Prayers (but not all of them) are vital elements in the Mass liturgy
By Bishop Mark Beckman
Having recently celebrated the feast of the Archangels (Sts. Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel) and the feast of the Guardian Angels, I am reminded once again of the great care God has for us in sending his messengers among us.
Since the second grade, when a wonderful Sister of Mercy taught us the Prayer to Your Guardian Angel (she had a statue of an angel on her desk that she said represented her guardian angel!), I have been grateful for the care of God in giving us an angel to accompany us on the path of life “to light, to guard, to rule, and guide.”
As St. Gregory the Great reminds us in the Office of Readings, archangels have a key role of prominence in God’s providential care for they are entrusted with the greatest of missions.
Pope Leo XIII composed the original Prayer to St. Michael in 1886 and had a shorter form officially recited after every “low Mass” at that time, along with other prayers that included three Hail Marys, the Hail Holy Queen, and a prayer for the Church. During the reform of the liturgy called for by the council fathers during the Second Vatican Council, one of the underlying principles of the reform was to restore “a noble simplicity” to the Roman Rite.
Under the authority of St. Paul VI, the revised liturgy promulgated in 1964 removed the so called “Leonine” prayers including the Prayer to St. Michael as part of the liturgy. The current Roman Missal is indeed marked by a return to the noble simplicity of the Roman Rite that showed more clearly the character and connection of the different parts and facilitated the “devout and active participation of the faithful.”
As I have traveled throughout the Diocese of Knoxville, I have noticed that in some of our parishes additional prayers, including the Prayer to St. Michael, the “Prayer of St. Francis,” a Prayer to the Holy Spirit, and others have been added regularly to the liturgy—recited together, sometimes before the entrance hymn, or immediately after the dismissal.
Recently at a gathering of our priests I spoke to these customs that have become part of some of our parishes, many of which are indeed beloved by our people. Having reflected on the importance of celebrating the liturgy in accordance with the mind of the Church, I do not think it appropriate to add additional prayers associated with the celebration of the Mass itself. Therefore, I have asked our priests to catechize the people of God as we move away from additional prayers recited together immediately before, during, and immediately after Mass.
I know that change is often difficult, especially when particular prayers are loved and have become customary. The regular addition of prayers to the liturgy, to my mind, is ultimately the decision of the Holy Father and something that pastors should not permit on their own.
Many of these prayers, including the Prayer to St. Michael, are a very important part of the treasury of prayer that has come down to us in the Church. St. John Paul II encouraged the faithful to pray the St. Michael Prayer as part of the life of devotion, and Pope Francis specifically encouraged its use at the end of the rosary.
I encourage our pastors and indeed all the faithful to find ways to incorporate these beautiful prayers into the devotional lives of our families and communities beyond the celebration of the liturgy.
Reflecting on the great wisdom of the Church in celebrating together the archangels, in our world today we do indeed need the ongoing protection of St. Michael, we need the healing remedy of St. Raphael, and we need especially the Good News announced by St. Gabriel of the coming of the Messiah who has conquered sin and death by the power of His cross and resurrection and opened for us the way to eternal life.
We thank God for this infinite gift and are especially mindful of the care of His angels sent to guard us on the way. It is chiefly at life’s end when we trust most importantly in the care of our guardian angels to guide us safely to the kingdom of heaven.