Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Of the holy angels, Sacred Scripture has this to say:
“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels” (Hb. 13:2).
“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (Hb. 1:14).
“’Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones,’” says our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ, “’for I say to you that in Heaven their angels always see the face of My Father Who is in Heaven’” (Mt. 18:10).
And, speaking of our “faithful guide, and guardian of our souls and bodies” (Divine Liturgy/Litany before the Our Father), in the Acts of the Apostles we hear this regarding St. Peter’s miraculous release from prison when he shows up at a house unannounced, causing quite a stir, “But they said to [Rhoda who kept insisting it was Peter standing at the door knocking], ‘You are beside yourself! . . . It is his angel’” (Ac. 12:15).
And, of course, in today’s Holy Gospel, the 70 who had been sent out by our Lord, return with great joy, saying, “’Lord, even the devils [demons] are subject to us through Thy Name.’”
Demons and angels: those spirits fallen along with Lucifer the architect of the Fall and those spirits who remained faithful and loyal to God their Creator. Regardless of their invisibility, they are nevertheless very real indeed. There are over 200 references to angels in the Sacred Scriptures. They are as much woven into the tapestry of the Church’s Faith as anything else we believe and confess. Sacred Scripture simply receives their presence in this world and in our lives as a fact. Without them, what would be the Nativity of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ According to the Flesh? Where would be all those Christmass Carols that depend on their inspired presence? Or, of that glorious announcement of the Resurrection of our Lord by the angels guarding the Empty Tomb, “’Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!’” (Lk. 24:5-6)? Indeed, nearly an entire Old Testament book named Tobit is consumed with the incognito presence of the Archangel Raphael, who was “unwittingly entertained,” sent to minister to Tobias and Sarah. It is there we hear the Archangel say, ‘’I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, who present the prayers of the saints and who go in and out before the glory of the Holy One’” (Tb. 12:12, 15).
Angels in Sacred Scripture are not Golden Retriever pups nor are they cute cherubs of the Romantic Era. They are very much fearsome creatures not to be trifled with. Their presence strikes a holy fear into the hearts of all who encounter them. In fact, they are very much present here with us (Divine Liturgy/Little Entrance Secret Prayer), even preceding us here today, and it would do us well to pay heed. In light of this, St. Nephon of Constantia counsels us: “Be careful when you are in church,” he says,
You must know, my child, that there are countless angels above the
people in church and invisibly sing along with them. But when one of the faithful begins to joke, to talk about worldly things, or to comment about others, the angels who see him, drop the hymn and weep bitterly for his plight (Wisdom of the Divine Philosophers III, 1).
Because they are bearers of the Divine Presence, we must not treat them lightly. Indeed, we can even offend them by our actions and so drive them away from us by “[our] lack of self-control” (Morning Prayers/10th Prayer). Our lives, however, are co-mingled with their holy presence as is their diabolic counter-parts, the demons. Inasmuch as the holy angels are our defenders and compatriots sent forth by the Almighty “to minister for those who will inherit salvation,” so the demons are our foresworn foes and adversaries, seeking our destruction both physically as well as spiritually, committed to taking as many of us down with them as possible “’into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (Mt. 25:41). Thus, we must remain in Jesus Christ, that is, we must abide in Him constantly as a branch abides in a vine if we wish to have authority over our spiritual enemies just like the 70 in today’s Holy Gospel (Jn. 15:1-17). By our remaining in Christ through faith and prayer and repentance and humility and partaking of the Mysteries of Confession and the Holy Eucharist and the making of the sign of the Cross and the reading of Holy Scripture and the exercising of the Christly virtues or fruits of the Holy Spirit, we can watch Satan fall as lightning (2 Pe. 1:10; 3:14). When a Christian forgives and shows mercy and speaks the Truth, Satan falls as lightning. When the Church gathers in the Name of Her crucified God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Satan falls as lightning. Why? Because we do what Satan himself – and all those aligned with him be they demons or impenitent souls – cannot bring themselves to do: to fall down and worship God Almighty – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In his spiritual reflection for today’s Feast, Fr. Symeon Kragiopolis, of blessed memory, says something very interesting to me. He writes,
A man is born into the world, and the angels bow (so to say) and venerate. Why? Because this human being is an icon of Christ. And when the angels see this little infant, this helpless little creature, they venerate it . . . even when it is not baptized, because it can be baptized and become a Christian (Timeless Truths, 8 November).
The angels behold what we, created in the image and likeness of God, can become, and they venerate us! What an astounding thought! Beloved, we are ever reminded by this holy Feast that we are not alone, that the angels – whose numbers far exceed our wildest imaginings! – have been created by our God to serve Him and His glory, and “to minister for those who will inherit salvation” despite the fact that man – a creature – has been created but a little lower than the angels (Ps. 8:5)!
Beloved, let us do everything in our power, by the grace of God the Holy Spirit, through the prayers of all the bodiless hosts of Heaven who stand ever-ready to come to our aid as our faithful guides and guardians of soul and body, let us be diligent to preserve our names written in Heaven and to rejoice in all that God has done and continues to do “for us men and for our salvation” (Nicene Creed).
Through the prayers of the holy Archangels and all the Bodiless Powers of Heaven, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen.
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
VIGIL PROPERS: PROPERS:
Js. 5:13-16 Hb. 2:2-10
Jg. 6:2, 7, 11-24 Lk. 10:16-21
Is. 14:7-20 // Dn. 10:1-21