My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This week the Church calls us to lift our eyes to the invisible army of heaven. On September 29th, Holy Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Archangels. And on October 2nd, just days later, we honor the Guardian Angels, those pure spirits appointed by God to guard each soul.
Angels are not myths, nor symbols, nor pleasant images for stained-glass windows. They are real. They are mighty. They are God’s messengers, guardians, and warriors. From the first pages of Sacred Scripture to the last trumpet of the Apocalypse, angels move through history, defending God’s people, carrying His word, and battling the powers of darkness.
Let us listen to the Word of God.
At the dawn of creation, after Adam and Eve were driven from Eden, God set angels to guard the way back:
“And he cast out Adam; and placed before the paradise of pleasure Cherubim, and a flaming sword, turning every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24).
When Israel journeyed through the desert, the Lord promised His angel to go before them:
“Behold, I will send my angel, who shall go before Thee, and keep thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the place that I have prepared” (Exodus 23:20).
The Book of Tobias gives us a glimpse of their hidden ministry:
“For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord” (Tobit 12:15).
The prophet Daniel was strengthened by angelic visitations:
“… And behold Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me … ” (Daniel 10:13).
In the Acts of the Apostles, angels rescue and strengthen God’s servants:
“But an angel of the Lord by night opening the doors of the prison, and leading them out, said: Go, and standing speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life” (Acts 5:19-20).
When St. Paul faced shipwreck, he testified:
“For an angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, stood by me this night, saying: Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar; and behold, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee” (Acts 27:23-24).
And in the last book of Scripture, the battle of heaven is revealed:
“And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels: And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world, and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Apocalypse 12:7-9).
Holy Mother Church has never wavered in proclaiming the reality of angels. The Baltimore Catechism teaches plainly:
“What are angels?” “Angels are created spirits, without bodies, having understanding and free will.” “Although angels are pure spirits, they can be seen by man when on special occasions God permits them to take on bodies or the appearance of bodies, which are visible to the human eye” (Baltimore Catechism, Lesson 4).
“Angels are ministers of God, appointed to guard, and protect us. They also by their intercession assist us in obtaining blessings from God” (Catechism of the Council of Trent, Part I, Article IX).
The great popes of tradition have lifted high the truth of the angels. Pope St. Gregory the Great explained:
“We speak of nine choirs of Angels, because we know, by the testimony of Holy Scripture, that there are the following: Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Dominations, Thrones, Cherubim, and Seraphim. Nearly every page of Scripture witnesses to the fact that there are Angels and Archangels. The prophetic books, as has been noted often, speak of Cherubim and Seraphim. Four more orders are enumerated by Paul the Apostle, writing to the Ephesians, when he says, ‘Above every Principality and Power and Virtue and Domination.” And again, writing to the Colossians, he says, ‘Whether Thrones, or Powers, or Principalities, or Dominations.’ When, then, we add the Thrones to those he mentions in Ephesians, there are five orders, to which are to be added Angels, Archangels, Cherubim and Seraphim, certainly making nine orders of Angels in all.”
After Mass on October 13, 1884, Pope Leo XIII had a startling vision. He saw the devil boasting before God that he could destroy the Church if given enough power and time. The Lord permitted him a century of greater influence. Shaken by this experience, Pope Leo went directly to his study and composed the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, calling on Heaven’s defender to protect the Church from the assaults of the enemy.
Two years later, in 1886 Pope Leo XIII ordered that this prayer, together with several others, be recited after Mass throughout the world. These prayers became known as the Leonine Prayers. The Holy Father intended them as a shield of protection for the Church, especially against the spread of evil and error.
Pope Leo himself was deeply devoted to the angels and saw clearly the reality of the spiritual battle. By establishing the prayer of St. Michael, he gave the faithful a powerful weapon – a fervent cry of trust in God’s mighty defender. This prayer sums up the mission of the Archangel; to defend us in battle, to cast into hell Satan and all the wicked spirits who roam through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
We honor Michael the warrior, Gabriel the herald, Raphael the healer – those mighty princes of heaven who guard the Church and carry out God’s great works in history. But the mystery of God’s providence does not stop with the Archangels alone. The same Lord who commands legions of angels also assigns to each one of us a faithful companion, unseen yet ever-present, a Guardian Angel who walks beside us. The Archangels defend the Church universal, but our Guardian Angels defend the sanctuary of the individual soul. After gazing at the hosts who battle the dragon and announce the Word, let us now turn to the quiet, hidden guardians who accompany our every step.
Our Lord Himself revealed this truth in the Gospel:
“See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).
The Church has always understood these words as a clear testimony that every soul is entrusted to the care of a Guardian Angel.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church proclaims that “from infancy to death human life is surrounded by their {angels’} watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God” (CCC, n. 336).
From birth to death, each of us is accompanied, defended, and inspired by a guardian angel. Saints like Gemma Galgani and Padre Pio bore witness to daily guidance from their angels, visible and active in their lives.
Brothers and sisters, in an age of disbelief and darkness, we need the angels more than ever. They are not pious legends; they are soldiers in God’s army. They defend the faithful, carry our prayers, strengthen our weakness, and wage war against Satan.
St. Michael still battles the dragon. St. Raphael still heals the afflicted. St. Gabriel still proclaims the Word of God. And our guardian angels still watch over us, even when we forget them.
I urge you, pray to your guardian angel daily. Teach your children the Guardian Angel prayer. Invoke St. Michael each morning and night. Ask St. Raphael for healing, St. Gabriel for courage to speak God’s truth, and St. Michael for protection in this time of grave battle.
Let us end with Pope Leo XIII’s prayer, as a rallying cry in our time:
St. 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 power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Brothers and sisters, trust your guardian angel. Call upon the archangels. And rejoice that God has given us this mighty heavenly company to walk beside us until we reach Him.
And now, I impart to you my blessing:
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
May His holy angels guard you in all your ways.
May St. Michael defend you,
St. Gabriel strengthen you,
And St. Raphael heal you.
And may Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Bishop Joseph E. Strickland
Bishop Emeritus
