Then War Broke Out in Heaven--Angels By Our Side in the Holy Rosary

“Then War broke out in Heaven” (Revelations 12:7). St. Michael and his angels battled against the dragon,  and its rebellious angels fought back but did not prevail.  There is no longer a place for demons in heaven, but we must still resist and overcome them in this world.  We can triumph, but only if we focus on the salvation of souls, cooperating with Our Blessed Mother’s greatest desire, rescuing her children.   As through all time, the angels stand ready to deploy at the sound of our earnest prayers of which the Holy Rosary is the most effective and the dread of Satan.

 
Holy Scripture is replete with references to angelic beings, an estimated 300 times, but we also discover them throughout Church history, interceding, advocating, defending, and converting.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (328-336) provides wonderful testimony to these most trusted agents of Divine Will.  Moreover, not only did Our Lord never leave us defenseless exiles by the angels, He “foresaw” the Queen of Angels, the Blessed Virgin Mother.  Though she formally introduced the Holy Rosary as a secret weapon in 1208 to St. Dominic, the essence of that spiritual chain, the Life of Jesus Christ, had its origins from the beginning.  Numerous accounts of the “two punch” impact of angels and the roots of the Rosary resound for hundreds of years.  Ironically, we frequently fear the evil spirits, but neglect the reality of the good angels from catechetical neglect but also diabolical duplicity.  Relatively few in the younger generation know Church history, let alone in-depth understanding of angels and their association with Mary’s arsenal.  

 
In the fourth century AD, Constantine retook the pagan Roman temple and named the Basilica in honor of St. Michael.  Certainly the Blessed Mother among all women, through the words of St. Gabriel at the Incarnation, was most influential in this conquest.  The famous Battle of Lepanto in 1571 in which Muslims appeared poised to crush Christian Europe, the Holy Rosary rescued the faithful.  The then Pope Pius V had extorted Catholics to pray the Rosary daily, and, most likely with the assistance of St. Michael the Archangel,  on October 7th, heaven confirmed the defeat of the Turks by Mary, Queen of Victory, later under the title, Our Lady of the Rosary. 

 
However, since the 16th Century Reformation,  the devil has sown dissent and revolt even within the Christian community.  About five hundred years ago King Henry VIII had the audacity to replace Michaelmas (celebration of St. Michael) with a harvest festival.  The Mother of God was not spared in heresy, about her position and roles in the Church, so that those separated face difficulty understanding the Holy Rosary, too.  In other ways, the Christian community has differed on the presence and influence of angels, including who ranks among them.  However, we mostly agree on the three most prominent Archangels:  St. Michael (Defender/protector in spiritual and physical battle), St. Gabriel (God’s messenger), and St. Raphael ( Divine healer).

 
Still, St. Michael, who thwarts the snares of the devil, is most known and invoked.  And, as the Holy Rosary has preserved and transmitted the Mysteries in the Life of Jesus Christ,  he has become the guardian of the integrity and influence of this profound salvific catalyst.  One key event highlights this.

 
Pope Leo XIII by whom Pope Leo XIV stands in light, was once overcome by a frightening episode while in prayerful contemplation.  On October 13, 1884 (Note: thirty-three years before the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima), he had the distinct experience of overhearing a conversation between a calm peaceful voice and a harsh guttural one, and he knew that this was a heavenly discourse with the devil.  He was immediately inspired to quickly retreat and write the Saint Michael’s prayer. Also, Pope Leo XIII wrote more Encyclicals—twelve— on the Rosary than any another Pope.   (For a while between the early 1960s and 1984, the St, Michael prayer was not said after Masses, but Pope St. John Paul II revived it, and the practice of praying the Rosary before or after Mass is also surging.)

 
In another episode, In 1945, after Hungry suppressed the Catholic faith and turned the Norbertine  Abbey into a communist headquarters.  The Order has ever been ardent in prayer, particularly devoted to the Holy Rosary.   Mother Mary sustained them, and seven priests from there later established a St. Michael’s Abby in Wisconsin.  The point being that God will not be defeated even when we do not understand His ways.

 
We might also say that St. Michael is the prominent angelic influence in the Luminous Mysteries, whereby the Sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist, respectively remove Original Sin and strengthen mortal body and soul in the Body and Blood of Christ to overcome evil.  As St. Michael defeated Lucifer in Heaven, he was witness to  the proclamation of the Kingdom of God on Earth, as well.  

 
In the Life of Christ, St. Gabriel is most honored for his role in the Joyful Mysteries, announcing to Mary that she would be the Mother of the Savior.  Moreover, St. Gabriel was the messenger to Zachariah, father of St John the Baptist and possibly Elizabeth, as she greeted Mary in knowledge of her motherhood of “Our Lord.”  St. Gabriel was also the “trumpet” for the shepherds at the Birth of Jesus and may have helped lead Mary and Joseph to Jesus in the Temple.

 
One may ponder Raphael while meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries, as he is associated with healing and its elements such as comforting (in the Garden), consoling (the women on the way to Mount Calvary and at the foot of the Cross), and closing wounds (when Jesus’s body was covered in balm at his burial.)

 
All the Archangels, Guardian Angels, Angels of Nations, Parishes, and so forth are in the midst of the Glorious Mysteries.    Being ever mindful that we are most of all in spiritual battle, not to be so distracted by winning earthly wars, we pray the Holy Rosary.  We know that the fruits of such are the most impactful when we call upon God’s holy and angelic battalions to do the heavy lifting.   All the saints and many prominent and trustworthy Church figures have attested to miraculous, encouraging signs of this since the founding of the Church.

 
On October 8th, we honor St. Pelagia The Penitent, a celebrated 5th Century actress and dancer, who upon hearing a sermon on repentance from Bishop Nonnus, transformed her life to become a  miracle worker,  mystic, and martyr.  Thought:  Who prompted her to listen to the Bishop in the first place?  Think of Hollywood today and that a single prompting from an angel, by our prayers, can lead to astonishing changes of heart. 

 
Again, the Holy Rosary is such a means for our times.  The late Father Gabriele Amorth, who served as Chief Exorcist at the Vatican for thirty years, promoted the Rosary as one of the most powerful spiritual weapons against demonic forces. 

 
And, it is Satan and his followers who are the enemy to target.  The fact is that our brothers and sisters, including those most rageful and anti-christian, are convenient deflections for the demons.  Admittedly, we are most challenged not to make them the focus of our own frustration and anger.  In the end, though, it is all about the End Times and rescuing those in darkness and despair.

 
I pray that each of the following Rosary overarching intentions for the four Mystery sets, in association with the angels, leads the faithful to a deeper dive for a specific person or persons for whom to pray with complete confidence that Mother Mary hears us and will turn to her Son for the distribution of grace.  May we all stand before God one day and provide a loving account of our efforts, knowing that no prayer is ever wasted, even if rejected by the primary recipient.

 
The Joyful Mysteries. St. Gabriel relay messages of love and trust to those who tend towards pride, resentment of opponents, avarice at the expense of the poor, rebellion, and hard heartedness.

 
The Luminous Mysteries.  St. Michael protect the innocent from birth, defend the abused vulnerable from depression, thwart the enemies of the Kingdom of God, expose the treachery of the devil for those tempted to disfigure themselves, and guard the Holy Eucharist.

The Sorrowful Mysteries. St. Raphael heal those burdened by sin, bind up the wounds of deviant sexuality, relieve the crown of thorns of mental illness, lift up the Cross from the shredded shoulders of those weighed in despair, bring them to salvation.

The Glorious Mysteries.  All angels, advance truth and understanding, lead sinners (here named) from worldly hopelessness to theological hope in enteral life, enlighten atheists with authentic sight and unblemished love, bring them to peaceful reconciliation before death, and let them see the face of their most loving Heavenly Mother Mary.

 
And for all of us, let us often repeat the Scripture, Luke 10:18 (Jesus’s response to the seventy two who returned rejoicing at their dominion over devils):  “I saw Satan like lightning falling from heaven.”

Satan was driven from Heaven, and, at the end of the world, will be cast into Hell forever.  Our suffering and derision here are so very brief, so “rejoice in this that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)