Word to the Wise
Friday, September 29, 2017 - Sept. 29 - Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels
[Dan 7:9-10, 13-14 or Rev 12:7-12a and John 1:47-51]Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads attended him. [Daniel]
Angels are ever a subject of fascination and imagination. The Book of Daniel today assuresus that there are "thousands upon thousands" of them. But, "archangel," is a title that comes from a non-scriptural source, along with all the other "ranks," even if those titles come from Colossians 1:16. The medieval author, Dionisius, in an influential work, De Divinis Nominibus, assigned the various "ranks" and this made its way into the catechism that I learned in grade school. We had to be able to recite all those ranks from angel to seraphim. However, scripture does give us the names of a few and the three most prominent are Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Michael is portrayed as a warrior (cf. the alternative first scripture for today from Revelation). Gabriel is portrayed as a messenger (cf. Luke 1:26 et seq.) and Raphael as a healer/companion (cf. Tobit 5:4 et seq.) So, they get a special day. In a few days, Oct. 2, we will celebrate the "Guardian Angels," who are assigned the regular duties of helping us poor mortals.
The existence of angels, by whatever title and role that God and we have assigned them, is a reminder that we humans are not the center of the universe. Indeed, one of the Psalms says of us, "You have made humans a little less than the angels!" Many people have written books about their experiences in encountering "angels." The prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, which was recited after every daily Mass in my youth, has made a comeback now in parishes where I preach missions and among the students I encounter here at Texas Tech! Warriors, messengers, healers - who knows what all they cover. I'm just glad they're there for you and me. AMEN
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