The
angels of God were celebrated by men from earliest times but this celebration
was often turned into the divinization of angels (II Kings 23:5). The heretics
wove all sorts of fables concerning the angels. Some of them looked upon angels
as gods; others, although they did not consider them gods, called them the
creators of the whole visible world. The local Council of Laodicea (four or
five years before the First Ecumenical Council) rejected the worship of angels
as gods and established the proper veneration of angels in its Thirty-fifth
Canon. In the fourth century, during the time of Sylvester, Pope of Rome, and
Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria, the present Feast of Archangel Michael and
all the other heavenly powers was instituted for celebration in the month of
November. Why precisely in November? Because November is the ninth month after
March, and March is considered to be the month in which the world was created.
Also, as the ninth month after March, November was chosen for the nine orders
of angels who were created first. St. Dionysius the Areopagite, a disciple of
the Apostle Paul (who was taken up into the third heaven), described these nine
orders of angels in his book, On the Celestial Hierarchies, as follows:
six-winged Seraphim, many-eyed Cherubim, God-bearing Thrones, Dominions,
Powers, Virtues, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. The leader of all the
angelic hosts is the Archangel Michael. When Satan, Lucifer, fell away from God
and drew a part of the angels with him to destruction, then Michael stood up
and cried out before the faithful angels: "Let us attend! Let us stand
aright! Let us stand with fear!" and all of the faithful angelic heavenly hosts
cried out: "Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God of Sabaoth! Heaven and earth are
full of Thy glory!" Concerning the Archangel Michael, see Joshua 5:13-15
and Jude 1:9. Among the angels there reign perfect oneness of mind, oneness of
soul, and love. The lower orders also show complete obedience to the higher
orders, and all of them together to the holy will of God. Every nation has its
guardian angel, as does every Christian. We must always remember that whatever
we do, in open or in secret, we do in the presence of our guardian angel. On
the day of the Dread Judgment, the multitude of the hosts of the holy angels of
heaven will gather around the throne of Christ, and the deeds, words, and
thoughts of every man will be revealed before all. May God have mercy on us and
save us by the prayers of the Archangel Michael and all the bodiless heavenly
powers. Amen.
- From
the Prologue Of Ohrid
Holy Archangels, pray to God for us!
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