February 22, 2026

Welcome to Lent! Not the usual way to greet a person, is it? Lent is often thought of as a dry time, one of sacrifice and self-deprivation. And I suppose it can be those things. Once in a while it is a healthy spiritual exercise to put aside our usual habits and look at life with a fresh perspective. If that hasn’t happened for you yet, it isn’t too late!

On Ash Wednesday, Jesus gave us three particular avenues of renewal. They are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Prayer keeps us in touch with God. Fasting puts us in contact with our inner self. And almsgiving connects us to the world around us, most especially the poor and needy.

Much has been made of Pope Leo XIV’s choice of name. As the first American pope, he might have chosen a name more identified with the USA as his native country (Pope George as in Washington?????). Instead, he chose Leo. The last pope with that name, Leo XIII (1810-1903) reigned from 1878 to 1903. Among the many concerns Leo XIII dealt with was social justice and the rights of workers. Many of his writings are still foundational to the Church’s teachings today.

Leo XIII was also a spiritual man. On October 1, 1884, Leo XIII had just finished Mass in his private chapel when he had a mystical experience. He heard two voices, one of Our Lord and the other, Satan. Satan told Jesus, “Give me 75 or 100 years and I will destroy the Church.” Jesus response was essentially, “Just try it.” Immediately after, Leo went to his office and composed what we know as the Prayer to Michael the Archangel. The original prayer was ten times longer than the one most often used. Here is the short version:

Saint 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.

This powerful prayer may not be part of your regular routine. In these times, perhaps this would be a worthy prayer for us to offer. Many people use it at the end of the rosary. Maybe cut it out and tape it to your mirror or put it on the refrigerator. It might be just the prayer you’ve been looking for!