OPENING HYMN
Tibi, Christe, splendor Patris
vita, virtus cordium
in conspectu Angelorum.
Votis, vocis psalimus
alternantes concrepando
melos damus vocibus.
Thee, O Christ, the Father’s splendour,
Life and virtue of the heart,
In the presence of the angels
Sing we now with tuneful art,
Meetly in alternate chorus,
Bearing our responsive part.
Collaudamus venerantes
omnes coeli milites
sed praecipue primatem.
Coelestis exercitus
Michaelem in virtute
conterentem Zabulum.
Thus we praise with veneration
All the armies of the sky;
Chiefly him, the warrior primate,
Of celestial chivalry,
Michael, who in princely virtue
Cast Abaddon from on high.
Quo custode procul pelle
rex Christe piissime
omne nefas inimici.
Mundos corde et corpore
paradiso redde tuo
nos sola clementia.
By whose watchful care repelling -
King of everlasting grace -
Every ghostly adversary,
All things evil, all things base,
Grant us of Thine only goodness,
In Thy paradise a place.
Gloriam Patri melodis
personemus vocibus;
Gloriam Christo canamus,
Gloriam Paraclito,
Qui trinus et unus Deus
Extat ante saecula. Amen.
Laud and honour to the Father,
Laud and honour to the Son,
Laud and honour to the Spirit,
Ever Three, and ever One,
Consubstantial, co-eternal,
While unending ages run. (trans. John Mason Neale)
COLLECT
O God, who dispose in marvelous order
ministries both angelic and human,
graciously grant
that our life on earth may be defended
by those who watch over us
as they minister perpetually to you in heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
FIRST READING Revelation 12:7-12ab
War broke out in heaven;
Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.
The dragon and its angels fought back,
but they did not prevail
and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,
who is called the Devil and Satan,
who deceived the whole world,
was thrown down to earth,
and its angels were thrown down with it.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed.
For the accuser of our brothers is cast out,
who accuses them before our God day and night.
They conquered him by the Blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
love for life did not deter them from death.
Therefore, rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them.”
RESPONSORY (St. Hildegard of Bingen)
R. O vos angeli
qui custoditis populos,
quorum forma fulget
in facie vestra,
et o vos archangeli
qui suscipitis
animas iustorum,
et vos virtutes,
potestates,
principatus,
dominationes et troni,
qui estis computati
in quintum secretum numerum,
et o vos
cherubin
et seraphin,
sigillum secretorum Dei:
R. O angels, you
who guard the peoples in your care
whose form reflects in flash
upon your face;
O archangels, you
who lend your aid
to righteous souls;
O virtues,
powers,
princedoms,
dominations, thrones—
you’re reckoned
in the mystic fifth;
and O you
cherubim
and seraphim,
the seal upon God’s mysteries:
R. Sit laus vobis,
qui loculum antiqui cordis
in fonte asspicitis.
R. Praise be to you,
who glimpse the chamber of the ancient heart
within the fount, the source.
V. Videtis enim
interiorem
vim Patris,
que de corde illius
spirat quasi facies.
V. For you look into
the Father’s
inner strength—
the breathing of his heart
as of his face.
R. Sit laus vobis,
qui loculum antiqui cordis
in fonte asspicitis.
R. Praise be to you,
who glimpse the chamber of the ancient heart
within the fount, the source.
GOSPEL John 1:47-51
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”
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.”
Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this.”
And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened
and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
CATENA NOVA
That angels exist is attested by many pages of Holy Scripture … You should be aware that the word “angel” denotes a function rather than a nature. Those holy spirits of heaven have indeed always been spirits. They can only be called angels when they deliver some message. Moreover, those who deliver messages of lesser importance, are called angels and those who proclaim messages of supreme importance, are called Archangels. Hence it is, that not just any angel was sent to the Virgin Mary but that Gabriel the Archangel was sent – it was right that the proper one for this role should be of the highest rank of angels, since he was to announce the greatest news of all. …
Whenever a mighty deed is in question, Michael is assigned, so that by his actions and name, which means “Who is like God?”, it may be made known that no-one can do what God can do. So, in the case of our ancient enemy, who, in his pride wanted to be like God when he said: ‘I will ascend to heaven;,above the stars of God, I will set my throne on high; I will make myself like the Most High’ (Is 14:13): when he is shown to be condemned to eternal punishment at the end of the world, he is described, as about to do battle with Michael, as Saint John says : ‘War broke out with Michael the Archangel. The Dragon and its angels fought back but they did not prevail and it was thrown down to earth’ (cf. Rv 12:7-9).
Gabriel was sent to Mary, for Gabriel means 'Strength of God'. He came to announce Him who deigned to be lowly so as to wage war on the spiritual powers of the air. He who came as God of power and, as One strong in battle (Ps 24[23]:8) was to be announced by Gabriel, the strength of God. Finally, Raphael is interpreted as Healing of God, since he wiped away the shadows of blindness from Tobias when he touched his eyes to cure him. The one who is sent to cure, was indeed worthy of the name Healing of God. (Pope St. Gregory the Great)
Angels take different earthly forms
at the bidding of their master, God.
They thus reveal themselves to human beings
and unveil the Divine Mysteries to them. (St. John Damascene)
Michael is the
Breath of the Redeemer’s Spirit,
Who at the end of the World,
will combat and destroy the antichrist,
as he did Lucifer in the beginning. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
God loves in the Seraphim, as charity,
knows in the Cherubim, as truth,
is seated in the Thrones, as equity,
reigns in the Dominions, as majesty,
rules in the Principalities, as principle,
guards in the Powers, as salvation,
acts in the Virtues, as strength,
reveals in the Archangels, as light,
assists in the Angels, as piety. (St. Bernard of Clairvaux)
Then I saw in the secret places in the heights of Heaven two armies of heavenly spirits who shone with great brightness. Those in one of the armies had on their breasts wings, with forms like human forms in front of them, on which human features showed as if in clear water. Those in the second army also had wings on their breasts, which displayed forms like human forms, in which the image of the Son of Man shone as if in a mirror. And I could see no other form either in these or in the others. These armies were arrayed in the shape of a crown around five other armies. Those in the first of these five armies seemed as if they had human forms that shone with great splendor from the shoulders down. Those in the second shone with such great brightness that I could not look at them. Those in the third had the appearance of white marble and heads like human heads, over which torches were burning, and from the shoulders down they were surrounded by an iron-gray cloud. Those in the fourth had forms like human forms and feet like human feet, and wore helmets on their heads, and marble tunics. And those in the fifth had nothing human in their appearance, and shone red like the dawn. And I saw no other form in them.
But these armies were also arrayed like a crown around two others. Those in the first of these other armies seemed to be full of eyes and wings, and in each eye appeared a mirror and in each mirror a human form, and they raised their wings to a celestial height. And those in the second burned like fire, and had many wings, in which they showed as if in a mirror all the Church ranks arrayed in order. And I saw no other shape either in these or in the others. And all these armies were singing with marvelous voices all kinds of music about the wonders that God works in blessed souls, and by this God was magnificently glorified. (St. Hildegard of Bingen)
The powers of hell will assail the dying Christian
but his angel guardian will come to console him.
His patrons and St Michael,
who has been appointed by God
to defend his faithful servants,
in their last combat with the devils,
will come to his aid. (St. Alphonsus Liguori)
As our souls move our bodies … so there are Spiritual Intelligences which move those wonderful and vast portions of the natural world which seem to be inanimate and, as the gestures, speech and expressive countenances of our friends around us, enable us to hold intercourse with them, so, in the motions of universal Nature, in the interchange of day and night, summer and winter, wind and storm, fulfilling His word, we are reminded of the blessed and dutiful Angels …. Every breath of air and ray of light and heat, every beautiful prospect, is, as it were, the skirts of their garments, the waving of the robes of those, whose faces see God in heaven. (St. John Henry Newman)
CLOSING CHANT
Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio, contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur: tuque, Princeps militiae caelestis, in virtute Dei, in infernum detrude satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo. Amen.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.