Pray the Novena to St. Michael the Archangel

September 29th, the Solemnity of St. Michael (this day is a solemnity for us, because St. Michael is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Toronto) is the day on which we celebrate the victory of the archangel Michael over Satan in the war of heaven. It is the day on which Satan was cast into hell, and the day on which, in the 5th century, a basilica near Rome was dedicated in honor of St. Michael. 

Since the 1969 revision of the liturgical calendar, we honor the archangels Gabriel and Raphael on this day as well. Previously, each had his own feast day.  We don’t know for sure why Satan led one-third of the angels in a rebellion against God. It seems impossible that angels, endowed with supernatural gifts and knowing God in an intimate, face-to-face way, would choose to rebel against him, yet some of them did.

The same thing could be said of Adam and Eve: they knew God and saw God and spoke to God. They had supernatural gifts. And yet they rebelled against him too. Both angels and men have free will and can choose evil.

Tradition holds that when God revealed to the angels his plan to create mankind and to become a man, as Jesus, Satan and his followers refused to accept it. In their pride they would not serve a flesh-and-blood being they considered inferior to themselves. 

Unlike Adam and Eve, who were tempted by the deceit of the devil, the fallen angels said non serviam (Latin for “I will not serve”) with full understanding of their choice and its consequences. They are therefore incapable of remorse. Since an angel cannot change his mind or repent, the rebellion of Satan and his followers, once decided upon, was forever.

The war in heaven is described in Revelation, the last book of the Bible, in symbolic and allegorical language: “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who I called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world – he was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him” (Rev 12:7-9).

(adapted from “The Catholic All Year Compendium” by Kendra Tierney)

Join us in praying the Novena (9 days of prayer) to St. Michael the Archangel, beginning September 20th to September 28th.

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