The Power and the Glory
In seminary we used to joke about a certain book, The Book of Blessings—though “joke” may not be the right word. We called it The Book of Wishes. Why? Because most of the so-called blessings in that text never actually bless. They lack the commanding invocation of divine power that characterized Catholic rites for centuries. They read more like polite hopes or aspirations than sacramental acts. It was an inside joke, yes, but a sad one.
Later, in my Baptism course, I encountered something more jarring. We compared the language of the pre-conciliar rite of Baptism to the modern one. The difference was staggering. Gone was the half-hour long blessing of the baptismal water. Gone were the repeated exorcisms, commanding Satan to depart. Gone was the salt, the breath, the multiple signs of the Cross, the triple renunciations of Satan and all his pomps. What replaced them was shorter, gentler, optional, and often vague.
That discovery planted a question in me that has not gone away: do we hate our own rites? Perhaps “hate” is too strong. But if not hatred, then embarrassment. We are embarrassed of our rites, embarrassed to speak aloud about the devil, embarrassed to pray as though Christ’s triumph is real and evil is an enemy.
And that embarrassment, I believe, has cost us dearly.
Baptism Then and Now: A Tale of Two Rites
To understand what has been lost, we need to look directly at the texts themselves. Consider the old Roman Ritual (Philip T. Weller, The Roman Ritual, 1940s) versus the modern Order of Baptism of Children (1970).
Exorcisms and Breathing (Exsufflation)
Old Rite
The priest breathes three times upon the child’s face:
“Depart from him, unclean spirit, and give place to the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.”
“Therefore, accursed devil, acknowledge your sentence, and give honor to the living and true God… Depart from this servant of God.”
New Rite
“Almighty and ever-living God… free this child from original sin, make him a temple of your glory, and send your Holy Spirit to dwell with him.” (optional prayer of deliverance)
The new prayer is valid and orthodox. But the difference in tone is dramatic. What was once a command is now a petition. What was once repeated three times is now optional once. What was once unmistakably a battle reads now like a blessing card.
The Salt of Wisdom
Old Rite
“Receive the salt of wisdom: may it be to thee a propitiation unto eternal life.”
New Rite
Omitted entirely.
In antiquity, salt was a symbol of preservation and incorruptibility. The 19th-century rubricist James O’Kane noted that it was given “as a sign of incorruptibility against sin.” Even the Catechism echoes this logic: “Since Baptism signifies liberation from sin and from its instigator the devil, one or more exorcisms are pronounced… The celebrant then anoints him with the oil of catechumens, or lays his hands on him, and he explicitly renounces Satan.” (CCC 1237). The Catechism still teaches it; the new rite largely suppresses it.
The Anointing with Oil
Old Rite
“I anoint you with the oil of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord, that you may have everlasting life.”
New Rite (optional)
“We anoint you with the oil of salvation… may he strengthen you with his power.”
The oil of catechumens was once seen as a strengthening against evil, a pre-battle anointing. Now it is an option, often omitted for “pastoral reasons.”
The Renunciations
Old Rite
“Do you renounce Satan?” — “I do renounce.”
“And all his works?” — “I do renounce.”
“And all his pomps?” — “I do renounce.”
New Rite
“Do you reject Satan? And all his works? And all his empty promises?” — “I do.”
The triple rhythm is gone. The gestures are compressed. The vivid sense of spitting out an enemy, of tearing allegiance away from darkness, has been domesticated into a single polite question.
Baptism in Scripture and Tradition
The contrast is sharper when we recall what Scripture says baptism is.
“He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” (Col 1:13)
“We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities… against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph 6:12)
“Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith.” (1 Pet 5:8-9)
“He that believes and is baptized will be saved… in my name they will cast out demons.” (Mk 16:16-17)
The Fathers understood baptism as exorcism. Henry Kelly, in The Devil at Baptism (Oxford, 1985), demonstrates that the early Church treated baptism as a dramatic stripping away of Satan’s claim. Catechumens faced west, spitting on the devil, before turning east to profess Christ. The multiple exorcisms, salt, breath, oils, and crosses were not medieval inventions but inheritances from the patristic Church.
The Catechism itself preserves this theology: “Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by original sin, children also have need of the new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God.” (CCC 1250).
Yet our modern rites no longer dramatize this. They whisper what Scripture shouts.
The Leonine Prayers: We Used to Pray Like This
The embarrassment is not confined to Baptism. Consider the story of Pope Leo XIII.
On October 13, 1884, after celebrating Mass, Leo is said to have collapsed, appearing lifeless. When revived, he recounted a dreadful vision: he heard Satan boasting before God that he could destroy the Church if granted a century of greater power. God permitted the trial.
Leo responded by composing the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel and ordering it recited after every Low Mass, along with three Hail Marys, the Salve Regina, and a collect for the Church’s freedom. For decades Catholics left Mass kneeling, crying: “St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil…”
These prayers were called the Leonine Prayers, and they were part of daily Catholic life until quietly suppressed after the liturgical reforms of the 1960s. What began as a bold response to demonic boasting was treated as out-of-date and unnecessary.
Do We Hate Our Rites?
So, do we hate them? Perhaps not. But we are embarrassed by them. Embarrassed to breathe on a child and tell the devil to depart. Embarrassed to place salt in a mouth as protection against corruption. Embarrassed to say aloud that Satan is real.
And the results are measurable.
Belief in the devil: Gallup (2023) found only 58% of Americans believe in the devil, down from 68% in 2001 (Gallup). Among Catholics, surveys show nearly half see him as a mere symbol (U.S. Catholic).
Real Presence: Pew (2019) reported only 31% of U.S. Catholics believe in the Real Presence (Pew Research). Later studies (CARA, Vinea, 2023) put the number higher—64–69%—but even then, belief correlates strongly with regular Mass attendance (Adoremus).
Mass attendance: Weekly Mass attendance among U.S. Catholics is roughly 20–25%, compared to 55% in the 1960s (Gallup Religion).
When rites whisper, belief fades. When we pray as if the devil were a metaphor, people conclude he is one. When we hide our doctrine in embarrassment, the faithful stop believing it.
The Way Forward: Learning to Speak Again
The crisis is that we have muted our voice. The solution is simple: we must learn to speak again.
1. Return to Tradition
This is not nostalgia for lace and Latin. It is a recovery of the Church’s full-throated faith. We do not need to invent new weapons; we need to reclaim the old ones. Salt, breath, renunciations, water blessings, exorcisms — these were not frills, but enactments of salvation. They must return, even if only catechetically at first.
2. Restore the Leonine Prayers
Why not begin Masses again with the St. Michael Prayer? Why not let Catholics leave Mass as they once did, armed with Michael’s sword? Pope Francis has already urged the faithful to revive the St. Michael prayer privately. Why not publicly?
3. Confession: Frequent and Accessible
Baptism is enlistment. Confession is the field hospital. Yet parishes often reduce it to “one hour on Saturday.” If we actually believe in the spiritual combat of baptism, then we must staff the infirmary. Frequent confession times, visible confessionals, preached encouragement — these would do more to revive belief than endless programs.
4. Preach Spiritual Warfare
Homilies must stop sounding like TED Talks. Scripture is saturated with combat imagery:
“Put on the whole armor of God.” (Eph 6:11)
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (Jas 4:7)
“The prince of this world is cast out.” (Jn 12:31)
To preach this is not extremism; it is Christianity. When Catholics hear this preached, they know they are in a battle worth fighting.
Conclusion: The Army of God
The world is not longing for polite symbolism. It is groaning for deliverance. If the Church is embarrassed to pray as if the devil is real, her children are left unarmed. If she recovers her rites, her prayers, her sacramental weapons, she will once again stand as what she was meant to be: an army under Christ, storming the gates of hell (cf. Mt 16:18).
So I return to my original question: do we hate our rites? Perhaps not. But if we continue to treat them as if we were embarrassed by them, if we continue to strip away their power, if we continue to hide their drama behind polite generalities — then we should not be surprised when our people stop believing, stop attending, stop fighting.
We do not need to make peace with the world or with the devil. We need to make war — spiritual war — with the rites, prayers, and sacraments the Church has always given us. That is the power. That is the glory.
Appendix A: The Leonine Prayers (1884–1964)
Instituted by Pope Leo XIII after his vision in 1884, these prayers were recited kneeling after every Low Mass until the liturgical reforms of the 1960s.
Three Hail Marys
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. (x3)
Salve Regina
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us. And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Collect for the Church
O God, our refuge and our strength, look down with favor upon Thy people who cry to Thee; and through the intercession of the glorious and immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of St. Joseph her spouse, of Thy blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, mercifully and graciously hear the prayers which we pour forth for the conversion of sinners and for the liberty and exaltation of our holy Mother the Church. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, 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.
Threefold Invocation (added by Pope Pius X in 1904)
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. (x3)
Appendix B: Traditional Baptismal Exorcisms (Roman Ritual, Weller Translation)
These texts, prayed repeatedly in the traditional rite of Baptism, dramatize the liberation from Satan and the dominion of sin.
First Exorcism
Depart from him, unclean spirit, and give place to the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Second Exorcism
Therefore, accursed devil, acknowledge your sentence, and give honor to the living and true God; give honor to Jesus Christ His Son, and to the Holy Ghost, and depart from this servant of God.
Third Exorcism (before Baptism itself)
I exorcise you, unclean spirit, in the name of the Father ✠ and of the Son ✠ and of the Holy Ghost ✠, that you may go out and depart from this servant of God. For He commands you, accursed one, who walked upon the sea and stretched out His right hand to Peter about to sink.
Appendix C: Blessing of the Baptismal Water (Excerpt)
The pre-conciliar blessing of baptismal water was a lengthy, cosmic prayer — invoking creation, deliverance, and the power of Christ over evil.
O God, Who for the salvation of mankind hast built Thy greatest mysteries upon this substance, water: in Thy kindness hear our prayers, and pour into this element, prepared for many kinds of purifications, the power of Thy blessing: may Thy creature, serving Thy mysteries, receive the effect of divine grace, so that, the devil being expelled, men may be cleansed and sanctified…
This blessing could last nearly half an hour when sung solemnly at the Easter Vigil. The modern rite reduces it to a single page.
Appendix D: Key Catechism Passages
CCC 1237 — Baptism includes exorcisms and explicit renunciation of Satan.
CCC 1250 — Baptism frees children “from the power of darkness.”
CCC 2851 — Evil in the Lord’s Prayer refers not to abstraction but to a person, Satan.
Appendix E: Key Scriptural Texts
“He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” (Col 1:13)
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” (Eph 6:12)
“Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Pet 5:8)
“In my name they will cast out demons.” (Mk 16:17)
“The prince of this world is cast out.” (Jn 12:31)
