Tomorrow is the Feast of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and
Raphael. This is the actual feast day of our parish. We are grateful to
St. Michael for watching over each of us and over our church.
St. Michael is an archangel, that is, an angel who is given an
especially important task. Angels are pure spirits who are ambassadors
for God to men. An archangel is has a critical mission. The name Michael comes from the Hebrew and means who is like God.
In the Bible we learn that war broke out in heaven. St. Michael fought
against the Satan and the other wicked angels who were eventually cast
down to the earth (Rev. 12:7-9). Nevertheless, in spite of their defeat,
the fallen angels continued to fight against the Church throughout the
centuries. They will continue to do so until their definitive and final
defeat at the end of time.
In the Book of Daniel, we see Michael defending the people of God
(Dn. 10:13; 12:1). He is still our defender against the attacks of the
devil. Many do not want to admit the evil work of the devil. But, there
are times when this work is expressed with great force. No devil can
make a person do something unwillingly. Yet, Satan and each devil can
tempt us and try to cause confusion and to wreak havoc. They have
nothing but hatred for God and for us.
We need not fear. God is all powerful. Michael loves God perfectly,
and he loves us. He is our ally. We should always remain close to God
and call upon St. Michael for our protection and for the protection of
the Church. We know that Satan is no match for St. Michael.
The Saints and Angels not only intercede for us but they also give us
example of how to live. St. Michael gave us the great example of
serving God courageously. The wicked angels decided not to serve God,
but to revolt. St. Michael could have chosen to rebel with the other
fallen angels. But he chose the right way. Let us follow his example and
resist the temptation to disobey our Father. May we try our best to
serve God just as St. Michael does. Also, let us pray to St. Michael to
defend the Church and us by saying the prayer that most of us learned:
St. Michael defend us in battle and be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God restrain him, we humbly pray. And do you, O prince of the heavenly host, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who roam through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
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