THURSDAY, MAY 02, 2024
Alvarinho Luis
The Roman Catholic Church celebrates the unified feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael on September 29, since the second half of the 20th century. The Archangel Michael is the greatest of all the angels and is honoured for defeating Lucifer in the war in heaven (Rev 12:7). It is the most ancient of all the angel festivals.
Derived from the Latin word angelus or Greek word aggelos or from the Hebrew for "one going" or "one sent," angel denotes a divine or human messenger. The angels are represented throughout the Bible as a body of spiritual beings intermediate between God and men. As expressed by St Augustine and also St Gregory, an angel is the name of the office that of attendants upon God's throne in that court of heaven of which Daniel has left us a vivid picture until the time of the end (Dan 11).
Daniel is on a timeline and he is told “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end” (Dan 12:9). But even if we do not know when the Lord will accomplish His purposes, the prophecy tells us very clearly that it will come.
Michael is mentioned as "one of the chief princes" in this end-of-the-world prophecy. He assisted God the Son in opposing the kings of Persia (Dan 10:13). He also is described as having “charge of your people,” or perhaps “standing over” (Dan 12:1). Angels therefore aid the Lord in carrying out His work, including His judgments, and they are also set over His people for their good (Matt.18:10).
It is believed the holy archangel was responsible for significant events in the early Christians' lives as well as future eschatological events. St Michael holds four offices that best summarise the traditions.
First and foremost, St Michael is entrusted with the task of conveying souls from earthly life to the next. The Blessed Virgin Mother was the most notable person that St Michael brought up to Heaven on the day of her Assumption.
St Michael is portrayed as the angel who greets the soul at their judgement and weighs their good and bad deeds on a scale. As a result, St Michael is depicted holding scales in statues or paintings.
St Michael is also known as the protector of the Church, as well as individual souls, in addition to being present at death. As St Michael was the angel who led the Israelites through the desert, the archangel now leads the Church on its pilgrimage to Heaven.
St Michael is also thought to be the one who will destroy the Antichrist at the end of time because of his role in casting Satan out of Heaven. This is the Golden Legend clarifies what Christians have believed for millennia.
St Michael excels in this role as a ferocious opponent of Satan and all evil influences. This office is best summarised by the well-known St Michael Prayer:
“St Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do you, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into Hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”
