Agents and Angels

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels, invite us to reflect on the extension of our sense of “reality” beyond the perception of our five bodily senses to the mystical interaction with the angels of God.

Inspiration under the Tree

The Reading from the Book of Revelation proclaims Michael, the archangel, in victory over the dragon.

* [12:7–12] Michael, mentioned only here in Revelation, wins a victory over the dragon. A hymn of praise follows.

* [12:7] Michael: the archangel, guardian and champion of Israel; cf. Dn 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9. In Hebrew, the name Michael means “Who can compare with God?”; cf. Rev 13:4.

* [12:9] The ancient serpent: who seduced Eve (Gn 3:1–6), mother of the human race; cf. Rev 20:2; Eph 6:11–12. Was thrown down: allusion to the expulsion of Satan from heaven; cf. Lk 10:18.

* [12:10] The accuser: the meaning of the Hebrew word “Satan,” found in Rev 12:9; Jb 1–2; Zec 3:1; 1 Chr 21:1; he continues to accuse Christ’s disciples. (Revelation, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)

The Reading from the Book of Daniel is a vision of the heavenly throne of God.

* [7:9–10] A vision of the heavenly throne of God (the Ancient of Days), who sits in judgment over the nations. Some of the details of the vision, depicting the divine majesty and omnipotence, are to be found in Ezekiel 1. Others are paralleled in 1 Enoch, a contemporary Jewish apocalypse.

* [7:13–14] One like a son of man: In contrast to the worldly kingdoms opposed to God, which are represented as grotesque beasts, the coming Kingdom of God is represented by a human figure. Scholars disagree as to whether this figure should be taken as a collective symbol for the people of God (cf. 7:27) or identified as a particular individual, e.g., the archangel Michael (cf. 12:1) or the messiah. The phrase “Son of Man” becomes a title for Jesus in the gospels, especially in passages dealing with the Second Coming (Mk 13 and parallels). (Daniel, CHAPTER 7, n.d.)

Psalm 138 is a thanksgiving to God, who came to the rescue.

* [Psalm 138] A thanksgiving to God, who came to the rescue of the psalmist. Divine rescue was not the result of the psalmist’s virtues but of God’s loving fidelity (Ps 138:1–3). The act is not a private transaction but a public act that stirs the surrounding nations to praise God’s greatness and care for the people (Ps 138:4–6). The psalmist, having experienced salvation, trusts that God will always be there in moments of danger (Ps 138:7–8). (Psalms, PSALM 138, n.d.)

The Gospel of John introduces Nathanael among the First Disciples.

* [1:47] A true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him: Jacob was the first to bear the name “Israel” (Gn 32:29), but Jacob was a man of duplicity (Gn 27:35–36).

* [1:48] Under the fig tree: a symbol of messianic peace (cf. Mi 4:4; Zec 3:10).

* [1:49] Son of God: this title is used in the Old Testament, among other ways, as a title of adoption for the Davidic king (2 Sm 7:14; Ps 2:7; 89:27), and thus here, with King of Israel, in a messianic sense. For the evangelist, Son of God also points to Jesus’ divinity (cf. Jn 20:28).

* [1:50] Possibly a statement: “You [singular] believe because I saw you under the fig tree.”

* [1:51] The double “Amen” is characteristic of John. You is plural in Greek. The allusion is to Jacob’s ladder (Gn 28:12). (John, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)

Mirielle Mason comments that Jesus did not shy away from bringing his faith to those who did not believe, or those who doubted. It is important to emphasize that doubting is a natural part of our faith!

 

In this section of John, Nathanael himself doubts when he asks, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Really, he is asking if this Jesus fellow can be the Messiah because he was not supposed to come from Nazareth. But, very importantly, Nathanael went to see Jesus despite his doubts! This is why we need to consistently show up to church, even when we are struggling, perhaps especially when we are struggling. Jesus knew where he was at and met him there, which shocked Nathanael, but folks, He knows all of us from the very beginning to the very end of our lives! He is always with us, loving and guiding us. It is our job to pray and trust in his path, to recognize Him when He reveals Himself to us daily, and to be our honest selves whenever possible. In these ways, we may strive to live in the example Nathanael provided us. (Mason, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The Lord of Angels,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"Do you see how he [Jesus] leads him [Nathanael] up little by little from the earth and causes him no longer to imagine him as merely a man? For one to whom angels minister and on whom angels ascend and descend, how could he be a man? This is why he said, 'You shall see greater things than these.' And to prove this, he introduces the ministry of angels. What he means is something like this: Does this, O Nathanael, seem to you a great matter, and have you for this confessed me to be King of Israel? What then will you say when you see 'angels ascending and descending on me'? He persuades him by these words to receive him as Lord also of the angels. For on him as on the king's own son, the royal ministers ascended and descended, once at the season of the crucifixion, again at the time of the resurrection and the ascension, and before this also, when they 'came and ministered to him' (Matthew 4:11). They also ascended and descended when they proclaimed the good news of his birth and cried, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace' (Luke 2:14), when they came to Mary and also when they came to Joseph... Our Lord made the present a proof of the future. After the powers he had already shown, Nathanael would readily believe that much more would follow." (excerpt from the Homilies On the Gospel of John 21.1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Psalm 138:1-5 comments that at every Mass, we join the angels as they worship before the throne of God (Catechism, 335). That means that every Mass you attend, every time you gather to worship the Lord, you are doing what the psalmist describes. You are singing God’s praise “in the presence of the angels” (Psalm 138:1). Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are right there with you!

So ask these mighty archangels to draw your heart heavenward whenever you worship. Let their proclamations give you the words to praise God. Because even though they might be occupied with the events of our world, they are never too busy to do what they were created to do—worship God. And they are delighted when you do it with them.

“Lord, what a privilege it is to join these powerful angelic saints as they lead me to worship you!” (Meditation on Psalm 138:1-5, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the two choices of the First Reading. In the scene from Daniel 7, the Ancient of Days, Yahweh, is attended by angels. In Daniel 7, the term “Son of Man” referred to Israel. Jesus applies the term to himself and includes references to the Suffering Servant of Isaiah. Revelations 12 is the defeat of Satan and angels by Michael and the angels.  A battle on earth is reflected into the heavens. Satan is cast upon the earth. Why? Pride? Jealousy? Whatever the reason, the diabolic is opposed to the heavenly. The name Nathanael is used only in John. He is referred to as Bartholomew in the other Gospels. The fig tree was where one studied the Law. Jesus refers to Jacob who was changed by wrestling with God. Israel is the name of honesty. Friar Jude notes that after wrestling with God under the tree, Nathanael responds by recognizing Jesus who refers to the ladder of Jacob.

Fr. Mike Schmitz introduces the book of Nehemiah and takes us through Nehemiah’s exemplary response to the call of God as he does what God asks simply because he asks. He also encourages us to pray for our enemies and explains the need to refrain from vengeance in our interactions with others, especially when we are provoked by their actions. Today’s readings are Nehemiah 1-2, Zechariah 12-13, and Proverbs 20:20-22.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Franciscan Alternative Orthodoxy.

Francis’ starting place was human suffering instead of human sinfulness, and God’s identification with that suffering in Jesus. That did not put him in conflict with any Catholic dogmas or structures. His Christ was cosmic while also deeply personal, his cathedral was creation itself, and he preferred the bottom of society to the top. He invariably emphasized inclusion of the seeming outsider over any club of insiders, and he was much more a mystic than a moralist. In general, Francis preferred ego poverty to private perfection, because Jesus “became poor for our sake, so that we might become rich out of his poverty” (2 Corinthians 8:9).    

I sincerely think Francis found a Third Way, which is the creative and courageous role of a prophet and a mystic. He basically repeated what all prophets say: that the message and the medium for the message have to be the same thing. And Francis emphasized the medium itself, instead of continuing to clarify or contain the mere verbal message; this tends to be the “priestly” job, one which Francis never wanted for himself.  (Rohr, n.d.)  

We experience the influence of the Spirit in our inspiration and motivation that opens our mind to the “re-presentation” of the Divine in our community, worship, and meditation.

References

Daniel, CHAPTER 7. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/7?9 

John, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/1?47 

Mason, M. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-september-29-2025 

Meditation on Psalm 138:1-5. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/09/29/1392913/ 

Psalms, PSALM 138. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/138?1 

Revelation, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/12?7 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/franciscan-alternative-orthodoxy/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Will See the Angels of God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=sep29a 

Gospel and Goodness

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today alert us to forces that present alternate truths to the Gospel and to our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader for all God’s Creation.

Aware of Alternate Texts 

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians declares there is no other Gospel and expresses Paul’s vindication of his apostleship.

* [1:1–5] See note on Rom 1:1–7, concerning the greeting.

* [1:1] Apostle: because of attacks on his authority in Galatia, Paul defends his apostleship. He is not an apostle commissioned by a congregation (Phil 2:25; 2 Cor 8:23) or even by prophets (1 Tm 1:18; 4:14) but through Jesus Christ and God the Father.

* [1:2] All the brothers: fellow believers in Christ, male and female; cf. Gal 3:27–28. Paul usually mentions the co-sender(s) at the start of a letter, but the use of all is unique, adding weight to the letter. Galatia: central Turkey more likely than the Roman province of Galatia; see Introduction.

* [1:4] The greeting in v. 3 is expanded by a christological formula that stresses deliverance through the Lord Jesus from a world dominated by Satan; cf. 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2; 6:12.

* [1:6–10] In place of the usual thanksgiving (see note on Rom 1:8), Paul, with little to be thankful for in the Galatian situation, expresses amazement at the way his converts are deserting the gospel of Christ for a perverted message. He reasserts the one gospel he has preached (Gal 1:7–9) and begins to defend himself (Gal 1:10).

* [1:6] The one who called you: God or Christ, though in actuality Paul was the divine instrument to call the Galatians.

* [1:8] Accursed: in Greek, anathema; cf. Rom 9:3; 1 Cor 12:3; 16:22.

* [1:10] This charge by Paul’s opponents, that he sought to conciliate people with flattery and to curry favor with God, might refer to his mission practices (cf. 1 Cor 9:19–23) but the word still suggests it refers to his pre-Christian days (cf. Gal 1:14; Phil 3:6). The self-description slave of Christ is one Paul often uses in a greeting (Rom 1:1). (Galatians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 111 offers praise for God’s Wonderful Works

* [Psalm 111] A Temple singer (Ps 111:1) tells how God is revealed in Israel’s history (Ps 111:2–10). The deeds reveal God’s very self, powerful, merciful, faithful. The poem is an acrostic, each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. (Psalms, PSALM 111 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus relates the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

* [10:25–37] In response to a question from a Jewish legal expert about inheriting eternal life, Jesus illustrates the superiority of love over legalism through the story of the good Samaritan. The law of love proclaimed in the “Sermon on the Plain” (Lk 6:27–36) is exemplified by one whom the legal expert would have considered ritually impure (see Jn 4:9). Moreover, the identity of the “neighbor” requested by the legal expert (Lk 10:29) turns out to be a Samaritan, the enemy of the Jew (see note on Lk 9:52).

* [10:25] Scholar of the law: an expert in the Mosaic law, and probably a member of the group elsewhere identified as the scribes (Lk 5:21).

* [10:31–32] Priest…Levite: those religious representatives of Judaism who would have been expected to be models of “neighbor” to the victim pass him by. (Luke, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Kent Beausoleil, S.J comments that Jesus, in our Gospel  Luke reveals that living out our faith, seeing the light of that divine love, in the Gospel stories and parables, are also about holiness and that being holy in no small way is about being merciful as God is merciful.

So, we celebrate today as a worshiping community the devotion that is the Rosary, as we celebrate Our Lady’s Rosary for in that devotional, we meditate on, we come to know, more deeply, the great mysteries, the great stories, of our salvation. We profess and hold firm that the Eucharist is the Source and Summit of our faith, but we also give thanks that the Church is filled with a myriad of so many ways, so many devotionals, to teach us and to feed our faith as we live out our spiritual journey.  I know, at least for me, that in those devotionals, a young child, me, caught belief, catching me. (Beausoleil, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “God desires to be our neighbor,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"God our Lord wished to be called our neighbor. The Lord Jesus Christ meant that he was the one who gave help to the man lying half-dead on the road, beaten and left by the robbers. The prophet said in prayer, 'As a neighbor and as one's own brother, so did I please' (Psalm 34:14 ). Since the divine nature is far superior and above our human nature, the command by which we are to love God is distinct from our love of our neighbor. He shows mercy to us because of his own goodness, while we show mercy to one another because of God's goodness. He has compassion on us so that we may enjoy him completely, while we have compassion on another that we may completely enjoy him. (excerpt from CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION 33) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 10:25-37 comments that due to our upbringing and environment, we have all inherited prejudices against one group or another. Moreover, our own hurts or misunderstanding can lead us to reject or look down on a person or group that is different from us. But Jesus wants us to see even these people as our neighbors.

As you reflect on this parable, ask the Lord whom you might see as the “Samaritans” in your life. Perhaps it’s someone in your neighborhood whom everyone shuns. Perhaps it’s someone at your office or school whose views or lifestyle you disagree with. It might even be someone in your own family who has earned the reputation of being the black sheep. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how he sees them: they are created in God’s image, just like you. They are affected by sin, just like you. And they need God’s mercy, just like you. Be open to the voice of the Spirit as he teaches you how to “go and do likewise” by being a neighbor to them.

“Lord, help me to see and love your image in everyone.” (Meditation on Luke 10:25-37, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the anger of Paul that some Jewish Christian missionaries were teaching a false Gospel that was contrary to the freedom of the people of God that Paul had received in a Divine revelation. Concern about ritual impurity or ambush may have motivated the abandonment of the injured man that the Samaritan stopped to support for his healing. Friar Jude underlines the “zinger” that calls us to treat all people with sacred respect as our neighbour.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares his deepening understanding of the relationship between tragedy, tears, and joy. 

I keep being more and more convinced that tears are an appropriate response to reality. I think they always will be, yet I don’t equate that with modern depression or cynicism. It’s the acceptance of what we cannot change that normally makes people cry: He’s dead forever; I’m never getting well; the church I love has never been perfect. The part of us that can surrender to that reality is somehow bright. Remember, God is always present in reality as it is, not merely as it should be. When we meet people who can smile in the presence of sadness, there’s a brightness about them—a clarity, a truth, and a freedom. (Rohr, n.d.)

We ask the Spirit to alert us to forces that seek to divide by trying to restrict our efforts to love and act for the benefit of others to people who we recognize as belonging to our tribe.

References

Beausoleil, K. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved October 7, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/100724.html 

Galatians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 7, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/galatians/1?6 

Luke, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 7, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/10?25 

Meditation on Luke 10:25-37. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 7, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/10/07/1098599/ 

Psalms, PSALM 111 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 7, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/111?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Brightness and Clarity. Retrieved October 7, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/brightness-and-clarity/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Go and Do Likewise. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 7, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=oct7