CAPTION: Altar of Archangel Michael (c 1510), Gerard David, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria
– Miguel Augusto (*)
Pope Francis warned that “the boat of the Church is hit by contrary and violent winds,” and has launched for October – a month especially dedicated to the Rosary – a strong appeal to prayer, namely against Satan, the number one enemy of the Church and of all Christians. The appeal calls on the faithful from every continent to pray the Holy Rosary every day, asking the Virgin Mary and St Michael the Archangel to protect the Church from the enemy in these difficult times. The Pope asked to add in the prayer of the Rosary the prayer “Sub tuum praesidium” (“We fly to your protection”) to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the prayer to St Michael the Archangel (composed by Pope Leo XIII). Bishop Stephen Lee has joined the Pope in this appeal, addressing the local community on 5th October. What do we know about Saint Michael the Archangel and other angelic entities?
St Michael the Archangel is probably the most famous of the defenders of God and His people against evil, personified in the rebellious angel Lucifer, who chose to depart eternally from the Creator. Over the centuries, St Michael the Archangel has been depicted in sacred art, from painting to sculpture, appearing with a sword in his hand and with a dragon head – symbol of Satan – at his feet.
The Archangel Michael, in the Bible, appears in Daniel (10:12), in the Letter of Jude (1:9) and in Revelation (12:7).
In Daniel, the Archangel Michael is a prince who fights evil. In the Letter of Jude, it appears as the angel of the Lord, according to Zechariah (Zech 3:1-2), opposes Satan.
In general, our relationship with the angels is almost nil. We act many times, ignoring the existence of these angelic beings. However, the Holy Scriptures reveal to us that they truly exist: they are an extraordinary creation of God, situated, hierarchically, between man and the Creator. Many saints also reminded us by their experience of the importance of our relationship with our angel – known as the guardian angel – who accompanies us from the womb of our mother.
Angels resemble God more perfectly, they are spiritual, not possessing a physical body. Man, on the contrary, being formed by body with a spiritual soul, resemble God only in the latter.
Angels are in Heaven, in the presence of the Almighty God. There they contemplate Him, worship Him and bless Him, being united to Him for all eternity. Exceptionally, they may be in other places, including on earth, executing divine orders, acquiring, when necessary, a physical body, as we see in the narrative of the book of Tobit (Tobit 12:15), or acting on a heavenly body (Daniel 7:10, Isaiah 6:2, Matthew 18:10, Revelation 5:11).
By the study of the angels (Angelology), it is verified that these angelic beings are present in many books of the Bible, beginning with the Cherubins that in the book of Genesis are placed to watch the way to the tree of Life in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24), until the Apocalypse, which presents the heavens filled with angels.
In regard to the different angelic hierarchies, the Bible mentions explicitly: the Seraphim, the Cherubim, the Thrones, the Dominions, the Virtues of Heaven, the Powers, the Principalities, the Archangels and the Angels; these are the ones that we know for sure (Isaiah 6:2, Hebrews 9:5, Colossians 1:16, Ephesians 1:21, 1 Thessalonians 4:15, Jude 1:9).
The archangels are sent by God on mission close to the Men, considered the most important intermediaries. The three most well-known archangels are: Michael (“Who is like God”), Gabriel (“Force of God”) and Raphael (“Medicine of God”). The Church celebrates the feast of these Archangels on 29th September.
The Hebrew word used for angel is Mal’ak, term that means messenger. In Greek, this word was translated with the word Anghelos, from which our Angel derives. The word, in the Old Testament, appears 215 times and becomes even the name of one of the prophets, Malachi, which in Hebrew means “Angel of the Lord.”
Saint Michael and the fallen angels
The story of St Michael the Archangel is linked to the account of the fall of the angels in the book of Revelation. God created them, even before the creation of the world, inserted in some way in time, and offered them an occasion to show their love. It is important to remember that when God created the angels, they were not in His presence. He revealed himself to them in some way, but it was not a face-to-face contact, for that would obstruct angelic freedom: God is such a compelling truth that, once contemplated, eliminates the ability of creatures to choose. Then, once, to test their love, God gave them a trial. It is known by the Tradition of the Church, but also by the ministry of the exorcists, which exposes innumerable facts unbearable by the devil, such as: the incarnation of the Divine Word, the annihilation and defeat of Satan on the Cross, and, finally, the primacy of Our Lady among all creatures. It was by such ideas that Lucifer – an angel possessed of glory and beauty – together with a third of the angels, fell and were withdrawn from Heaven “Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth….” (Rev. 12:4). The account of the battle waged in heaven that caused the fall is summarized in the book of Revelation of St John the Evangelist: “Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it” (Rev 12:7-9).
Through the eyes of an exorcist
The Spanish exorcist priest José Antonio Fortea, theologian and specialist in demonology, in his book History of the world of the angels, presents a rich angelic theology in the form of a work of literary fiction. He explains why Saint Michael, though of a lower hierarchy, is acclaimed as “Prince of the Celestial Militia.” He puts in the mouth of an angel the following narration: “Among the angels faithful to God, in the midst of all these struggles there was one who stood out. He was not a superior angel, but his love was superior. It was he who kept alive the flame of fidelity in the worst moments of the battle, when it was dark and it seemed that half the angels would rebel. He was detached in the good and his faith enlightened many. It was he who in the darkest hour, in the most terrible hour in which the multitudes began to doubt, in the midst of the initial general silence cried out: – Who is like God!
“That’s how it got its name: Mika-El, Michael. The indefatigable and invincible fighter. Michael continued to stand out as a warrior. The light of his vehement love enlightened many who were confused. His sweeping love overthrew many who fought for error. Even those who fought with Lucifer recognized that no dart poisoned with their reasons could penetrate the breastplate of their unbreakable faith. In the midst of doubt, he was unbeatable.”
Prayers requested by Pope Francis
Sub tuum praesidium
We fly to thy protection, O holy Mother of God.
Despise not our petitions in our necessities,
but deliver us always from all dangers
O glorious and blessed Virgin.
(This prayer, first found in an Egyptian papyrus from III century, is the oldest known prayer to the Virgin Mary).
St Michael the Archangel
Saint Michael 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, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
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Why is Michael listed as one of the fallen angels and at the same time shown to have defeated the fallen ones?