September 29 – Feast of St. Michael & All Angels
Saint Michael the archangel, captain of the heavenly hosts, is remembered on this day along with the other angels and archangels. The word “angel” means messenger, and in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, these beings have a fully spiritual nature and no physical body.
Prayer of the Day
Everlasting God, you have wonderfully established the ministries of angels and mortals. Mercifully grant that as Michael and the angels contend against the cosmic forces of evil, so by your direction they may help and defend us here, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God whom we worship and praise with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, now and forever. Amen.
Scripture Readings
Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3
All who are dead shall arise on the day of the Lord.
Psalm 103:1-5, 20-22
Bless the Lord, you angels, all you hosts of God.
Revelation 12:7-12
Michael defeats Satan in a cosmic battle.
Luke 10:17-20
Jesus gives his followers authority over the enemy.
Theological Reflections
Lutheran seminary professor Rev. Barbara Rossing, ThD, puts apocalyptic literature like Revelation in context, showing the way it provided hope for its first readers but functions very differently in contemporary North America. Her book is The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation (New York: Basic Books, 2004); you can find summaries, reviews, and videos of her teaching online, including (click here) a lecture given at Trinity Church Wall Street.
“Forget the vain pursuit of halo and harp. Enough of those larger than life, militant seraphim who support our propensity for war. Put aside the hierarchical, patriarchal imagery. Angels have something important to teach us about ourselves and God. Angels remind us that our material world is influenced by the world of the spirit, and that we are intrinsically capable of inhabiting both worlds with equal ease. Humanity may rank a little lower than the angels because we are flesh as well as spirit, yet through Jesus who is God’s own Word made flesh, we can rise above the angels to share in the very life of God. Observe closely, and you may experience that angels reveal God’s ways, guard and protect the vulnerable, are witness to miracles, are called to unending praise. Today we celebrate not only their achievements, but also that potential in ourselves to be and do the same.”—Miriam Therese Winter, SCMM
[Miriam Therese Winter, SCMM, in Homilies for the Christian People, 567.]
[The Sisters of Charity of Our Lady Mother of Mercy]