20230929 INTERMEDIARES OF GOD
29 September 2023, Friday, Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels
First reading |
Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 © |
His robe was white as snow
As I watched:
Thrones were set in place
and one of great age took his seat.
His robe was white as snow,
the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames,
its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out,
issuing from his presence.
A thousand thousand waited on him,
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A court was held
and the books were opened.
I gazed into the visions of the night.
And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away,
nor will his empire ever be destroyed.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 137(138):1-5 © |
In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.
I thank you, Lord, with all my heart:
you have heard the words of my mouth.
In the presence of the angels I will bless you.
I will adore before your holy temple.
In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.
I thank you for your faithfulness and love,
which excel all we ever knew of you.
On the day I called, you answered;
you increased the strength of my soul.
In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.
All earth’s kings shall thank you
when they hear the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the Lord’s ways:
‘How great is the glory of the Lord!’
In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps102:21 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts,
his servants who do his will.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 1:47-51 © |
You will see heaven laid open, and the Son of Man
When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael. ‘Before Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ And then he added ‘I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.’
INTERMEDIARES OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [DAN 7:9-10,13-14 (OR REV 12:7-12); JN 1:47-51]
We are living in an empirical world where nothing is real unless it can be seen and touched and felt. This is a world of matter. Human beings are reduced to merely matter like all other creatures and creation. In a world of secularization where the new gods are science and technology, the spiritual world does not exist. Belief in angels and devils and spirits are relegated to primitive superstitions. For this reason, few public officials or celebrities would dare to say that they believe in the spirit world. The denial of the spirits also leads to a denial of our identity as well. Since doing flows from being, man, who considers himself merely as a creature like the rest of the animal kingdom, acts and behaves like animals, since the meaning of life is reduced to enjoyment, eating, drinking and seeking sensual and earthly pleasures.
For this reason, the feast of the Archangels is important for Catholics to be reminded once again of their identity and role in life. It is therefore necessary from the outset to clarify the nature and office of the angels.
The word “angel” is a Greek word “angelos”, meaning messenger. It designates therefore a function or role, rather than nature. Angels are therefore seen in scriptures primarily as the messengers of God. God is transcendent in the Old Testament, so much so that the people feared Him and it was believed that no man could see Him and live. Being the King of the universe, He has His angels to serve Him and to carry out His will. Intermediaries are therefore needed to be a bridge to God. This accounts for the countless apparitions and appearances of angels in the Old Testament and at the beginning of the early Church. This intermediary role of the angels is captured in today’s gospel when Jesus said to Nathanael, “I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.” Conversely, after Christ, we hear less of angels and spirits because Christ already is our mediator between God and us.
With regard to the nature of angels, they are described as spiritual beings created by God with an intellect and will, just like us, except that they are without a body. They have a free will and they have extraordinary knowledge but it is not omniscient. Since they do not have a body, they can do things that human beings, constrained by the body, cannot do. Therefore, angels, being pure spirits, cannot be reducible to a force but they are personal beings like our souls. We can communicate with them. But they remain creatures. They are not gods. Because of this personal nature, they can also think and reject God. As they are pure intellect, their decision for or against God is done with full consent, and therefore irrevocable. Those who did so are called devils.
In the light of what has been said, we must therefore understand our nature before we can speak of our role on this earth. As human beings, we know that we are not merely matter, because we can think, choose, love and exercise our freedom. Although bounded by matter on this earth, our minds can transcend matter and time. We are embodied spirits. Only upon death is our soul released from the constraints of the body. However, we are created in such a way that we have a spirit and also a body. We are privileged to enjoy the pleasures of creation like the rest of the animal kingdom. That is why some of us behave worse than animals when it comes to sensual pleasures. We have no control over our appetites and desires. But because of our rational being, we can be like the spirits who enjoy intimacy with God. This is the greatness of man. He is called to communion with God and with his or her fellowmen. Thus, God is compassionate and forgiving towards us because we are ignorant and weak in so many ways due to our wounded nature, unlike the devils.
Flowing from our nature, we must ask about our roles on earth. The feast of the Archangels reminds us of three specific and major roles we must play like the archangels, namely, our battle against the kingdom of darkness, announcing the Good News and that of healing.
St Michael, whose name means “who is like God” is called to be the Defender. St Michael fought with the dragon, the devil and his angels. Like St Michael, we are called to fight against the snares of the Evil One as we read in the book of Revelation. (Rev 12:7-8) The battle against the kingdom of darkness is as real today as it was during the time of Christ. Only through the power and death of our Lord can we overcome the power of the Evil One. Like St Michael, we must strive for holiness so that we too can be like God. This is our way to fight against the evils of society. Most of all, we are called to defend the Church just as St Michael did by safeguarding the Church of Christ, the People of God. We must not allow Satan, as some do, to manipulate us to become traitors to the Church. Many Catholics by their counter witnessing and their lack of love drive people further away from God instead of bringing them to Him. Instead, we must be alert to the temptations of the Evil One.
St Gabriel means “God is the Mighty One.” He is the messenger of the Good News. He was God’s messenger to Daniel, interpreting his visions. He announced to Zechariah the birth of a child, and to Mary that she was chosen to be the mother of the Saviour. We too are called to be messengers of hope. Like St Gabriel who gave Mary the courage to persevere, we too must assist those who are walking in darkness by giving them hope. We are called to be heralds of the Good News. We too must give strength to others who are weak in their spiritual journey.
Finally, from St Raphael, we are called to be healers. His name means “God Heals.” Just as he accompanied Tobias on his journey as a healer, we too must not just announce the Good News. We need to be healers through our empathy, forgiveness, kindness and generosity. Like St Raphael, we are called to deliver our people from oppression, fear and all illnesses.
But we cannot be like God, or be strong enough to announce the Good News to a hostile world, or be healers when we are so broken ourselves unless we, like the angels, also ascend to God before we descend to earth. In other words, as messengers, we need to be connected with God at all times. As His servants, we must report to God daily to receive His instructions before we go on our battles. Without receiving His orders and empowered by Him, we cannot be effective commanders or great messengers and powerful healers. Like the angels we are reminded to sing praises and bring the prayers of our people to the Lord in His court. With the psalmist we must pray daily, “I thank you, Lord, with all my heart: you have heard the words of my mouth. In the presence of the angels I will bless you. I will adore before your holy temple. I thank you for your faithfulness and love, which excel all we ever knew of you. On the day I called, you answered; you increased the strength of my soul.”
In this way, we become the intermediaries of God to the world. Like the priest who is called to be the bridge and the mediator between God and man, so too is the work of every person. May our lives reflect the glory and the goodness of God! This is what the psalmist says, “All earth’s kings shall thank you when they hear the words of your mouth. They shall sing of the Lord’s ways: ‘How great is the glory of the Lord!'”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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