John 1: 47-51
The Angels of God
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
Today we celebrate the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, three of the many Archangels whose names we know. Michael is the leader of the heavenly armies in the war against evil, having led the battle against the rebellious angels, driving them to hell, where as evil spirits or devils, they continue to war against God by tempting us to turn away from him. Gabriel we know from his appearance to Mary bringing the invitation to be the mother of the Son of God, Jesus. Raphael played a key role in the lives of Tobit and his son, Tobias. As our world and culture move further and further away from God and what he has revealed in the Scriptures, angels have remained popular, and it's not unusual to see statues and pictures of angels in homes or as women's jewelry. May we take time to thank God for these angelic intermediaries and ask them to guide us though the muddle and muck strewn on our path by the fallen angels to know and carry out God's will for us.
Bro. Rene
Dear God, we take time today to honor these great Archangels, addressing them as saints. May they help us remain faithful to our own calling to sanctity. Amen.
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