November: Day 8: Teaching 1: Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers

November: Day 8: Teaching 1:
Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers
 
(Holy Angels Are Sent By God To Help Us and Assist Us in Salvation)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I.  When we talk to Christians on the day dedicated by the Church in honor of the bodiless powers, we consider it superfluous to prove that such bodiless powers, which we usually call angels, really exist. Only a carnal man can doubt their existence, who, like animals, is guided only by the senses, and therefore does not allow what he does not see with his bodily eyes. But whoever does not live according to the flesh, but according to the spirit, as every Christian should live, who does not limit his gaze to the sensual and rises in spirit above the earthly, necessarily assumes and readily believes that between God and man there must be an infinite series of beings who are far superior to us in nature and powers, who are the more spiritual and perfect the nearer they stand to God.  and according to the closest communion with Him, they are the mysteries of His counsels, the first executors of His will. Such are the angels of God, whom the Apostle calls ministering spirits, sent "to serve those who desire to inherit salvation."

II. a) The word of God testifies that the holy inhabitants of heaven, as friends, accept the most sincere sympathy for us: they rejoice over every sinner who repents and consequently grieve over the unrepentant (Luke 15:16), they heed our prayers, lift them up to the throne of God and strengthen them with their intercession (Rev. 8:3-4), they are invisibly present to us, watch over all our actions, dispose us to good and turn us away from evil, they take up arms against the enemies of our salvation, preserve us in all our ways and, in necessary cases, render us timely assistance (Psalm 90:11). We will not have the time or strength to enumerate all their gracious actions, of which Scripture speaks, therefore, we will indicate only a few as examples.

Behold, Hagar, the servant of Sarah, who was removed from the house of Abraham, together with her infant son Ishmael, lost her way in the wilderness, and her supply of water was exhausted. Her thirsty child was threatened with death. The unfortunate mother, not knowing what to do, laid him under a tree, and she herself withdrew, so as not to see the death of her son. Ishmael began to weep, and suddenly an angel of God appeared and said to Hagar, "Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of your child. At the same time God opened her eyes, and she beheld the spring of living water, with which she saved the life of Ishmael (Gen. 21:14-19).

Behold, the Lord condemned Sodom to be burned, and the angels of God appeared to save the righteous Lot and his daughters from the lawless city (Gen. 19:11, 12-16). King Herod plotted to destroy the Divine Infant Jesus, and an angel again appeared to the righteous Joseph with the command to flee with the Child and Mother to Egypt.

One day, Herod the king, wishing to please the Jews, imprisoned the Apostle Peter and ordered him to be strictly guarded, so that later he could be solemnly judged and, probably, also killed, as James, the brother of John, was killed. But this intention did not come true: for one night, when Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and the guards stood at the doors of the prison, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in the prison, and, awakening Peter, commanded him to follow him. Then the chains fell from the hands of the apostle, and he, following the angel, safely passed the double guard and safely went out through the prison gates, which opened of their own accord. Thus the Lord miraculously saved the apostle through His angel.

b) The Lord renders the same wonderful help through His heavenly servants even now, in various cases. If we do not notice this, then this happens either from our frivolity, by which we do not pay attention to the gracious actions of God, or from our foolishness, by which we cannot distinguish them from the ordinary actions of nature, or from our pride, by which we often attribute to our own powers what happens through the special action of God and the heavenly executors of His will. But this is certain, that our God is “the same yesterday and today and forever,” and therefore now, as of old, He sends His angels “to serve those who desire to inherit salvation;” it is also certain that Holy Angels are always His faithful servants and good spirits, and therefore they now, as in ancient times, care for all people, especially Christians destined for salvation, protect them from evil, guide them to good and in various cases show them their help.

III. What edification shall we draw from this, brethren? Very great and varied. If God, to use the words of the Apostle, “wants all men to be saved” (1 Tim. 2:4), and therefore sends His angels “to serve those who desire to inherit salvation,” then from this we must conclude that:

a) Salvation is very important and necessary for us. If God and His Holy Angels care so much about our salvation; then all the more should we ourselves care about it: for our eternal fate is united with it.

b) If the bodiless powers, by the command of God, assist our salvation, protect us from evil, strengthen us in goodness, guide us on the path of truth and are ready in all cases to render us the necessary assistance: then we must never despair of our salvation, must not become despondent in misfortunes and weaken in good deeds, but must always be of good spirits and courageously strive against sin for the sake of our eternal salvation, trusting in the help of the Savior God and His Holy Angels, invisibly present to us. This is the edification, brethren, that we must draw for ourselves from the fact that the angels of God “are ministering spirits, sent forth to serve for those who will inherit salvation!” Let us not forget this edification and try to turn it to our spiritual benefit. Amen.

Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.