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St Michael Guarding the Gate to Hell
1998
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| SAINT MICHAEL The teachings of the church about the world of spirits is constant and simple: there is such a world, it is important, it is comprised of good and evil beings and it influences our world. The very fact that we know our thought to be impure suggest we have, as it were, one foot in this greater world. Each angel, according to its degree, understands and manifests a more or less exalted idea which it has from God. The cherubim (they who shine) and seraphim (they who burn) are the highest in the angelic hierarchy, for they reflect the divine knowledge and love in which the Spirit is eternally breathed forth. Of the three angels who stand before the throne of God, Michael is described in the book of Revelations as God's commander-in-chief and the principle fighter of the war against the Devil (or dragon) and, in his dramatic confrontation with Satan, defeated an army of 133 million and hurled the fallen Angel down to Hell, bellowing "I am Michael, Who is like God!". He is "the great captian who is set over the best part of mankind" and charged with the care of all departed souls and shall assist with the judging on Judgment Day "for it is he who gave them the law" and may introduce them to the holy light. Michael is the principle character whose intercession and authority in Heaven is so powerful a force that souls can be rescued even from Hell. The Koran states that it was his tears which formed the cherubim. He is depicted as a winged warrior because he fights against the powers of darkness. Majestic in appearance, with a tremendous wingspan, Michael is described in the Koran as having wings the color of green emerald...covered with saffron hairs, each of them containing a million faces. Many visions of Michael have been reportedly seen. It is he who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, discoursed with Abraham, inspired Joan of Arc and wrested Moses' dead body from the Devil who felt the prophet belonged in Hell for killing an Egytpian. Michael became extremely popular after appearing on battlefields in Italy, France and England during various world wars. He defended a convent of nuns in England during the Reformation, protected a party of schoolgirls from robbers and vanquished the enemies of an Italian town by his use of lightning. In modern times, the Devil, seeking revenge on his old enemy, flew up to the earth, terrifying the workers of the church of St. Michael in Cornhill, England, and leaving his claw marks on the bells. At the end of the world, it is Michael who shall return to earth for his final battle with the AntiChrist. Feast day September 21 (Michaelmas Day) |
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