Give thanks for St. Michael and the angels who fight for you.
The Christian Church recently celebrated the festival of St. Michael and All Angels. It's one of my favorite days of the church year with a rich history. We were reminded of Michael's work with a reading from Revelation:
Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him (Rev. 12:7-9).
We don't think about angels and demons, heaven and hell as much as we used to in the Christian Church. We forget that we're part of a great drama of which we're often unaware. Forgetting something, however, doesn't make it go away.
Even unbelief doesn't necessarily negate validity. One Sunday in the parish, I joked that someone might say they can't go to hell because they don't believe in it, but if I were to say I didn't believe in Ohio, I would still end up there if I drove south on I-75. Michiganders, of course, have a great rivalry with Ohio. I didn't mean to be too controversial. Of all Sundays, however, that was the Sunday we had an Ohian with us. They took it well, and I told them I was glad they got out. Whether or not my joke was a good one, the point remains true. Not believing in something doesn't make it go away.
The crowds of Jesus day believed in demons and they believed in hell. Again and again in the Gospels, we see the devil and his demons thwarted and cast out. Perhaps those people of old were better off than us in this regard. A known enemy is easier to defend against or confront. The enemy prefers to be off our radar.
In this passage from St. Luke's Gospel, seventy-two of Jesus' disciples returned with joy after having been sent out to get a taste of ministry. They rejoiced because even the demons submitted to them in Jesus' name. They rejoiced to see demons confounded. And yet, Jesus told them that he'd seen something even greater: he saw Satan fall from heaven. He told them there was something even more amazing than that, too: their names were written in heaven.
The holy angels marvel at the gospel; the evil angels hate it.
That's what gets the devil's goat, too. We have something he can't have. We have heaven. And we have heaven because, when we fell, God became man to save us. He didn't do that for Satan and the demons. He created hell for them, not us. That's the difference between the good angels and the evil ones: the holy angels marvel at the gospel; the evil angels hate it.
Satan has already lost. He's been fatally, eternally wounded. But a wounded animal is a dangerous animal. It thrashes and growls and snaps. It lashes out. We do well, then, not to mess around. The devil might be a chained dog, but he can do real harm if you play in his yard.
Your name is written in heaven. It's written there because that's where you belong, where God is bringing you. The road, however, is treacherous. Whether you forget them or not, there are spiritual enemies who would see your victory undone. Thankfully, however, there are also holy angels determined to stop them. The dragon knows he can't win, but madness does mad things, and so he fights nonetheless.
Give thanks for St. Michael and the angels who fight for you. Even more, give thanks for Christ, who has written your name in heaven and done everything necessary to bring you there. Of all the things to rejoice over, none is worthier than that. Amen.
