Glory be to Jesus Christ!
Today we commemorate St. Michael and all the heavenly hosts! In our reading from Luke 10:16-21, we see our Lord refer to this battle between St. Michael and his angels and the evil one: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). In the sending out of the 70, we see the continuation of this battle with evil in the world, a battle which continues to rage in our times, but a battle which has already been decisively won by our Lord through his passion, death and Resurrection.
St. Michael gives us our best weapon in this fight- that of humility. His very name,”Who is like God?!” in Hebrew, is a battle cry which was shouted as a rallying call during this heavenly battle. The evil one, in his pride, believed he was God. Michael in His humility relies not on his own power, but on that of the Lord. And this, brothers and sisters, is our story and our greatest weapon as well. As the 70 are sent out, our Lord reminds them that whoever hears and accepts them, accepts not them, but Him through them. Their power over demons and evil rests in Him and His power. They come back rejoicing after discovering this to be true: “Lord even the demons are subject to us in your name!” (Luke 10:17)
This should lead us to a few very important questions for us in our own lives:
- How aware am I of God’s gifts to me in my life?
- How willing am I to share the gifts He has given to me?
- Do I find the source of those gifts in my own power, or in our Father, “the Giver of every perfect gift?”
- How much am I at peace in the reality that Christ has already won, and will continue to win what remains of the battle of evil if I legitimately trust in Him?
Ultimately, the result of this war does not rest with us brothers and sisters. It is not within our power, but in His power, in the One who has overcome the world! Let us continue to to cast the evil one out of every corner of our lives through humbly importing the Lord for His strength and victory over evil!
St. Michael the Archangel – Pray for us!
