Septemberi29 – Holy Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (Feast)

Antiphons at Lauds - Psalms of Sunday of the 1st week

1. Let us give praise to the Lord, to whom the angels, the cherubim and the seraphim proclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy!

2. Angels of the Lord, bless you the Lord for ever.

3. All angels in heaven high give you praise, holy Lord, and utter with one voice: Praise is your due, oh God.

Gen 28, 12-13

Jacob had a dream that there was a ladder, planted on the ground with its top reaching to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down on it. And standing beside it there was the Lord saying, "I am the Lord, God of Abraham your father and God of Isaac."

There appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads; and his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.

And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered, to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a male child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Then there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven:

"Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them.

"Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea, for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he hath but a short time!"

When the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. Yet to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood; but the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

St. Michael, Archangel

St Michael first had a church dedicated to him by Pope Boniface II in 530 in the great circus at Rome. The meaning of Michael is ‘Who is like God,’ and recalls the combat which took place in heaven between ‘the archangel of God who deserved to be placed at the head of the heavenly host’ and the evil one. As we have fallen through sin into the power of Satan, it is St Michael’s part to continue the fight for our deliverance: wherefore our guardian angels are subordinate to him. Michael conquers Satan’s pride and obtains humility for us.

It is also him who presides over the worship of adoration rendered to the Almighty, for he offers to God the prayers of the saints symbolized by the incense whose smoke rises towards heaven. When a Christian has left this world, we pray that the standard bearer St Michael should introduce him into heaven; he is also often represented with the scales of divine justice wherein souls are weighed. His name is mentioned in the Confiteor, after that of Mary who is Queen of Angels.

St Michael was the protecting angel of the synagogue, as he is now of the Church which has succeeded it. To him the liturgy attributes the revelation of the future made to St. John in the Book of Revelations (Rev. 1, 1-5).

St Gabriel was sent to Daniel to enlighten him as to the time when Christ would be born, and to Zachary, at the hour in which he offered incense in the temple, to announce to him the birth of John the Baptist, the Precursor of the Messias. "Only Gabriel, a name that means ‘Power of God’ was found worthy, among all the angels," says St Bernard, "to announce to Mary the designs of God with regard to her". For indeed, he was chosen from among all the angels to proclaim the mystery of the Incarnation.

With a feeling of holy reverence, St Gabriel came to the Virgin who from all eternity had been chosen to be the mother on earth of Him whom God is the Father in heaven. In the words inspired by the Almighty, Gabriel said to Mary: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed are you among women," and seeing that Mary was taken aback by this salutation he explained that he had come to obtain her consent, that the mystery on which depended the redemption of mankind might be accomplished: "I am Gabriel who stands before God, and I have been sent to speak and tell you these good news."

It was Mary’s wish to remain a virgin, and the angel of the Lord announced that she would conceive of the Holy Spirit and give birth to a son whom she would name Jesus, which means Saviour.

Mary then, without hesitating, submitted with the most profound humiliation her Fiat: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to Your word."

And in that instant was accomplished the greatest of all miracles, when God raised unto Himself and into union with Him the blessed fruit of the womb of the Virgin: "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." The Word took upon Him our humanity, our poverty and nothingness, giving us in return His divinity, after which the angel returned to heaven.

St Raphael is one of the seven spirits who always stand before the Lord and offer Him the incense of their adoration and that af men: "While you were praying with tears," he told Tobias, "and were burying the dead, and left your dinner to conceal the dead in your house by day, and by night you buried them, I presented your prayer to the Lord. And because you were agreeable to the Lord, it was necessary that temptation should try you."

Tobias became blind. "The loss of his eye-sight", says St Augustine, "was the occasion for the old man to receive an angel physician."

St Raphael, a name meaning "God heals," was sent by God to cure Tobias as He sent the angel who moved the water in the pool. He told the younger Tobias what remedy he was to use to restore his father's sight, accompanied and protected the young man on his journey, helped him to find a wife and warded off the wiles of the devil. "We praise with sentiments of veneration," the Church sings, "in special manner Archangel Raphael, healer and faithful companion, who chained down the evil one under his power. Oh Christ, by giving us such a guardian, make it impossible for the enemy to harm us, heal all diseases and guide our faltering steps towards the true life."

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