St. Michael and All Angels AD 2024

In Hebrew, the name Michael means “who is like God”. This name speaks of God’s greatness, power, uniqueness, and the answer to the question contained in this name is: “No one! There is no one equal to God!”

Yet there is something of God himself in Michael: he is an angel of God. Angels are God’s messengers, His envoys – that’s what the Greek word “angelos” means. In the Epistle to the Hebrews, it is said that angels are “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation”, and Jesus assures us that the guardian angels of God’s children “do always behold the face of His Father which is in heaven”.

Archangel Michael is often referred to in the Bible as the chief of the heavenly host who stands and fights for God’s people. In the Book of Revelation, we find a description of Michael’s fight with Satan himself: “There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.”

Unfortunately, the fight is not over yet, because Satan “was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” and they continue their work of destruction in the souls of men. However, we need not be discouraged because we know that Christ has defeated Satan, and we can be sure that both Archangel Michael and other angels are always by our side.

What we must not do is become overconfident. On the contrary, Jesus wants us to understand our weakness and humbly entrust ourselves to His grace: “Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”