My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
On the 8th of November, Our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates
the Holy Archangel MICHAEL AND ALL THE BODILESS POWERS
OF HEAVEN.
Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn. Fourth Tone
SUPREME Commander of the Host of the Heavens, we, the
unworthy, importune and beseech you that by your supplications
ye encircle us in the shelter of the wings of you immaterial glory,
guarding us who now fall down and cry to you with fervour:
Deliver us from dangers of all kinds, as the great marshals of
the heavenly hosts on high.
Kontakion Hymn. Second Tone
SUPREME Commanders of God and ministers of the Divine glory,
guides of men and leaders of the bodiless hosts: As for what is to
our profit and for great mercy, since ye are Supreme Commanders
of the bodiless hosts.
Epistle Lesson of Feast. Hebrews 2:2-10
Brethren, if the message declared by Angels was valid and every transgression or
disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a
great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those
who heard Him, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various
miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will. For it was
not to Angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has
been testified somewhere, "What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of
man, that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the Angels, you have
crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet."
Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control.
As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see Jesus, Who
was made a little lower than the Angels, crowned with glory and honor because of
the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for every one.
For it was fitting that He, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many
sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.
The Angels of God have been commemorated by men from the earliest times, but this commemoration often degenerates into the divinization of Angels (IV Kings 23:5; A.V. II Kings). Heretics always wove fantasies round the Angels. Some of them saw the Angels as gods and others, if they did not so regard them, took them to be the creators of the whole visible world. The local Council in Laodicea, that was held in the 4th century, rejected in its 35th Canon the worship of Angels as gods, and established the proper VENERATION of them. In the time of Pope Sylvester of Rome and the Alexandrian Patriarch Alexander, in the 4th century, this Feast of the Archangel Michael and the other heavenly powers was instituted, to be celebrated in November. Why in November? Because November is the 9th Month of March. The Ninth Month after March was chosen because of the NINE ORDERS OF ANGELS THAT WERE THE FIRST CREATED BEINGS. Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, a Disciple of the Apostle Paul (that Apostle who was caught up to the Third Heaven), writes of these Nine Orders in his book: ‘Celestial Hierarchies.’ These Orders are as follows: SIX-WINGED SERAPHIM, MANY-EYED CHERUBIM, GODLY THRONES, DOMINIONS, VIRTUES, POWERS, PRINCIPALITIES, ARCHANGELS AND ANGELS. The Leaders of the whole Angelic Army is the Archangel MICHAEL. When Satan, Lucifer, fell away from God, and carried half the angels with him to destruction, then Michael arose and cried to the UNFALLEN ANGELS: "LET US GIVE HEED! LET US STAND ARIGHT; LET US STAND WITH FEAR!" and THE WHOLE ANGELIC ARMY SANG ALOUD: "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY LORD GOD OF SABAOTH; HEAVEN AND EARTH ARE FULL OF THY GLORY!" [See on the Archangel Michael: Joshua 5:13-15 and Jude v. 9). Among the Angels thee rules A PERFECT UNITY OF MIND, OF SOUL AND OF AGAPE, OF TOTAL OBEDIENCE OF THE LESSER POWERS TO THE GREATER AND FOR ALL TO THE HOLY WILL OF GOD. Each Nation has its Guardian Angel, as DOES EACH INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIAN. We must keep in mind that WHATEVER WE DO, OPENLY OR IN SECRET, WE DO IN THE PRESENCE OF OUR GUARDIAN ANGEL AND THAT, ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT, A GREAT MULTITUDE OF THE HOLY ANGELS OF HEAVEN WILL BE GATHERED AROUND THE THRONE OF CHRIST, AND TEH THOUGHTS, WORDS, AND DEEDS OF EVERY PERSON WILL BE LAID BARE BEFORE THEM. May God have mercy on us and save us at the prayers of the Holy Archangel Michael and all the Bodiless powers of Heaven. Amen. (Prologue from Ochrid)
All the Angels, according to the Holy Apostle Paul, are ministering spirits, "sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation" (Hebrews 1:14). God set them as overseers of every Nation and people, and guides to that which is profitable (Deuteronomy 12:8); and while one Angel is appointed to oversee each Nation as a whole, one is also appointed to protect each Christian individually. He commands them to guard them that hope on Him, that nothing should harm them, neither should any evil draw nigh to their dwelling (Psalm 90:19-12). In the Heavens they always behold the face of God, sending up to Him the Thrice-Holy Hymn and interceding with Him in our behalf, seeing they rejoice over one sinner that repents (Isaiah 6:2-3; Matthew 18:10; Luke 15:7). In a word, they have served God in so many ways for our benefit, that the pages of Holy Scripture are filled with the histories thereof. It is for these reasons that the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church, wisely honouring these divine ministers, OUR PROTECTORS AND GUARDIANS, celebrate today the present SYNAXIS, THAT IS, OUR COMING TOGETHER IN ASSEMBLY FOR THEIR COMMON FEAST TO CHANT THEIR PRAISES, especially FOR THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL AND GABRIEL, who are mentioned in the Holy Scripture by name. The name MICHAEL means "Who is like God," and GABRIELS means "God is Mighty." The number of the Angels is not defined in the Divine Scripture, where Daniel says that "THOUSANDS OF THOUSANDS MINISTERED BEFORE Him, and TEN THOUSANDS OF TEN THOUSANDS attended upon Him" (Daniel 7:10). But all of them ARE DIVIDED INTO NINE ORDERS which are called THRONES, CHERUBIM, SERAPHIM, DOMINIONS, POWERS, AUTHORITIES, PRINCIPALITIES, ARCHANGELS, AND ANGELS. (The Great Horologion)
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 