March: Day 26:
Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel
(About Angels)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel
(About Angels)
By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko
I. Just as the day following the feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated in honor of Saint John the Baptist, so on the day following the Annunciation the Holy Church gathers for a solemn celebration of that Holy Archangel who was sent by God to bring the Most Holy Virgin the joyful news of the incarnation of the Son of God. The Holy Archangel Gabriel is revered as one of the seven spirits standing before the throne of God, the messenger of the mysteries of God. He also announced to the Prophet Daniel the liberation of God's people from Babylon and the time of the coming of the Messiah, and to Saint Zechariah the birth of the Honorable Forerunner.
II. For general edification, it would be opportune on the day of the Archangel Gabriel to engage in reflection on the angels.
a) Let us begin with the first question: who are angels and what is their nature? Angels are incorporeal spirits, and therefore invisible to our bodily eyes; gifted with intelligence, will, and power, more perfect and superior than man; they dwell in heaven, but when necessary, they fly down to earth with the speed of lightning. The Apostle Paul calls angels "spirits": "Are they not all ministering spirits?" But, according to the teaching of the Savior, a spirit does not have flesh and bones. Although angels often appeared to people in sensory forms, for example, in the form of a young man or a perfect man; but they took on this sensory form for a time, for the most convenient revelation of the will of God to people. In essence, angels are incorporeal spirits, not clothed in flesh.
b) While differing from men in intelligence, angels surpass them in perfection of will and power. The word of God calls angels "holy": "And all the holy angels with Him" (Matthew 25:31), and of man it says: "There is no man who has not sinned" (3 Kings 8:46). Angels, by the grace of God, for their unquestioning obedience to God, have attained such holiness, have become so established in goodness, that they have become completely immobile to evil, cannot sin, while men not one, as long as he lives, is safe from sinful falls.
The Apostle Peter says about the power of angels that they are stronger and more powerful than man (2 Peter 2:11). According to the Apocalypse of John, angels have dominion over fire, water and wind (Rev. 8:1; 14:18; 16:5). According to historical evidence, one angel can defeat thousands of people, for example, an angel of the Lord defeated the army of Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, in one night.
After this, are we not obliged to honor the angels of God, when we involuntarily show respect even to those people who surpass us in their talents and powers?
c) How great is their number and are they all of equal rank? The number of angels is very great and uncertain; there is no direct indication in the word of God of how great the number of angels is. The Prophet Daniel saw that "thousands upon thousands served God, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him" (Dan. 7:10), and Jesus Christ said to the Apostle Peter, who had armed himself with a sword to defend Him from the servants of the high priest: "Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels" (Matt. 26:53). According to the teaching of Saint John of Damascus, there is not a single people, not a single kingdom, not a single region, city, monastery, church, part of the earth, there is not a single person without a guardian angel ("Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith", Book 2, Chapter 3).
In dignity, the angels differ among themselves so that some of them occupy the highest degrees around the throne of God's glory, others the middle, and others the lowest. The highest angels are taught Divine mysteries by God Himself, and the lower receive illumination through the higher. The Prophet Daniel speaks of Michael, "one of the chief princes" (Dan. 10:13). Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, a disciple of the Apostle Paul, divides the heavenly hierarchy into nine orders of angels, and these nine he divides into three ranks; in the first rank he places the cherubim, seraphim, thrones; in the second - dominions, powers, authorities; in the third - principalities, archangels and angels. Such is the order in the kingdom of incorporeal spirits! And should it not be the same in our societies? And we, with the sameness of our nature, differ from each other in different abilities and advantages. Therefore, it is natural for there to be between us a superior and a inferior, a subordinate and a superior.
d) What is the relationship of angels to God and to humanity? From the observation of visible creations of God, it is evident that all of them, from the cedar to the hyssop, from man to the insignificant insect, are created by the Creator with a specific purpose and have their own designation. Consequently, angels are also created in this manner. What, then, is the designation of angels in relation to God and humans? The designation of angels in relation to God consists in their silent glorification of Him and in their unquestioning service to Him. The Prophet Isaiah beheld seraphim surrounding the throne of God, calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory" (6:3). The Psalmist states that angels fulfill the word of God and obey the voice of the Lord (Psalm 102:20).
In relation to people, angels are obliged to instruct them in all good, guide them to salvation, protect their soul and body from everything harmful and evil and especially from the action of evil spirits on them, intercede and advocate for them with God. "He commands His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways, lest you dash your foot against a stone" (Psalm 90:11), teaches the Psalmist.
The Holy Scriptures present many examples of the active participation of angels in the fate of people. Thus, an angel instructed Cornelius the Centurion to call the Apostle Peter, so that he could hear from him the saving message of the gospel and be baptized (Acts 10:1-6). Thus, an angel led Lot out of Sodom, which was condemned to be burned (Gen. 19); protected Daniel in the lions' den, stopping their mouths (Dan. 6:22); led Ananias, Azariah and Misael out of the Babylonian furnace unharmed (3:91-94); delivered the Apostle Peter from the death penalty (Acts 12:6-11). Thus, the Archangel Michael resisted the demon who attempted to reveal the unknown burial place of Moses in order to draw the Israelites into idolatry, and put him to flight (Jude 9). Thus the angels lifted up the soul of Lazarus into Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22). This is how caring the angels are for people!
e) Are all people worthy of beneficial angelic communication? Angels enter into communication only with people who imitate their activity. As bees flee from where stench spreads, so angels flee from where sin increases. "Whoever through his evil life," said an angel of God to Saint Pachomios the Great, "has become dead to God and virtue, he stinks a thousand times worse than a dead body, so that we can in no way stand or pass near him."
III. Therefore, brethren, let us guard ourselves from sin, and in the event of a fall let us hasten to cleanse ourselves from the filth of sin with tears of sincere repentance, lest we lose our guardian angel, our good mentor and faithful guardian of our souls and bodies.
Source: A Complete Annual Cycle of Short Teachings, Composed for Each Day of the Year. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
