Thursday, September 29, 2022

 Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels.

(Revelation 12:7-12ab; John 1:47-51)

People called them “orderlies.”  They served in hospitals ready to do any menial task that a doctor, nurse, or administrator mandated.  Angels should be seen as orderlies.  However, they answer to God alone.

There is a reluctance to think of angels today.  They seem redundant when one considers God’s word as almighty.  However, they may be considered the means through which God’s word is carried out, what makes the Word almighty.  They are spiritual beings created precisely to accomplish God’s will.

Today we celebrate three particular angels, called “archangels” for their prominence in Scripture.  Michael is found preeminently in the Book of Revelation where he defeats the Satanic dragon.  Gabriel, of course, announces to Zechariah and to Mary God’s plan of sending His Son to save humans from sin.  Raphael accompanies Tobias to meet his bride and directs him to the fish oil to heal his father.  We can think of God as having countless angels to support us in facing life’s challenges.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

 Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels

(Revelation 12:7-12ab; John 1:47-51)

Not everyone prays to St. Michael.  Some people may think it is like believing in ghosts.  But those who do, feel under siege and in need of supernatural help.

The “Prayer to St. Michael” was composed by Pope Leo XIII toward the end of the nineteenth century.  He mandated that It be said after all “low masses,” that is masses without singing. Leo, like his predecessor and three successors, felt hemmed in by the Italian government. The papacy had lost jurisdiction over a vast part of central Italy and thought their ability to govern the universal Church weakened.  The original culprits against whom Michael’s interference was requested were the Italian nationalists.  When the issue was resolved with the creation of the Vatican state, Pope Pius XI mandated the prayer continued with a new intention, the conversion of Russia.  The obligation of saying the prayer after low masses was removed during Vatican II.  But the prayer has continued to be said, albeit with new intentions.  Many people with an addiction to pornography feel the need for St. Michael’s help to overcome their weakness.

Angels are God’s emissaries.  They are a powerful means that God uses to accomplish His purposes.  If it helps us to pray, we should beseech to these intermediaries.  St. Michael seems to have a record of success.  But if we pray more intensely to God directly, He is the origin of any assistance we might receive.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels

(Revelation 12:7-12ab; John 1:47-51)

Pope St. Gregory the Great reminds us that angels are spirits by nature and angels only by their function as messengers.  Angels are not actually angels when they are not on a mission from God.  What do they do in the meantime?  They enjoy the presence of God.

Today the Church celebrates three angels that are mentioned by name in Scripture.  Michael is cited in the Book of Revelation as the hero of the war against the Satan, who is called the Dragon.  Gabriel is the best known of the trio as he appears twice in the Gospel according to Luke.  First, he announces the birth of John the Baptist to his father Zechariah.  Then, he tells Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus.  Raphael accompanies Tobias on his journey to his father’s relative house.  There the young man marries the previously ill-fated Raguel with the blessing of his spiritual companion. 

All three angels represent God’s mysterious splendor.  We should not dismiss attention given to them because they appear as fanciful creatures.  With the angels and, today, because of them, we should want to praise God.  He has manifold ways to help us, and we can always count on Him. 

Homilette for Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels

(Revelation 12:7-12ab; John 1:47-51)

In Shakespeare’s famous play, Hamlet is alone when his father’s ghost reveals how he was murdered. Then Hamlet’s friends arrive asking what just happened. Before he tells them, Hamlet demands an oath of secrecy. At this point the voice of the ghost chimes in to underscore the need of secrecy. Hearing the voice but seeing nothing, Hamlet’s companion exclaims, “...this is wondrous strange,” to which Hamlet counters, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Like Horatio says of the ghost’s voice, many people find the doctrine of angels “wondrous strange.” Believing that only what they can see and hear actually exists, they doubt the reality of angels. To paraphrase Hamlet, angels are not parts of their philosophy. But we Catholics, who accept a spiritual order of reality, forthrightly admit the doctrine of angels. As Scripture attests in numerous places, angels exist as God’s attendants carrying out His commands.

The stories of the three archangels further reveal how angels extend God’s mercy. Michael wages war against Satan to free humans from tyranny; Gabriel announces the coming of mercy incarnate, Jesus Christ; and Raphael leads Tobias from peril to peace. We should happily admit that God sends angels as means for reaching our eternal destiny.