,
priez pour nous.

Rose mystique,
priez pour nous.

Tour de David,
priez pour nous.

Tour d'ivoire,
priez pour nous.

Maison d'or,
priez pour nous.

Arche d'alliance,
priez pour nous.

Porte du ciel,
priez pour nous.

Étoile du matin,
priez pour nous.

Salut des infirmes,
priez pour nous.

Refuge des pécheurs,
priez pour nous.

Consolatrice des affligés,
priez pour nous.

Secours des chrétiens,
priez pour nous.

Reine des Anges,
priez pour nous.

Reine des Patriarches,
priez pour nous.

Reine des Prophètes,
priez pour nous.

Reine des Apôtres,
priez pour nous.

Reine des Martyrs,
priez pour nous.

Reine des Confesseurs,
priez pour nous.

Reine des Vierges,
priez pour nous.

Reine de tous les Saints,
priez pour nous.

Reine conçus sans la tache
priez pour nous

Reine élevée au ciel,
priez pour nous

Reine du très saint
priez pour nous

Reine des familles,
priez pour nous

Reine de la paix,
priez pour nous

Agneau de Dieu, qui effacez les péchés du monde,
pardonnez-nous, Seigneur.

Agneau de Dieu, qui effacez les péchés du monde,
exaucez-nous, Seigneur.

Agneau de Dieu, qui effacez les péchés du monde,
ayez pitié de nous.

V. Priez pour nous, sainte Mère de Dieu.
R. Afin que nous devenions dignes
des promesses de Jésus-Christ.

Accordez-nous, nous vous en prions,
Seigneur notre Dieu, à nous vos serviteurs,
la grâce de jouir constamment de la santé
de l'âme et du corps et,
par la glorieuse intercession
de la bienheureuse Marie toujours Vierge,
d'être délivrés de la tristesse
de la vie présente et de goûter l'éternelle félicité.

Par Jésus-Christ Notre-Seigneur.

Amen.

Chinese Art and Poetry: The Gallery of China

Chinese Art and Poetry: The Gallery of China

http://www.the-gallery-of-china.com/chinese-landscape-painting.html

* * *

Ps:115:15:
15 (113-23) Blessed be you of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (DRV)

_____________________________________________________________

You ask me why I dwell in the green mountain;

I smile and make no reply for my heart is free of care.

As the peach-blossom flows down stream and is gone into the unknown,

I have a world apart that is not among men.

Li Po

________________________________________________

Lk:17:21:
21 Neither shall they say: Behold here, or behold there. For lo, the kingdom of God is within you. (DRV)

THREE OFFERINGS, WITH THREE PATER NOSTER'S, ETC.

THE OFFERINGS.

i. We offer to the Most Holy Trinity the merits of Jesus Christ, in thanksgiving for the most Precious Blood which He shed in the garden for us; and by his merits we beseech the Divine Majesty for pardon of our sins.

Pater. Ave. Gloria.

ii. We offer to the Most Holy Trinity the merits of Jesus Christ, in thanksgiving for His most precious death endured on the cross for us; and by His merits we beseech the Divine Majesty for the remission of the pains due to our sins.

Pater. Ave. Gloria.

iii. We offer to the Most Holy Trinity the merits of Jesus Christ, in thanksgiving for His unspeakable charity, by which He descended from heaven to earth to take human flesh, and to suffer and die for us upon the cross; and by His merits we beseech the Divine Majesty to bring our souls to the glory of heaven after our death.

Pater. Ave. Gloria.

Palestine

From:

• How The Jews Invaded The Holy Land

(September, 1958)

David Ben-Gurion

Though Chaim Weizmann was duly named President of the Jewish State, and held that office until his death in 1952, it was a position of honor only. The Jews were grateful for all Weizmann had done, but they were confident they had come to a new season: the full flowering of that “Messianic Era” that Moses Hess had proclaimed. And they had a new leader: their Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion.

As effective head of the Jewish State, Ben-Gurion represents the fulfillment of Hess, Herzl, and Weizmann; the achievement of Zionist victory. He is the symbol of Jewry on its own — the crucifiers of Christ free at last of Christian standards and surveillance. How alien the Jews are to those standards, their ten years of sovereignty have enabled them to show.

The acts of Jewish terrorism that had marked the final months of the British Mandate (when Jews were blowing up British buildings in Palestine, hanging British soldiers, mailing time-bombs to members of the British cabinet) seemed like mere schoolboy pranks when the Jews went to work on the Arabs. One million Arab residents of Palestine were forced to flee their ancestral homes — the orchards, pastures, and farms their people had worked for centuries. And as Archbishop George Hakim of Galilee insisted: “They were terrorized out.” The persuasive device employed by the Jews was simple: they massacred one whole Arab village; then they sent a sound-truck through all the neighboring villages, promising each one the same fate unless the people evacuated their homes immediately.

All this was apart from the military aggression, when Jewish soldiers, with arms supplied by Communist Czechoslovakia, invaded the Arab-assigned regions of Palestine and increased their national holdings by forty per cent. Feats like this thrilled the Jews who were watching from afar, swelled the fantastic sums being poured into Palestine by World Jewry, and provoked statements like this one by New York’s Jewish Congressman, Emmanuel Celler: “Maybe the Israelis may have to give the Arabs another lesson and cut through their forces again like a hot knife through butter. Only this time the pleas of the United Nations will not deter them. They will shoot their way clear into Beirut, Amman, and Alexandria.”

When Prime Minister Ben-Gurion’s plans for the further expansion of the Jewish state are realized (when international circumstances have been ordered to that end), there will be a fresh field open to the Jews. And it will be open not only for additional confiscation of Arab property, but for further desecration of Christian shrines and churches in those parts of the Holy Land that the Jews do not yet control. Bethlehem, for example, can expect a repetition of the profanity and sacrilege that the Jews have already perpetrated in Mount Carmel, Ain-Karim, Haifa, Capharnaum, Tiberias, Beit-Jala, Katamon, in all of Galilee, and in Jerusalem, the Holy City itself. These previous desecrations, so well calculated by Mr. Ben-Gurion, prompted the well-known but little-heeded warning of the late Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Hughes, who stated that there is in operation a “deliberate Jewish effort to decimate the Arabs and to destroy Christianity in Palestine.”

The consequences of this “deliberate Jewish effort” will spread in our time far beyond the borders of Palestine. For the once-Christian West has betrayed Our Lord’s Holy Land into the hands of His crucifiers, and already the price of the betrayal is being paid, in kind. It has cost England her empire. And it has put that other chief Zionist supporter, the United States of America, face to face with a Third World War — one that looms like a terror out of the Apocalypse, and that will provide the most fantastic chapter yet in the unfinished story of Zionism.

From:

• The Holy Land And The Jews (Jewish Destruction Of Christian Shrines)

(April, 1955)

THE REFUGEES

As part of a program to find “accommodations” for its influx of Jewish colonizers, the government of Israel has managed to bring about the dismemberment and evacuation of all Catholic regions in the Holy Land. Before the formation of the Israeli state, Palestine was in no sense a Christian-populated country. And yet, because the chief targets for Jewish aggression have been so consistently the Catholic towns and villages, nearly twenty per cent of the Arabs kicked out of their ancient homes have been Christians.

To date, close to a million Arab refugees have been stripped of everything they possess by way of home, land, savings, business, and, often, even family. Reports from Catholics in Lebanon, just north of the Holy Land, tell of dusty roads choked with the exodus of Galilee Arabs, mothers with breast-fed babies, orphaned children, dazed fathers, many of whom were carrying cherished crucifixes and other holy objects which, at great risk, they had rescued from Jewish desecration as they left their looted homes.

A communique from Brother Anthony Bruya, O. F. M., on the plight of the town of Rameh, bears vivid witness to the special hatred which has been shown to Catholics in the Holy Land. Israeli forces occupied Rameh, a two-thirds Christian community, and while permitting the Muslim Arabs to stay, ordered all Catholics to “leave within half an hour.” To back up the order, the Israeli commander reminded the Christian townspeople of what had happened to the residents of Deir Assin and Tireh — who were massacred in the streets for daring to question the authority of a Jewish army leader.

Similar atrocities have taken place in Haifa, Sheframr, Maslia, Tarshiha, and a hundred other places. But perhaps the most touching and tragic report is the one dated January 15, 1952, in which Archbishop George Hakim of Galilee protested in vain to the Israeli government over the mass destruction of the totally Catholic village of Ikret. Church, schools, rectory, homes — everything was in shambles. And what is more, wrote the Archbishop, the Jews perpetrated all this on Christmas Day itself.

The assault on Ikret, like all the rest of Israel’s anti-Catholic outrages, was in no sense an “unavoidable casualty” of the recent Jewish-Arab warfare. All of the first-hand Catholic observers are quick to make this point. Indeed, in his summary report on the Holy Land situation, the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Hughes, has very plainly charged that there is now in operation a “deliberate Jewish effort to decimate the Arabs and to destroy Christianity in Palestine.”

St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book V.

Chapter XXVII.-The Future Judgment by Christ. Communion with and Separation from the Divine Being. The Eternal Punishment of Unbelievers.

1. If the Father, then, does not exercise judgment, [it follows] that judgment does not belong to Him, or that He consents to all those actions which take place; and if He does not judge, all persons will be equal, and accounted in the same condition. The advent of Christ will therefore be without an object, yea, absurd, inasmuch as [in that case] He exercises no judicial power. For "He came to divide a man against his father, and the daughter against the mother, and the daughter-in-law against the mother-in-law; "²³⁵ and when two are in one bed, to take the one, and to leave the other; and of two women grinding at the mill, to take one and leave the other:²³⁶ [also] at the time of the end, to order the reapers to collect first the tares together, and bind them in bundles, and burn them with unquenchable fire, but to gather up the wheat into the barn;²³⁷ and to call the lambs into the kingdom prepared for them, but to send the goats into everlasting fire, which has been prepared by His Father for the devil and his angels.²³⁸ And why is this? Has the Word come for the ruin and for the resurrection of many? For the ruin, certainly, of those who do not believe Him, to whom also He has threatened a greater damnation in the judgment-day than that of Sodom and Gomorrah;²³⁹ but for the resurrection of believers, and those who do the will of His Father in heaven. If then the advent of the Son comes indeed alike to all, but is for the purpose of judging, and separating the believing from the unbelieving, since, as those who believe do His will agreeably to their own choice, and as, [also] agreeably to their own choice, the disobedient do not consent to His doctrine; it is manifest that His Father has made all in a like condition, each person having a choice of his own, and a free understanding; and that He has regard to all things, and exercises a providence over all, "making His sun to rise upon the evil and on the good, and sending rain upon the just and unjust."²⁴⁰

TE SPLENDOR, St. Michael the Archangel

TE SPLENDOR, St. Michael the Archangel

Te splendor et virtus Patris,
Te vita, Jesu, cordium,
Ab ore qui pendent tuo,
Laudamus inter Angelos.

Tibi mille densa millium
Ducum corona militat:
Scul explicat victor crucem
Michael salutis signifer.

Draconis hic dirum caput
In ima pellit tartara,
Ducemque cum rebellibus
Coelesti ab arce fulminat.

Contra ducem superbiae
Sequamur hunc nos Principem,
Ut detur ex Agni throno
Nobis corona gloriae.

Patri, simulque Filio,
Tibique sancte Spiritus,
Sicut fuit, sit jugiter,
Saeclum per omne gloria. Amen.

Ant. Princeps gloriosissime, Michael Archangele, esto memor nostri: hic et ubique semper precare pro nobis Filium Dei.

V. In conspectu angelorum psallam tibi, Deus meus.
R. Adorabo ad templum sanctum tuum, et confitebor nomini tuo.

Oremus.
Deus, qui miro ordine angelorum ministeria hominumque dispensas: concede propitius, ut, a quibus tibi ministrantibus in coelo semper assistitur, ab his in terra vita nostra muniatur. Per Dominum nostrum, &c.

TRANSLATION.

O Jesu, lifespring of the soul,
The Father’s power, and glory bright!
Thee with the angels we extol;
From Thee they draw their life and light.

Thy thousand thousand hosts are spread
Embattled o‘er the azure sky;
But Michael bears Thy standard dread,
And lifts the mighty cries on high.

He in that sign the rebel powers
Did with their dragon prince expel;
And hurl’d them from the heaven’s high towers
Down like a thunderbolt to hell.

Grant us with Michael still, O Lord,
Against the Prince of Pride to fight;
So may a crown be our reward,
Before the Lamb’s pure throne of light.

To God the Father glory be,
And to his sole-begotten Son;
The same, O Holy Ghost, to Thee,
While everlasting ages run.

Ant. Most glorious Prince, Michael the Archangel, be thou mindful of us; here, and in all places, pray for us to the Son of God most high.

V. I wilt sing praises to Thee, my God, before the Angels.
R. I will adore Thee in Thy holy temple, and praise Thy Name.

Let us pray.
O God, who in the dispensation of Thy providence dost admirably dispose the ministry of angels and of men; mercifully grant that the Holy Angels, who ever minister before Thy throne in heaven, may be the protectors also of our life on earth. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book V.

Chapter XXVI.-John and Daniel Have Predicted the Dissolution and Desolation of the Roman Empire, Which Shall Precede the End of the World and the Eternal Kingdom of Christ. The Gnostics are Refuted, Those Tools of Satan, Who Invent Another Father Different from the Creator.

1. In a still clearer light has John, in the Apocalypse, indicated to the Lord's disciples what shall happen in the last times, and concerning the ten kings who shall then arise, among whom the empire which now rules [the earth] shall be partitioned. He teaches us what the ten horns shall be which were seen by Daniel, telling us that thus it had been said to him: "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but shall receive power as if kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and give their strength and power to the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, because He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings."²²⁸ It is manifest, therefore, that of these [potentates], he who is to come shall slay three, and subject the remainder to his power, and that he shall be himself the eighth among them. And they shall lay Babylon waste, and burn her with fire, and shall give their kingdom to the beast, and put the Church to flight. After that they shall be destroyed by the coming of our Lord. For that the kingdom must be divided, and thus come to ruin, the Lord [declares when He] says: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand."²²⁹ It must be, therefore, that the kingdom, the city, and the house be divided into ten; and for this reason He has already foreshadowed the partition and division [which shall take place]. Daniel also says particularly, that the end of the fourth kingdom consists in the toes of the image seen by Nebuchadnezzar, upon which came the stone cut out without hands; and as he does himself say: "The feet were indeed the one part iron, the other part clay, until the stone was cut out without hands, and struck the image upon the iron and clay feet, and dashed them into pieces, even to the end."²³⁰ Then afterwards, when interpreting this, he says: "And as thou sawest the feet and the toes, partly indeed of clay, and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided, and there shall be in it a root of iron, as thou sawest iron mixed with baked clay. And the toes were indeed the one part iron, but the other part clay."²³¹ The ten toes, therefore, are these ten kings, among whom the kingdom shall be partitioned, of whom some indeed shall be strong and active, or energetic; others, again, shall be sluggish and useless, and shall not agree; as also Daniel says: "Some part of the kingdom shall be strong, and part shall be broken from it. As thou sawest the iron mixed with the baked clay, there shall be minglings among the human race, but no cohesion one with the other, just as iron cannot be welded on to pottery ware."²³² And since an end shall take place, he says: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven raise up a kingdom which shall never decay, and His kingdom shall not be left to another people. It shall break in pieces and shatter all kingdoms, and shall itself be exalted for ever. As thou sawest that the stone was cut without hands from the mountain, and brake in pieces the baked clay, the iron, the brass, the silver, and the gold, God has pointed out to the king what shall come to pass after these things; and the dream is true, and the interpretation trustworthy."²³³

2. If therefore the great God showed future things by Daniel, and confirmed them by His Son; and if Christ is the stone which is cut out without hands, who shall destroy temporal kingdoms, and introduce an eternal one, which is the resurrection of the just; as he declares, "The God of heaven shall raise up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed,"-let those thus confuted come to their senses, who reject the Creator (Demiurgum), and do not agree that the prophets were sent beforehand from the same Father from whom also the Lord came, but who assert that prophecies originated from diverse powers. For those things which have been predicted by the Creator alike through all the prophets has Christ fulfilled in the end, ministering to His Father's will, and completing His dispensations with regard to the human race. Let those persons, therefore, who blaspheme the Creator, either by openly expressed words, such as the disciples of Marcion, or by a perversion of the sense [of Scripture], as those of Valentinus and all the Gnostics falsely so called, be recognised as agents of Satan by all those who worship God; through whose agency Satan now, and not before, has been seen to speak against God, even Him who has prepared eternal fire for every kind of apostasy. For he did not venture to blaspheme his Lord openly of himself; as also in the beginning he led man astray through the instrumentality of the serpent, concealing himself as it were from God. Truly has Justin remarked:²³⁴ That before the Lord's appearance Satan never dared to blaspheme God, inasmuch as he did not yet know his own sentence, because it was contained in parables and allegories; but that after the Lord's appearance, when he had clearly ascertained from the words of Christ and His apostles that eternal fire has been prepared for him as he apostatized from God of his own free-will, and likewise for all who unrepentant continue in the apostasy, he now blasphemes, by means of such men, the Lord who brings judgment [upon him] as being already condemned, and imputes the guilt of his apostasy to his Maker, not to his own voluntary disposition. Just as it is with those who break the laws, when punishment overtakes them: they throw the blame upon those who frame the laws, but not upon themselves. In like manner do those men, filled with a satanic spirit, bring innumerable accusations against our Creator, who has both given to us the spirit of life, and established a law adapted for all; and they will not admit that the judgment of God is just. Wherefore also they set about imagining some other Father who neither cares about nor exercises a providence over our affairs, nay, one who even approves of all sins.

O GLORIOUS Archangel St. Michael

"O GLORIOUS Archangel St. Michael, Prince of heavenly host, be our defense in the terrible warfare which we carry on against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, spirits of evil. Come to the aid of man, whom GOD created immortal, made in his own image and likeness, and redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil. Fight this day the battle of the LORD, together with the holy angels, as already thou hast fought the leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and his apostate host, who were powerless to resist thee, nor was there place for them any longer in Heaven. That cruel, ancient serpent, who is called the devil or Satan, who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss with his angels. Behold, this primeval enemy and slayer of men has taken courage. Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all the multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out the name of GOD and of his CHRIST to seize upon, slay and cast into eternal perdition souls destined for the crown of eternal glory. This wicked dragon pours out, as a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men of depraved mind and corrupt heart, the spirit of lying, of impiety, of blasphemy, and the pestilent breath of impurity, and of every vice and iniquity. These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the spouse of the immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on her most sacred possessions. In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of the most holy Peter and the Chair of Truth for the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety, with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep may be scattered. Arise then O invincible Prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of GOD, and give them the victory. They venerate thee as their protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defense against the malicious power of hell; to thee has GOD entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude. Oh, pray to the GOD of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly conciliate the mercies of the LORD; and beating down the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen.

V. Behold the Cross of the LORD; be scattered ye hostile powers.

R. The Lion of the tribe of Juda has conquered, the root of David.

V. Let thy mercies be upon us, O LORD. As we have hoped in thee.

V. O LORD, hear my prayer.

R. And let my cry come unto thee. Let us pray.

O GOD, the FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, we call upon thy holy name, and as suppliants we implore thy clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious Archangel St Michael, thou wouldst deign to help us against Satan and all other unclean spirits, who wander about the world for the injury of the human race and the ruin of souls. Amen."

St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book V.

Chapter XXV.-The Fraud, Pride, and Tyrannical Kingdom of Antichrist, as Described by Daniel and Paul.

1. And not only by the particulars already mentioned, but also by means of the events which shall occur in the time of Antichrist is it shown that he, being an apostate and a robber, is anxious to be adored as God; and that, although a mere slave, he wishes himself to be proclaimed as a king. For he (Antichrist) being endued with all the power of the devil, shall come, not as a righteous king, nor as a legitimate king, [i.e., one] in subjection to God, but an impious, unjust, and lawless one; as an apostate, iniquitous and murderous; as a robber, concentrating in himself [all] satanic apostasy, and setting aside idols to persuade [men] that he himself is God, raising up himself as the only idol, having in himself the multifarious errors of the other idols. This he does, in order that they who do [now] worship the devil by means of many abominations, may serve himself by this one idol, of whom the apostle thus speaks in the second Epistle to the Thessalonians: "Unless there shall come a failing away first, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God." The apostle therefore clearly points out his apostasy, and that he is lifted up above all that is called God, or that is worshipped-that is, above every idol-for these are indeed so called by men, but are not [really] gods; and that he will endeavour in a tyrannical manner to set himself forth as God.

2. Moreover, he (the apostle) has also pointed out this which I have shown in many ways, that the temple in Jerusalem was made by the direction of the true God. For the apostle himself, speaking in his own person, distinctly called it the temple of God. Now I have shown in the third book, that no one is termed God by the apostles when speaking for themselves, except Him who truly is God, the Father of our Lord, by whose directions the temple which is at Jerusalem was constructed for those purposes which I have already mentioned; in which [temple] the enemy shall sit, endeavouring to show himself as Christ, as the Lord also declares: "But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, which has been spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that readeth understand), then let those who are in Judea flee into the mountains; and he who is upon the house-top, let him not come down to take anything out of his house: for there shall then be great hardship, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall be."²¹⁶

3. Daniel too, looking forward to the end of the last kingdom, i.e., the ten last kings, amongst whom the kingdom of those men shall be partitioned, and upon whom the son of perdition shall come, declares that ten horns shall spring from the beast, and that another little horn shall arise in the midst of them, and that three of the former shall be rooted up before his face. He says: "And, behold, eyes were in this horn as the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things, and his look was more stout than his fellows. I was looking, and this horn made war against the saints, and prevailed against them, until the Ancient of days came and gave judgment to the saints of the most high God, and the time came, and the saints obtained the kingdom."²¹⁷ Then, further on, in the interpretation of the vision, there was said to him: "The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall excel all other kingdoms, and devour the whole earth, and tread it down, and cut it in pieces. And its ten horns are ten kings which shall arise; and after them shall arise another, who shall surpass in evil deeds all that were before him, and shall overthrow three kings; and he shall speak words against the most high God, and wear out the saints of the most high God, and shall purpose to change times and laws; and [everything] shall be given into his hand until a time of times and a half time,"²¹⁸ that is, for three years and six months, during which time, when he comes, he shall reign over the earth. Of whom also the Apostle Paul again, speaking in the second [Epistle] to the Thessalonians, and at the same time proclaiming the cause of his advent, thus says: "And then shall the wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the spirit of His mouth, and destroy by the presence of His coming; whose coming [i.e., the wicked one's] is after the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and portents of lies, and with all deceivableness of wickedness for those who perish; because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And therefore God will send them the working of error, that they may believe a lie; that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but gave consent to iniquity,"²¹⁹

4. The Lord also spoke as follows to those who did not believe in Him: "I have come in my Father's name, and ye have not received Me: when another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive,"²²⁰ calling Antichrist "the other," because he is alienated from the Lord. This is also the unjust judge, whom the Lord mentioned as one "who feared not God, neither regarded man,"²²¹ to whom the widow fled in her forgetfulness of God,-that is, the earthly Jerusalem,-to be avenged of her adversary. Which also he shall do in the time of his kingdom: he shall remove his kingdom into that [city], and shall sit in the temple of God, leading astray those who worship him, as if he were Christ. To this purpose Daniel says again: "And he shall desolate the holy place; and sin has been given for a sacrifice,²²² and righteousness been cast away in the earth, and he has been active (fecit), and gone on prosperously."²²³ And the angel Gabriel, when explaining his vision, states with regard to this person: "And towards the end of their kingdom a king of a most fierce countenance shall arise, one understanding [dark] questions, and exceedingly powerful, full of wonders; and he shall corrupt, direct, influence (faciet), and put strong men down, the holy people likewise; and his yoke shall be directed as a wreath [round their neck]; deceit shall be in his hand, and he shall be lifted up in his heart: he shall also ruin many by deceit, and lead many to perdition, bruising them in his hand like eggs."²²⁴ And then he points out the time that his tyranny shall last, during which the saints shall be put to flight, they who offer a pure sacrifice unto God: "And in the midst of the week," he says, "the sacrifice and the libation shall be taken away, and the abomination of desolation [shall be brought] into the temple: even unto the consummation of the time shall the desolation be complete."²²⁵ Now three years and six months constitute the half-week.

5. From all these passages are revealed to us, not merely the particulars of the apostasy, and [the doings] of him who concentrates in himself every satanic error, but also, that there is one and the same God the Father, who was declared by the prophets, but made manifest by Christ. For if what Daniel prophesied concerning the end has been confirmed by the Lord, when He said, "When ye shall see the abomination of desolation, which has been spoken of by Daniel the prophet"²²⁶ (and the angel Gabriel gave the interpretation of the visions to Daniel, and he is the archangel of the Creator (Demiurgi), who also proclaimed to Mary the visible coining and the incarnation of Christ), then one and the same God is most manifestly pointed out, who sent the prophets, and made promise²²⁷ of the Son, and called us into His knowledge.

Against Heresies

MYSTERIES OF THE HOLY CHILDHOOD.

V. Incline unto my aid, O God.
R. O Lord, make haste to help mc.
V. Glory be to the Father, &c.

Pater noster.

The Incarnation.
i. Jesu, sweetest Child, who didst come down from the bosom of the Father for our salvation, who wast conceived by the holy Ghost, who didst not abhor the Virgin's womb, and, as the Word made flesh, didst take upon Thee the form of a servant; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.

Ave Maria.

The Visitation.
ii. Jesu, sweetest Child, who, through Thy Virgin Mother, didst visit Saint Elisabeth, and fill Thy forerunner the holy Baptist with the Holy Ghost, sanctifying him whilst yet in his mother's womb; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.

Ave Maria.

The Expectation of the Birth.
iii. Jesu, sweetest Child, who, shut up for nine months in lily Mother's womb, wast looked for with eager expectation by Mary and by Joseph, and wast offered to God the Father for the salvation of the world; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.
Ave Maria.

The Birth.
iv. Jesu, sweetest Child, born in Bethlehem of Mary ever Virgin, swathed in rags, laid in the manger, announced by angels, visited by shepherds ; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.

Ave Maria.

O, Jesu, born of Virgin bright,
Immortal glory be to Thee;
Praise to the Father Infinite,
And Holy Ghost eternally.

V. Christ is at hand.
R. Come, let us worship.

Pater noster.

The Circumcision.
v. Jesu, sweetest Child, wounded in Thy circumcision the eighth day, called by the glorious Name of Jesus, and at once by Thy Name and Thy Blood foreshown as thin Saviour of the world ; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.

Ave Maria.

The Adoration of the Magi.
vi. Jests, sweetest Child, made known to the three Magi by a star, adored in the arms of Thy Mother, presented with the mystic gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.

Ave Maria.

The Presentation.
vii. Jesu, sweetest Child, who wrist presented in the Temple by Thy Virgin Mother, who wast embraced by Simeon, and revealed to Israel by Anna the prophetess; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.

Ave Maria.

The Flight into Egypt.
viii. Jesu, sweetest Child, whom wicked Herod sought to slay, whom Joseph carried with Mary into Egypt, who wast withdrawn from a cruel death and wast glorified by the blood of innocents; have mercy upon us.
B. Have mercy, &c.

Ave Maria.

O Jesu, &c. as above. V. and R. as above. Pater noster, &c.

The Sojourn in Egypt.
ix. Jesu, sweetest Child, who didst dwell in Egypt with most holy Mary and the Patriarch holy Joseph until the death of Herod; have mercy upon us.
B. Have mercy, &c.
Ave Maria.

The Return out of Egypt.
x. Jesu, sweetest Child, who, after Herod's death, didst return out of Egypt into the hand of Israel, who didst suffer many toils by the way, and didst enter into thin city of Nazareth; have mercy upon us.
B. Have mercy, &c.

Ave Maria.

Early Life.
xi. Jesu, sweetest Child, who, in time holy house at Nazareth, subject to Thy parents, didst dwell most holily, wast wearied by poverty and labours, and didst advance iii wisdom, age, and grace; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.

Disputation with the Doctors.
xii. Jesu, sweetest Child, at twelve years old brought to Jerusalem, sought for by Thy parents with sorrow, and found with joy after three days amongst the doctors; have mercy upon us.
R. Have mercy, &c.

Ave Maria.

O Jesu, &c. as above.

For Christmas-day and its Octave.

V. The Word was made flesh. Alleluia.
R. And dwelt amongst us. Alleluia.

For the Epiphany and its Octave.

V. Christ hath manifested Himself to us. Alleluia.
R. Come, let us adore. Alleluia.

Let us pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, Lord of Heaven and earth, who dost reveal Thyself to little ones; grant, we beseech Thee, that we, duly honouring the holy mysteries of Thy Son the infant Jesus, and daily imitating Him in our lives, may come to the kingdom of heaven promised by Thee to little children. Through the same Jesus Christ, &c.

St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book V.

Chapter XXIV.-Of the Constant Falsehood of the Devil, and of the Powers and Governments of the World, Which We Ought to Obey, Inasmuch as They are Appointed of God, Not of the Devil.

1. As therefore the devil lied at the beginning, so did he also in the end, when he said, "All these are delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give them."²⁰⁶ For it is not he who has appointed the kingdoms of this world, but God; for "the heart of the king is in the hand of God."²⁰⁷ And the Word also says by Solomon, "By me kings do reign, and princes administer justice. By me chiefs are raised up, and by me kings rule the earth."²⁰⁸ Paul the apostle also says upon this same subject: "Be ye subject to all the higher powers; for there is no power but of God: now those which are have been ordained of God."²⁰⁹ And again, in reference to them he says, "For he beareth not the sword in vain; for he is the minister of God, the avenger for wrath to him who does evil."²¹⁰ Now, that he spake these words, not in regard to angelical powers, nor of invisible rulers-as some venture to expound the passage-but of those of actual human authorities, [he shows when] he says, "For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, doing service for this very thing."²¹¹ This also the Lord confirmed, when He did not do what He was tempted to by the devil; but He gave directions that tribute should be paid to the tax-gatherers for Himself and Peter;²¹² because "they are the ministers of God, serving for this very thing."

2. For since man, by departing from God, reached such a pitch of fury as even to look upon his brother as his enemy, and engaged without fear in every kind of restless conduct, and murder, and avarice; God imposed upon mankind the fear of man, as they did not acknowledge the fear of God, in order that, being subjected to the authority of men, and kept under restraint by their laws, they might attain to some degree of justice, and exercise mutual forbearance through dread of the sword suspended full in their view, as the apostle says: "For he beareth not the sword in vain; for he is the minister of God, the avenger for wrath upon him who does evil." And for this reason too, magistrates themselves, having laws as a clothing of righteousness whenever they act in a just and legitimate manner, shall not be called in question for their conduct, nor be liable to punishment. But whatsoever they do to the subversion of justice, iniquitously, and impiously, and illegally, and tyrannically, in these things shall they also perish; for the just judgment of God comes equally upon all, and in no case is defective. Earthly rule, therefore, has been appointed by God for the benefit of nations,²¹³ and not by the devil, who is never at rest at all, nay, who does not love to see even nations conducting themselves after a quiet manner, so that under the fear of human rule, men may not eat each other up like fishes; but that, by means of the establishment of laws, they may keep down an excess of wickedness among the nations. And considered from this point of view, those who exact tribute from us are "God's ministers, serving for this very purpose."

3. As, then, "the powers that be are ordained of God," it is clear that the devil lied when he said, "These are delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give them." For by the law of the same Being as calls men into existence are kings also appointed, adapted for those men who are at the time placed under their government. Some of these [rulers] are given for the correction and the benefit of their subjects, and for the preservation of justice; but others, for the purposes of fear and punishment and rebuke: others, as [the subjects] deserve it, are for deception, disgrace, and pride; while the just judgment of God, as I have observed already, passes equally upon all. The devil, however, as he is the apostate angel, can only go to this length, as he did at the beginning, [namely] to deceive and lead astray the mind of man into disobeying the commandments of God, and gradually to darken the hearts of those who would endeavour to serve him, to the forgetting of the true God, but to the adoration of himself as God.

4. Just as if any one, being an apostate, and seizing in a hostile manner another man's territory, should harass the inhabitants of it, in order that he might claim for himself the glory of a king among those ignorant of his apostasy and robbery; so likewise also the devil, being one among those angels who are placed over the spirit of the air, as the Apostle Paul has declared in his Epistle to the Ephesians,²¹⁴ becoming envious of man, was rendered an apostate from the divine law: for envy is a thing foreign to God. And as his apostasy was exposed by man, and man became the [means of] searching out his thoughts (et examinatio sententiae ejus, homo factus est), he has set himself to this with greater and greater determination, in opposition to man, envying his life, and wishing to involve him in his own apostate power. The Word of God, however, the Maker of all things, conquering him by means of human nature, and showing him to be an apostate, has, on the contrary, put him under the power of man. For He says, "Behold, I confer upon you the power of treading upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy,"²¹⁵ in order that, as he obtained dominion over man by apostasy, so again his apostasy might be deprived of power by means of man turning back again to God.

I ARISE TODAY IN A HYMN OF PRAISE TO THE LORD OF CREATION

I ARISE TODAY IN A HYMN OF PRAISE TO THE LORD OF CREATION
IN ALL HOLY
Blessing and brightness,
Wisdom, thanksgiving,
Great power and might
To the King who rules over all.
Glory and honor and goodwill,
Praise and the sublime song of minstrels,
Exceeding love from every heart
To the King of heaven and earth.

To the chosen Trinity has been joined
Before all, after all, universal
Blessing and everlasting blessing,
Blessing everlasting and blessing.

Let us adore the Lord,
Maker of marvelous works,
Bright heaven with its angels,
And on earth the white-waved sea.
I arise today
In Your almighty power’s strength, the invocation of You Blessed Trinity,
Believing in Threeness,
Confessing the Adorable Oneness in Christ Jesus Our Only Lord and Saviour
Of You the Only Creator of creation

I arise today
In the power of Christ Jesus’ birth and baptism in the flesh,
In the power of His crucifixion and burial in the same flesh,
In the power of His resurrection and ascension, assumption into the third heaven seated at the Father’s Right Hand in the same flesh in the Unity and Power of the Holy Spirit our Paraclete
In the power of His descending in the same flesh for the saving of the saved and the judging of the judged of doom.

I arise today
In the power and the love of the holy seraphim, cherubim, kuriotetes, arches especially St. Michael and St. Gabriel, holy archangelos, exousias, dunameis, angelos
In obedience and service In the hope of the resurrection to receive the reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preachings of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of the righteous.

I arise today
In heaven’s might;
In sun’s brightness,
In moon’s radiance,
In fire’s glory,
In lightning’s quickness,
In wind’s swiftness,
In sea’s depth,
In earth’s stability,
In rock’s fixity.

I arise today
with the power of God to pilot us,
God's strength to uphold us,
God’s energy to shield us,
God's wisdom to guide us,
God's eye to look ahead for us,
God's ear to hear us,
God's word to speak for us,
God's hand to guard us,
God's way to lie before us,
God's shield to defend us,
God's holy hosts and whole cloud of witnesses to deliver us,
From all snares of the devil, all devils and demons,
From all evil temptations, From all who would try to make nature fail,
From every one who desires us ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude. Around us today Holy Lord God Almighty gather all Your powers: between us and all evil,
Against every cruel and merciless force that would attack my spirit, soul and body,
Against charms of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against crafty deceptions of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards and all infidels,
Against all unlawful knowledge that would otherwise harm spirit, soul and body.

Christ Jesus protect us today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
And all harm
So that I may have abundant reward.
Christ with us, Christ before us, Christ behind us,
Christ within us, Christ beneath us, Christ above us,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of us,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks to and of us,
Christ in the eye that sees us,
Christ in the ear that hears us.

I arise today
In Your almighty power’s strength, the invocation of You Blessed Trinity,
Believing in Threeness,
Confessing the Adorable Oneness in Christ Jesus Our Only Lord and Saviour
Of You the Only Creator of creation

Evening Prayer

FOUNTAIN of light, thyself the light un ending,

Lord, hear our prayer and, cleansing us from evil,

Take away darkness; let thy holy radiance

Shine on thy servants.

Now and at the evening which brings the end of labour, Lord, who hast kept us safe in thy protection, Grateful we offer thee our thanks and worship.

Since then the daylight fades into the darkness, let that sun light us which enlightens always choirs of angels in thy holy presence, light never failing.

From all the sins which we this day committed cleanse thou our conscience, Christ our Lord and Saviour;

So in the night time we may rest uninjured, Safe in thy friendship.

Six days we labour, working as thou willest; Then on the seventh resting by thine order, We look to that day which at last shall bring us, rest everlasting.

KINDLY light of glory, fount of light from light, blessed Jesus, coming from the Father in heaven,

The bright rays of day, the light of the sun fade; and we at the morning and evening hour confess thee with our hymn.

We praise the one God, almighty Father, Son and Holy Ghost the comforter, in the glory of the Trinity.

Son of God, worthy to be glorified at all times by pure tongues, giver of life, all ages proclaim thee.

To thee praise, to thee a hymn

is due; to thee glory, God the

Father and Son with the Holy Ghost,

for ever and ever. Amen.

St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book V.

Chapter XXIII.-The Devil is Well Practised in Falsehood, by Which Adam Having Been Led Astray, Sinned on the Sixth Day of the Creation, in Which Day Also He Has Been Renewed by Christ.

1. He had indeed been already accustomed to lie against God, for the purpose of leading men astray. For at the beginning, when God had given to man a variety of things for food, while He commanded him not to eat of one tree only, as the Scripture tells us that God said to Adam: "From every tree which is in the garden thou shalt eat food; but from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, from this ye shall not eat: for in the day that ye shall eat of it, ye shall die by death; "²⁰⁰ he then, lying against the Lord, tempted man, as the Scripture says that the serpent said to the woman: "Has God indeed said this, Ye shall not eat from every tree of the garden? "²⁰¹ And when she had exposed the falsehood, and simply related the command, as He had said, "From every tree of the garden we shall eat; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die: "²⁰² when he had [thus] learned from the woman the command of God, having brought his cunning into play, he finally deceived her by a falsehood, saying, "Ye shall not die by death; for God knew that in the day ye shall eat of it your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."²⁰³ In the first place, then, in the garden of God he disputed about God, as if God was not there, for he was ignorant of the greatness of God; and then, in the next place, after he had learned from the woman that God had said that they should die if they tasted the aforesaid tree, opening his mouth, he uttered the third falsehood," Ye shall not die by death." But that God was true, and the serpent a liar, was proved by the result, death having passed upon them who had eaten. For along with the fruit they did also fall under the power of death, because they did eat in disobedience; and disobedience to God entails death. Wherefore, as they became forfeit to death, from that [moment] they were handed over to it.

2. Thus, then, in the day that they did eat, in the same did they die, and became death's debtors, since it was one day of the creation. For it is said, "There was made in the evening, and there was made in the morning, one day." Now in this same day that they did eat, in that also did they die. But according to the cycle and progress of the days, after which one is termed first, another second, and another third, if anybody seeks diligently to learn upon what day out of the seven it was that Adam died, he will find it by examining the dispensation of the Lord. For by summing up in Himself the whole human race from the beginning to the end, He has also summed up its death. From this it is clear that the Lord suffered death, in obedience to His Father, upon that day on which Adam died while he disobeyed God. Now he died on the same day in which he did eat. For God said, "In that day on which ye shall eat of it, ye shall die by death." The Lord, therefore, recapitulating in Himself this day, underwent His sufferings upon the day preceding the Sabbath, that is, the sixth day of the creation, on which day man was created; thus granting him a second creation by means of His passion, which is that [creation] out of death. And there are some, again, who relegate the death of Adam to the thousandth year; for since "a day of the Lord is as a thousand years,"²⁰⁴ he did not overstep the thousand years, but died within them, thus bearing out the sentence of his sin. Whether, therefore, with respect to disobedience, which is death; whether [we consider] that, on account of that, they were delivered over to death, and made debtors to it; whether with respect to [the fact that on] one and the same day on which they ate they also died (for it is one day of the creation); whether [we regard this point], that, with respect to this cycle of days, they died on the day in which they did also eat, that is, the day] of the preparation, which is termed "the pure supper," that is, the sixth day of the feast, which the Lord also exhibited when He suffered on that day; or whether [we reflect] that he (Adam) did not overstep the thousand years, but died within their limit,-it follows that, in regard to all these significations, God is indeed true. For they died who tasted of the tree; and the serpent is proved a liar and a murderer, as the Lord said of him: "For he is a murderer from the beginning, and the truth is not in him."²⁰⁵