Luke 10:17-20
17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 Indeed, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
“Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!”
Today is the Festival of St. Michael and All Angels – a day to celebrate the ongoing relationship between the earthly and heavenly realms. Angels are heavenly beings described in the Bible as those who worship around the Throne of God in Heaven day and night and also as those who sometimes enter into the world to watch over us as well.
We don’t usually give much thought to angels unless we’re gazing lovingly at the one on top of our Christmas tree or smiling at the antics of toddler angels in a Christmas pageant. Some of us keep angel figurines around the house to remind us of heavenly things, or look for shapes of angels in the clouds on a sunny day. In general, the angels we think about are gentle, feminine, and beautiful.
St. Michael, and his heavenly host are anything but feminine and beautiful. They are strikingly masculine figures, usually in full battle armor, who are often pictured locked in mortal combat with the forces of evil in the world.
I think we need all of our angels around us to keep our hearts and minds turned heavenward on those days when we begin to feel lost and alone. Gabriel proclaims that the Christ Child is born for you. Michael subdues the devil to keep you safe. And all the little cherubs and angels in heaven sing praises to the One who created all of us.
Prayer: Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts. The whole Earth is full of His Glory. Holy is the Lord. AMEN