On November 8, our Church celebrates the Feast of the Synaxis (assembly in honor of) the Archangel Michael and all the Heavenly Bodiless Powers. This includes ALL the angels, such as Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Selaphiel, Jehudiel, Barachiel, and Jeremiel, as well as our own dear guardian angels. The Church established this feast in the fourth century at the Council of Laodicia, before the first Ecumenical Council. This council established the fact that, although it is proper to venerate the angels and ask them for their heavenly assistance, we must in no way worship them as gods. The feast was placed in the month of November to commemorate the nine heavenly choirs of angels, because November was the ninth month at that time, the new year starting in March. The eighth day was chosen for a symbolic meaning also. The “eighth day” referred to the Day of the Dread Last Judgment, according to the holy fathers, when after this age which is characterized by seven days of creation, scripture tells us that “the Son of Man shall come in His Glory and all the holy Angels with Him" (Mt. 25:31).
First of all we understand that the angels were created by God.
Colossians 1:16-18 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
According to St. Gregory the Great, He created 9 choirs or “levels” of angels, which St. Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologia, divided into 3 groups:
1. Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones;
2. The Dominations, Virtues, and Powers;
3. The Principalities, Archangels, and Angels.
These are the characteristics of each of the nine choirs:
The six-winged SERAPHIM (meaning Flaming, Fiery) (Is 6:12) stand closest of all to the Most Holy Trinity. They blaze with love for God and kindle such love in others.
The many-eyed CHERUBIM (outpouring of wisdom, enlightenment) (Gen 3:24) stand before the Lord after the Seraphim. They are radiant with the light of knowledge of God, and knowledge of the mysteries of God. Through them wisdom is poured forth, and people's minds are enlightened so they may know God and behold His glory.
THRONES (Col 1:16) stand after the Cherubim, mysteriously and incomprehensibly bearing God through the grace given them for their service. They are ministers of God's justice, giving to tribunals, kings, etc. the capacity for righteous judgment.
DOMINIONS (Col 1:16) hold dominion over the angels subject to them. They instruct the earthly authorities, established by God, to rule wisely, and to govern their lands well. The Dominions teach us to subdue sinful impulses, to subject the flesh to the spirit, to master our will, and to conquer temptation.
POWERS (1 Pet 3:22) fulfill the will of God without hesitation. They work great miracles and give the grace of wonderworking and clairvoyance to saints pleasing to God. The Powers assist people in fulfilling obediences. They also encourage them to be patient, and give them spiritual strength and fortitude.
AUTHORITIES (1 Pet 3:22, Col 1:16) have authority over the devil. They protect people from demonic temptations, and prevent demons from harming people as they would wish. They also uphold ascetics and guard them, helping people in the struggle with evil thoughts.
PRINIPALITIES (Col 1:16) have command over the lower angels, instructing them in the fulfilling of God's commands. They watch over the world and protect lands, nations and peoples. Principalities instruct people to render proper honor to those in authority, as befits their station. They teach those in authority to use their position, not for personal glory and gain, but to honor God, and to spread word of Him, for the benefit of those under them.
ARCHANGELS (1 Thess 4:16) are messengers of great and wondrous tidings. They reveal prophecies and the mysteries of the faith. They enlighten people to know and understand the will of God, they spread faith in God among the people, illuminating their minds with the light of the Holy Gospel.
ANGELS (1 Pet 3:22) are in the lowest rank of the heavenly hierarchy, and closest to people. They reveal the lesser mysteries of God and His intentions, guiding people to virtuous and holy life. They support those who remain steadfast, and they raise up the fallen. They never abandon us and they are always prepared to help us, if we desire it.
Although each choir of angels is unique and specific in its tasks, all are referred to as angels. The Lord has appointed the Archangel Michael to be Chief Commander of them all. His name means “who is like unto God” and he is referred to many times in the Old Testament. Tradition tells us that it was St. Michael who cast Lucifer and his followers out of heaven when they would not serve God’s will.
Revelation 12:6-12 7And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon The dragon and his angels waged war, 8and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12"For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time."
Isaiah 14:12-15 12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” 15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.
Lucifer was cast out of heaven, yet he still remains an angel, with all the abilities and characteristics he had before, but with a different disposition of the will.
2 Corinthians 11:14 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
2 Peter 2:3, 9 4For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and )committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; … 9then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
Jude 1:6 6And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,
After Lucifer’s fall, St. Michael rallied the remaining angels and prompted them to remain holy and pleasing to God. St. Michael was also the one to lead the Israelites from Egypt during the Exodus, going before them in the form of a pillar of cloud and fire. He appeared with the three youths in the fiery furnace , transported Habbakuk from Judea to Babylon, gave food to Daniel in the den of the lion, and disputed with the devil over the body of Moses in the book of Jude.
Jude 1:9 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
In this verse, St. Michael surely gives us an example of humility. Here he is, the mightiest angel, reserving his own judgment, and deferring to God!
Scripture also tells us that each one of us is given a guardian angel to guard and protect us and to guide us to God.
Psalm 34:7 7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him and he delivers them.
Psalm 91:11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you To guard you in all your ways
Matthew 18:10 10 See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
We also know from Scripture that the angels have a special duty to help us and protect us and deliver the elect from the chaos at the end of this age, and that it is possible that some of us have met angels in our daily lives and have not even realized it!
Matthew 13:49 So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,
Hebrews 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
Have you ever seen an angel? This verse proves that you just might have! Each of us has his own guardian angel, a lifelong friend who was created before all time and space. He was there at your birth, your baptism, your first Communion and Confession. He saw your most joyous moment and was there to comfort you on your saddest day. He saw each sin you ever committed, and most likely, he cried. We must not forget that he was also there at the fall of Lucifer, tempted to pride as he was, but your angel overcame it. He saw his brother angel fall from heaven “as lightning” like Jesus said. He did not follow. He remained steadfast. Thank him for his faithfulness to God. Let him know that you appreciate his loyalty to God, and his loyalty to you! Pray to your angel often, because most often people forget them, ignore them and even insult them by their thoughts and actions. Do not forget that they see all you do. They must, for that is precisely their job. If you establish a relationship with this angelic friend, he can more effectively guide you and gain for you, through his intercession with God, all kinds of graces, so that you can most speedily and surely gain the perfection of spirit that God intends for you.
The following is an excerpt from the lesson plans I have written over the years to teach my children about salvation history. It is for a Jesse Tree, a type of Christmas tree done during the season of Philipovka, where for 40 days we read excerpts from the Scriptures, particularly the Old Testament, and discuss them. Then we make a little ornament to commemorate the story and hang it on our tree. We begin with creation, and end on Christmas day with the birth of the Savior. On the second day, we hang lights on our tree and discuss the heavenly beings of light.
When I was a little girl, my younger brother went home to live with Jesus one day. Although he had been sick from birth, on the day he left us we were surprised and unprepared for the loss. The next morning, my sisters and I woke to find our mother grief-stricken and we ran to her to console her and remind her that she had not lost everyone. But we knew too well that none of us could replace that one who was lost. We could only try to fill the hole in her heart with our love and let her know that we were still there with her. This must be something like the sadness that God must have felt at the loss of His precious angels on that sad but fateful day. He had created each and every one of them, knew them and loved them, and intended them to be with Him in heaven forever. They deserted Him. At least my family had the comfort of knowing that we would joyously meet my brother again someday, but the Heavenly Father’s loss would be eternal. We must rush to console Him every time we, or those we observe in the course of our day, have chosen to disappoint the Father by choosing sinful behavior.
I love to contemplate the angels during an especially beautiful snowfall. I think of how each snowflake is crafted by God and like the angels, and like us, no two are exactly alike. I think of the vast number of snowflakes that fall and how it must resemble what it looked like the day the disobedient angels fell from heaven. Your own guardian angel was there that day. He saw the whole thing. Be grateful to him that he remained to defend and console God. Tell him in prayer how proud of him you are and how happy you are that he remained faithful to take such good care of you!
To remember this, let’s make some paper snowflakes by folding and cutting some white paper and hang them on the Jesse tree today.
Make a Natural Angel
Collect a pinecone, two milkweed pods, an acorn, a chenille pipe cleaner, and a golf tee. Using a hot glue gun,(Moms need to be on high alert here...my eleven year olds are quite experienced at using these, but little ones will need to understand that this is DEFINITELY not a job for them!) arrange the angel as follows. The pinecone becomes the body; the acorn, the head. The milkweed pods are glued to the back as wings. Wrap the chenille wire around the pinecone to form arms and entwine them around the golf tee as if he was holding a trumpet. Last but not least, spray paint the whole thing silver or gold, and using gold thread, add a loop for hanging.
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