How to pray to St. Archangel Michael for the departed
Prayer to Archangel Michael for the departed works miracles: through his prayers, the Almighty forgives sins, leads countless sinners out of hell and grants eternal life in righteous villages next to the Pleasants of the Lord.
Saint Archangel Michael
Michael's prayer can even alleviate the fate of terrible suicidal sinners, but the living should not forget about giving alms to the poor.
People turn to the Holy Archangel in front of his image with various requests:
- intercession before the Lord for deceased relatives and friends;
- the inability to get out of any confusing everyday situation;
- protection from evil people, tragic events and witchcraft spells;
- a request for help in solving a specific problem;
- determination with a purpose in life;
- getting rid of worries, fears, doubts.
More prayers to Archangel Michael:
- Akathist to Archangel Michael
- Prayer for protection from evil forces
- About healing and health
Prayer to Saint Archangel Michael for deceased loved ones
Lord God the Great King, Beginningless! Send, O Lord, Thy Archangel Michael to the aid of Thy servant (name), take me away from my enemies, visible and invisible. Oh, Lord Michael the Archangel! destroyer of demons: forbid all enemies who fight with me, make them like sheep and crush them like dust before the wind. Oh, Lord the Great Archangel Michael! The six-winged first prince and commander of the heavenly powers, Cherub and Seraphim. Oh, beloved Archangel Michael, be my helper in all grievances, sorrows, sorrows; in deserts, at crossroads, on rivers and seas - a quiet refuge. Deliver me, Great Archangel Michael, from all the charms of the devil, when I hear my sinful servant (name) praying to you and calling on you and calling on your holy name: hasten to help me and hear my prayer. Oh, great Archangel Michael! The whole of the honest and life -giving heavenly cross of the Lord, the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Holy Apostles, the holy prophet of the God of Elijah, the Holy of Nicholas the Miracle Worker, the Holy of the Great Martyr Nikita and Eustathius, the Monk Father and the Holy of Saints and all the Holy Heavenly Heavenly Heads, . Amen.
Oh, Great Archangel Michael, help me, your sinful servant (name of the rivers), deliver me from the coward, the flood, the fire, the sword and the flattering enemy, from the storm, from the invasion and from the evil one. Deliver me, your servant (name), great Archangel Michael, always, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
Holy Archangel of God Michael, if my relatives (names of the deceased...) are in the lake of fire, then lead them out of the eternal fire with your blessed wing and bring them to the Throne of God and beg our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive them their sins.
The holy prayer to Archangel Michael for the departed is simple, but incredibly miraculous. Proof of this are the examples of deeply believing Orthodox Christians, whom the Archangel helped in difficult periods of their lives, and our relatives and friends sometimes give friendly news from Heaven.
The battlefield is the Earth and your earthly body
Just as the first warrior of God, the Archangel Michael, decisively destroys Satan, so we must, imitating him, destroy sins and passions in ourselves.
Take the words of Jesus Christ and prayer to Him, as well as prayers to the soldiers of the Lord into your armor and fearlessly fight the evil spirits of Satan within yourself. With fearlessness and hatred of sins and passions, you can destroy everything that is godless in yourself. “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but fear Him more who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Only God can destroy both a person’s soul and his body in Gehenna. Therefore, all this persecution, psi-terrorism, radiation, slander, divination and other Satanism are reduced to a minimum or do not work at all if you walk with Jesus Christ and live according to His words, according to the Gospel. What could be terrible when God Jesus Christ Himself is with you, His holy army led by Archangel Michael and a host of saints. Walking with Him and following Him means living according to His words, being obedient to Him. Only God Jesus Christ can save, He said everything that is required for salvation in the Gospel. You cannot enter the Kingdom of God with dirt and sins, with hatred of people and condemnation of them. Only through the cross and Golgotha can one enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only through crucifying oneself and one’s passions and refusing to commit sins, only through repentance, humility, patience, mercy, self-sacrifice, love of God and war with oneself! Rejoice that God is with us!
Archangel Michael in Scripture is called “prince”, “leader of the army of the Lord” and is depicted as the main fighter against the devil and all lawlessness among people. Hence his church name “Archangel”, that is, senior warrior. Thus, Archangel Michael became Joshua’s assistant during the Israeli conquest of the Promised Land. He appeared to the prophet Daniel during the days of the fall of the Babylonian kingdom and the beginning of the creation of the Messianic kingdom.
The Prophet Daniel was predicted about the help of the people of God from the Archangel Michael during the period of upcoming persecution under the Antichrist. In the Book of Revelation of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Archangel Michael appears as the main leader in the war against the dragon-devil and other rebellious angels. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought against them, but they did not stand, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven: Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ, because the slanderer of our brethren is cast out, who slandered them before our God day and night” (Rev. John 12:7– 10).
The Church reveres Archangel Michael as a defender of the faith and a fighter against heresies and all evil. On icons he is depicted with a fiery sword in his hand or a spear, overthrowing the devil.
The Russian Chrysostom, Archbishop Innocent of Kherson, wrote for our edification about the Archangel: “He was the first to rebel against Lucifer, when he rebelled against the Almighty. It is known how this war ended, with the overthrow of the Lucifer from the sky. Since then, Archangel Michael has not ceased to fight for the glory of the Creator and Lord of all, for the cause of saving the human race, for the church and its children.
Therefore, for those who are adorned with the name of the first of the Archangels, it is most fitting to be distinguished by zeal for the glory of God, loyalty to the Heavenly King, constant war against vice and impiety, constant humility and self-sacrifice.”
The Mystery of Salvation
Any of us has experienced grief: our loved ones, relatives, and close people are dying. We remember them, and they, in turn, sometimes appear in our night visions, as if reminding us of themselves. What does it mean? What can we do for them?
Orthodox prayer for the dead
Many people often visit graveyards, look after their own graves, and install expensive and massive tombstones. But do the deceased themselves need grave beauty? Is this what they ask of us?
People who do not believe in God are unable to do anything for the soul of a deceased person. They believe that after death the body disintegrates and the soul does not exist. But the memory of the deceased lives in the hearts of people. They hold feasts with alcoholic libations on death anniversaries, cry and sob looking at old photographs; for them the personality of the deceased no longer exists - it died with the death of his body.
Orthodoxy about death:
- 9 days after death
- 40 days after death
- How to properly remember the dead
The Orthodox religion teaches that a person does not die, that is, he is not dead, but alive!
His soul is immortal! But upon death she goes to heaven or hell. Few righteous people are awarded the joy of heaven; many, due to their unconfessed sins, are sent to hell. During their lifetime, conscience, the Voice of God, did not force them to think and atone for their sins in confession in the Temple of God.
Angelic ranks
The Angelic ranks are divided into three hierarchies - highest, middle and lowest. Each hierarchy consists of three ranks. The highest hierarchy includes: Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones. Closest to the Holy Trinity are the six-winged Seraphim
(Flaming, Fiery) (Isa. 6, 2).
They burn with love for God and encourage others to do so. After the Seraphim, the many-eyed Cherubim
(Gen. 3:24).
Their name means: outpouring of wisdom, enlightenment, for through them, shining with the light of knowledge of God and understanding of the mysteries of God, wisdom and enlightenment are sent down for true knowledge of God. Behind the Cherubim are the God-bearing Thrones
(Col. 1:16), who mysteriously and incomprehensibly bear God. They serve God's justice. The average Angelic hierarchy consists of three ranks: Dominance, Strength and Authority.
Dominations
(Col. 1:16) rule over the subsequent ranks of Angels. They instruct God-appointed earthly rulers in wise governance. Dominions teach one to control one's feelings, tame sinful lusts, enslave the flesh to the spirit, dominate one's will, and overcome temptations.
Powers
(1 Pet. 3:22) fulfill the will of God. They work miracles and send down the grace of miracles and clairvoyance to the saints of God. The forces help people to obey, strengthen them in patience, and bestow spiritual strength and courage.
Authorities
(1 Pet. 3:22; Col. 1:16) have the power to tame the power of the devil. They ward off demonic temptations from people, confirm ascetics, protect them, and help people in the fight against evil thoughts. The lower hierarchy includes three ranks: Principalities, Archangels and Angels.
Beginnings
(Col. 1:16) rule over the lower angels, directing them to fulfill Divine commands. They are entrusted with managing the universe, protecting countries, peoples, tribes. They began to instruct people to give everyone the honor due to their rank. They teach superiors to perform official duties not for the sake of personal glory and benefits, but for the sake of the honor of God and the benefit of their neighbors.
Archangels
(1 Thessalonians 4:16) preach the great and glorious gospel, reveal the mysteries of faith, prophecy and understanding of the will of God, strengthen the holy faith in people, enlightening their minds with the light of the Holy Gospel.
Angels
(1 Pet. 3:22) are closest to people. They proclaim God's intentions and instruct people to lead a virtuous and holy life. They protect believers, keep them from falling, raise the fallen, never leave us and are always ready to help if we wish.
All ranks of the Heavenly Forces bear the general name of Angels - in essence of their service. The Lord reveals His will to the highest Angels, and they, in turn, enlighten the rest.
The Lord placed the holy Archangel Michael, a faithful servant of God, over all nine ranks, for he cast down from Heaven the proud star with other fallen spirits.
Who else can you turn to for protection?
Archangel Michael is not the only saint who will help when things are not going well in life. You can ask for help from a number of Christian saints, but you don’t have to pray to just one. The main thing is to understand what exactly you need to get as a result, what misfortune to protect yourself from, what cherished desire to fulfill.
If we are talking about protection from evil people, the negative impact of circumstances, then it makes sense to turn to the Virgin Mary or to the Almighty Himself. But in cases where:
- you need to establish your personal life and positive relationships with others, you can pray to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker;
- to protect yourself from misfortunes on the road - to the Virgin Mary;
- protect the spirit and body from magical influence, from the evil eye and demons - to Justinius or Cyprian.
Do not forget that sometimes a person’s best protector is his own guardian angel. He is the first intercessor and patron, whom you can ask at any time and who will give what you want first. There are a lot of prayers to the guardian angel.
But in any case, prayer will only help if a person lives a church life. There is no point in asking Michael to carry out his plans if you do not attend church and do not participate in such sacraments as confession or communion. You can pray to Michael in any setting, like any other Saint, you don’t have to order a service. Before the home altar, the words are clearly pronounced, most importantly, not in a memorized text, but with sincere love for God, an understanding of what is being asked.
We recommend studying Psalm 1
Prayer to Archangel Michael from evil forces
It is worth noting that in Russia there are many churches named after the Archangel, and his icons are sold in every shop. Throughout the country there is not a house of God where his face is not depicted on icons, frescoes, and icons. Remember that wherever you are, you can always turn to Archangel Michael for help and protection from evil forces.
Many believe that prayer to the archangel is a kind of spell or amulet. This is a mistaken opinion inherent in many people who perform prayer unconsciously. Prayer does not have its own power, it is an appeal to God through a saint, in this case through Archangel Michael
We pray to the saint that he turns to the Lord, so that he, in turn, will pay attention to sinners
There are no strong and weak prayers, there are no strong and weak saints, you should not think that one prayer can help better than another
The most important thing in prayer is your sincerity and the desire to open your soul before God, who will patronize you and help you through the conversion of the saints
With these words they turn to the supreme angel to protect themselves from evil forces and diseases:
Michaelmas Day - the history of the holiday
The head of the Ethereal Heavenly forces is Archangel Michael. It was he who dealt with all the evil spirits, defeated the adversaries and defended the faith. In ancient descriptions, Michael is depicted in military armor with a sword, as the main commander. Nine orders of angels and archangels help and are responsible for human life and the earth. On the dome in the Refectory Hall there is a clear image of the heavenly servants. Each of us is assigned our own archangel, who is responsible for good deeds, prayer, thoughts, travel, and power. But, unfortunately, in the modern world, few people listen to God, an angel or another person.
The main task of the Archangel is to fight evil spirits and provide support to those who are in trouble or faced with a series of ongoing failures. For every Christian believer, Archangel Michael is the most faithful helper against universal evil. They turn to him with various requests, mainly asking for healing, protection from troubles and misfortunes, help in solving everyday issues, asking for protection from dark forces and before a long journey.
Mikhail does not like thieves and robbers, he always punishes them. It does not ignore those who suffered from natural disasters or participants in war. People address their misfortune, grief and sadness, and every prayer is sure to be heard.
Examples of real miracles of the formidable commander
The appearance of heavenly powers in real human life is rare. But Archangel Michael often contacted people and helped them in every possible way. There are several stories of miracles that Michael performed from Scripture.
The most famous story is the miracle at Khoneh. According to the chronicles, a temple to the Archangel was built in Phrygia. It was made by one of the wealthy townspeople as a memory of the fact that Mikhail saved his daughter from an incurable disease. The temple was also liked by other townspeople. Archippus Herotopsky, who became famous for his virtue, served as a sexton for more than 60 years. Of course, in those days the wars between Jews and pagans were strong, and the latter could not help but take revenge on the sexton. The pagans decided not only to kill him, but also to overthrow the temple. To do this, they connected two rivers and directed them towards the temple. The sexton immediately began to pray to Michael, and he appeared. Hitting the ground with his rod, the Saint created a large hole into which all the river water flowed.
Another famous story of miraculous action is that of the plague in Rome. The 6th century AD was coming to an end, and the plague broke out in Rome. At that time, Pope Gregory the Great, who led the empire, called on the entire city to pray for salvation. Michael appeared at the top of Anlrian's mausoleum. The epidemic began to decline immediately, and most of the city's population survived. After this, a sculpture was installed for the Saint.
Michael helps not only in wars and epidemics, but is also able to heal from ordinary human vices. An iconic story about a woman, Evdokia, who had indescribable beauty. But, as often happens, beauty corrupted her, and she took the path of bodily pleasures. One evening, a woman accidentally heard from her window a parable about the Last Judgment, and this prompted her to begin closely studying the Bible. Evdokia spent a week in prayer, and then Michael appeared to her and took her to heaven.
Of course, there are also modern known stories about the miracles of Archangel Michael. According to reviews, the Saint has repeatedly helped to improve relationships, protect against the evil eye, get money, and protect yourself while traveling. In order to ask him for something, it is not at all necessary to pray in church. The prayer will have the same power if you conduct it at home in front of the icon, but with a pure heart and righteous intentions.
Who can ask for help and repentance
St. Archangel Michael is able to give help and healing even to those who do not consider themselves believers. Michael patronizes those who opened up to him and came with a pure heart and without evil intent. Therefore, surprisingly, even atheists or agnostics can ask the saint for help.
The chief angel of God helps, of course, all Orthodox believers. Age, race, nationality and gender are not important to him. If you have a specific request, he will help make your wish come true. But it is better to contact not on purely personal issues, but in such a way that other people can also get help.
Those who can contact Mikhail:
- feels that people and external forces seem to have taken up arms against him;
- cannot find a common language with others;
- for unknown reasons, attracts strange and criminal situations;
- often exposed to temptation;
- lost his way in life, lost his goal and simply doesn’t know what to do next;
- getting ready for a long train ride and fearing for the safety of his home;
- constantly tormented by feelings of resentment or anger;
- not distinguished by endurance and patience;
- cannot set true goals and achieve them.
They also turn to Mikhail if they feel that they are being negatively affected. Of course, this is easy to see if, for example, a woman found pins in the house or cemetery soil poured under the threshold. But even if there are no material signs, and the condition worsens, there is a feeling that everything is going wrong, that is, it makes sense to turn to Michael with prayer for protection from the evil eye and magical effects.
Text of the prayer to Archangel Raphael for the healing of the sick and health
Prayer words to Saint Raphael the Archangel can be found in the Complete Orthodox Prayer Book.
Before the face of Archangel Raphael they pray for the healing of ailments and for marital happiness:
“Oh, great holy Archangel Raphael, stand before the throne of God! By the grace given to you by the Almighty Physician of our souls and bodies, you healed the righteous man Tobit from bodily blindness, and you saved his son Tobias from an evil spirit while traveling with him. I earnestly pray to you: be my guide in my life.
Save me from all visible and invisible enemies, heal my mental and physical illnesses, guide my life towards repentance of sins and the doing of good deeds. Oh, great holy Raphael the Archangel! Hear me, a sinner, praying to you, and make me worthy in this and the future life to thank and glorify our common Creator forever and ever. Amen."
Monastery of Panormitis on the island of Symi (Rhodes, Greece)
The monastery was built in the 15th century, and since its foundation has been under the patronage of Archangel Michael. The patronal feast day is the Council of the Archangel Michael, which is celebrated in Greece on November 8th.
The main shrine is the Icon of the Archangel, 2 meters high. The monastery contains numerous evidence of miraculous healings and other events related to the icon. An amazing legend is associated with the monastery: no matter what seas a traveler is in, if he throws a bottle into the sea with a request written in great faith, this message will definitely end up one day in Panormitis Bay.
