29 September 2023 Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels

As I watched,
thrones were set in place,
and an Ancient One took his throne; …
A thousand thousand served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.
… As I watched in the night visions,
I saw one like a human being
coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
and was presented before him.’
From Daniel 7; 9-10, 13-14, NRSV

Sometimes, this Reading could refer to Jesus but today we celebrate the feast of three archangels – Michael, Gabriel and Raphael – the only angels named in Scripture. Of all the celestial beings, they are seen as the most powerful. Michael is seen as the warrior – the leader of the heavenly armies fighting the forces of evil. Gabriel is a messenger – appearing in the Book of Daniel to explain some of the visions and, of course, is the one who comes to a small village to a young woman to announce that she will conceive and bear a son. Raphael’s name means God heals and is the angel who healed Tobit of his blindness. Archangels are powerful – but always on the side of humans seeking God.

• • What do you think an archangel looks like?
  • Have you ever felt as if you met an angel “unawares”?

Ponder the power and love of those beings who are in the presence of God but who enter time and space to serve God and the needs of human beings.