John 1:47-51

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 or Revelation 12:7-12ab

Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5

John 1:47-51

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,

“Here is a true child of Israel.

There is no duplicity in him.”

Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”

Jesus answered and said to him,

“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

Nathanael answered him,

“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

Jesus answered and said to him,

“Do you believe

because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?

You will see greater things than this.”

And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,

you will see heaven opened

and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I praise you as the Creator of all things. I look forward to the day in heaven when I can contemplate the wonderful variety of your spiritual creatures. May I be protected this day by Saint Michael, enlightened by Saint Gabriel, and encouraged by Saint Raphael.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Saint Michael as the Guardian of God’s People: As Christians, we profess that God is the Creator of heaven and earth, of all that is visible and invisible. The angels that God created are spiritual creatures, called to glorify God without ceasing and chosen to minister according to God’s plan of salvation for humanity. The good angels surround Christ, their Lord. They serve him especially in the accomplishment of his saving mission to men. The Church venerates the angels who help her on her earthly pilgrimage and protect every human being (see CCC, 351-352). The Old Testament sees Michael as the guardian of God’s people; he is the great prince who has charge of them (see Daniel 10:21; 12:1). “It is no surprise then that he appears [in Revelation 12] to foil the devil’s attempt to make war on the woman (the Church) and Christ. The passage demonstrates that there is a spiritual battle waging behind the scenes of history” (Barber, Coming Soon, 158).

2. Saint Michael’s Battle: Michael the Archangel battles against the devil, who tempted Adam and Eve "out of envy"(Wisdom 2:24). Satan was at first a good angel, made by God; but Satan and other angels fell when they rejected God and his reign (CCC, 392). It was a rejection of God's loving and merciful plan. The fall of the angels seems to have something to do with God's love for man and God's plan to make men share in the life of grace with the angels. Seeing the link between the angelic fall and the Incarnation of the Son of God, the Fathers of the Church thought “that the angels fell because they rejected the notion of a God-Man, whom they would have to worship” (Barber, Coming Soon, 158). Saint Michael, by contrast, accepted God's plan and cast Satan and his angels from heaven, down to the earth.

3. Satan’s Defeat: Satan, the accuser of men, has been thrown down. Through the Cross, Christ is victorious over death, and the Kingdom of God is inaugurated and established. Satan’s defeat happens in several ways. First, Satan is cast down by Michael at the beginning of time. Second, through Christ’s work on earth, Satan is again cast out. “Thus when Christ speaks of His own death, He says, ‘[N]ow shall the ruler of this world be cast out’ (John 12:31)” (Barber, Coming Soon, 160). The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Heaven rejoices because Satan has been defeated. “Yet a woe comes upon the earth because Satan is now angry at being cast down and looks to take out his frustration on man. However, his time is ‘short’” (Barber, Coming Soon, 162). Satan is powerful, but he cannot prevent the building up of God's reign. There will come a day when Christ returns in glory with his angels and casts the devil into the lake of fire for eternal punishment (Revelation 20:10). Satan rejected God's love from the beginning; Michael welcomed it. Satan wanted to reign without God; Michael desired to reign with God through service. Satan seeks to frustrate God’s plan; Michael seeks only to accomplish it. Satan is the father of lies and tempts us to sin against God; Michael serves the truth and protects the Church along the way to the definitive establishment of God’s Kingdom.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, King of the Universe, grant me your powerful grace today to work for your Kingdom, spread your merciful love, and serve my brothers and sisters. May I be inspired today by the example of your archangels to carry out my mission according to your plan of salvation.

Living the Word of God: Can I take some time today to read and meditate on what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (nn. 325-336, 350-354) teaches about the angels?