Feast of Saint Michael & All Angels
September 29, 2024 – 10:30 AM
Saint Cecilia Catholic Community
Rev. David Justin Lynch
Genesis 28:10-17 | Psalm 138
Revelation 12:7-12 | John 1:47-51
+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.
“Sing, choirs of Angels, sing in exaltation, sing all ye citizens of heaven above.”
“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord. God of hosts, eternal king. By all heaven and earth adored, angels and archangels sing, chanting everlastingly, to the Blessed Trinity.”
“Angels of Jesus, Angels of Light, singing to welcome the pilgrims of the night.”
In my role as a Priest, people ask me many questions. I’ve listened to the skeptics of the contemporary world as they express doubt about the existence of angels. They ask me, “What do angels do?” My answer to them is, “They sing. If you want to experience angels, come to Sunday Morning Mass when our choir is singing. They are our resident angels.”
That’s what we do here. We emulate angels by singing our whole Mass to praise God. Just like the worship of God in the Book of Revelation featuring heavenly angels praising God in song, worship in our community is musical and centered on God.
We are so happy today to welcome our choir back for the twenty-twenty-four through twenty-twenty-five season. They will sing every Sunday from now until June twenty-second, plus other special days, including a full Holy Week.
And if you dig further into the Book of Revelation, you will find that Angels play trumpets as well as sing. So, we’re pleased to have Matthew Richards this morning among us as our Trumpet Angel.
But what exactly are angels?
Angels are portrayed in scripture as spiritual beings who intermediate between God and humanity. Angels are messengers from God to us. Also, angels are our protectors and guides. You’ve heard the term, “Guardian Angel.” That comes from Psalm 91, where we read, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands, they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”
Angels appear throughout the Old Testament. The Hebrew word for angel is malach, which means “messenger.” Angels appear to many important figures in the Old Testament, including Abraham, Lot, Hagar, and Jacob. Angels also appear throughout the New Testament as well, in the Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and of course, Revelation.
But the so-called “rational people” among us will tell us that there is no such thing as angels. These party-poopers rain on our parade by telling us that we are wasting our time talking about angels because, according to their way of thinking, any reality other than tangible simply does not exist as reality. However, arguing about the supernatural reality of angels is a colossal waste of time and resources. Instead, why not recognize the ongoing creativity of God as manifested in new kinds of angels?
The world of finance has what’s known as “angel investors.” They play a crucial role in the business startup ecosystem by helping businesses get off the ground when other funding sources, such as banks or venture capitalists, may not be available. For example, an entrepreneur with a tech startup might seek $100,000 from an angel investor to build their product prototype. In return, the angel investor might receive a percentage of the company’s equity. If the startup grows and becomes successful, the angel investor’s shares can increase significantly in value, resulting in a high return on their initial investment. Here are some examples.
Reid Hoffman was an early investor in Airbnb and Facebook. He is known for his strong networking skills and involvement in multiple successful startups. He’s considered one of the top angel investors, particularly in social networking.
Esther Dyson has been investing in startups since the early days of the internet. She’s focused on companies in healthcare, tech, and space travel.
Beyond money, however, let’s talk about how we can all be angels to one another. The seven traditional archangels in the literature of our fellow Christians in the Eastern Church provide examples for us to follow.
Michael is known as the Great Protector and as the leader of the heavenly army. You can read about Michael in the Books of Daniel and Revelation. Michael is an example of the importance of protecting others from harm. If you see someone or something harming others, don’t just sit there and watch. Do something about it.
Gabriel is God’s messenger. In the Book of Daniel, Gabriel explains visions about the future, revealing events that lead to the establishment of God’s eternal reign. In the Gospel of Luke, Gabriel announced to Mary that She would become the Mother of Jesus. In our cynical, pessimistic world, why not look for ways to bring good news to others? Someone ought to tell that to our news media, which is filled with stories about crime, conflicts, and bad weather.
Raphael is associated with physical and spiritual healing. You can read about him in the Book of Tobit. He is also known for guiding travelers and helping those who seek healing and comfort. He provides an example for us to follow in giving directions to those who are lost and relieving human suffering.
Uriel is seen as the light of God, bringing wisdom and understanding. He illuminates the mind and heart, guiding people toward deeper knowledge. Uriel appears in the apocryphal Book of Second Esdras. What a good example for the teachers and professors among us to follow in guiding students to the benefits of critical thinking!
Raguel is the archangel who oversees the actions of other angels and ensures fairness and justice. He promotes peace and harmony in relationships and among people. May God bless those who settle disputes among warring factions in our adversarial world with a peaceable settlement on just terms.
Zadkiel embodies God’s mercy and encourages forgiveness and compassion. He helps people release negative emotions and embrace a higher sense of love and kindness. He provides an excellent example for churches to follow, particularly in their dealings between the clergy and the people they serve.
Jophiel, thought by some to be a female, is associated with the beauty of creation and inspires creativity and appreciation for beauty as manifested in the arts, those things that are the highest calling of humanity.
If there is one characteristic separating humanity from the animal world, it is music. As much as I love animals, they do not compose, sing, or play music. Music is what makes human persons human. The school boards who cut music programs to “save money” are a bunch of stupid idiots who are too dumb to recognize that the skills students develop in music classes help them with other subjects. For example, do you know how mathematical music is?
What all these archangels have in common is that they are doing God’s will and showing us what God wants for us. A consistent theme in Deacon Sharon’s homilies is humanity doing God’s will. To worship at a Mass in a church that’s like an art museum and that offers a liturgical celebration somewhat like an opera is truly bringing to real life what we sing in the Our Father every Sunday, “Thy Will Be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”
Angels help us in our spiritual journey to make that a reality and not just a dream.
We as Christians are charged with proclaiming the coming go God’s kingdom, just like when, in the Gospel of Luke where we hear the angelic proclamation to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth, signaling the arrival of God’s kingdom through the incarnation of Jesus as God’s Son come to earth among us. The words of this Christmas proclamation, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth to people of good will,” emphasizes the nature of God’s kingdom as one of peace, justice, and salvation. Isn’t that what we all want? Don’t we all want lives free of conflict, where people treat other people justly, and are saved from evil?
Here are some of the ways how you can be an angel at Saint Cecilia Catholic Community:
First, you can be an angel by coming to Mass every Sunday and joining with other angels to praise and give thanks to God for all the blessings in your life.
Second, you can be an angel by telling your friends about us and bringing them to church. Word of mouth is far more effective than advertising in growing a church. Tell them that the welcome mat is always out and that we accept everyone the way God made them.
Third, the lay people can be angels by starting new ministries here. The clergy can’t do everything. I’d love to hear your ideas and will support you as best I can. A new ministry can be a learning opportunity like Bible study, a concert, a dance, a theatrical production, or some form of outreach beyond the church walls.
Fourth, be an angel by supporting the church financially to the best of your ability, even if it’s a very small amount every week. And consider alternative ways of raising money, like bingo games or merchant scrip. Every dollar counts.
The heavenly angels have set examples for us to follow. Let’s all be earthly angels by singing to God, proclaiming God’s word and God’s presence, helping our fellow humans, and changing our world for the better. AMEN.