Friday - September 29, 2017
“When tempted, invoke your Angel. He is more eager to help you than you are to be helped! Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him: He trembles and flees at the sight of your Guardian Angel.”
– St. John Bosco
TODAY'S READINGS
September 29, 2017
Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels
Lectionary: 647
Reading 1DN 7:9-10, 13-14
As I watched:Thrones were set up
and the Ancient One took his throne.
His clothing was bright as snow,
and the hair on his head as white as wool;
His throne was flames of fire,
with wheels of burning fire.
A surging stream of fire
flowed out from where he sat;
Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him,
and myriads upon myriads attended him.
The court was convened, and the books were opened.
As the visions during the night continued, I saw
One like a son of man coming,
on the clouds of heaven;
When he reached the Ancient One
and was presented before him,
He received dominion, glory, and kingship;
nations and peoples of every language serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not be taken away,
his kingship shall not be destroyed.
OrRV 12:7-12AB
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.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed.
For the accuser of our brothers is cast out,
who accuses them before our God day and night.
They conquered him by the Blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
love for life did not deter them from death.
Therefore, rejoice, you heavens,
and you who dwell in them."
Responsorial PsalmPS 138:1-2AB, 2CDE-3, 4-5
R. (1) In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD
when they hear the words of your mouth;
And they shall sing of the ways of the LORD
"Great is the glory of the LORD
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
AlleluiaPS 103:21
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Bless the LORD, all you angels,
you ministers, who do his will.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 1:47-51
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."
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Working with angels
One day when I was preparing for a Praise & Worship session, I wasted a lot of time trying to find a certain scripture passage to help me explain a point. Finally, I thought, "God has supposedly given me angels for assistance!" So I put the bible down and said out loud, "Okay, ministering angel, I need your help. Show me where the bible says ...."
After describing the quote I needed, I sat back in my chair. Then I noticed that my bible, which I had left flopped open, had a gap between a bunch of the pages; not all pages were lying flat. So I said, "Hmmmm, I wonder," and I stuck my finger into the gap and flipped the book open to that place. Sure enough! There was the scripture I'd been seeking!
Today's Feast Day reminds us that angels are not only real, they are also important. God sends them to us to help us on our journey toward eternal life in heaven. Do you realize that even the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael know who you are and how much God loves you and, because of this, they want to be involved in God's plans for you? It's not just their duty; they're excited about it!
In the Gospel reading today, Jesus wants us to know that angels travel between heaven and earth to work for our benefit, but their ministry depends upon him. Because God loves us, angels deliver his messages to us. Because Jesus cares about our salvation, angels watch for opportunities to nudge us closer to Jesus. Because God wants us to continue the mission of Christ on earth, if we're doing that, angels help us with it every day, in big ways and in small ways.
You have a guardian angel who was given to you while you were in your mother's womb. You also have ministering angels -- as many as you need for your circumstances, and more if you ask for more.
No concern of yours is too small -- or too big -- for attracting the interest of angels, but they don't do everything they could do unless we ask them to. This is the way God designed it; by asking for their help, we consciously place our trust in God's purposes for our lives and we develop a collaborative attitude for his divine plans.
Angels are not our slaves; they are our partners in the work of God's kingdom. Reciting the prayer "Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle…" is not enough to assure his intervention. Rather, we have to work hard to win the battle in a collaborative relationship with Saint Michael.
Prayer
I praise You, Lord, for the wonders You work in my life and for those I have not seen yet, but which You have reserved for me. Amen.
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God Bless You.....
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