St. Michael The Archangel

The Archangel Michael is one of the most fascinating saints for his importance predates Christianity and he is currently revered by all three monotheistic religions. In Hebrew, his name (מִיכָאֵל‎)  is pronounced mixäˈʔel and is translated who is like El, or God. In Greek, his name is Μιχαήλ, (Mikhaḗl) and in Arabic, ميخائيل‎ (Mīkhā'īl.)


St. Michael was introduced to Christianity by the Jewish books of Enoch (around 300-100 BC) and Daniel (about 165 BC).  Both books refer to Michael a great prince and he is seen as the protector of Israel.  He is seen as a prince and soldier in the Hebrew apocryphal book War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness and continues that role in the Christian Book of Revelation where he defeats Satan.

St. Michael is a very powerful Archangel sent by God to defend His people, especially at the end of time.  He offers strength in times of spiritual warfare and is a very powerful advocate.

St. Michael Novena--Day 9

St. Michael the Archangel

defend us in the day of battle.

Be our safeguard 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,

cast into Hell, Satan,

and all the evil spirits

that prowl about the world,

seeking the ruin of souls.

~Amen!


I like this icon It has a Celtic feel to it. I especially love the bright colors: red, green, aqua blue, orange and gold.  It is as if the rainbow takes its colors from St. Michael.   

St. Michael Novena--Day 8

St. Michael the Archangel

defend us in the day of battle.

Be our safeguard 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,

cast into Hell, Satan,

and all the evil spirits

that prowl about the world,

seeking the ruin of souls.

~Amen!

This is another St. Michael Icon that I own. It is smaller than the first one and very beautiful.  

St. Michael Novena--Day 7

St. Michael the Archangel

defend us in the day of battle.

Be our safeguard 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,

cast into Hell, Satan,

and all the evil spirits

that prowl about the world,

seeking the ruin of souls.

~Amen!


In this icon, St. Michael is slaying a dragon, which is reminiscent of the Book of Revelation.  There, the dragon waits for the woman to give birth to the Child so he can eat Him. 

St. Michael Novena--Day 6

St. Michael the Archangel

defend us in the day of battle.

Be our safeguard 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,

cast into Hell, Satan,

and all the evil spirits

that prowl about the world,

seeking the ruin of souls.

~Amen!


I like the contrast in this picture.  the gold against the black background is striking. 

St. Michael Novena--Day 5

St. Michael the Archangel

defend us in the day of battle.

Be our safeguard 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,

cast into Hell, Satan,

and all the evil spirits

that prowl about the world,

seeking the ruin of souls.

~Amen!


A word about the military symbolism in these representations: Anyone who has ever struggled to live the life of God and cried with Saint Paul, "I do the very things I hate!" can understand the need to fight against those powers that keep us from attaining all that God has in mind for us.

St. Michael Novena--Day 4

St. Michael the Archangel

defend us in the day of battle.

Be our safeguard 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,

cast into Hell, Satan,

and all the evil spirits

that prowl about the world,

seeking the ruin of souls.

~Amen!

In this icon, St. Michael looks very worshipful.  He works at all times for the glory of God.  

St. Michael Novena--Day 3

St. Michael the Archangel

defend us in the day of battle.

Be our safeguard 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,

cast into Hell, Satan,

and all the evil spirits

that prowl about the world,

seeking the ruin of souls.

~Amen!


I'll admit to loving the colors in this icon.  The pinks, blues and aquas are very soothing.  

St. Michael Novena--Day 2

St. Michael the Archangel

defend us in the day of battle.

Be our safeguard 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,

cast into Hell, Satan,

and all the evil spirits

that prowl about the world,

seeking the ruin of souls.

~Amen!

St. Michael Novena

Nine days from now is the Feast of the Holy Angels: Michael, Raphael and Gabriel.

Since I have a special place in my heart for Saint Michael, and since his prayer is so very powerful, I wanted to post it as a Novena leading up to his feast day.

St. Michael the Archangel
defend us in the day of battle.
Be our safeguard 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,
cast into Hell, Satan,
and all the evil spirits
that prowl about the world,
seeking the ruin of souls.
~Amen!

Hat tip to Paul at Sober Catholic.  Note:  Paul has a different novena going to the Three Archangels, which is what reminded me of the upcoming feast.

The icon above is the one given to my husband by a dear departed (then Episcopal) priest many years ago.

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael

Come, let us worship the Lord in the presence of the angels. 

--Antiphon from today's morning prayer of the Church.

Today is the Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels. St. Michael is one of my favorite saints, as both my guys are named after him in one way or the other.  Michael is a very powerful help in spiritual warfare.  His prayer used to be prayed at the end of every Mass.

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle.  
Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. 
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, 
and do thou, oh prince of the heavenly host, 
by the powe of God, 
cast into Hell, Satan, and all the evil spirits, 
that prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. 

Saint Gabriel is the Angel of the Annunciation.  He comes to Zacharias, husband of Elizabeth, to announce that he and Elizabeth will conceive a son in their old age.  Gabriel then appears to Mary to announce to her that a child she will conceive miraculously will be the Messiah.  Theologians beleive that it was Gabriel who appeared to Joseph in a dream, announcing to him that the Son that Mary was carrying, was going to be the chosen one of God.

Saint Raphael appears in the Book of Tobit, sent to heal him from blindness. Theologians also beleive that Raphael is the "angel of the Lord' mentioned in John chapter 5, who descends and stirs the water in the Pool of Bethsaida for healing. He is the patron saint of medical workers.

Saint Michael, Defend Us!

So many people get so stressed out this time of year, that it occurred to me that sometimes there may be a darker influence to this common phenomenon. At the very least, Satan must have a field day when people suffer. The season in which we prepare and celebrate Our Lord's Incarnation as God made man, is spent by many people fighting very dark feelings of emptiness and despair.

Let's say the Saint Michael prayer for all those who struggle with depression during the Holidays.

Happy Michaelmas

September 29 is the feast of St. Michael and all Holy Angels. Saint Michael is a very powerful advocate in the fight against evil. The prayer to St. Michael, illustrated in the video below, is very affective against spiritual attack.

Saint Michael, protect us!

In these times of increased persecution of Christians, Michael, a poster on Father Joe Jenkins' blog, reminds us to pray the powerful St. Michael's Prayer.

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in the day of battle.
Be our safeguard against the wickedness
and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray.
And do thou, oh prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God, cast into hell,
Satan, and all the evil spirits
that prowl about the world,
seeking the ruin of souls.

~Amen

St. Michael

The Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of St. Michael the Archangel on this day. It also happens to be my husband, Michael's, birthday. St. Michael is one of the Archangels mentioned in Scripture (Dan 10:13, 21)(Rev. 12:7). His name, in Hebrew: מיכאל‎, Micha'el or Mîkhā’ēl; Greek: Μιχαήλ, Mikhaíl; Latin: Michael or Míchaël; Arabic: ميكائيل, Mikha'il, means "Who is like God" and his role is seen as the protector of Israel and of the Church.

St. Michael is a powerful protector and the prayer to St.Michael can be a powerful one when you are feeling under attack.

Saint Michael the 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 Divine Power of God —
cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

Saint Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels

Saturday is the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels. St. Michael is a powerful protector against Satan. St. Gabriel is the angel who appeared to the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation. His words to her have come down through the centuries as the "Hail Mary" and are said by Catholics throughout the world today. St. Raphael appeared to Tobias and healed him and is known as a powerful agent for God's healing.

Prayers for the Feast day
St. Michael's prayer is a very powerful one when you are feeling spiritually attacked and was traditionally said after Mass.

St. Michael the Archangel defend us in the day of battle, be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and, do thou, Oh Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the Power of God, cast in to hell, Satan and all the evil spirits that prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
~Amen

For St. Gabriel, the Angelus is a prayer that retells the story of the Annunciation and reminds us of the source of our salvation.

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

~Amen.

---

Here is a prayer to St. Raphael for healing.

Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for your gifts of wisdom and grace. You are a guide of those who journey by land or sea or air, consoler of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners.

I beg you, assist me in all my needs and in all the sufferings of this life, as once you helped the young Tobias on his travels. Because you are the "medicine of God" I humbly pray you to heal the many infirmities of my soul and the ills that afflict my body. I especially ask of you the favor (here mention your special intention), and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the Holy Spirit.

~Amen.

Thoughts on Genesis--the lies of the serpent

But the serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil."
~Genesis, Chapter 3

How were our first parents to "know what is good and what is evil" if not to experience it themselves? God had given them everything that was good when He created the earth. The only way for Adam and Eve to "know evil" was to experience the evil that comes from sin. What evil has entered the world when Adam and Eve listened to Satan's lies!

The goal of "being like gods" is also a lie from Satan. Satan, who was originally an angel, ("Lucifer", meaning "light bearer") was also the original being to have the audacity to try to *be* God. Even today, he prowls the world, telling us the same lie.

For even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.
~2 Corrinthians 11:14

The angel who stayed true to the One God, is St. Michael, whose name in Hebrew means "Who is Like God?" The answer, of course, is NO ONE is like God--in the sense of being God.

Hear, 0 Israel: The Lord our God alone! and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Deut. 6:4 f.