Bless the Lord, ye His angels, that excel in strength;
That do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His Word.
Bless the Lord, O my soul:
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
—Psalm 103:20, 1
A writing for the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels:
On Sunday, the Church celebrated the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels. Also known as Michaelmas, this feast was first celebrated in the fifth century when a basilica in Rome was dedicated to Michael the Archangel. Throughout the Middle Ages, it was a required feast in the Western Church, though this obligation has since been dropped. Michaelmas has served as a liturgical turning point, as it is closely aligned with the beginning of fall and is an identifiable shift in the lectionary as the Church year nears its end.
On Michaelmas, the Church first recalls the great war in heaven, in which Michael and his angels defeated Satan and his demonic legion. Yet more than that, we remember the mysterious role angels play in the Christian life, a sorely contested subject from which much mischaracterization and misunderstanding has resulted. For instance, Renaissance art depicts God’s angels as cuddly infants with wings and harps and hearts. Roman Catholic theology dictates that each one of us has a guardian angel to whom we must pray in times of trouble or doubt. Modern convention even claims that humans become angels when they die. Yet these wishful doctrines concerning angels are injustices against the work and nature of angels, whom God has created to serve Him and His people.
Angels are God’s messengers, servants, and warriors. They uphold God’s will perfectly, protect His Church from all harm and danger, and ceaselessly worship God around His throne. Angels are not the creatures of beauty that we see in popular Christian art, nor the cutesy angels that adorn the tops of Christmas trees. No, they are mighty warriors, with wings of flame and swords as of the living Word of God. In fact, by virtue of their other-worldly, even ghastly appearances, angels often begin their earthly greetings with “Do not be afraid!”
Recording his vision of the Lord, Isaiah wrote, “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew” (Isaiah 6:1-3). Our mortal eyes simply cannot behold their power, mighty, and heavenly stature in their fullness.
And fittingly, as far as Revelation 12 is concerned, angels are powerful. They cannot lose because God cannot lose. It was Michael who triumphed in the war in heaven. Not to mention, the fight, at least as it is recorded in Revelation, was brief. Michael and his legion of angels soundly defeated the devil and his hoard of rebels, throwing them down to earth as a punishment for their rebellion. It seemed to be no difficulty for Michael to accomplish.
Yet this battle in Revelation also begs a separate question: how could Satan rebel? Does this mean that angels are not perfect? Can angels actually lose? Indeed, one thing is certain: angels were created originally with free will. They had an initial choice to serve and love God or disobey and hate Him. Many of the angels chose well, but some did not. Satan and his legion, though they knew the irremediable consequences their decision would have, full of pride, acted against the will of God. And for that irredeemable decision they will suffer forever.
Consider the following from a Catholic apologist site:
As for the particular sin the bad angels committed, many theologians believe that in their pre-fallen state the angels were given a foreknowledge of humans (who would be inferior to them), as well as a foreknowledge that God himself (the second Person of the Trinity) would be incarnated as a man and redeem the universe through his death on the cross.
This revelation angered Lucifer [Satan] because it meant he and the other angels would have to worship God incarnate. Lucifer and the other angels who fell were so proud of being superior to men that their overweening arrogance wouldn’t allow them to worship Jesus Christ the God-Man. This refusal–this non serviam–stemmed from pride. That, anyway, is the theologian’s theory.
Though we cannot know the specifics of Satan’s fall, we know that the angels in heaven serve, love, and obey God for all eternity and carry out His will with perfection and steadfastness. The side on which the angels landed in the great war recorded in Revelation is the side on which they will be forever. Concerning those who continued to love and serve the Lord, theologians from the University of Notre Dame write, “But it is natural to the angels that they should be moved by a movement of love toward God. Therefore, this cannot be taken away from them. But as long as they love God, they do not sin. Therefore, angels are not able to sin (peccare non possit).”
The angels have also been instrumental in the distribution and proclamation of God’s Word. It was the angel Gabriel who proclaimed the birth of Jesus to Mary, saying, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you! Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Luke 2:28-31). It was an angel who proclaimed, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but he is risen” (Luke 24:5-6), at the Resurrection of Christ. Indeed, the angels are God’s faithful messengers.
Saint Michael is universally considered the greatest angel and chief of all angels. He leads the godly angelic army in battle, serving the Lord and upholding His perfect will. On the other hand, Gabriel, who is the only other angel specifically named in Scripture, is considered the greatest angelic messenger of God, as he was the angel sent to proclaim the birth of Christ to the Blessed Virgin. Gabriel is also named in Daniel chapters 8 and 9 as the messenger who speaks to Daniel. Many biblical scholars also speculate that it was Gabriel who foretold the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah.
As we consider all of this on the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels, what ought we do in response? We must give thanks and praise to God for His good and gracious will! He has created all things for our benefit. Namely, He gives his angels “command concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11). They fight on our behalf. They guard faithful Christians against the assaults of the devil and his hoard. They may not be the cuddly creatures that Renaissance art has made of them, but they are even greater. They are our warriors, fighting the ever-raging spiritual battle in ways we cannot. They are truly victorious in the fight, for they cannot lose! They serve the ever-living, Almighty God, who has already conquered the devil and procured everlasting salvation for mankind.
Hymn of the Day for Michaelmas (LSB 522):
1 Lord God, to Thee we give all praise,
With grateful hearts our voices raise,
That angel hosts Thou didst create
Around Thy glorious throne to wait.
2 They shine with light and heav'nly grace
And constantly behold Thy face;
They heed Thy voice, they know it well,
In godly wisdom they excel.
3 They never rest nor sleep as we;
Their whole delight is but to be
With Thee, Lord Jesus, and to keep
Thy little flock, Thy lambs and sheep.
4 The ancient dragon is their foe;
His envy and his wrath they know.
It always is his aim and pride
Thy Christian people to divide.
5 As he of old deceived the world
And into sin and death has hurled,
So now he subtly lies in wait
To undermine both Church and state.
6 A roaring lion, round he goes,
No halt nor rest he ever knows;
He seeks the Christians to devour
And slay them in his dreadful pow'r.
7 But watchful is the angel band
That follows Christ on ev'ry hand
To guard His people where they go
And break the counsel of the foe.
8 For this, now and in days to be,
Our praise shall rise, O Lord, to Thee,
Whom all the angel hosts adore
With grateful songs forevermore.
Collect of the Day for Michaelmas:
O God, who hast ordained and constituted the services of angels and men in a wonderful order, mercifully grant that, as Thy holy angels always do Thee service in heaven, so by Thine appointment they may help and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.