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I wish you and your family a safe, blessed, and joyful Thanksgiving! I have so much to be grateful for, not only on Thanksgiving, but on every day. I'm truly blessed. Here's what I've been reflecting on as we approach Thanksgiving:
Almighty God for keeping me alive long enough that I may be awakened from my long slumber in the dark wilderness to see the day of my powerful conversion in December 2021 and come to know Him while still in this world
The same loving, merciful God; and the richness, joy, beauty, hope, and Truth of my Catholic faith
My beautiful, loving (and merciful!) wife, Katie
Good friends and family
Dignified and meaningful work as an educator and tutor
This blog, which has truly been a labor of love for me these past seven years now, since I launched it at the end of 2018
You, my readership - you inspire and encourage me to keep this project I call Mr. Robertson's Corner going
My education - formal and informal - and all the teachers, instructors, professors, mentors, coaches, and role models I've had throughout my life
Our teddy bear pup, Milah
A roof over my head
Food on the table and in my belly
Clean, running water
A hot shower
A hot cup of coffee
Clean clothes on my back
The convenience of appliances
A reliable vehicle with A/C in the summer and heat in the winter
A/C and heat
Everyone who works hard to make my life a little easier every day by way of their own jobs, professions, and vocations - co-workers, truck drivers, farmers, fishermen, butchers, the mailman, priests, all medical professionals, pharmacists and pharmacy techs, handymen, carpenters, service technicians, mechanics, cashiers, stockers, customer service folks, warehouse workers, IT professionals, food processors and manufacturers, financial services professionals, bankers, waiters and waitresses, cooks, sanitation workers, plumbers, all transportation workers, and so on...
To be able to live in the beautiful Sioux Falls area, with it numerous and unique parks and natural resources that provide me with refreshment
What are you grateful for? Drop a line in the Comments section - I'd love to hear from you! Happy Thanksgiving again, and God bless!
For years, I did all in my power to prevent classic Lincoln cars I owned from rusting. Little did I know at the time that while I was fixated on preserving - and essentially what amounted to worshiping - worldly goods in a passing world, I was allowing my most valuable possession to rot out - my eternal soul. And no amount of Bondo could ever fill in those rust holes. No amount of carnauba wax could ever shine and protect my soul.
Tired of always being on the lam - running and hiding and being afraid for over 20 years - I turned myself in at the nearest confessional in December 2021. I fully surrendered. I fully cooperated, telling all. And instead of being jailed for everything I did; instead of being condemned to death for everything I owned up to - I was set free. Because, you see, I was already in jail and didn't realize it. Indeed, I was already long dead and didn't know it. But because I surrendered on that day back in December 2021, I walked out a free man brought back to life. And I've been fully alive since then. I laid my burden down, and I have nothing to run from anymore.
Discover the joy, peace, beauty, forgiveness, and healing that comes with the Catholic sacrament of Reconciliation, also known simply as confession.
By Aaron S. Robertson
A talk I gave during a retreat for high school catechism students at my parish on April 14, 2024.
Sin is the obstacle blocking the joy that God intends for humanity, for each and every one of us. It’s a separation from God and a deviation from His divine will and purpose for creation, and it comes in many forms. Sin is any thought, word, or deed that violates God’s moral law, disrupts the harmony of the created order, and damages the relationship between humanity and God. Now, when we say thought, we really mean dwelling on bad or impure thoughts, whether they’re about ourselves, others, or God. We all have thoughts constantly running through our minds. This is a natural condition of our fallen human psyche. The real question is whether we let them stew to the point that we willingly allow them to turn into something more serious, like lust, jealousy, rage, unjust anger, the desire to harm someone or ourselves, and so on. Sin also comes in the form of not doing what we should have done - we call this omission. Did we purposely fail to stand up for someone or something in a situation in a way that would have been fair, just, holy, right? Did we intentionally withhold information or the entire truth in a situation that could have caused some sort of harm or distress to others? These are just a couple examples of sinning by omission.
Sin creates a barrier between individuals and God, hindering our ability to fully experience the joy, peace, and fulfillment that come from being in communion with Him. The effects of sin also create that same barrier between all of us. Sin leads to misunderstandings, misperceptions, mistrust, a distorted lens. It not only eats away at our individual relationships with God, but with one another.
The solution? The sacrament of Reconciliation, commonly called confession. And that solution is available here today. And so I respectfully challenge you to take advantage of it today.
I challenge you to go in there, into that confessional, and give it your best. That’s an absolute requirement if you want God’s forgiveness, healing, and the graces necessary to combat sin and temptation going forward. You must give it your best, and that also means genuinely being sorry. Try with everything you’ve got. Recount all your major, serious, intentional sins since your last confession. If you genuinely forget something, that’s totally okay. We all have flawed memories, and for many people, they’re trying to recount years and even decades of sins. But if you’re aware of something you’ve done or may have done – if it enters your mind at any time from now as you’re listening to me through your time in there – you can’t hide it. You need to disclose it. Is it tough to do this at times? Does it make us feel ashamed, embarrassed, pretty lowly? Dirty? Heck yes, it does. But I’ll tell you what. I promise you, with everything I’ve got, that if you go in there, and you genuinely try your best to recount your sins, to be totally honest with God and with yourself, to not beat around the bush and try to hide the seriousness of your sins in vague language, and just let it all come out; if you’re genuinely sorry, I promise you, with everything I’ve got, that things are gonna start happening in ways that cannot be explained by anything in this world.
If you feel separated, alienated from God and from others right now, if you’re tired of searching for answers and relief and distractions in other things, only to come up empty-handed, if you feel lost, if you’re tired of running and hiding, then today is your day. Go in there and give it your best, and walk out of there tall, forgiven, healed, joyful, and prepared to see the entire world and your life in a new lens. I sure did after 20-plus years. Have nothing to hide or fear. Priests have heard it all. God knows it all. Your secrets are safe with them. There is no sin He can’t or won’t forgive you for, there is no wound He can’t or won’t heal. God bless you. Thank you!
Several weeks back, in an adult formation program I'm currently participating in at my parish (my church), we were asked to write down three sentences explaining why we're Catholic. I joked that, being the good student I am, and wanting to go for an A+, I came up with four sentences.
But in all seriousness, it's been an amazing, uplifting, joyful journey that I've been blessed to be on over the last year or so, since December 2021. I tell God all the time that human language can never fully encapsulate what I'm feeling and experiencing. Here's what I said as to why I am Catholic:
I am Catholic because my faith has caused me to have experiences that cannot be explained by anything in the natural, physical world. I am Catholic because I have experienced no greater joy, love, beauty, and truth outside of my faith. I am Catholic because I know we each have our own special role to play in God's plan. I am Catholic because I was personally called by God to be.
If you enjoyed this, you may find these other posts to be helpful and meaningful to you:
The traditional, common Roman Catholic prayer before eating, preceded and followed by the Sign of the Cross: "Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen."
The traditional, common Roman Catholic prayer after eating, preceded and followed by the Sign of the Cross: "We give Thee thanks, Almighty God, for all Thy benefits, Who live and reign forever and ever. Amen."
A meal prayer composed by Aaron S. Robertson, a Roman Catholic layman
My/Our Lord, bless the meal I'm/we're about to eat, along with everyone who had a hand, in any way, in making this meal possible for me/us. I'm/we're always grateful for the opportunity to be able to eat. Hear my/our prayers for those who struggle with, and suffer from, food insecurity and hunger. Grant them the resources they need, and let them know that you're always there for them. Amen.
Roman Catholic prayers for spiritual warfare. Personal testimony to the power of confession and of certain prayers and saints. A true story of battling the devil and demonic harassment.
By Aaron S. Robertson
Introduction
In this post, I describe a specific incident, or, perhaps more accurately, a specific way (because there was more than one episode spread out over time), in which I had found myself battling demonic harassment. Following my testimony, which, among other subjects, speaks to the power of the confessional and to certain prayers and saints, I offer three videos here from YouTube, each being a prayer in Latin, either spoken or chanted. These prayers have helped me immensely, and I include them in a regular prayer routine.
Setting some context in regard to my faith journey
I rediscovered my Roman Catholic faith back in December 2021 after nearly 20 years of wandering in the dark wilderness. An epic blog post about my conversion on a Sunday morning back in December immediately upon awakening from bed and the journey since then is pending. Since March 2022, after visiting the confessional one evening, I have been frequently experiencing very powerful and noticeable involuntary movements in my face and neck while praying. Sometimes, I experience an electrifying feeling going up and down my right leg while praying, as well. And still sometimes, I experience a feeling on the the right side in my head, near my ear on that side, as if a nerve is being pulled back. I cannot mimic any of these movements if I wanted to.
The leg incidents seem to happen most often while praying to/reflecting on God the Father, in particular, but the more frequent face and neck movements can occur while reciting a variety of prayers - whether invoking the Holy Spirit and engaging in conversation with Him, or while calling upon our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, or while asking Blessed Mary and/or any of the angels and saints for their intercession. The nerve-pulling sensation in my head can occur in different settings, such as during Mass or even in the confessional during the priest's absolution. I have been keeping a regular log of nearly every one of these powerful encounters with prayer and reflection.
My testimony regarding this one specific way in which I had found myself battling demonic harassment; speaking to the power of the confessional and to certain prayers and saints
St. Philomena, 291-304.
On Wednesday, August 24, 2022, I went to confession at another parish, since I was not quite sure if I would make it to confession at my home parish the following evening due to a possible work obligation. During my confession, I explained to Father that, for quite some time now, I firmly believe I have been experiencing harassment and taunts in my mind coming from the devil. Lately, however, the harassment seems to have increased, and that's what brought me to confession on this night, to primarily talk about this and seek counsel on the matter.
The taunts, I explained, usually take on the form of vile, hate-filled, abusive language directed toward our Lord, the very same profanity I had admittedly used toward, or about, so many individuals in the days prior to my conversion in December 2021. I explained to Father that I believe it’s coming from the devil for three reasons. The first reason is that these thoughts appear to be repelled and unable to enter my mind while listening to prayers of deliverance/minor exorcism, usually recited in Latin, and either spoken or chanted (see YouTube videos of these prayers below). Additionally, these thoughts are simply illogical. They make absolutely no sense; in that I have no hatred or anger for God. There appears to be an artificial disconnect created here between my mind and my heart, I explained, and God knows where my heart is at. I wouldn’t be attending Mass, confession, and praying regularly if I wasn’t a believer and if I didn’t have love for God. Finally, I return to the point that, by my own admission, these degrading and vile cuss words were used by me against others in my prior life. By the grace of Almighty God through previous confessions, I no longer use these words, and while I truly believe and understand that these past offenses were forgiven and forgotten by Almighty God, we know that the devil and his demon friends don’t forget - and they certainly don’t forgive. They will attempt to taunt us with our own pasts any way they can.
St. Philomena, virgin and martyr.
After hearing all this, Father told me that, yes, he believes this is the work of the devil, as well, and he reminded me of something I’ve heard from other priests and fellow lay believers alike - that I should consider it a compliment of sorts that I’m being harassed by the devil. It lets me know that I must be doing something right. As we try to get closer to God, the devil certainly does not want this, and so he will throw anything he can at us to scare us, confuse us, and get us to back off. He also reminded me that our Lord and Savior Himself was tempted and harassed by the devil, and that I should take comfort in knowing this. As penance, he assigned me to recite the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, a prayer that I had already certainly become well-familiar with. I recited it in the church immediately after my confession, but I also had with me the Litany of St. Philomena prayer, and I was wearing my blessed wrist cord devoted to her. I recited this prayer, as well, immediately following my confession.
St. Michael the Archangel.
Later on this same evening, well past my confession and prayers, something started to become very noticeable to me. I was watching television when the taunts, via this same horrible language, began again. This time, however, without listening to the same helpful Latin prayers/chants I just mentioned, the thoughts were instantly repelled. As quickly and as frequently as they tried to enter my mind, they were whisked away. I couldn’t even try to say the words in my mind by my own accord - I couldn’t complete them. I asked the Holy Spirit if this was due to the intercession of Ss. Michael and Philomena, and I received three involuntary neck movements that I took to be a powerful, "Yes."
The next day, on the morning of August 25, shortly after I had awakened, I prayed the St. Patrick’s Breastplate prayer. After reciting each one of these three lines in the prayer that follow one another consecutively, “In the faith of confessors, In the innocence of holy virgins, In the deeds of righteous men,” I received one intense involuntary movement of my neck, for a total of three. When it came to experiencing these movements at the reciting of these lines, I understood “In the faith of confessors” to mean the priest who had just heard my confession the prior evening; “In the innocence of holy virgins” to mean St. Philomena; and “In the deeds of righteous men” to mean God’s holy priests in general.
In the middle of the night between August 25 and August 26, at approximately 2:30am, I awakened to use the bathroom. I was experiencing attempted harassment and taunting by the devil again in my mind, the same hateful, abusive language I had previously described. The language was being repelled before it could fully enter my mind, but serious attempts to break in were being made. I briefly prayed before a picture of Christ, and asked for help from St. Philomena. At that moment, I received three involuntary movements of the neck. Of course, I took this to be a confirmation that both our Lord and the good saint were present and had heard me.
Flash forward to me publishing this here in October. I still occasionally experience this form of harassment, but it is far less frequent, and the words are still repelled before they can fully enter my mind. I can’t even complete them in my mind if I wanted to. They’re incinerated on arrival before they can take root. My own parish priest says that I can credit the role of my guardian angel in all of this, as well, which I certainly do.
Presenting these three Latin prayers via YouTube, and a sincere warning about not reciting these prayers yourself if you are not an ordained priest
What follows are three YouTube videos. Each one is a prayer in Latin. The first one is in spoken form. It is an exorcism prayer written by Pope Leo XIII, and it is recited here by Fr. Dom Lorenzo, SSCV. It can be read in English here. The next two videos feature prayers sung in chant form. The first one is St. Anthony's Cross Exorcism, while the second one is St. Benedict's Cross Exorcism.
All three of these prayers are beautiful and effective. I frequently play them in the background quietly while reciting my own prayers.
A sincere warning here that you should never recite prayers of exorcism yourself if you are not an ordained priest. Of the prayers presented here below, this is especially true regarding the first one written by Leo XIII and recited by Fr. Dom Lorenzo. Doing so can be very dangerous for us laypeople, since prayers of this type address and command Satan directly.
A silent prayer for the layperson during Mass near the time for the Blessed Sacrament
My Lord, hear my prayers for everyone gathered here today in your name. I pray for deliverance from whatever troubles them in their personal or professional lives, or perhaps on their own faith journeys. Have mercy on us all, forgive us our sins, and allow us all to receive you in most Holy Communion. Give us the spiritual food and armor we all need to make good choices, better choices, that are more pleasing to you and more in line with our Father's will and expectations for us; the spiritual food and armor we all need to continue to fend off the harassment, taunts, and traps of Satan and his demon friends; the spiritual food and armor we all need to be of greater charity, all in the service of others and all for your glory. Wash away every blemish that diminishes our friendship with you, and bring us all closer to you and to one another. Amen.
A prayer for those who have no one to pray for them today
Come Holy Spirit, Come Holy Spirit, I pray. My friend, my advocate, my guide and teacher, my merciful and loving Almighty God. Hear my prayers for all those who have no one to pray for them today. Make your presence known to them. Comfort them. Grant them your graces and healing, along with any resources they may need. Help them grow in faith. Amen.
For all those who have no one to pray for them today, I pray: [Hail Mary prayer three times -]
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst 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.
A prayer for all those you have ever hurt during your lifetime
My Lord, hear my prayers for all those whom I have ever hurt, in any way, during my lifetime, during my nearly [insert number of years] years on this earth. Whether I can recall all their names and faces or not; whether I can recall all the atrocious deeds I committed against them or not. You know. I pray for every one of them. Grant them your graces and healing. Have mercy on them, forgive them of their own sins, and I pray for their conversions. Amen.
For all those whom I have ever hurt during my lifetime, in any way, in my nearly [insert number of years] years on this earth, I pray: [Hail Mary prayer three times -]
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst 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.
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst 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.
My sweet, kind, gentle, beautiful, caring, understanding, merciful, nurturing, and compassionate spiritual mother and holy queen, Blessed Mary, ever virgin. Pray for me, Mary, a sinner in need of your love, your guidance, your support, and your prayers. Help bring me closer to yourself; to your beautiful son, our lord and savior Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of the one true living God, who truly did die for me and for all, so that we may be freed from the bondage of sin and know Almighty God. Help bring me closer to your husband, your most chaste spouse, good St. Joseph, the ultimate male role model who answered God's call. Help bring me closer to Almighty God's army of angels, including my own guardian angel and good St. Michael. Help bring me closer to our communion of saints. Pray for me, Mary, a sinner, and help preserve me from mortal sin during this day. Amen.
In the evening, the same:
Begin with Hail Mary prayer three times -
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst 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.
My sweet, kind, gentle, beautiful, caring, understanding, merciful, nurturing, and compassionate spiritual mother and holy queen, Blessed Mary, ever virgin. Pray for me, Mary, a sinner in need of your love, your guidance, your support, and your prayers. Help bring me closer to yourself; to your beautiful son, our lord and savior Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of the one true living God, who truly did die for me and for all, so that we may be freed from the bondage of sin and know Almighty God. Help bring me closer to your husband, your most chaste spouse, good St. Joseph, the ultimate male role model who answered God's call. Help bring me closer to Almighty God's army of angels, including my own guardian angel and good St. Michael. Help bring me closer to our communion of saints. Pray for me, Mary, a sinner, and help preserve me from mortal sin during this night. Amen.
Significant revisions made on June 15, 2022; December 6, 2023; and October 2, 2024.
Welcome to this blog and to its very first post! My name is Aaron Robertson, and I started working in K-12 education during the 2018-19 school year as a substitute teacher and special education paraprofessional. I've primarily worked at the middle and high school levels, but I have elementary experience, as well. I've served in both special education and regular education environments, and in both public school districts and Roman Catholic schools. In August 2024, I moved from the greater Milwaukee area in Wisconsin to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where my beautiful now-wife, Katie, is from. We married here in Sioux Falls several months after my move, in December 2024.
A little bit about me
Up to the start of the 2018-19 school year, my work experience had been in the business world. I have experience in areas like marketing communications (particularly online marketing), sales support, customer service, general bookkeeping, training and mentoring, office management, supervising, event planning, entrepreneurship, and freelance writing and journalism. Check out the bigger interviews I've conducted over the years with national musicians, TV personalities, and more by clicking here.
Once active on the business networking and community service scenes, I have experience serving on the boards of two local chambers of commerce, as well as charitable work and community projects through organizations like Lions, Rotary, and Kiwanis. I also served in city government in my hometown of Muskego, Wisconsin in two non-elected, appointed posts - as a member of the zoning board of appeals, and as a member of the library board of trustees. I served a long stint as president of the library board, and it was a great honor. Through all of these wonderful activities and organizations, I got to meet and work with a diverse variety of awesome people, and I had a lot of fun learning about their own backgrounds and interests, and what it is they do for work.
From 2015-2023, I pursued a Ph.D. in leadership at Cardinal Stritch University, where I also earned my master's and bachelor's degrees. My master's is in management, and my bachelor's is in political science with minors in sociology and philosophy. Originally, I was interested in exploring the subject of organizational culture for my Ph.D. dissertation work. I then turned my research interests to China and the realm of international relations (IR); exploring China's artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives, its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), its entrepreneurial climate, U.S. - China Cold War theory, and Realism in IR. I completed all my Ph.D. coursework, but had not completed my dissertation necessary to earn the degree when Stritch closed in spring 2023.
Back in December 2021, I rediscovered my Roman Catholic faith after nearly 20 years wandering in the dark wilderness. An epic blog post about my journey is pending. In the meantime, you can learn why I'm Catholic; check out prayers that I've composed; read about my testimony to the power of the confessional and battling demonic harassment; and discover the joy of confession based on a talk I gave during a retreat for high school catechism students at my parish back home in Wisconsin, where I was also active in the men's group. I love Jesus Christ and the richness of my Catholic faith.
I love my beautiful wife, Katie, who has been a wonderful source of love, inspiration, joy, hope, and faith for me.
When I find a little spare time, I enjoy reading, writing and blogging, collecting sports cards (mostly baseball and basketball) and coins, car shows, cookouts, festivals, Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks games, dining out, movies, music and live concerts, making others laugh with my humor, and learning something new - be it in the form of conversation with others, documentaries, museums, travel, or getting lost in Wikipedia articles for an hour or two at a time.
Drinking coffee throughout the day is a must for me, and I've had teachers and students tell me that they've never seen me without a cup in my hand. My mom compares my need for a cup of coffee in my hand all the time to Linus' security blanket.
A Ford Motor Company enthusiast, I always had a fascination with older Lincoln cars, particularly 1970s models, which I attribute to watching too many mob movies growing up. My Lincolns over the years included a 1979 Continental Mark V, a 1988 Town Car (Cartier Designer Series), and a 2009 MKZ. My current daily driver is a 2017 Ford Fusion.
My music interests are quite diverse, and include - Christian; blues; jazz; ragtime; classic rock; crooners like Sinatra, Bennett, Jerry Vale, and Sammy Davis, Jr.; 50s rock & roll; 60s pop; 60s and 70s R&B; Gregorian Chant; and some classic country, bluegrass, rockabilly, disco, ethnic, classical, and alternative rock. Never really got into heavy metal, rap, or modern country.
With that said, starting this blog only seemed natural. As time has passed during the last few years and I started gaining experience working with middle school students in school settings, I've been trying to develop more content for this blog aimed at that age group. So, welcome - it's my sincere hope that you enjoy the discussions and resources here and that they come to serve as meaningful and useful supplements to all the wonderful learning taking place in the classroom. This blog is for students, parents and families, and fellow educators. I hope you find this site to be of some value to you, and I'm grateful for you sharing it with others.
