Spiritual Attack and St. Michael's Help

Oh yes. I believe in spiritual attacks, and I believe that I have been spiritually attacked.

I do not think such attacks are rare. But I think the devils rarely use the showy stuff. Why shout when whispering will do? And when they bring out the showy stuff they risk calling too much attention to their own existence...

Peony Moss

Peony made that comment over at Et Tu, Jen on a post which was soliciting questions about whether spiritual attacks were real or imaginary. That has always been my experience also, of the small temptations. Sometimes, oddly enough, I actually can step back mentally, look at my feelings and behavior and recognize that I am being "pushed" to think one way or another ... or at least it feels like it. That is enough for me to be able to shove the thoughts and emotions away and move on. Now, if only I could always recognize such times ... or did not contribute myself without any spiritual attacks at all. Oh well ...

As for the quite spectacular spiritual attacks, I have never been privy to those. Thank the Lord! I believe I mentioned Recovering Dissident Catholic's post about a spiritual attack. It linked to a story of attack that I remembered, that of Adoro Te Devote's encounter via tarot cards. They are quite frightening accounts.

Then on Saturday night I had a nightmare that was so vivid, so evil, so completely horrifying that I woke up terrified to even turn my head in case I would see what I had been dreaming about. I am used to bad dreams. I remember many of my dreams and quite a few have to do with stressful situations or even scary things. Everyone in our family is used to hearing that I had another "haunted house" dream. These come out in times of extreme stress.

This was different. I have never been so terrified. Somehow I was both wakeful and also half asleep. Every time I began to sink back into sleep the dream would pick up at the same exact spot that scared me awake in the first place so I would pop awake and away from it instantly. The first thing that flashed across my mind when I woke was "attack" and never has anyone so fervently prayed Hail Mary's, Our Father's, and ... especially ... the St. Michael prayer. This was the prayer that finally did it for me. I could see, in my mind's eye, St. Michael and my guardian angel with large, business-like swords held high in a state of readiness. And when I went back to sleep the dream continued but in a more normal fashion.

Was it a spiritual attack? Or just a very vivid dream? I don't know. However, whatever it was I never have been thrown into the arms of prayer such as I was that night.

I was unsettled and upset the entire day which is also not a normal occurance. I know a dream is just a dream and don't let them bother me later. I was afraid to go to sleep last night. Tom, bless his heart, felt for me (although I didn't mention the "spiritual attack" factor that kept flashing through my mind) and whenever I woke up in the night, he did too, asking, "A bad dream? Are you ok?" What a guy!

Before I went to sleep I said the St. Michael prayer and also put my guardian angel on alert. No problems at all. Normal sleep and dreams resumed.

This is a prayer that it is good to know no matter what sorts of dreams you have. If I can memorize it then so can you, believe me!

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.