Prayer · Protection

Prayer to Restrain Evil: the Catholic Answer to Binding Prayers

Asking God to turn back every assault

A Catholic does not pray a binding prayer that commands spirits.

Lord God, mighty in power and rich in mercy, I come to You as Your child, sealed in Baptism and redeemed by the Precious Blood of Your Son. You alone hold all power in heaven and on earth, and at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. To You I lift up my whole life this day.

Lord, restrain every power of darkness that would come against me, my family, my home, and all that You have entrusted to my care. Turn back, O God, every assault of the enemy. In our human weakness, comfort our fear and anxiety, quiet our confusion and anger, and lift us from despair. Where there is darkness, send Your light, that we may live safely in the freedom of Your children. Father, let Your peace dwell here, for this household is Yours.

In the name of Jesus, and standing in the freedom His Cross has won for me, I renounce sin and every work of the evil one. I reject the empty promises of the enemy, and I ask for grace not to consent to whatever would lead me away from You. I give myself anew to You — body, mind, and soul. Wash me in Your mercy, fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and let Your truth take the place of every falsehood within me.

Clothe me, Lord, in the full armor of God: gird me with truth, guard me with the breastplate of justice, shield me with faith, set upon me the helmet of salvation, and place in my hand the sword of the Spirit, which is Your Word. Where I am weak, be my strength; where I am afraid, be my peace; in moments of darkness, be my light that no shadow can overcome.

Saint 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, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Holy Mary, Mother of God, lead us to your Son and shelter us beneath your mantle; holy angels and saints of God, pray for us.

Father, into Your hands I place myself and all I love. Guard us through this day and this night, and let the victory of the Cross reign over every fear and every danger. I trust in You, O Lord; in You alone is my refuge and my peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Church gives lay people another form: asking God to restrain evil and to turn back every assault, which is what this prayer does, while renewing the promises of Baptism and asking St. Michael to defend us. Binding and loosing, in the Gospel, is the authority Christ gave his apostles, not a formula for anyone to use.

Go deeper

Why this is not a binding prayer

1 min readA binding prayer, as the phrase is used online, speaks to an evil spirit and commands it: “I bind you”, “I rebuke you”, “I command you to leave”.

A binding prayer, as the phrase is used online, speaks to an evil spirit and commands it: “I bind you”, “I rebuke you”, “I command you to leave”. That form is not the one the Church gives lay people. Commanding spirits in the name of Christ is exorcism, and the solemn rite belongs to a priest with his bishop’s permission. In 1985 the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith reminded the bishops that the faithful may not even use the exorcism formula published under Leo XIII, adding that this should “in no way distance the faithful from praying that, as Jesus taught us, they may be delivered from evil.”

So this prayer has a different grammar. Every line is spoken to God, or asks St. Michael and the saints to pray. It asks the Lord to restrain every power of darkness and to turn back every assault; it does not order anything. Scripture gives the pattern in the archangel himself, who, contending with the devil, “dared not bring against him an abusive condemnation, but said, ‘May the Lord rebuke you!’” (Jude 9).

What binding and loosing means

1 min readThe words come from the Gospel.

The words come from the Gospel. Jesus gives Peter the keys of the Kingdom, “whatever you bind on earth” (Matthew 16:19), and later gives the same power to the Twelve (Matthew 18:18). The Catechism explains it as the authority “to absolve sins, to pronounce doctrinal judgements, and to make disciplinary decisions in the Church”, entrusted to the Church through the ministry of the apostles (CCC 553). It is the power the priest exercises when he absolves you in Confession, not a formula for tying up spirits.

That is good news rather than a restriction. The most direct help the Church has against evil, Confession, is open to you this week, and a prayer that asks God to act is not weaker for being humble.

How to pray it

1 min readSlowly, in the morning or at night, and more than once in a hard season.

Slowly, in the morning or at night, and more than once in a hard season. Pray it over your home and family by name. Keep it next to the sacraments rather than in place of them, and if something persists or frightens you, take it to your parish priest, and see a doctor as well. What the Church means by exorcism, and who may carry one out, is in Catholic exorcism explained; a page that gathers this prayer with the St. Michael prayer and Psalm 91 is the prayer for protection from evil, and the Church’s answer to “deliverance” is the deliverance prayer page.

Questions

Is a binding prayer Catholic?

Not in the usual sense of a prayer that binds or commands a spirit. The Church asks lay people to pray deprecatively, asking God to act, and reserves commanding spirits in Christ’s name to the exorcist, a priest with his bishop’s permission. A prayer asking God to restrain evil, like this one, is the Catholic form.

Can lay people bind and loose?

No. Binding and loosing (Matthew 16:19; 18:18) is the authority Christ gave the apostles and their successors: to absolve sins, to teach and to govern the Church (CCC 553). A lay person meets it in Confession, from the priest. It is not a power to bind spirits in private prayer.

What should I pray instead of a binding prayer?

This prayer to restrain evil, the St. Michael prayer and Psalm 91 are all prayers that ask God to act. Add the sacraments, above all Confession, and if what you face is persistent or frightening, talk to your parish priest and see a doctor too.

For the deeper patterns a single prayer does not reach: breaking spiritual strongholds — 2 Corinthians 10:4, prayed.