St Michael and All Angels
In the run-up to the Feast of Michaelmas Canon William Maclean explains to us who Angels are and what they do. We also look forward to celebrating another of Scotland's great missionary Saints.
William Sclater’s (1575-1626) tongue-in-cheek (or maybe he was deadly serious) attack on Scholastic theologians, saying that all they did was discuss irrelevant issues such as “how many angels might sit on a needle’s point, and six hundred such needless points” has gone down in literature as an example of what questions we should not need to ask. When discussing angels, there are far more important questions than that!
As we can see all around us, if we visit any old church or even google ‘angel’ is a humanoid figure with a robe and a pair of wings on its back. Do they eat, do they have souls, are they male or female… more needless points, perhaps. But, what are angels, and why does it matter that we believe in them, and celebrate feasts for them (the feast of the Archangels on 29th September and of the Guardian angels on 2nd October are just around the corner)?
The catechism is always a good place to start. “The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls ‘angels’ is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition” (CCC 328). It is important to note that the word ‘angel’ is one of function. This word is simply a derivative of ‘ἀγγελος’, the Greek for a messenger. And in general, that is the role we see in Scripture, although they can have other roles too. They are noted all the way from the Garden of Eden, where ‘cherubs’ were placed in front of the garden to exile Adam and Eve, to the several visions of St. John in the book of the Apocalypse.
Some are more noteworthy than others; the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary to announce that she would give birth to Jesus is an obvious standout occasion.
It is worth having a look at the sermon by St. Bernard that we read in the Office of Readings on the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. He quotes Ps 91:11, “He has given his angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways” before continuing: “These words should fill you with respect, inspire devotion and instil confidence; respect for the presence of angels, devotion because of their living service, and confidence because of their protection. And so the angels are here; they are at your side, they are with you, present on your behalf. They are here to protect you and to serve you. But even if it is God who has given them this charge we must nonetheless be grateful to them for the great love with which they obey and come to help us in our great need”.
Another function of the angels is their participation in the heavenly liturgy. We read in the Apocalypse: “In my vision I heard the sound of an immense number of angels gathered around the throne and the animals and the elders.; there were ten thousand times ten thousand of them, and thousands shouting ‘the Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given praise, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, gory and blessing.” Apoc 5:11-12). But they also participate in the liturgy here on earth. Whenever we use the Roman Canon we pray “we ask you almighty God: command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty”. And in the funeral liturgy we invoke the angel lead you into paradise”.
Ultimately, the great purpose of angels is to serve God; whether that is by delivering messages, protecting people, praising God in heaven, participating in the liturgy or whatever God wishes. “As purely spiritual creatures angels have intellect and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures as the splendour of their glory bears witness” (CCC 330)
The greatest of the angels are the Archangels: There is Michael, whose name means ‘who is like God’. His actions is best seen in the Apocalypse (12: 7-8), where he leads God’s army against the powers of Satan. He also acts whenever God needs an act of wondrous power to be performed so that it is clear that this act comes from God. There is Gabriel (God’s strength), who we recall visiting Mary in Nazareth with the greatest and most important message ever given, the news that she would give birth to the Son of God; and there is Raphael, (God’s healing) who visits Tobit and heals him of his blindness.
Pope St. Gregory notes that they should only be referred to as ‘angels’ when they are delivering a message, as we see many times in the Scripture. We see many other actions being performed, and as pertains to Michael above, all the actions of the angels are intended not only to serve God’s will, but also to show us that it is God acting. So when we honour the angels, whether the great Archangels or our own Guardian Angel, we also honour and praise God who created them and sends them into service.
Canon William Maclean | Stornoway
Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell, Satan and all the other evil spirits, who prowl throughout the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Michaelmas is celebrated on the 29th of September and is a good time to do a little reset - in that, we are in a spiritual battle, remembering what St Paul taught us in the epistle to the Ephesians:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
In our world of Alexa’s and AI algorithims it is easy to forget there is more than just what we see, that there is indeed a global spiritual battle for the souls of men and women. Let us put on the armour of God and pray for the help of St Michael!
Finally…If your wanting some traditional homiles for Michaelmas pop on over to historian (and past contributor) Eleanor Parker’s blog; aclerkofoxford, to get your fix!