A Homily for The Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Rafael, Archangels
Monday, September 29, 2025
St. Anne Catholic Church – 8:00 Mass
Revelation 12:7-12ab; Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5; John 1:47-51
Audio Recording
Today the Church celebrates Michaelmas — the feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the great archangels. In Christian history, this day was once marked with joy and solemnity throughout Europe. Fields were blessed, harvests brought in, and people were reminded of the invisible presence of God’s mighty angels, who are always at work for the salvation of souls.
Michaelmas is more than a quaint tradition — it is a reminder that the spiritual realm is not far away, but surrounds us here and now. In fact, it is more real than the world we touch with our senses, because it is eternal. What we see in front of us passes away, but the spiritual world endures forever.
Our first reading from Revelation reveals this hidden battle: Michael and his angels fight against the dragon, Satan, and his fallen hosts. The powers of evil are real. They are not fairy tales, nor are they simply symbols of human weakness. Scripture is clear — the devil and his angels exist, and their one desire is to destroy us by turning our hearts from God toward sin. This is why St. Peter warns us that “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Evil spirits hate us because we bear the image of God, and because we are destined, if faithful, to take the places they forfeited in heaven.
Against such powerful enemies, God gives us help. St. Michael the Archangel is our great defender. His very name — Mikha’el — means “Who is like God?” Every time Michael casts down the devil, he proclaims this truth: that no creature, no matter how strong, can rival the Creator. We call upon St. Michael to help us defeat vice and grow in virtue. Where the enemy tempts us to pride, Michael leads us to humility. Where the enemy tries to discourage us, Michael gives courage. Where the enemy whispers despair, Michael reminds us that the Blood of the Lamb that has already conquered sin and death.
And God’s providence is even more personal. Each one of us has been entrusted to the care of a guardian angel. On Thursday, the Church celebrates their memorial, but today it is good to recall that each of us has a heavenly protector at our side. Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew’s gospel that the angels of little ones always look upon the face of His Father in heaven (Matthew 18:10). From the moment of our birth until our final breath, our guardian angel defends us, inspires us, warns us, and prays for us.
Think of it: at every moment of your life, there is an angel at your side, completely devoted to helping you reach heaven! This is not pious imagination — it is revealed truth. The angels are real, the battle is real, and our need for help is real.
Finally, in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells Nathanael that he will see heaven opened, with the angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. That vision is fulfilled in the risen Christ, who is the ladder between heaven and earth. The angels serve Him, and they serve us because we belong to Him.
So on this wonderful feast day let us rejoice. Though the devil is strong, he has been cast down. Though the battle continues, the victory is already assured through the Blood of the Lamb. We are not left to fight alone. We have Saint Michael and the mighty host of heaven at our side. We have our guardian angels to guide us. And above all, we have Christ interceding for us at the right hand of the Father.
Let us always walk in faith, confident that the invisible world is more real than what we see, and that one day, if we persevere, we will join the angels and saints in singing forever: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts.”
Amen? God bless you.