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- September 29th is the Feast of St.
Michael the Archangel, a feast observed from the time of Constantine
the Great. The Heavenly Powers are spirits sent to serve "those
who inherit salvation". They are guardians and guides both
to individual human beings and communities. St. Michael, whose
name means "Who is like unto God?", is their great
captain. In tradition, he is said to be an interceder for men,
a healer, the one who records their deeds in the Book of Life
and conducts them into the holy light, and who casts the evil
spirits into hell. He is the guardian spirit of the Chosen People
and of the Catholic Church and is often believed to be the archangel
who will blow the trumpet at the Last Day.
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- The Old Testament
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- St. Michael is mentioned in the book
of Daniel as "one of the chief princes" and as the
special protector of Israel who will rise up as "the great
prince who standeth for the children of thy people". In
Chapter 10, an angel, speaking in a vision to Daniel, says "But
the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days;
but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me...and
there is none that contends by my side against these except Michael
your prince."
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- In chapter 12 of Daniel, there is a
reference to Michael's role in the great confrontation at the
end of history - "At that time shall arise Michael, the
great prince who has charge of your people..."
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- St. Gregory Nazianzen believed that
Michael was the angel speaking for God from the burning bush.
Tradition associates him with being the angel who guards the
closed gate of Eden, who performed the plagues in Egypt and spoke
for God on Sinai and whose sword halted Balaam's ass.
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- The New Testament
In the Epistle of Jude we read - "But
when the archangel Michael, contending with the Devil, disputed
about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a reviling
judgment upon him, but said: 'The Lord rebuke you'", thus
the traditional belief that Michael guards the body of Moses.
In the Apocalypse of St. John in Chapter
11 it says that "there was a great battle in Heaven. Michael
and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought
and his angels; and they prevailed not, neither was their place
found any more in Heaven."
- St. Michael plays a large part in a
number of non-canonical books, such as "The Shepherd of
Hermas", the "Testament of Abraham" and "The
Assumption of Moses".
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- More Perspective on St. Michael
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St. Basil and other church fathers believed
Michael is Prince of the other angels. The Eastern tradition
has always had a great reverence for him. Early apparitions of
St. Michael increased this devotion - first at Chonae in the
mid-lst century, where he split a rock by lightning to cause
a spring to change its course and sanctified the waters, as a
group of pagans were attempting to destroy a site dedicated to
him.
He was also associated with a shrine
at Chairotopa near Colossae, a healing spring. Other healing
springs in Asia Minor were dedicated to Michael.
He was said to have appeared to Constantine
at Sosthenion, whereupon the emperor built the great Michaelion,
a shrine dedicated to the archangel and credited with many miracles
of healing.
In the West, homage was given to Michael
following his four appearances at Monte Gargano in Italy beginning
in the 5th century (and to whose appearance there Padre Pio was
especially devoted). Pope Gregory witnessed St. Michael atop
the tomb of Hadrian during a procession to pray for the end of
the plague in Rome in 590; soon after Pope Boniface IV built
a shrine on top of the building to St. Michael to commemorate
the end of the plague at his appearance.
Another great shrine to St. Michael
is at Mont Saint Michel, a tiny island off the coast of Normandy,
where the archangel appeared to St. Aubert in 708.
- St. Michael has appeared to some of
the great saints of our church - St. Wilfrid, St. Bertrand, St.
Hubert, St. Francis of Paola and St. Joan of Arc. Many believe
that St. Francis of Assisi received the stigmata from the archangel,
during his vision of a seraph while he was fasting for 40 days
in honor of St. Michael.
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Pope Leo XIII'S Vision
At the end of the 19th century, following
Mass in the Vatican, Pope Leo XIII collapsed. When he revived,
he related a vision he had of Satan attacking the Church more
viciously than in the past and of St. Michael defending it. Following
that vision, he composed the prayer to St. Michael which was
said after every Mass until Vatican II and is still a popular
invocation - "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 thou, Prince of the
Heavenly Host, cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits who
wander through this world seeking the ruin of souls."
We give thanks to God for his ministering
angels who guide and protect us and who join us in every celebration
of the Divine Liturgy and in our prayers. The angels are constantly
worshipping and praising God, standing around His throne and
singing the Thrice-Holy hymn.
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