Archangel

Scripture: Michaelmas, A.D. 2014 A

Vespers Homily:

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  AMEN.

If there is one thing on which every religion and culture across the entire planet and in every historical period have unanimously agreed, it is this: that you and I, every moment of our lives, are surrounded by a vast, mysterious and powerful world of unseen spirits—as close to us as our very breath.

Some may think that we, in our postmodern materialist society, have evolved beyond such things.  Surely, the creatures of the night have melted away under the harsh glare of science and reason, yes?  But not so, it would seem. Almost as many Americans believe in ghosts as believe in God.  Many who reject organized religion altogether nonetheless cling to guardian angels.  And in recent years, all over the world, demand for demonic exorcisms has skyrocketed. If believing in spooks and spirits is superstition, then we of the modern West remain as superstitious as we’ve ever been.

In just the scant few years that my family and I have lived in New York Mills, people have come to me, often secretly, often nervously, to speak of haunted houses; to speak of fallen angels; to speak even of what I can only describe as elves. The spirit world is not relegated to some dark, forgotten past.  It is a very real component of many people’s lives today—even in this community.  But lest you think this merely a rural phenomenon, let me assure you: it’s even worse in the cities!

Scandalous as it may sound, the Church has never ignored the unseen aspects of Creation.  Why, Jesus Christ taught that we ourselves are half spiritual, consisting of both a body and a soul.  We’re hybrids, if you like, amphibians, with one foot in the material and one in the ethereal. When our bodies return to the Earth, our spirits rest in God, awaiting that glorious day of Resurrection when we shall all be made new in both body and soul!  Sometimes, though, a mortal spirit might stir.  The Church has long known that ghosts appear throughout Scripture, throughout Tradition, and throughout world history.

Nor are human spirits the only ones in God’s good Creation.  Amongst others, the Bible speaks of angels, spiritual beings without bodies, who descend from God’s realm of Heaven to Man’s realm of Earth, bringing us guidance and comfort and joy. Such angels are said to thrive in wondrous variety, some appearing more-or-less human, others as partly animal—or made of gleaming metal!—while still others whirl through the sky as living wheels or even as the thunderous dragons of Heaven. It may be that the different choirs of angels are as distinct from one another as we are from them.  But no matter how we understand or relate to them, Scripture’s witness is unanimous and clear: the angels of God are real.

And so, I’m afraid, are the dark ones—the fallen angels.  Spirits who once dwelt in the presence of God, but who fell out of sin and pride.  They were the servants of God who tried to become their own gods—and thus became the demons of the Abyss. We are taught to be wary of them.  We are taught to stay away from them.  But ultimately we are taught that we need not fear them.  For though the devils may rage, and Satan himself prowl about like a lion seeking to devour whom he may, there is an infinitely greater Spirit before whom the fallen angels scatter like cockroaches caught in the Sun.

We speak, of course, of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, Who is both God and from God.  The descent of the Holy Spirit from Heaven continues in us, for in the promise of our Baptism, we are given God’s own infinite Spirit, mighty and immortal, to be both our Helper and our Sanctifier.  It is the Spirit of God Who unites us as the Body of Christ.  It is the Spirit Who makes of us the Church, binds us in the Communion of saints, forgives us our sins, Resurrects us body and soul, and gives to us life everlasting!  Hallelujah!

Tonight, brothers and sisters, is the Michelmas: the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels!  And it is no coincidence that the Church celebrates the angels, our fellow spirits and children of God, as our welcome and celebration of the autumn season!  Autumn is a deeply spiritual time, a time poised between this world and the next, when the harvestime abundance promises life amidst the immanent icy death of winter.  Many cultures, many religions, have agreed that it is autumn when the veil between the seen and unseen realms is thinnest.  Autumn is when the spirits come out to play.

We gather tonight around an open fire because fire has ever symbolized for us things spiritual; witness the candles on our altar.  Fire, after all, is an ethereal thing, a being of light and heat, which we cannot touch—though indeed it can touch us.  Like the angels whom God sends to us, fire is a mighty helper and preserver of life.  And, like the angels, fire can be wild and even dangerous if not treated with respect.

The Bible speaks of angels feeding the hungry and defending the weak; of ministering to shepherds and newborns and the souls of the righteous.  The Bible also speaks of angels consuming cities, destroying armies, and casting the faithful to the ground.  Tonight we celebrate these fellow-creatures of our God; these helpers and guides and guardians along our way.  They are, after all, the hosts of Heaven—and is not our God the Lord of Hosts?

And so, in the Name of Jesus Christ, I call upon St. Michael, archangel of justice and of battle, conqueror of Satan, slayer of dragons, commander of the armies of God!  I call upon St. Gabriel, archangel of mercy, who announced to the Blessed Virgin that she would be with child, and that her Son would be both Lord and God!  I call upon St. Raphael, archangel of healing, who walks amongst God’s people in disguise, guarding and leading those most in need!  I call upon all the heavenly angels and all benevolent spirits of Earth who are friends and servants of God!

In Jesus’ Name, we thank you and praise what God has done through you all!  Guide us, O host unseen, and keep us in the faith, guarding us from man, beast, and devil!  And may Christ bless all who share in the Spirit of God, both now and forever!  AMEN.

Saint Michael, Archangel, defend us in battle.  Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.  May God rebuke him, we humbly pray.  And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls.  For who is like unto God?