Homily One for the Day of the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers
By St. Innocent of Kherson
By St. Innocent of Kherson
Those who celebrate in honor of eminent and beneficent persons find it most natural and pleasant, during the celebration, to speak among themselves about those persons. Therefore, brethren, I also intend to converse with you today about the Holy Archangels. Their sacred images are always before our eyes in this church, which is dedicated to their name; but they are placed at such a height that many can scarcely raise their eyes toward them and are unable to distinguish all that sets the image of each Archangel apart. Therefore, this sermon may serve as a useful addition and explanation, for your hearing, of what your eyes always behold here. Only, brethren, do not expect from me on this occasion any personal speculations about the angelic world. From this holy place, only that which the word of God and the accounts of those divinely wise men reveal to us concerning the Angels should be heard—those men whom the Church itself rightly calls "conversers with Angels."
The persons whom the Church honors today are called Archangels, or chief and first among the Angels, because they are the leaders and commanders of the angelic ranks. For even in heaven, brethren, notwithstanding the mutual love, joy, and blessedness of all and each, there is nevertheless no such equality as some, in their utter foolishness, seek on earth. There, too, some rule and preside, while others obey and follow. Essential and complete equality exists only among the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Although the number of Angels is exceedingly great, thousands upon thousands, as Scripture expresses it, there are only seven Archangels. “I am ... one of the seven holy Angels,” the Archangel Raphael said to the righteous Tobit, “who present the prayers of the saints and enter before the glory of the Holy One” (Tobit 12:15). And Saint John, in his wondrous Apocalypse, after proclaiming grace and peace to the churches “from Him Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come,” then pronounces a blessing “from the seven Spirits who are before His throne” (Revelation 1:4). Why are there only seven chief Angels, neither fewer nor more? This is a mystery of creation, known to the Lord and Creator of the Angels. We can only observe with reverence, in this instance, that the number seven constitutes one of the principal laws governing the origin and existence of created beings, both in the spiritual world and in the material world. For whether we look upon the kingdom of grace, we find the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit and the seven Mysteries. Or whether we look upon the kingdom of nature, we find the seven rays of light, the seven tones of sound, the seven days of creation, and so forth.
Of the seven supreme spirits, the Holy Church recognizes Michael as the first. Therefore, the present feast is called the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers. “Who is like God?”—this is the meaning of his name; and “Who is like God?” is also expressed by all his deeds. He was the first to rise against Lucifer when the latter rose up against the Almighty. It is well known how that first terrible battle ended: with the casting down of the Morning Star from heaven. Since then, Michael has never ceased to wage war for the glory of the Creator and Lord of all things, for the work of the salvation of the human race, and for the Church and her children. For this reason, he is always depicted in a militant form, with a spear or sword in his hand and the dragon, that is, the spirit of evil, beneath his feet. The white banner adorning the top of his spear signifies the unchanging purity and unwavering faithfulness of the Angels to the King of Heaven, while the cross with which the spear is crowned makes known that the battle against the kingdom of darkness, and victory over it, are accomplished by the Archangels themselves in the name of the Cross of Christ, and are accomplished through patience, humility, and self-denial. Therefore, those who are adorned with the name of the first of the Archangels should most appropriately distinguish themselves by zeal for the glory of God, faithfulness to the King of Heaven and to earthly kings, an unceasing struggle against vice and impiety, and constant humility and self-denial.
The second place in the ranks of the Angels belongs to Gabriel, a name meaning “the strength of God.” Since, among the inhabitants of heaven, a name always expresses the very nature of the one who bears it, this Archangel appears, in his service to the salvation of mankind, especially as the herald and minister of the omnipotence of God. Thus, when the power of God was to be revealed through the miraculous conception of the Forerunner by elderly parents, the announcement of this conception was entrusted to Gabriel. And when the conception of the Son of God Himself without seed was to take place, the honor of proclaiming this good tidings again fell to Gabriel. According to the opinion of divinely wise men, this same Archangel was sent to strengthen the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane and to announce to the Mother of God her most honorable Dormition. Therefore, the Church calls him the minister of miracles. But, by serving miracles, he is for that very reason also a special minister of the mysteries of God, for one implies the other. Thus, when it was once necessary to reveal future events to the Prophet Daniel, he heard the voice: “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision” (Daniel 8:16).
Having in view this ministry of Gabriel, the Holy Church sometimes depicts him holding in his hand a branch from Paradise, which he brought to the Mother of God, and sometimes with a lantern in his right hand, within which a candle burns, and a mirror of jasper in his left. He is depicted with a mirror because Gabriel is the messenger of God's decrees concerning the salvation of the human race. He is depicted with a candle in a lantern because the decrees of God remain hidden until the time of their fulfillment, and, even after their fulfillment, are understood only by those who steadfastly gaze into the mirror of the word of God and of their own conscience. Thus, those who bear the name of Gabriel should be distinguished by that faith in God for which, according to the word of the Savior Himself, nothing is impossible (Mark 9:23). And they, above all, should be spared the punishment that this Archangel once had to impose upon the father of the Forerunner because of his lack of faith (Luke 1:20).
Raphael, meaning “the help and healing of God,” is the name of the third Archangel—a name especially dear to all who suffer. In Holy Scripture there is an entire book describing how this Archangel, in the form of a man, accompanied the righteous Tobias, delivered his bride from an evil spirit, restored the sight of his elderly father, Tobit, and then ascended from them into heaven. Therefore, this Archangel is depicted holding a medicinal vessel in his left hand and leading Tobias with his right. The words spoken by this Archangel when he took leave of the family of Tobit are most instructive.
“Prayer with fasting and almsgiving and righteousness is good,” Raphael declared, “...for almsgiving delivers from death and cleanses every sin... When you and your daughter-in-law Sarah prayed, I presented the remembrance of your prayer before the Holy One; and when you buried the dead, I was likewise present with you; and when you did not hesitate to rise and leave your meal in order to go and cover the dead, you did not escape my notice as you performed this good deed, but I was with you” (Tobit 12:8–9, 12–13). Therefore, whoever wishes to be deemed worthy of the heavenly help of Raphael must first of all be merciful toward those who suffer. The merciful are themselves the first to receive mercy. All the more, then, should the virtue of mercy and compassion distinguish those who bear the name of Raphael; otherwise, they will have no spiritual bond with the Archangel.
The fourth Archangel is depicted with a sword turned toward his breast and a flame descending downward in his left hand. His name is Uriel, meaning “the light or fire of God.” As the Angel of light, he enlightens human minds through the revelation of truths that are beneficial to them; as the Angel of divine fire, he sets hearts aflame with love for God and consumes within them impure earthly attachments. Therefore, this is your Archangel, you who have devoted yourselves to the sciences! How comforting it should be for you to know that your nightly vigils and labors in gathering knowledge are illuminated not merely by the elemental flickering of a lamp, but also by the light from the torch of the Archangel. And here, surely, is the source of many truly useful and great discoveries in the realm of the sciences—those discoveries of which their very authors observe that they came to mind suddenly, as though through a revelation from above. Is it surprising that sudden illuminations from above should come, when there is a special Archangel of light and knowledge?
What, however, may one expect from this heavenly teacher? Revelations of the mysteries of nature that exceed our reason and our needs? Foreknowledge of future events, or something of that kind? No, this is not the Archangel's task. Listen to what Uriel answered a certain pious but excessively inquisitive man when, in the fervor of his passion for knowledge, he wished to learn from him the mystery of divine governance of the world. The Archangel did not refuse to answer his questions, but required that Ezra, for that was the man's name, first do one of three things for him: weigh the flame of fire, indicate the beginning of the wind, or bring back the day that had passed. When Ezra admitted that he could not do these things, the Archangel said:
“If I had asked you, saying: How many dwellings are there in the heart of the sea, or how many springs are there at the beginning of the abyss, or how many veins are there above the firmament of heaven, or what are the boundaries of Paradise, perhaps you would have answered me: I have not descended into the abyss, nor have I yet gone down into Hades, nor have I ever ascended into heaven. But now I have asked you only about fire, wind, and the day in which you have lived, and without these things you cannot exist; yet you have answered me nothing about them. You cannot understand the things that are your own and have grown up with you; how, then, can your vessel contain the ways of the Most High?” (3 Esdras 4:7–11).
Take note of this lesson, you who devote yourselves to the sciences, and do not forget, following the example of your Archangel, to be ministers not only of the light of truth, but also of the fire of divine love. “Knowledge ... puffs up,” but “love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1).
The fifth Archangel is the chief minister of prayer, and is called Salaphiel. Pure and fervent prayer can itself serve as a Cherub for the soul, protecting it from all hostile powers. But what are our prayers like? Weak, brief, impure, and cold. And so the Lord, knowing how necessary prayer is for each one of us, has granted us an entire rank of Angels of prayer, with Salaphiel as their leader, so that by the inspiration of their pure lips they may warm our cold hearts and move them to prayer; so that they may instruct us about what, when, and how we should pray; and so that they may carry our very offerings up to the throne of grace. When you see, brethren, an Archangel depicted on an icon standing in a posture of prayer, with his eyes lowered and his hands reverently placed upon his breast, know that this is Salaphiel. And when you see the Archangel of prayer himself in this posture, strive to maintain yourselves, during prayer, in a posture appropriate to one who is praying. I say appropriate, for many do not even do this. When one sees how some among us pray, one might think that they are not making requests, but issuing commands and threats to the One from whom they are asking. Is this prayer?!
The sixth Archangel holds a golden crown in his right hand and a whip made of three scarlet cords in his left. This is because the duty of this Archangel, together with the rank of Angels entrusted to him, is to encourage people who labor in various kinds of service for the glory of God by rewarding them with eternal blessings, and to protect them in the name of the Holy Trinity and by the power of the Cross of Christ. For this reason, he is called Jegudiel, or “the praise of God.” There are no people among us who bear this name. For this reason, each one of us, from the youngest to the oldest, is obliged to live and labor for the glory of God. And whenever anyone truly labors for this purpose, it cannot be otherwise than that he encounters various obstacles. For on our sinful earth, among us sinful people, no good work is accomplished without labor, and many require great and arduous effort. What of it? The Lord and our Master is not unjust so as to forget any of our good deeds or any labor of love performed in His name (Hebrews 6:10). The greater the struggle, the higher and brighter the reward: for the soldier who, in time of war, does not spare his life for the Church and the Fatherland; for the civil governor who, in time of peace, “wrongs no one and is content with his wages” (Luke 3:14); for the city ruler who neither slumbers nor sleeps while guarding the city entrusted to him; for the judge who firmly holds the scales of justice and judges without partiality toward the orphan and the humble; for the master of a household who sets an example of the fear of God for his family; and for the servant who bears his lot with faith and patience.
The last Archangel—the last in order, but not in dignity or power—is given by the divinely wise teachers of the Church the name Barachiel. This is the Angel of God's blessings, as his name signifies and as is expressed by the manner in which he is represented on holy icons, for he is depicted with many rose-colored flowers in the folds of his garment. Since God's blessings are varied, the ministry of this Archangel is also manifold: through him the blessing of household members and of family order is sent; through him the blessing of the fruits of the earth is received; and through him people are deemed worthy of blessed success in trade and in other affairs of daily life. But under what circumstances are they deemed worthy of these blessings? Without doubt, when they wish to receive earthly blessings in order to acquire heavenly and eternal blessings: when, for example, they desire to have children so that they may raise them in the fear of God; when they hope for an abundance of the fruits of the earth so that they may share them with the poor, who are wasting away from hunger; when they seek an increase in their income so that they may be able to adorn the temple of God, care for an orphan, redeem an innocent debtor, and do similar things. Otherwise, the Lord will not send the blessing, nor will the Archangel bring it. How is it, then, you lovers of the world may ask, that people who have completely forgotten God sometimes enjoy all the gifts of earthly fortune? For the unrepentant, this is a gift of wrath, not of divine love. The minister of these gifts is not the Archangel, but the ruler of the darkness of this age, who dared to say to the Son of God Himself: “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me!” (Matthew 4:9).
Such is the Synaxis of the Archangels! Such is their relationship to us and to our salvation! For what they are in their supremely heavenly power, beauty, and majesty is not given to us to know now. We shall behold it when we are deemed worthy to stand at the right hand of the throne of God and to enter into the very assembly of the Angels. I say “enter,” for, according to the understanding of many teachers of the Church, man was created—and, all the more, recreated—for this very purpose: to make up, in the assembly of the Angels, the deficiency that arose when Lucifer and his host fell away from their radiant ranks.
Therefore, as we celebrate the Synaxis of the Archangels and Angels, brethren, we must also reflect upon our future gathering with them. One of two things is inevitable: we must, absolutely must, be either in the Synaxis of the Angels or among the multitude of rejected spirits. Who could choose the latter? But if we desire the former, we must prepare ourselves in advance for life together with the Angels by acquiring angelic thoughts and feelings. For both on earth, and all the more in heaven, only those live in peace and constant communion who strive toward one and the same goal and are animated by one and the same Spirit. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
