Dear Parishioners,
This Thursday is the feast day of the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. It is an important feast day for several reasons. The first of those is to remind us that angels are real, living persons. We know that God created both human persons and angelic persons. Just as men and women are the same yet different, so too are angels and humans. Angels are different from us in that they do not have physical bodies.
Angels are considered to be more like God because they do not have physical bodies. However, they have free will and are capable of rejecting God and His commandments. This is why Satan and other angels are in hell. Their pride is more important to them than loving obedience to God. They preferred their own ways to God’s perfect plan of peace and harmony. Even the smallest amount of pride in a person prevents them from entering heaven. All of it must be left at the door to heaven, for both angelic beings and human beings.
Belief in the existence of angels was much more popular when we as a society were studying our bibles. For many homes, that was one of the few books they owned. The more materialistic our society became, the less time we spent with our bibles. Meanwhile, angels were increasingly portrayed as fictitious by books, movies, and television shows. It is strange that we disregard the existence of angels as we increasingly look for life beyond earth. But strangle, irrational activity seems to be one of the defining characteristics of our time.
The St. Michael prayer that we pray after Mass is the result of God giving a former pope a glimpse into the world of angels. It was during Mass that Pope Leo XIII experienced a vision of demonic spirits (fallen angels), and maybe even Satan himself. What he saw was so disturbing that a visible change came over his face during the vision and his face became “pale and fearful.” As a result of what God allowed him to see, Pope Leo XIII instituted the prayer to St. Michael. The year was 1886.
According to a cardinal at the time, Pope Leo XIII had a vision of demonic spirits gathering over the Church to attack it. The pope was concerned for the dangers the Church would be encountering and the damages that would therefore come to humanity. Pope Leo XIII was the first of the popes in recent times to warn about the spiritual dangers coming to the family, the breakdown of society, the loss of moral values, and respect for God and authority in general. The ways of fallen angels were becoming, and have become, all too much the ways of human society.
What does God tell us this Sunday: But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith… Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life… Keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus… the King of kings and Lord of lords… To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.
Gratefully,
Fr. Miller