Let us be like the angels in making the choice to follow God

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Father John Mayo

Q: When I recently attended Mass, the daily prayer booklet indicated that we were celebrating the feast of the archangels. And yet at the same time, they were referred to as saints. Aren’t the saints human beings who are recognized for their holy lives? As far as I can recollect, no angel was ever presented to me as human but as far superior to humans. What is the reason for them being called saints?

A:The word saint comes to us from the Latin word "sanctus," meaning holy. The title saint being ascribed before the name of a person or a being such as an angel tells us that they are holy and are enjoying the vision of God forever in heaven. So perhaps the better question is, is it possible for a saint to be holy?

The word angel refers to a purely spiritual being. This is unlike us, for we have a material body and an immaterial spirit. They also possess an intelligence and will like us as well, although theirs is far superior to ours.

Angel, according to St. Augustine, is not their name, but their office. They were created to worship and praise God and to deliver messages. Their name, according to him, is more properly spirit, but we call them angels, because they are His servants and messengers.

Like us, they were created by God out of nothing when God created the heavens. When He did this, He created one that was superior to the rest. This one He called Lucifer, meaning Light Bearer. As the book of Revelation and Tradition relate to us, Lucifer, with a number of angels, decided to disobey God's commands and revolted against Him. There was a battle in heaven, with St. Michael rallying the forces of God and Lucifer facing off against them. Lucifer lost, and he and his followers were cast into hell, and also permitted to roam the earth, where they still tempt us until the Final Judgement.

Each angel had a choice. They could either choose to obey God and follow Him, or follow Lucifer. For this reason, those who remained loyal to God are numbered among the saints.

From among these angels, we honor three as archangels. The first, St. Michael, is the only one Sacred Scripture calls an archangel. His name means, "who is like God," the battle cry he likely called out in the midst of the battle between God and Lucifer. He appears not only in the Book of Revelation, but also in the Book of Daniel. Daniel describes Michael as a great prince and the guardian of God's people.

The second we honor is St. Gabriel, meaning Strength of God. St. Gabriel is God's great messenger to Zechariah that Elizabeth, his wife, will bear John the Baptist, and to Mary, that she will bear Jesus. St. Gabriel also appears in the Book of Daniel as a messenger as well.

The third archangel is Raphael, meaning the Divine Healer. He appears largely in the Book of Tobit, a great story in the Old Testament about a father and son.

Like us, the angels had a choice to either hear and obey the voice of God or to disobey and go their own way. Those who chose God we now call saints for their heroic choice to remain with God. May we have their boldness to continue to choose God in this life, so we may live forever with Him in heaven.

Father Mayo is associate pastor of St. Francis Borgia Parish in Washington.

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