Deliver Us from Evil
Throughout the Bible, the command most frequently enjoined on us as children of God is some form of, “Do not be afraid.”
This doesn’t mean that there are no reasons to feel fear. As human beings, we know we will face death or destruction, illness or evil, throughout our lives. God doesn’t forbid us from feeling afraid, nor does He promise that we’ll never find ourselves in positions of vulnerability or danger. Yet He repeatedly tells us not to fear, not to submit our will to the anxiety of the evils we may face. And our God never commands anything His grace won’t enable us to do.
St. Benedict understood this profound injunction as he joined in the battle against sin and death – the battle already, ultimately, won, but still working out its victory in our lives.
Our Holy Father Benedict recognized the reality of evil, but he also embraced the promise alive in God’s command not to fear. On the back of the Jubilee Medal of St. Benedict, engraved in a circle with the Cross of Christ at its center, are the letters V R S N S M V – S M Q L I V B, which stand for the Latin: Vade retro Satana! Nunquam suade mihi vana! Sunt mala quae libas. Ipse venena bibas! Translated, this reads, “Begone, Satan! Never tempt me with your vanities! What you offer me is evil. Drink the poison yourself!” A prayer of deliverance from evil, it relies on the power of the Cross and the aid Christ never withholds from those who cry to Him. It is a prayer that rejects the temptation to fear and seizes the chance to cast sin and evil away from us anew.
In keeping with this Benedictine tradition, Belmont Abbey College would like to offer you a free e-booklet, Prayers for Deliverance from Evil, which selects prayers composed and inspired by great saints who, like St. Benedict, have fought the good fight before us. As members of the Communion of the Saints, we follow St. John Paul II, St. Patrick, and many others into battle, confident that the love of God, to which they bore fearless witness, will protect us in our struggles against evil.
Get a complimentary PDF copy of Prayers for Deliverance from Evil from Belmont Abbey College now! Just let us know where to email it:
