Congratulations to Fr. Edward, O.P.
on the Jubilee,
anniversary of Ordination
on the Feast of Sts. of Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
The name of the archangel Michael means, in Hebrew, who
is like unto God? and he is also known as "the prince of the heavenly
host."
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| Archangels |
He is usually pictured as a strong warrior, dressed in armor and
wearing sandals. His name appears in Scripture four times, twice in the Book of
Daniel, and once each in the Epistle of St. Jude and the Book of Revelation.
From Revelation we learn of the battle in heaven, with St. Michael and his
angels combatting Lucifer and the other fallen angels (or devils). We invoke
St. Michael to help us in our fight against Satan; to rescue souls from Satan,
especially at the hour of death; to be the champion of the Jews in the Old
Testament and now Christians; and to bring souls to judgment.
www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?...
Ordinary Time: September 29th Feast of Sts. Michael,
Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels
St.
Michael
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| St. Michael |
Old Calendar: Dedication of the Basilica of St. Michael the
Archangel (Michaelmas Day)
The
liturgy celebrates the feast of these three archangels who are venerated in the
tradition of the Church. Michael (Who is like God?) was the archangel who
fought against Satan and all his evil angels, defending all the friends of God.
He is the protector of all humanity from the snares of the devil. Gabriel
(Strength of God) announced to Zachariah the forthcoming birth of John the
Baptist, and to Mary, the birth of Jesus. His greeting to the Virgin,
"Hail, full of grace," is one of the most familiar and frequent prayers of the Christian people. Raphael (Medicine of God)
is the archangel who took care of Tobias on his journey.
According
to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite,
today is the feast of St. Michael. St. Gabriel is observed on March 24 and St.
Raphael on October 24.
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that, "[T]he existence
of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls
"angels" is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as
the unanimity of Tradition."
Angels
are pure, created spirits. The name angel means servant or messenger of God.
Angels are celestial or heavenly beings, on a higher order than human beings.
Angels have no bodies and do not depend on matter for their existence or
activity. They are distinct from saints, which men can become. Angels have
intellect and will, and are immortal. They are a vast multitude, but each is an
individual person. Archangels are one of the nine choirs of angels listed in
the Bible. In ascending order, the choirs or classes are 1) Angels, 2)
Archangels, 3) Principalities, 4) Powers, 5) Virtues, 6) Dominations, 7)
Thrones, 8) Cherubim, and 9) Seraphim.
This
day is referred to as "Michaelmas" in many countries and is also one
of the harvest feast days. In England this is one of the "quarter
days", which was marked by hiring servants, electing magistrates, and
beginning of legal and university terms. This day also marks the opening of the
deer and other large game hunting season. In some parts of Europe, especially
Germany, Denmark, and Austria, a special wine called "Saint Michael's
Love" (Michelsminne) is drunk on this day. The foods for this day vary
depending on nationality. In the British Isles, for example, goose was the
traditional meal for Michaelmas, eaten for prosperity, France has waffles or Gaufres
and the traditional fare in Scotland used to be St. Michael's Bannock (Struan
Micheil) — a large, scone-like cake. In Italy, gnocchi is the traditional
fare.
Patron:
Against temptations; against powers of evil; artists; bakers; bankers; battle;
boatmen; cemeteries; coopers; endangered children; dying; Emergency Medical
Technicians; fencing; grocers; hatmakers; holy death; knights; mariners;
mountaineers; paramedics; paratroopers; police officers; radiologists; sailors;
the sick; security forces; soldiers; against storms at sea; swordsmiths; those
in need of protection; Brussels, Belgium; Caltanissett, Sicily; Cornwall,
England; Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee Florida; England; Germany;
Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama; Papua, New Guinea; Puebla, Mexico; San Miguel
de Allende, Mexico; Sibenik, Croatia; Archdiocese of Seattle, Washington;
Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts.
Symbols:
Angel with wings; dressed in armour; lance and shield; scales; shown weighing
souls; millstone; piercing dragon or devil; banner charged with a dove;
symbolic colors orange or gold.
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| St Gabriel |
St.
Gabriel
St. Gabriel's name means "God is my
strength". Biblically he appears three times as a messenger. He had been
sent to Daniel to explain a vision concerning the Messiah. He appeared to
Zachary when he was offering incense in the Temple, to foretell the birth of
his son, St. John the Baptist. St. Gabriel is most known as the angel chosen by
God to be the messenger of the Annunciation, to announce to mankind the mystery
of the Incarnation.
The
angel's salutation to our Lady, so simple and yet so full of meaning, Hail
Mary, full of grace, has become the constant and familiar prayer of all
Christian people.
Patron:
Ambassadors; broadcasting; childbirth; clergy; communications; diplomats;
messengers; philatelists; postal workers; public relations; radio workers;
secular clergy; stamp collectors; telecommunications; Portugal; Archdiocese of
Seattle, Washington.
Symbols:
Archangel; sceptre and lily; MR or AM shield; lantern; mirror; olive branch;
scroll with words Ave Maria Gratia Plena; Resurrection trumpet; shield;
spear; lily; symbolic colors, silver or blue.
St.
Raphael
Our knowledge of the Archangel Raphael comes to us
from the book of Tobit. His mission as wonderful healer and fellow traveller
with the youthful Tobias has caused him to be invoked for journeys and at critical
moments in life. Tradition also holds that Raphael is the angel that stirred
the waters at the healing sheep pool in Bethesda. His name means "God has
healed".
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| St. Raphael |
Patron:
Blind; bodily ills; counselors; druggists; eye problems; guardian angels; happy
meetings; healers; health inspectors; health technicians; love; lovers; mental
illness; nurses; pharmacists; physicians; shepherds; against sickness;
therapists; travellers; young people; young people leaving home for the first
time; Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa; Archdiocese of Seattle, Washington.
Symbols:
Staff; wallet and fish; staff and gourd; archangel; young man carrying a staff;
young man carrying a fish; walking with Tobias; holding a bottle or flask;
symbolic colors, gray or yellow.
Things
to Do:
This
is a good feast to learn more about the angels. Children especially are
fascinated by these celestial beings. The best place to start is the Catechism
of the Catholic Church, nos.
328-336 to see the teachings of the Church on angels. John Paul II also did
a Catechesis on the Angels during his General Audiences from
July 9 to August 20, 1986.
Find
the passages in the Bible about angels, in particular the passages about
Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
Read
the section on angels in the Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy. The document
examines the doctrine and devotions of the angels. Devotion to angels is good,
but also can have deviations.
Devotion
to the Holy Angels gives rise to a certain form of the Christian life which is
characterized by:
devout
gratitude to God for having placed these heavenly spirits of great sanctity and
dignity at the service of man;
an
attitude of devotion deriving from the knowledge of living constantly in the
presence of the Holy Angels of God — serenity and confidence in facing
difficult situations, since the Lord guides and protects the faithful in the
way of justice through the ministry of His Holy Angels. Among the prayers to
the Guardian Angels the Angele Dei is especially popular, and is often
recited by families at morning and evening prayers, or at the recitation of the
Angelus.
217.
Popular devotion to the Holy Angels, which is legitimate and good, can,
however, also give rise to possible deviations:
when,
as sometimes can happen, the faithful are taken by the idea that the world is
subject to demiurgical struggles, or an incessant battle between good and evil
spirits, or Angels and daemons, in which man is left at the mercy of superior
forces and over which he is helpless; such cosmologies bear little relation to
the true Gospel vision of the struggle to overcome the devil, which requires
moral commitment, a fundamental option for the Gospel, humility and prayer;
when
the daily events of life, which have nothing or little to do with our
progressive maturing on the journey towards Christ are read schematically or
simplistically, indeed childishly, so as to ascribe all setbacks to the devil
and all success to the Guardian Angels. The practice of assigning names to the
Holy Angels should be discouraged, except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael and
Michael whose names are contained in Holy Scripture.
Also
read All About the Angels.
Memorize
the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel. Although no longer formally recited
after Mass, our Holy Father John Paul II has encouraged us to recite this
prayer daily. Read about this prayer. Here is the Regina Caeli message from April 24, 1994 during which the pope
encouraged this prayer.
In
honor of St. Gabriel, Learn the Angelus and recite it daily. Traditionally, the prayer is
prayed at the 6:00 and 12:00 hours (am and pm). There is a partial indulgence
attached to those who pray this prayer.
Read
the Book
of Tobit for the story of St. Raphael helping Tobit and Tobias.
Make
some recipes related to Michaelmas. Of special mention is the St. Michael
Bannock from Scotland, roast goose and stuffing from Britain, waffles from
France, and roast duck from Germany or France, gnocchi from Italy.
Blackberries, apples and carrots also play a large role on this feast in
various countries. Other ideas: make an angel food cake, devil's food cake or
angel hair pasta. Decorate with white, symbolizing the angels, or use other
symbolic colors (see above). Non-dessert items: deviled eggs, deviled meats,
etc.
Try
to find the Michaelmas daisy, a purple aster, to use for decoration. It also
comes in other colors, including white, but purple is the most popular. It
usually blooms in late summer until October. The official name is Aster
novi-belgii, but is also known as New York aster. If you find plants or
seeds to plan for next year's garden. This site has photos and gardening
information for the Michaelmas daisy.
Folklore
in the British Isles suggests that Michaelmas day is the last day that
blackberries can be picked. It is said that when St. Michael expelled Lucifer,
the devil, from heaven, he fell from the skies and landed in a prickly
blackberry bush. Satan cursed the fruit, scorched them with his fiery breath,
and stamped and spat on them, so that they would be unfit for eating. A
Traditional Irish proverb says:
On Michaelmas Day the devil puts his foot on the blackberries.
On Michaelmas Day the devil puts his foot on the blackberries.
If
you have access to blackberries, make this the last picking and eating. Perhaps
make a blackberry pie? See Michaelmas Pie for a great recipe.
