The analogy of the Great Horse of Troy doesn’t quite work (the attackers were hidden from sight). The ruse de guerre of slipping through enemy lines while wearing enemy uniforms doesn’t quite work (you have to remove the disguise before you shoot).
Perhaps the reimagining of Battlestar Galatica provides a parallel: humanoid machines, Cylons, aren’t shiny robots as they were in the 1970’s. They look like us, now. The Cylons are indistinguishable from humans and they infiltrated everywhere. Not only that, if their body is destroyed, they upload to a Cylon hub and they download into another, replica body (of which they have many stored for deployment). Some of them are “sleepers” who don’t even realize that they are on the enemy’s team until they are activated. The goal: humiliation and then obliteration of the human race out of revenge for having been created in the first place.
I have in mind the machinations of modernists, Communists, Masons, homosexualists who look like us Catholics, use the same language most of the time, are hard to tease out from the larger picture, but who are bent on the destruction of the Church, from within. The goal: subvert the Church’s structures into a kind NGO promoting a quasi-religious secularist agenda.
The enemy is behind the lines, in a horse, in friendly uniforms, but they are in plain sight all the time and then don’t remove their uniforms to shoot. If they are caught, they pop up somewhere else. They are transferred. Promoted.
More and more I feel the need to pray against the enemy within, who sit in the seats of power, who occupy the big chairs, both in sees and universities.
These are “enemies”.
Let’s be neither Pollyannas nor, speaking of Troy, Cassandras. Let us see the situation we are in clearly.
We have enemies. The enemies are inside the walls.
We must pray for and against these enemies, who are doing the work of Satan. They are agents of Hell. Pray. For them, for their conversion that their souls might not be lost. Against them, that their evil projects be thwarted and that souls not be lost.
Some time back I had a few posts about the need to pray for enemies, the requirement from Christ Himself to forgive, that we must strive not to hate them, no matter the harm they do to us, others or the Church and the world. I posted the prayers from the Votive Mass “for enemies”. One prelate totally freaked out because I posted my hope that God would grant them what they truly needed to bring about a conversion, even if that meant suffering. He is now on my list to pray for.
The ordained remain ordained, even in Hell. We’d rather they go to Heaven, no matter if getting there is hard, in earthly terms
We have to get it through out heads that there are truly bad people out there. They are in grave spiritual danger. Meanwhile, they plot and do harm.
We must not stand idle and let them hurt themselves and others.
Some of them are fully activated and working to destroy the Church and her influence, as a Church, in the world. They want to use the Church’s structure but transform her into an NGO, useful for global hegemony. Others are still “sleepers”. They are dupes who are playing for the enemies side, but don’t realize that that is what they are doing, rather like – to use another screen analogy, from perhaps the greatest movie made to date – Colonel Nicholson.
Here are the orations Pro defensione ab hostibus… For defense against enemies.
I more and more frequently now I add these when I say Mass, even as I celebrate for the specific intention: “For the Church – against her internal enemies”
COLLECT
Hostium nostrorum, quaesumus, Domine, elide superbiam: et eorum contumaciam dexterae tuae virtute prosterne. Amen.
Shatter to pieces, we beseech Thee O Lord, our enemies’ pride and by the might of Thy hand throw to the ground their insolence.
Contumacia, by the way, can mean not only “insolence”, but “rigidity”. Ironically, no one is more rigid, in the worst sense, than a committed liberal ideologue. It is more and more apparent that the present roster of papalatrous ideologues are enemies of the Church, even as they claim to be her earnest defenders. They way you can tell is their spectacular rigidity, their focus on enforced uniformity, liturgical homogeneity.
SECRET
Huius, Domine, virtute mysterii, et a propriis mundemur occultis, et ab inimicorum liberemur insidiis.
O Lord, by the power of this mystery, may we be cleansed from our own hidden sins and delivered from the snares of our enemies.
POSTCOMMUNION
Protector noster, aspice, Deus, et ab inimicorum nos defende periculis: ut, omni perturbatione submota, liberis tibi mentibus serviamus.
O God, our Protector, look down and defend us from the perils of our enemies: so that, once all trouble is removed, we may with free minds serve Thee.
A reminder… or introduction…
Loading ...
Pingback: Prayers “Pro defensione ab hostibus… for defense against enemies” – Via Nova Media
A wonderful Carmelite devotion is the chaplet of the Holy Face, which was meant from the beginning to be a ‘fighting’ prayer against the enemies of the Faith and of the Church and in reparation for the sins against Christ and/or God the Father.
The way to pray it is this: Chaplet of Reparation Prayers (for our Chaplet with beads in groups of 6):
On the Cross say: Say, “O God, come to my assistance – O Lord, make haste to help me”, followed by the Glory Be
1st large bead: Say “My Jesus Mercy” and one Glory Be
6 small beads: In honour of the sense of touch of our Lord: Say, “Arise, O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered, and let all that hate You flee from before Your Face”
2nd large bead: Say “My Jesus Mercy” and one Glory Be
6 small beads: In honour of the sense of hearing of our Lord: Say, “Arise, O Lord….”
3rd large bead: Say “My Jesus Mercy” and one Glory Be
6 small beads: In honour of the sense of sight of our Lord: Say, “Arise, O Lord….”
4th large bead: Say “My Jesus Mercy” and one Glory Be
6 small beads: In honour of the sense of smell of our Lord: Say, “Arise, O Lord….”
5th large bead: Say “My Jesus Mercy” and one Glory Be
6 small beads: In honour of the sense of taste of our Lord: Say, “Arise, O Lord….”
6th large bead: Say “My Jesus Mercy” and one Glory Be
3 small beads: In honour of our Lord’s public life: Say, “Arise, O Lord….”
Holy Face medal: Say “God, our Protector, look on us, and cast Your eyes upon the Face of Your Christ”
Some additional prayers that are recommended to be said afterward (from the revelations of Sister Mary of St. Peter in the Golden Arrow, pages 113 and 207):
1) May God arise and let His enemies be scattered and let those who hate Him flee before His Face!
2) May the thrice Holy Name of God overthrow all their plans!
3) May the Holy Name of the Living God split them up by disagreements!
4) May the terrible Name of the God of Eternity stamp out all their godlessness!
5) Lord, I do not desire the death of the sinner, but that he be converted and live. “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
6) The “Golden Arrow” prayer: “May the most holy, the most sacred, the most adorable, the most incomprehensible and unutterable Name of God always be praised blessed, loved, adored and glorified, by all the creatures of God in heaven, on earth and under the earth, and by the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Most holy Sacrament of the altar.”
It’s very much a battle prayer… I particularly like praying the last invocations at the end!
A friend of mine in Bari told me tonight that no less than Fr Nicola Bux preached about this in a homily at mass this evening.
Let us not forget the Bux Protocol.
[GMTA? I wonder if that is online anywhere.]
Well, you have enemies Fr. Z. The word enemy connotates a peer in my mind. For lay people it’s different I think. I mean Jesus gave them His own authority. How do you fight against that? It’s like getting pistol-whipped by Jesus’ doppleganger, or at least a guy wearing His clothes.
I especially love it when you run into one of these guys in the confessional. How do you defend yourself in there? Phew! Trippy.
I’ve known lots of these guys, and they know how to use everything as a weapon, clerical status, Church teaching, education, money, being well traveled, Saints, Sacraments, philosophy, law … and me over here, just a puddle of spiritual poverty. It’s so not pretty. But, at least I can get a little mud on their shoes. Ha! Take that!
Here’s a “what if”…
Over the past few months, I’ve often wondered how much *harder* things would be if the liberals/modernists in the Church were TLM-friendly. Right now, the battle lines are clearly drawn. But what if they weren’t? What if, say, Pope Francis and Cardinal Cupich and Bishop McElroy were doing and saying all the same things they’ve been doing and saying with respect to marriage, divorce, homosexuality, same-sex civil unions, communion for abortionists, China policy, etc. etc., BUT they were simultaneously huge TLM supporters (instead of the TLM antagonists that they are)? Would we be so grateful that they were good on the liturgy, that we’d be seduced into accepting their problematic views with respect to everything else? If Pope Francis were to start celebrating the TLM himself at St Peter’s as a sign of reconciliation and good will toward those faithful who love the old Mass, well, we’d be disoriented, wouldn’t we? In God’s providence, He has spared us this confusion. It truly is as Matthew said: “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit… Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.”
Pingback: Prayers “Pro defensione ab hostibus… for defense against enemies” | Fr. Z’s Blog – The Old Roman
Nothing less than the blistering truth here. Hyperbole is really no longer possible.
MB says: “and me over here …just a puddle of spiritual poverty.”
God says: “My power is make perfect in weakness.”
Puddle on!
Please excuse my ignorance however I cannot find out what is the ”Corpus orationum” . Fr Z mentions this in his earlier post here: https://wdtprs.com/2021/01/wdtprs-prayer-for-enemies/
I’ve searched the internet but am none the wiser. Could someone let me know please?
Pingback: MONDAY EDITION – Big Pulpit
Also reminds me of Rory in the Pandorica arc of Doctor Who. Rory was a plastic fake, programmed to kill Amy and the Doctor, but was also programmed with the soul of the (previously erased from history within the show, but not yet to have been born for at least a millennia in continuity) real Rory (it’s a show about time travel, weird things happen). The battle of him against his programming, and how he dealt with the aftermath, is a great part of that arc.
@Gab The Corpus Orationum comprises 14 (I think) volumes of the Corpus Christianorum Series Latina.
It contains Orationes from the Mass and is ordered alphabetically as I recall.
I don’t have copy handy at the moment
@Fr. Kelly
Thank you, Father.
There is a world of difference in shouting, ‘My Lord what shall we do’ and ‘Thank God for what you have done’. When we start to look beyond the natural and look at the spiritual provision that God has already made for us in Christ Jesus, when we have spiritual sight, then we don’t see the problems that we’re facing. It’s the absence of fear that gives us the ability to move forward in faith irrespective of our circumstances.
In 2 Kings chapter 6, there is a very unique story about the power of God in operation. The King of Syria was at war with Israel. He would meet with his army officers in his chambers and together they would set out their strategy and plan their tactics of attack. But Elisha the man of God would send word to the King of Israel that the enemy was about to attack at such and such a place, so that every time the Syrians attacked they were prepared for them. This happened time and time again, so that the King of Syria became enraged and he summoned his entire army council. He said ‘there is someone here, who sits in counsel with me while we make these plans and that person is spying for Israel, because every time we make a move they are ready for us’. One of his officers stood up and said ‘It’s none of us my Lord the King, it’s Elisha the prophet who is in Israel, he tells the King of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom’. So the King put out an order for his arrest and at night he sent out a strong army of horses and chariots and they surrounded the city. Early the next morning the servant of Elisha had got up and went out of the house only to discover that the city was surrounded with an army of chariots and horses and he cried, ‘Oh, my Lord, what shall we do?’ ‘Don’t be afraid’ the prophet answered, ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them’. And Elisha prayed, ‘O Lord open his eyes so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. This is what happens when you get just one person on fire for God. You strike fear into the ranks of the enemy. Imagine, here you have one man and there were thousands sent out to capture him! It doesn’t matter how many come against you; one person with God is a majority. ‘The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you in one direction but will flee from you in seven directions’. (Deut. 28:7).