Michaelmas

September 29 is the Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, also known as Michaelmas. St. Michael, of course, is the Prince of Angels and the great defender in the battle against Satan.

In one of our favorite cookbooks, A Continual Feast, author Evelyn Birge Vitz suggests that this may be the feast we are safest to eat those "deviled" and "devil's" foods. We played along with this idea and had some culinary treats. This morning, Sunshine and The Prof whipped up some Deviled Eggs. It was the first time anyone in this household had made them and they turned out pretty well. (In case you are wondering, we prefer it without the pickle.)

After returning from my morning grocery shopping, I embarked on an adventure in making a Devil's Food Cake. For this I turned to the always detailed Great Cakes by Carole Walter. The recipes are nearly professional grade, sometimes fussy, but always successful. Devil's Food Cake under Ms. Walter's directions definetely requires a Saturday afternoon. After lots of sifting, double-boiling, blending in one spoonful at a time and a mountain of pots and pans, we enjoyed a fantastic three layer cake.

(So tempting was this devilish treat The Prof admitted that he was thinking about it all during the concert performance of the Vespers by Monteverdi he attended tonight. He enjoyed the performance immensely, but was eager to get home and taste the treat that awaited him. Also grateful, I am certain, that the dishes were already done when he returned!)

Just to be safe, the children and I incorporated the Chaplet of St. Michael and the Prayer to St. Michael (included below) into their bedtime prayers tonight. Everyone went to bed feeling full and divinely protrected. Come to think of it, the fact that anyone is asleep after consuming all of that chocolate and sugar is a miracle in and of itself!

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our safeguard 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, cast into Hell, Satan and all the other evil spirits, who wander throughout the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

(Latin Version:) Oratio ad Sanctum MichaelSancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio, contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur: tuque, Princeps militiae coelestis, Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo, divina virtute, in infernum detrude. Amen.