In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
V. O God, come to my aid +
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Opening Prayer: “Bless the Lord all ye His angels: You that are mighty in strength, and execute His word, hearkening to the voice of His orders. Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and let all that is within me bless His holy name.” (Psalm 102:20)
O God, who from among all your angels chose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the mystery of the Incarnation, mercifully grant that we who solemnly remember him on earth may feel the benefit of his patronage in heaven, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him. We humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly host. By the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.
O God, send the Archangel Raphael to our assistance. May he who stands forever praising you at your throne present our humble petitions to be blessed by you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
From Father Horgan’s book: His Angels at Our Side: ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead?’ (Luke 24:5) This is the question of the angels to us, and it rings down through the ages. Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are victorious because their weapons are humility and faith in God. These angels are always carrying the Blood of Jesus Christ and His living Waters as they bear the graces of Jesus Christ to the world. They continue to proclaim the Resurrection of Jesus and its meaning for our lives.” May they always be our inspiration. Amen.
Meditation
1. Why can’t satan be given a second chance or would God forgive Him if he repents?
Ans: Satan can no longer repent because his angelic time has elapsed and his eternal fate has been decided. He could have repented if he wanted to (within his angelic time), but he refused and rebelled; just as there would be no more repentance for us after death or at the last day (because our time would have elapsed by then and our eternal fate decided).
2. Can the concept of time be applied to spiritual beings like angels?
Ans: Time is only applied to created beings. Angels and humans are created beings, created in time. If we cannot apply time to the angels, then it would mean that they were created in eternity, which would make them equal to God, and they would no longer be angels, but Gods, which is not the case. The bible says, “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). This talks of the idea of time already – “beginning”. That was the commencement of time. When we say God created the heavens, this includes angels as well. However, at the time of their creation, the angels were not permitted to contemplate the glory of God in the highest heaven – so they lived in time in order to prove their love for God, just as we are living in time now. It was after the proof of their love for God that they were admitted into eternity (transcending the realms of time) to be with God, while the others were cast out. The same would be our lot too. Some would go into eternity with God, while others with the devil.
Therefore, the angels in heaven now are not bound by time and space because they are already in God’s presence, before then, they were bound by space and time. God is the only SPIRIT that is not affected by time and space, for he has no beginning nor would He have an end.
3. Why did God not create the angels in the highest heaven and allow them to behold his glory immediately?
Ans: The implication of not creating them in heaven to enjoy the beatific vision immediately would result in a deprivation of their free will, and there would not be a proof of love. Hence, God does not create robots; He creates beings with free will, with the ability to choose/decide for themselves. So, it is by creating them with free will that they would be able to prove their love for Him before becoming worthy to contemplate His Face, the essence and source of all love – God is love.
4. Can imperfection arise from perfection, since the very first creatures of God were imperfect, coming from a perfect God?
Ans: The Bible repeats frequently that everything God created was good…including the angels (since they are part of God’s creation). In relation to perfection, we turn to the catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “But why did God not create a world so perfect that no evil could exist in it? With infinite power, God could always create something better. But with infinite wisdom and goodness, God freely willed to create a world ‘in a state of journeying’ toward its ultimate perfection. In God’s plan, this process of becoming involves the appearance of certain beings and the disappearance of others, the existence of the more perfect alongside the less perfect, both constructive and destructive forces of nature. With physical good, there exists also physical evil as long as creation has not reached perfection” (CCC #310). Also, CCC #302 stated that: “Creation has its own goodness and proper perfection, but it did not spring forth complete from the hands of the Creator. The universe was created ‘in a state of journeying’ (in statu viae) toward an ultimate perfection yet to be attained, to which God has destined it. We call ‘divine providence’ the dispositions by which God guides his creation toward this perfection: By his providence God protects and governs all things which he has made, ‘reaching mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and ordering all things well.’ For ‘all are open and laid bare to his eyes,’ even those things which are yet to come into existence through the free action of creatures.”
5. Is the book of revelation an account of things that had happened or future events?
The Apocalyptic Literature (book of Revelation) has 4 basic methods of interpretation: historical, idealist, futurist, and preterist.
The historical interpretation reflects the book of Revelation as a symbolic prophecy of the entire history of the Church from the Incarnation to the return of Christ to establish His eternal reign. The idealist interpretation sees a symbolic portrayal of the spiritual cosmic conflict between the kingdom of God and the powers of evil. The futurist method of interpretation also sees the book not as what was future to John and is now past or present to us, but as what was future to John and still future to us. It contemplates Revelation as having to do with the future of the world. Finally, the preterist interpretation regards the events symbolized in Revelation as having occurred already in the past.
So, it is best to keep these four methods in mind while reading this apocalyptic literature.
Say: 1 Father… 10 Hail Marys’… 1 Glory be to…
(State Your Intentions here…)
St. Michael the Archangel, loyal champion of God and His people, I turn to you with confidence and seek your powerful intercession. For the love of God, Who made you so glorious in grace and power, and for the love of the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of the Angels, be pleased to hear my prayer. You know the value on my soul in the eyes of God. May no stain of evil ever disfigure its beauty. Help me to conquer the evil spirit who tempts me. I desire to imitate your loyalty to God and Holy Mother Church and your great love for God and people. And since you are God’s messenger for the care of his people, I entrust to you this special request: (Mention your request). St. Michael, since you are, by the Will of the Creator, the powerful intercessor of Christians, I have great confidence in your prayers. I earnestly trust that if it is God’s holy Will, my petition will be granted. Pray for me, St. Michael, and also for those I love. Protect us in all dangers of body and soul. Help us in our daily needs. Through your powerful intercession, may we live a holy life, die a happy death, and reach heaven where we may praise and love God with you forever. Amen.
St. Gabriel the Archangel, I venerate you as the “Angel of the Incarnation,” because God has specially appointed you to bear the messages concerning the God-Man to Daniel, Zechariah, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Give me a tender and devoted Mother, more like your own. I venerate you also as the “strength from God,” because you are the giver of God’s strength, consoler and comforter chosen to strengthen God’s faithful and to teach them important truths. I ask for the grace of a special power of the will to strive for holiness of life. Steady my resolutions, renew my courage, comfort and console me in the problems, trials, and sufferings of daily living, as you consoled our Saviour in His agony and Mary in her sorrows and Joseph in his trials. I put my confidence in you. St. Gabriel, I ask you especially for this favour: (Mention your request). Through your earnest love for the Son of God-Made-Man and for His blessed Mother, I beg of you, intercede for me that my request may be granted, if it be God’s holy Will. Pray for us, St. Gabriel the Archangel. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us Pray. Almighty and ever-living God, since You chose the Archangel Gabriel from among all the Angels to announce the mystery of Your Son’s Incarnation, mercifully grant that we who honour him on earth may feel the benefit of his patronage in heaven. You live and reign for ever. Amen.
Holy Archangel Raphael, standing so close to the throne of God and offering Him our prayers, I venerate you as God’s special Friend and Messenger. I choose you as my Patron and wish to love and obey you as young Tobiah did. I consecrate to you my body and soul, all my work, and my whole life. I want you to be my Guide and Counselour in all the dangerous and difficult problems and decisions of my life. Remember, dearest, St. Raphael, that the grace of God preserved you with the good Angels in heaven when the proud ones were cast into hell. I entreat you, therefore, to help me in my struggle against the world, the spirit of impurity, and the devil. Defend me from all dangers and every occasion of sin. Direct me always in the way of peace, safety, and salvation. Offer my prayers to God as you offered those of Tobiah, so that through your intercession I may obtain the graces necessary for the salvation of my soul. I ask you to pray that God grant me this favour if it be His holy Will: (Mention your request). St. Raphael, help me to love and serve my God faithfully, to die in His grace, and finally to merit to join you in seeing and praising God forever in heaven. Amen.
Prayer to the Archangels: Heavenly King, You have given us archangels to assist us during our pilgrimage on earth. Saint Michael is our protector; I ask him to come to my aid, fight for all my loved ones, and protect us from danger. Saint Gabriel is a messenger of the Good News; I ask him to help me clearly hear Your voice and to teach me the truth. Saint Raphael is the healing angel; I ask him to take my need for healing and that of everyone I know, lift it up to Your throne of grace and deliver us back to the gift of recovery. Help us, O Lord, to realize more fully the reality of archangels and their desire to serve us. Holy angels, pray for us. Amen.
Pray for us, St. Gabriel the Archangel. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us Pray: Almighty and ever-living God, send to our assistance the Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael. May all who stand before the Throne of Thy Majesty, offer unto You our thanksgiving, praises, and petitions, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and mercifully grant that we who honour your holy Archangels on earth may feel the benefit of their patronage in heaven. You live and reign forever. Amen.
Short Invocations
God, the Father of Heaven, Creator of every spirit,
have mercy on us!
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, on whom the angels desire to gaze,
have mercy on us!
God, the Holy Spirit, felicity of the blessed spirits,
have mercy on us!
Holy Trinity, one God, glory of the holy angels,
have mercy on us!
Holy Mary, Queen of the heavenly spirits,
pray for us!
Holy Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael,
pray for us!
St Michael, Prince of the celestial host,
pray for us!
St. Raphael, angel of health and curer of blindness,
pray for us!
St. Gabriel, who announced the Incarnation of the Word,
pray for us!
Faithful Ministers of Christ,
pray for us!
Solace of the faithful,
pray for us!
Protector of those who are devout to you,
pray for us!
Making joyful your devoted clients,
pray for us!
Consoler in necessities,
pray for us!
Christ Jesus, beatitude of the angels,
spare us!
Christ Jesus, glory of the heavenly spirits,
hear us!
Christ Jesus, splendor of the celestial armies,
have mercy on us!
Blessing+
Through the intercession of the Holy Archangels – Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, may the Lord bless + us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
Closing Prayer: It is in the spirit of humility that we ask for the Archangels’ intercessions for our petitions. (Mention your intention now) Lord God, send to our assistance the Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael. May all who stand before the Throne of Thy Majesty, offer unto You our thanksgiving to be so blessed by You, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
