THE WORD AND THE FEAST
September 29, 2020: Celebrating the Archangels - MGR
Daniel 7: 9-10, 13-14 (or) Revelations 12: 7-12; John 1: 47-51
Celebrating the Archangels today gives us two lessons - To See the Angels and Be the Angels:
Celebrating Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (MGR) gives us an opportunity once again to remind ourselves of the significance of the angels within the Christian tradition. Angels in the Old Testament were considered the extensions of God... when the angels came, they said, 'the Lord visited' them: take the case of the visitors to Abraham (Gen 18) or the case of Jacob fighting with the man of God (Gen 32) etc. Michael, as the strength of God; Gabriel as the messenger of God and Raphael as the healing of God, is a well known understanding of the Angels and their functions.
To see the angels, is to see the hand of God at work in our everyday experiences, not to be blind to the daily miracles that happen around us. It is a special grace to perceive it and God is active on our side all the time; it is left to us to acknowledge it and gain the advantages of it.
To be the angels, is to be extensions of God's presence to the others, to be extensions of God's love to the others. When we stand by someone in trouble, when we side with the oppressed and the victimised, when we speak out for the truth and bring God's message to people, when we empathise with those who are suffering and bring healing to them, we are being angels to those persons. That is our call, to be angels to the others, specially the needy and the weak.
As we thank God for a special presence that God makes us feel, let us also resolve to experience that presence and be that presence to the others, in short, to see Angels and to be Angels, to the needy!
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