I Will Sing Your Praises

September 29, 2008

Feast of Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael

By Beth DeCristofaro

In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord. (Psalm 138:1)

Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” (John 1:48)

Piety

O God, who dost establish the ministry of angels and men in a wonderful order, graciously grant that Thy holy angels, who ever serve Thee in heaven, may also protect our lives on earth. Liturgical Prayer

Study

There is so much more to Jesus than meets the eye. His knowledge of Nathaniel’s devotion (tradition holds that Nathaniel was reading scripture under the fig tree) causes Nathaniel to make an incredible leap beyond himself and proclaim Jesus’ divinity. “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel. (John 1: 49) And, as with each of his disciples, Jesus sees something so much more in Nathaniel, calling him to a life and a promise beyond what this Galilean had ever expected. Jesus’ promise is also more than meets the eye. Not just a life following a wandering teacher, Jesus offers an image that hearkens back to the ancestors of their faith – a vision like that of Jacob’s ladder: "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man (John 1:51)." The image, rooted in a divine covenant, opens up into the new reality that the awaited Messiah has come and the covenant is fulfilled.

There is so much more than meets the eye, Jesus promises. Angels, messengers, bearing the word of the divine, have brought this message throughout human history. Jesus offers this vision and thus links his disciples to the more-than-meets-the-eye reality that God’s presence is in the Kingdom unfolding on earth. We are called to look beyond what meets the eye as well. We are called to build that Kingdom of God here, to extend the reach of the disciples and continue the message of the angels.

Action

The Archangel Michael is the guardian angel of the kingdom of Christ on earth; how am I actively letting the kingdom into the world through my actions? Am I a messenger of Christ’s presence?

Raphael traveled with Tobit and, according to tradition, stirred the waters of the healing pool at Bethsaida. How do I seek to bring healing to those around me?

Gabriel was the messenger of the Incarnation; how do I incarnate the love of God within my life?