A Portuguese woman in the 13^th century was being oppressed by a demon, and it was so bad that she decided to commit suicide by drowning herself in the [Tagus] River. On her way there, she passed a shrine dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, the great preacher & wonderworker (since then even made a Doctor of the Church) and one last time she stopped to pray. As she prayed, she saw St. Anthony standing there, saying, “Arise woman, and take this paper, which will free you from the molestations of the Evil One” and he gave her a parchment upon which was written what is now known as “St. Anthony’s Brief.” From that moment, she was freed from demonic oppression and from the desire to kill herself.

The Brief depicts a Cross with Latin text in the form of a poetic exorcism prayer, taken largely from Apocalypse / Revelation 5:5. Copies have been made and spread throughout the world and the prayer is known to be a powerful exorcism that all the Faithful may use against temptation & oppression. Even miracles have been documented as occurring through the use of this prayer with Faith, and Pope Sixtus V had part of the prayer carved into the obelisk when he had it installed in St. Peter’s Square.

The original Latin text and English translations follow:

Ecce Crucem Domini; (Behold the Cross of the Lord;)

Fugite, partes adversae! (Flee, ye who have sided in opposition to it!)

Vicit Leo de Tribu Juda, Radix David, alleluja! (The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David has vanquished, alleluia!)

In the second line, “Partes Adversae” literally means, “Adverse Parts” or “Opposing Sides,” giving the idea of enemy factions but with an extra nuance, and to try to get that nuance and be more faithful, especially since there are direct words for both “enemies”: inimici, and “factions”: factions, the closest I can get to it in English is “ye who have sided in opposition to the Lord and His Holy Cross,” so I’ve shortened that here. Behold one of the reasons that I find it ideal to stick with the original in the profound, powerful, and beautiful language of Christ’s Church.

I hope this has been helpful. Thank you for subscribing and for your helpful comments & suggestions! God bless et oremus pro invicem. St. Anthony of Padua, pray for us!

History largely taken from Fish Eaters. Intro & Outtro Music: “O Euchari” by Hildegard Von Bingen sung by Hanna Benn, used with permission.To learn more about Hanna and her beautiful voice, visit http://www.hannabenn.com