There are two options for today’s first reading, and both share a common theme: God’s heavenly judgment brings about the defeat of evil and the establishment of His righteous rule through His appointed ruler. The passage from Daniel describes God judging from His heavenly throne and giving the Son of Man an everlasting kingdom and authority over all nations. In the passage from the Book of Revelations, Michael and his angels defeat the dragon, who is cast down from heaven. It celebrates Satan’s defeat through Christ’s sacrifice and the faithful witness of believers, calling heaven to rejoice in God’s victory and kingdom.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals that He knows Nathanael’s heart and saw him before they met. Nathanael responds by recognizing Jesus as the Son of God and King of Israel. Jesus then tells him that he will see even greater things, including heaven opened and angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
Today is the feast of the Archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel. As a Michael with a son named Raphael, I once suggested that Gabriel would be an appropriate name for a grandson. Exactly eight months ago, a new grandson arrived. He is special, even if he is a Henry.
When I think about angels, I find myself somewhere between faith and mystery. Today’s feast reminds me that the world may not be limited to what can be explained by science or experienced through our senses.
Scripture presents angels as messengers, protectors, and witnesses to God’s presence. As someone who has made more than a few bad choices, the idea of a guardian angel is especially meaningful to me. It reminds me that God’s care for each person is not distant or abstract. Even when I feel alone, uncertain, or overwhelmed, with faith I can trust that I am not completely abandoned.
In Catholic tradition, the angels who remained faithful to God chose Him freely. Their example reminds me that faith is not merely accepting a list of beliefs. It is a continual choice to trust God, especially when I cannot see the whole picture. This challenges me to think about my own response to God.
Ultimately, this feast reminds me that creation is larger and more mysterious than I often allow myself to remember. I am a scientist who is brought to a new humility: I do not have to understand everything to believe that God is at work. In a world that often tells me to trust only what I can see, I am called to look beyond the visible. That is the focus of my prayer today.
Dear Lord, Help me to grow in Your trust.
Open my heart to Your presence.
May this feast day remind me to look beyond the visible.
May it guide me on the path that brings me closer to You.
May it help transform me into an agent of Your kingdom.
Amen.
Mike Cherney
I grew up in Milwaukee and have lived in Madison, St. Paul, Hamburg, Geneva, Omaha and Boston. I taught for 27 years in the Creighton Physics Department. Now I am mostly retired and have returned to the Milwaukee area where my wife recently became President of Mount Mary University. I continue to work with Creighton students on projects in high energy nuclear physics at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island and at CERN just outside Geneva, Switzerland. We have two sons and three grandchildren who all live in the northern suburbs of Chicago.
I am a person who asks questions. This often leads me down a challenging path.
