Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 29, 2025
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.”
As a child, my mom taught me to pray the Guardian Angel prayer every night before bedtime. Later, she taught me the Saint Michael Prayer. Since my middle name is Michael, I always believed St. Michael the Archangel was with me.
During Covid, somehow, I discovered the St. Michael medallion with Psalm 91:10 on the back: “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” It was very timely. Then I felt compelled to spontaneously give out some of the medallions to family, friends, police officers, first responders, and, on occasion, even strangers. Everyone to whom I gave a medallion, without any hesitation, expressed amazement and gratitude.
Here we are in the Gospel of St. John with Jesus choosing his disciples. Jesus joyfully picks Nathanael, sitting under the fig tree, a sign of messianic peace, and Nathanael is amazed and asks why. Jesus knows everything about him, just as he knew everything about the Samaritan woman at the well.
Jesus allays his fear, fulfilling Jacob’s “ladder to heaven dream” in Genesis 28, and proves that God came down to us to rescue us, and no matter what, when Christ picks us as his disciples, we will always have his angels to protect us and guide us.
Life will not always be easy. Yet, like the story in my favorite Christmas movie, It’s A Wonderful Life, George Bailey thinks he is rescuing the angel, Clarence, when in fact, the angel is rescuing him. We all likely have had a “God moment” like this where we have felt chosen, seen, redeemed, loved—not because of some great merit or value on our part—but simply because Jesus has picked us to be his own.
So, let’s follow the motto of Pope Saint John Paul II, “Be not afraid” to surrender to Jesus. “For he commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go.” (Ps 91:11).
Prayer
Lord God, you are glorified without ceasing by the choirs of angels. In the archangels, Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel, you provide us with shining examples of strength and fidelity. May the angels, messengers of your will, always guide and protect us on our journey of life, and may they always lead us to Jesus, the Son of Man and our Lord. We ask this in his name. Amen.
Saint of the Day
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.
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.
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 here.
Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels of God—pray for us!