A blessed feast of the Archangels to all our readers! This day is traditionally called ‘Michaelmas’, with the focus on the ‘one who is like God’ who does battle with the devil. But as Father Scott Murray’s article on the Saint Michael prayer points out, in the liturgical reform after the Second Vatican Council, the other two Archangels (who have been revealed to us, for there are untold numbers more) were also added: Raphael, ‘the healing of God’, who led Tobias to his future wife, Sarah, and healed Tobit. And, of course, Gabriel, the ‘strength of God’, who brought the message to the Virgin Mary. This is but a glimpse of the role all of them in bringing about God’s providential work.
This feast represents the ‘myriads upon myriads’ of heavenly beings – supernatural persons of pure and subsistent intellect and will who serve God, as described in today’s readings Daniel and Revelation. Their intercession is powerful indeed, so pray to them today, and throughout the year, for what intentions you have, for yourself, the Church, the world, which needs such more than ever.
The travails in the spiritual realm are mirrored here on Earth, for the two, heaven and earth, are not separate, but rather coalesce into one complex reality. This is most evident in our own selves: Man, the ‘paragon of animals’, exists between the two realms, with a foot in both. Hence, it is within us that the battle rages most intensely, not for our bodies, but for our souls.
The strife in the Church is but a manifestation of a deeper, spiritual and interior war. We must pray for peace, yes, in the world, but perhaps even more so for peace in our souls, which can only come through faith, hope and charity, a deep immersion in the mystery of God, by the sacraments, the Holy Mass, and by prayer, not least, on this day, to His holy angels, who do His will.
Be not afraid! I am with you, unto the end of the age…
