29 Sep 2015
Feast of Sts Michael, Gabriel and
Raphael, Archangels
“War broke out in heaven.”
That’s a fascinating line from the Book of Revelation: of all places for
war to break out, it happened in heaven. It’s an image of the future, of the end times. But
it’s also the present reality
wherever the Church and Christ are at work.
Wherever the Church is, the Devil will be there, too. Wherever the People of God are at work, the
spirit of division and hatred will be there; the spirit of rivalry and
close-mindedness will be at work . . . not because the Devil is in the Church;
but because the Devil hates the
Church. The Devil hates the fact that we’re
trying to follow Christ and become holy.
Of course, we needn’t be afraid of the Devil. The Son of God is infinitely more powerful
than a fallen angel (which is who the Devil is). Between Jesus and Satan there is no contest;
it’s pointless on the part of Satan to continue to fight. Of course, he doesn’t give up. And neither does God, or us, or the countless
angels and saints who worship God in heaven and earth.
We have St Michael the Archangel, whom the Prophet Daniel
describes as a “great prince who stands up for the children of God’s people.” And we have St Gabriel the Archangel, who is
unfailing in getting God’s message to his people. And there’s St Raphael the Archangel, known
for great powers of healing. Among the
Saints in heaven, the three Archangels stand out as defenders and supporters of
God’s people.
And the Archangels are
what they are because within their minds and spirits there is no war. They are
entirely devoted to God; that’s the definition of a “saint:” one who is
holy, one who is single-minded in adoration
and worship of God. The peace of heaven
already lives within them, and that’s what motivates them to help us.
The life of heaven has already begun within our hearts. But it’s not entirely here yet. The war that broke out in heaven still rages
on wherever people are trying to better themselves out of love for God. We have one foot in the peace of heaven which
is Christ, and one foot in that part of heaven still at war with the Devil.
But we look forward to a day when the Devil will be thrown
out of our lives, and there will be for all of God’s holy ones . . . peace and
joy and happiness. Someday we’ll enjoy
that single-minded adoration and worship of God which the angels enjoy. St Michael, St Gabriel, St Raphael . . . pray
for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment