Opening Prayer
Sign of the Cross
Heavenly Father, We come before You with humble hearts as we prepare for our TEC weekend. We thank You for the gift of this time to seek Your presence and to deepen our relationship with You and bring others closer to you. Pour forth Your Holy Spirit upon us, O Lord, that we may open our minds and hearts to Your divine will. Grant us the grace to listen attentively to Your word, to reflect deeply on Your love, and to respond with faithful hearts to Your call.
Bless our retreat with the light of Your guidance and the warmth of Your love. May it be a time of spiritual renewal, healing, and transformation. As we journey together, may we grow in unity and love, supporting one another in faith and in truth.
We entrust this Novena and our retreat into the hands of our Blessed Mother, Mary. Through her intercession, may we be drawn closer to Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Saint of the Day: St. Michael the Archangel
St. Michael the Archangel is synonymous with spiritual warfare and defeating the ultimate enemy of God and the human race – the devil. In the Book of Revelation 12:7-9, St. Michael battles Satan in heaven and eventually casts him and his demons into hell.
Devotion to St. Michael and the angels goes as far back as the fourth century A.D. when the Roman Emperor Constantine had a vision of St. Michael in a dream. He built the Michaelion sanctuary in honor of St. Michael, replacing a pagan temple.
In 1224, St. Francis of Assisi and some of his brothers took part in a devotion where they fasted and prayed in honor of St. Michael the Archangel. Known as St. Michael’s Lent, it continues to be practiced from August 15 to September 29, the feast day of St. Michael.
In one of the prayer’s most common origin stories, Pope Leo XIII saw a horrific vision after celebrating Mass, causing him to faint. What Pope Leo XIII heard and saw has been disputed, but it led him to compose the St. Michael prayer. Some accounts say he heard a conversation between Satan and God, with Satan telling God that he only needed 100 years to destroy the Church.
After fainting, Pope Leo wrote the prayer and requested that it be printed and sent to all the ordinaries around the world. Whatever Pope Leo saw moved him enough to install the prayer. For more than 100 years, billions of Catholics all around the world have recited it.
Reflection
At first glance, the St. Michael prayer may seem like a simple prayer to help calm the chaos in the world around us but when you really dive into the origin of the prayer and pray it slow and with purpose the words strike a lot harder. This prayer is not just asking for protection but fully implying that we are actively engaged in battle. The St. Michael prayer is not as simple as one might imagine.
It almost has a tone of calling in “close air support” when troops are in combat. We are not just talking to our fellow “troops” to come up with a plan to fight the enemy, we are being bombarded and we need powerful help from above. “Defend us in battle” and “Be our defense” seem slightly more passive, like digging in. but we dig in for the next lines, the real “air strike” 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.
WOW! The warfare we battle spiritually can be too much for our souls. We ask for defense, for peace in our lives and divine intervention to combat Satan and all evil spirits looking to harm us. We do not fight alone, we invoke the power of prayer, and St. Michael to fight along side us. This is also why St. Michael is seen as the patron of those who put themselves in harms way, Police, Soldiers, Fire and EMS all term to St. Michael for physical and mental strength to serve Gods people on earth.
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
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.
Intentions
Through the intercessions of the Saints we pray for TEC 284
- The team, that they stay open to the Holy Spirit in their lives before and during the weekend- we pray
- The Tecites- That those attending or thinking about attending. That the spirit move their hearts to be open to the TEC weekend. – We Pray
- (Feel free to add any special intentions you would like prayed for) – We Pray
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, in Preparation for this retreat we lift our hearts in gratitude for Your boundless love and mercy. We thank You for the graces and blessings bestowed upon us during these days of prayer and reflection.
With humble hearts, we invoke the intercession of the saints who have accompanied us on this journey. Saints who have gone before us, lighting the path with their faith and devotion:
- Mary, Mother of God- Pray for us
- St. Joseph – Pray for us
- St. Michael the Archangel – Pray for us
Through their intercession, may we be strengthened in our faith and inspired to live lives of holiness and service.
Lord, bless our TEC retreat with Your divine presence. May it be a time of profound encounter with You, of healing, renewal, and transformation. Fill our hearts with Your love, that we may return to our daily lives as witnesses of Your grace, carrying the light of Christ to all we meet. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Amen
