Election Day Spiritual Warfare
Polls open in less than 48 hours. History tells us how to win the election with spiritual warfare.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, agains the world rulers of this present darkness, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. —The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians, 6:11-12, RSV
Vote and Pray in the First Hour #
Inspired by miracles of prayer against Communism in the 20th century, here’s my election day plan. It’s simple. Anyone can do it.
1: Vote. (10 minutes)
2: Pray the rosary in front of my polling place. (20 minutes)
3: Go to work.
It’s that simple. Thirty minutes to ask God’s help in making America holy again.
And it’s based on two amazing victories of the rosary over Communism. If you’re an old Cold Warrior like me, you’ll love these true stories.
Soviet Retreat from Austria #
After World War II, Austria was partitioned like most of Europe. The richest part with the largest Catholic population and the city of Vienna went to the Soviet Union. Soviet Communism was anathema to the Viennese people. Their lives were miserable. They wanted freedom.
In 1947, a Catholic priest, Fr. Petrus Pavlicek, organized the Holy Rosary Crusade of Reparation. Fr. Pavlicek called on Catholics to march and pray the Rosary asking for God’s assistance in removing the Soviet menace from Austria.
The marches started small. But they grew. Father Donald Callaway, MIC, tells the story in his excellent book Champions of the Rosary:
By 1955, after eight years of rallying support from among the Austrian people, the public recitation of the rosary drew more than a half million people, equalling one-tenth of the entire population of Austria. Then, to everyone’s surprise, on May 13, 1955, the Soviets announced they were leaving Austria of their own accord, with the last forces leaving in October of the same year.
—Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, Champions of the Rosary
May is the month of Mary. October is the month of Rosary. There are no coincidences.
(Read Champions of the Rosary])
Austrians know that God, moved by the intercession of His most blessed daughter, Jesus, responding to the request of His chosen Mother, and the Holy Spirit, inspired by the exhortations of His beloved spouse, drove the communists out of their beloved homeland.
But the Holy Trinity’s anti-Communist work wasn’t done.
Communist Collapse in Brazil #
In 1964, Brazil elected a communist president, Joao Goulart. Like all Communists, Goulart wanted to rid his country of religion, especially Catholicism.
When a prominent cardinal urged Brazilians to pray the rosary and renew Our Lady’s message at Fatima, Goulart mocked the rosary and those who prayed it. Goulart said in a broadcast message that his Communist “reforms” would save Brazil, “not the rosaries of simple women.”
But hell hath no fury like rosary-wielding women scorned.
Again, from Champions of the Rosary
[Goulart’s] words greatly upset the Brazilian people, and they decided to confront the Communists during the rally in Belo Horizonte.
The rally in Belo Horizonte was led by Goulart’s brother-in-law, Leone Brizola, and it was to be one of the largest Communist rallies in the country. As it was taking place, more than 20,000 women marched right into the midst of the Communist rally and prayed the Rosary so loudly that it shut the rally down. On March 19, only six days after the women broke up the Communist rally, more than 600,000 people marched through the streets of Sao Paolo praying the rosary in the famous “March of the Family with God toward Freedom.” . . . Many non-Catholics did attend the march and prayed the rosary with the Catholics as they marched in defiance against the Communist vision of the president. Goulart was so intimidated by the rosary army that within two weeks he fled the country! In thanksgiving for the rosary victory, the people of Brazil organized another march in gratitude to Our Lady and her rosary. It was held on April 2, 1964, one day after President Goulart fled the country. This march was called the “March of Thanksgiving to God.” More than a million people marched through the streets of Rio de Janeiro celebrating their freedom from the threat of Communism.
—Champions of the Rosary
Why the Rosary #
The rosary is visible prayer. It has a universally recognized visual component that offends those who hate God.
The rosary is a spiritual weapon. It has been wielded in holy combat for centuries and has slain the enemy many times. As St. Josemaria Escriva said, “the rosary is a powerful weapon.”
The rosary tells the life of Christ as seen through His mother’s sorrowful eyes.
The rosary is hated by the devil and by the devil’s worldly advocates, especially those in the Democrat Party.
The Devil Will Fight Back #
I’ll probably get arrested for praying the rosary on election day. The devil will fight with all his might and wiles against such a powerful prayer, even if prayed by such an unworthy sinner as me. It is not me who threatens these “spiritual hosts of wickedness” and dark powers, it is Who Is.
Join me spiritually on Tuesday morning. Vote early. Stop and pray visibly outside your polling place. Vote before praying in case you get arrested. (Believe me, the evil one will work overtime to stop this crusade.)
Update: As If On Cue #
After publishing this post, I opened The Gateway Pundit and found this story and video:
What did I tell you? Who knows what’s wrong with this guy, but this is a sign that the devil is fighting back. Which means that our spiritual warfare is effective. We are winning! Keep up the good fight! Put on the full armor of God!
Pray for @EWTN today!!!! It was super scary on LIVE tv during Mass! Thank God for the security! pic.twitter.com/FSwRhLllOF— Science Teacher ن (@JMJScience) November 4, 2018
P.S. I am doing this act of faith and spiritual combat on my own. This act of civil disobedience is not affiliated with any candidate or committee.