St Michael the Archangel, Defend Us in Battle

I received a very thoughtful email from a dear friend, and I want to share some of her words here, because she touches upon the most essential element in our battles against the darkness. (The emphasis is mine.)

I have been reading your posts but not commenting because I thought you were expressing the secrets of my heart even better than I could, but your post today made me want to reach out and tell you "Thank you!" It helps so much to know that we are not alone. I can relate to everything you said even down to the "why would they ever want to know me". My demons usually take the very real form of voices in my head questioning everything that I know is true. I have talked with my priest in the confessional about how I felt so tired always fighting and arguing with that voice, always feeling like I had to re-convince myself of these truths. He gave me the best advice after he pointed out that yes, this was a temptation and a spiritual attack. He said, "Let those better able handle it for you!" I stopped trying to argue with the voices in order to get them to be quiet. I started saying the St. Michael prayer whenever I felt weak. He knows, better than I the ways to defeat that wily serpent. He knows how best to defend my fragile self. He is my protector, I believe, responding quickly and thoroughly to my cries for help. The voices stopped antagonizing me in that way some time ago but whenever I hear their whisperings in my heart, I call on my protector and my Lord by saying, "Lord, I believe...help my unbelief."

Ultimately, we must remember that this is a spiritual battle. Yes, we can, and must, do everything we can to fight it---nurturing our relationships, changing our diets, exercising our bodies, ordering our lives, and seeking professional help, if needed. But our most powerful weapon in this battle is prayer. Let us lay our lives into His Holy Hands and entrust our souls to Her Immaculate Heart. And let us never forget the great cloud of heavenly witnesses, just waiting to intercede on our behalf.

"Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of God."
Hebrews 12:1-2

Sometimes the only prayers that I can offer are wordless ones, when I simply clench my rosary beads tightly to my heart and cry. That's okay. He hears me all the same.