Daily Gospel Reflection

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September 29, 2023

Feast of Saints Michael Gabriel and Raphael - Archangels
Jn 1:47-51
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Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
“Here is a true child of Israel.
There is no duplicity in him.”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael answered him,
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
Jesus answered and said to him,
“Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
You will see greater things than this.”
And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened
and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Reflection

Daniel Perez ’22, ’24, M.A.
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I teach theology to high school students. In this demanding and often arduous task, I have had my fair share of questioning the worth of a person, just as Nathanael seems to do in the verse preceding today’s gospel: “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Yet today, I realize that I am no Nathanael, for Christ perceives no duplicity in him.

St. Augustine tells us that this lack of duplicity is simply Nathanael’s recognition that he is a sinner who needs a savior. He has opened his heart to the Word of the Living God, and thus, he approaches our Lord with a disposition unlike that of the Pharisees. His questioning is genuine, not skeptical. Despite his initial wondering, he is ready to confess his faith once he encounters the gaze of the Messiah.

When I say that I am no Nathanael, I think of the times when my questioning has stemmed from my ill-disposed heart. I think of the times I have failed to see the Lord in my students’ faces—when I have questioned if anything good can come from those I teach. I think of when I doubted that the Holy Spirit was at work in my classroom and resisted his grace.

Today, Nathanael’s witness is an invitation to allow our hearts to be transformed by the Lord. There is a place for question and wonder, but these must be guided by the virtue of faith—openness and adherence to Christ that recognizes him as our savior. Only then will we see him at work in our lives.

Perhaps then we will understand that the fullness of his glory (with angels ascending and descending upon him) is revealed in our ordinary: in the faces of our students and children, in our homes, classrooms, and workplaces, in every second that makes up our day.

Prayer

Rev. Jarrod Waugh, C.S.C.

Jesus Christ is Lord. This is our profession, but we can struggle to live it out. By God’s Grace we can continue to give over every part of our lives, every part of ourselves, into Christ’s hands. As the Constitutions of Holy Cross state, “There is no failure the Lord’s love cannot reverse, no humiliation he cannot exchange for blessing, no anger he cannot dissolve, no routine he cannot transfigure. All is swallowed up in victory.” Jesus, do not relent until every part of us proclaims your name. Amen.

Saint of the Day

Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels

On today's feast, the Catholic church honors three great angels—Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael—for the role they play in salvation history.

The word “angel” comes from the Hebrew word for “messenger.” As a category of spiritual being, angels are unique to the three Abrahamic religions—Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. In the Catholic theological tradition, angels are purely spiritual beings who possess intellect and will. Angels in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures appear as messengers of God and often announce new developments in God’s saving plan, and help to bring it to fulfillment. The archangels celebrated liturgically are the angels who are given names in the Hebrew Scriptures. No new angels are named in the canonical New Testament, rather the writers of Christian scriptures used the names of angels found already in Hebrew sacred texts. In Christian angelology, there are generally nine choirs of angels, although different theologians rearrange the hierarchy of the choirs slightly. The archangels are a choir within the third sphere of angels, comprised of the lowest three choirs.

In Hebrew, the name Michael means, “Who can compare to God?” Michael appears in Scripture four times—twice in the book of Daniel, once in the letter of Jude, and once in the book of Revelation leading the battle in heaven:

“Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.” (Rev 12:7-9)

Traditionally, Michael is understood to be the prince of the heavenly host of angels, and is invoked by Christians in spiritual fights against temptation and the devil. Michael is also the patron of soldiers, paramedics, and police officers. Saint Michael is depicted in several places on Notre Dame's campus, but most prominently above the east door of the Basilica, as part of the memorial that honors students who fought and died in World War I. Today's featured image is of this depiction.

St. Michael above the east door of the Basilica

The archangel Gabriel’s name means, “God is my strength,” and this angel appears three times in Scripture as a messenger: in the book of Daniel to explain a vision, and in Luke's Gospel, announcing the births of John the Baptist and of Jesus. In Islamic tradition, Gabriel brings the beginning of the Quran to Mohammed. Gabriel is the patron of those who deliver messages for a living, such as diplomats, broadcasters, postal workers, communications and public relations professionals. Gabriel is depicted on campus in several places, including this Basilica window that shows the Annunciation.

St. Gabriel, left, in a depiction of the Annunciation to Mary at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart

Finally, the angel Raphael’s name means, “God has healed,” and we know of Raphael from the book of Tobit, where the angel travels with the young Tobias as a healer and companion. Tradition holds that Raphael also was the angel who stirred the waters at the famous healing pool in Bethesda, outside the temple in Jerusalem. Raphael is the patron of travelers, of the sick, and of medical personnel. Raphael has also been invoked to protect young people, especially those leaving home for the first time. A figure of Raphael stands on the exterior of Notre Dame's student medical center, St. Liam's Hall, as shown below.

St. Raphael, patron of the sick and medical personnel, outside St. Liam's Hall

Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels of God—pray for us!