St. Michael the Archangel

When I first converted to the Catholic faith, I was very uncomfortable with the prayer to St. Michael. In my mind, there was something strange (or rather, even stranger) about praying for the intercession of an angel over the intercession of the saints. Initially, I refused to participate in the prayer, which at my parish is said at the end of each Mass.

Eventually, though, I opted to take a childlike submission to the church's teachings for a short while, and that humility was greatly rewarded. Now, the prayer to St. Michael is one of the most commonly used tools in my arsenal against sin, and I have come to realize the power of his special place as one of the protectors of humanity.
 

Lifetime: Eternity
Region: Heaven & Earth
Patronages: Grocers; Mariners; Police; Soldiers
Iconograpy: Angel with a sword; Defeating Lucifer / a dragon; Scales
Feast Day: September 29 (with other Archangels)

Michael is one of only three named angels in scripture, and accordingly, along with the archangels Gabriel and Raphael (who share his feast day), is among the only angels whose intercession may be requested by name according to church teaching (though some Orthodox churches allow prayers to Uriel as well, who may be another archangel as attested in some non-Canonical sources). Many also pray for their guardian angel's intercession as well, which is allowed so long as no name is assigned to the angel.

Since Michael is a heavenly being who exists beyond the bounds of time, a traditional narrative of his life and miracles doesn't really work, so instead today I'm just going to list some interesting legends about the Great Prince.

Scripture

Michael is mentioned by name five times in the bible - three in Daniel, once in Jude, and finally in Revelations, where he and his angels defeat Satan once and for all in the final war. He may also appear other times in the bible as an unnamed angel, as older Old Testament writing did not include the names of angels.

Four Offices

As a messenger of God, prince of heaven, and leader of the army of God, Michael has four roles according to Catholic teaching:
  1. Spiritual Warrior. In Revelations, Michael and his army defeat the dragon that is Satan and all his forces, throwing them to the earth in the final days. However, this role isn't limited to literal arms battles - St. Michael is also invoked in spiritual warfare and for the repelling of demons, and even the battle against sin in our own hearts.
  2. Angel of Death. Upon our deaths, Michael arrives to assist our passing. He is an advocate for the dead, providing the soul a final chance for redemption.
  3. Weigher of Souls. At the time of the final judgment, St. Michael weighs the souls of the dead on his balanced scales, comparing each soul's virtuous deeds to their sins.
  4. Guardian of the Church. St. Michael was chosen to defend God's people in the Old Testament, and continues that role today as defender of the Church, the Pope, and the Blessed Sacrament.

The Defeat of Lucifer

In Revelations, Michael defeats Satan in the form of a dragon, and all of his army of demons and fallen angels. But according to tradition, that isn't the first time Michael stomped on the prince of lies. At the beginning of time, when Lucifer and his angels rebelled against God, it was Michael as the leader of God's army who stopped him. Michael defeated his brother angel and ejected him from heaven forever.

According to lore, however, as Lucifer was tossed into Hell, he landed butt-first into a thorny blackberry bush. Humiliated at his defeat and filled with rage, the now-fallen former angel spit on the bush, then stomped on it, breathed fire on it, peed on it, and cursed it forever, making its fruit poisonous. For that reason, Michaelmas (another name for the Feast of the Archangels on September 29) is also known as Poisoned Blackberry Day, and by some traditions is the last day where blackberries are eaten. This also gave rise to a tradition of baking a blackberry pie for Michaelmas.

Prayer to St. Michael 

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 hosts, by the power of God, cast into Hell Satan, and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Popular posts from this blog

St. Muirgen the Mermaid

Image
Wait, an actual mermaid? That can't be real. Mermaids aren't real, so they can't be saints! Well, yes and no. Lifetime: 90 to 558 Region: Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland Patronages: People who like mermaids; Storytellers; Converts from pagan faiths (I made these up.) Iconograpy: Water; Otter; She's an actual mermaid Feast Day: January 27 Muirgen was born Li Ban and lived as a princess in her father's palace. But one day, a spring opened up under the palace, swallowing the entire building into a lake. Li Ban's whole family drowned, but Li Ban's room remained intact and continued holding air. She lived trapped in this underwater room for a year with only her dog to keep her company. After a year, Li Ban turned into a mermaid. Her faithful dog was also changed, becoming an otter to keep his master company. As a mermaid, Li Ban's lifespan was lengthened and she swam through the lake, playing with her otter for hundreds of years. Li Ban learn...
Read more

St. Agatha Kim A-gi

Image
St. Agatha Kim A-gi was born to Confucian family. She married young and began to convert to Catholicism because of her sister's testimony, before Christianity was persecuted in Korea. She loved learning about her faith, but couldn't memorize the prayers and liturgy. Instead, she always repeated a simple prayer to Jesus and Mary, no matter what. Though she was only studying to be a Christian and hadn't even been baptized, she was arrested when persecution began. While in prison, Agatha was finally baptized, which redoubled her strength to resist her captors. She refused to turn on her friends, refused to give in to torture, and refused to deny God, instead repeating only her simple prayer to Jesus and Mary. She was executed a martyr for her faith. Lifetime:  1787 to 1839 Region:  Seoul, Korea Patronages:  Korean Christians; Converts; Issues with memory (informal) Iconograpy:  Downturned sword; Lilies; Hanbok dress Feast Day:  May 24
Read more

St. Felix of Nola

Image
When I was converting to the Catholic faith, St. Felix was one of the first saints I learned about. Mostly because, as a horror writer and bug lover, I was Googling things like "spookiest Catholic saints".  Nonetheless, the scant details of St. Felix's life are an inspiration today, and a lesson about facing our fears and trusting in God. And it's just cool that there's a patron saint of spiders. Lifetime: ~200 to ~250 Region:  Nola, Campania, Italy Patronages:  Spiders; Against eye disease; Nola, Italy Iconograpy:  Spider or spider web; Prison chains; Grapes  Feast Day: January 14  Felix, in a refrain that is very common among early church saints, grew up wealthy, but sold off his estate and gave his money and possessions to the poor. He soon became the assistant to the local bishop Maximus (who himself would go on to be canonized as well). I don't want to gloss over that, though, just because it was common among the canon. Could you imagine growing up in...
Read more