Divine Presence!
29th September each year is the feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. However, when a feast day coincides with a Sunday, unless it is a Solemnity, or a Feast of the Lord, the Sunday takes precedence, for Sunday is to the week what Easter is to the year, the celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection!
In this Sunday’s readings we notice that both in the Book of Numbers and the Gospel of Mark, people are acting beyond the expectations of others. Our own view of life can at times be a barrier to being open to new possibilities, to new ways of understanding. We can think that life is as we know it, and of course, that isn’t so! Life is well beyond any one person’s understanding, no matter how intelligent or well versed.
When considering Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, the Archangels, are we not invited to recognise that there is more to life and to living than is initially obvious? Angels, in the Church, are messengers of God. Each of the Archangels with a mission: Michael, protection; Gabriel, strength; Raphael, healing.
There is a tendency for us humans to like order. Chaos, understandably, does not bring peaceful living. And to ensure order we often seek to have clear lines of authority, enabling everyone to be aware of how things will work, especially in times of crisis. In the Church we even have the terms Holy Orders, Religious Orders, and the Ordo (the liturgical calendar which has the most incredible directions giving order to celebrations!)
A challenge in the Scriptures placed before us as the Church today is, ‘Does God confine the gift of God’s Spirit to authorised channels?’ Clearly, the answer to this is, No! The prophets of old and of new often come from outside the authorised channels. They speak into systems which may have become stale or accustomed to patterns which need to change. Pope St John XXIII in the 1960’s called for the windows of the church to be thrown open to let in the fresh air of the Spirit. We see here prophetic action also coming from within recognised authority.
As the gift of God’s Spirit is not confined to certain people, or certain ways of acting, how will we recognise that it is God’s Spirit at work? In the fruits of the Spirit which come we recognise the Spirit is at work. Life is more than we know. Angels are a reminder of this, and prophets can be a painful reminder of this truth. Divine presence surrounds us, let’s be on the lookout for unexpected manifestations!
Prayers, patrick
