General considerations about the Day of Saint Michael Archangel

St. Michael is a celestial being present in many religions. Even with different rites, believers of various beliefs are unanimous in considering the Archangel as the most important of all angels of God. So much so that there is the Day of St. Michael, where devotees gather to pay homage to the warrior angel.

Michael is the leader of all the angels and is sent to protect people from evil spirits. As he is an angel of war, he is the most capable of delivering the children of God from the powers of evil angels. On the commemorative date of St. Michael, devotees usually make requests for protection and thanksgiving.

Now, you will get to know this important archangel.

Saint Michael's Day, Origin, Lent and Prayer

Every commemorative date has a story behind it. With St. Michael's Day it would be no different. Below, you will learn more about the Archangel's Day, the origin of the celebration, Lent and how is the prayer of St. Michael. See!

Saint Michael's Day

St. Michael's Day is celebrated on September 29. Unlike other Archangels, St. Michael is an angel who is present in several religions, the main ones are Judaism, Catholicism, Umbanda and Islam. Although with different rites, all the faithful of the religions mentioned use the date to honor the Archangel.

But besides remembering the celestial being, devotees usually make requests for healing and protection to Saint Michael, since he is patron saint in battles, heals the sick and protects the children of God against evil spirits. In Christian culture, the Archangel is also considered to be the leader of God's army.

The origin of St. Michael's Day

The commemoration of St. Michael's Day arose from Christian tradition. The tributes are held on September 29, but there are no records about the reasons that led to the choice of the date. Research and studies by Professor Richard Johnson only report that the medieval churches in England honored St. Michael on September 29.

Since then, all religions that celebrate the image of the Archangel pay homage on the same date. In the celebration, the faithful usually make requests, give thanks for deliverances received and light candles in prayers. They also decorate the environment with several images of St. Michael.

Saint Michael's Lent

Apart from Sundays, Saint Michael's Lent lasts 40 days. The process begins on August 15 and ends on September 29, on Saint Michael's Day. During this 40-day period the faithful usually pay homage to the Archangel. Generally, prayers are said and even thanks for deliverances received. After all, Saint Michael is a protector.

Lent is practiced mainly by the Catholic religion, but some Christian communities also pay honor to the Archangel during this period, so regardless of your religion, you can take advantage of Lent to make your requests to St. Michael, light a candle and honor the Archangel.

Healing, protection and removal of obstacles through St. Michael

Due to St. Michael's stories of victory against evil, the Archangel became the guardian and leader of the children of God. The Angel is usually invoked in difficult situations when the faithful need to face certain difficulties and remove obstacles. On St. Michael's Day, many requests are made to him, and there are reports of receiving strength to deal with life's challenges.

But besides timely help, the heavenly being also acts in healing sicknesses of both body and soul, healing the sick and embittered in spirit. Since it is a heavenly being, it has the potential to overcome the evil forces that can torment living people.

Saint Michael as a requiem at the hour of death

Requiem is a type of mass held for the faithful deceased. Christians hold it so that the deceased will be led to Heaven safely and without distractions. Usually, the Archangel St. Michael is considered as the requiem who brings the dead to God in safety and peace.

The faithful believe that after death, a person may be tempted by evil spirits to take another course towards hell. In order for this not to happen, a prayer to the Archangel needs to be said in order for St. Michael to guide the soul of the deceased and protect them against the forces of evil. On St. Michael's Day, many of the faithful use the angel as a Requiem.

St. Michael's Prayer

St. Michael is an archangel of war and protection. For this reason, the prayer to this entity is involved by requests for guard in wars and deliverance from the forces of evil:

"St. Michael the Archangel, protect us in battle, defend us with your shield against the snares and traps of the devil. God subject him, we earnestly beseech you; and you, Prince of the heavenly militia, by divine power, precipitate into hell Satan and the other evil spirits who go about the world seeking to lose souls. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen!"

Saint Michael's history, symbolic importance and appearances

To better understand the size meaning of St. Michael's Day is essential to know the history of the Archangel, its symbolic importance and the appearances of the angel on earth and in the sacred writings. Learn more in the following topics.

History of Saint Michael the Archangel

The history of Saint Michael the Archangel is marked by protection, justice and repentance. This is because the Archangel is the one who performs the guardianship of God's children and protects the entire church of the Lord, being a great warrior against the various forces of evil. For this reason, Saint Michael is the patron saint of paramedics, paratroopers and in battles.

The Angel is also considered the Archangel of repentance and justice. All the characteristics of the Archangel do justice to the meaning of his name which means "Who like God". Therefore, St. Michael's Day is a very important religious date for the faithful.

Symbolic importance of the Archangel

The figure of the Archangel Michael is represented by a red cape, a sword in one hand and a scale in the other. These three objects symbolize protection, defense and justice. Thus, Saint Michael is the celestial being responsible for protecting the faithful against the powerful forces of evil.

The term "Archangel" refers to the position of leadership that St. Michael occupies in relation to the other angels. He is a leader, warrior and defender. For this reason, devotees always turn to the Archangel when they need protection to face a situation. Also, requests are made for deliverance and deliverance from evil spirits.

Apparitions of St. Michael the Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel once appeared to the Bishop of Siponto asking him to develop a church in the cave of Mount Gargano in order to gather the faithful again in the devotion, protection and love of the Archangel. Another appearance of the Angel in human history was in the region of Colossae, where St. John the Evangelist announced that St. Michael would protect the city.

Because of these two important quotes, St. Michael's Day has been celebrated to exalt, thank and especially make requests to the Archangel. Many take advantage of the Angel's Day to make requests for cures, after all, after St. John the Evangelist announced St. Michael as protector, many sick people began to invoke healing to the Archangel at the city's door.

References to St. Michael

St. Michael is quoted in several Biblical references, both in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the Apocrypha and the Dead Sea Scrolls. With important references, the Day of St. Michael has reason to exist. Learn more about it in the topics below.

In the Hebrew Bible

The first mention of St. Michael was in the Hebrew Bible, which is the holy book of the Jews. In the Hebrew translation the name St. Michael means "one who is like God" or "one who is similar to God." The Archangel fights against the forces of evil in the heavenly regions to give victory to the children of God.

One such victory of the Angel is recorded in the Book of Daniel, where he appears 3 times. On one occasion, the prophet Daniel was praying to God for 21 days, when during this period St. Michael was fighting evil spirits. After the prophet's period of prayer, St. Michael won the battle and delivered victory to Daniel.

New Testament

The New Testament is a part of the Holy Bible composed of books written after the death of Jesus Christ. It contains the Gospels, which tell of the life and work of Jesus, Letters of the Apostle Paul and other books by general writers, such as the Book of Peter, James and John, for example.

St. Michael appears in the Book of Revelation, written by John, one of Jesus' disciples. In Revelation, the Archangel appears in struggles against evil powers. Specifically, St. Michael leads and wins wars against demons on behalf of God's children. On St. Michael's Day, these struggles are usually remembered by the faithful.

Apocrypha

The Archangel Michael appears in the Apocryphal Books, texts that were not included in the Christian Bible. In the Book of Jubilees, Saint Michael had special participation in the elaboration of the Torah, which is nothing more than a grouping of God's laws that orthodox Jews follow until today.

The Torah was written by Moses, a great leader of the Hebrew people who delivered Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land. Saint Michael appears in the Book guiding Moses to write the texts. According to Hebrew tradition, with the instructions of the Angel, the leader of the people wrote all the contents of the Torah.

Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1940 in the Dead Sea regions, in a cave called Qumran. Due to their recent discovery, many believers do not know about these manuscripts. But today they hold great significance for the Jewish people, so much so that these texts were included in the Jewish Essenes.

St. Michael appears in these texts in a certain battle against demons. Because of this warlike characteristic of the Archangel, on St. Michael's Day the faithful ask for protection and deliverance from evil spirits. Just as the Angel had the ability to win several wars in the past, he also has the ability to help devotees.

The other archangels

In addition to Archangel Michael, there are six others that make up the list of the seven main Archangels. Although there is St. Michael's Day, it is important to know of the existence of the other angels to ask for help in specific situations. Meet Archangel Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Barakiel, Jegudiel and Salathiel below.

Archangel Gabriel

The Archangel Gabriel is the messenger angel, the one who announces revelations from God, and usually the news are very good. For this reason, when the believer needs a miracle or some kind of direction for his life, a prayer addressed to the angel Gabriel is an excellent choice.

The angel had a strong presence in important moments for the children of God. He announced to the prophet Daniel the coming of the Messiah to Earth. He visited the virgin Mary revealing that she would give birth to Jesus Christ, the one who would save mankind. In addition, he provided all the necessary guidance to Mary and Joseph regarding the birth of the savior.

Archangel Raphael

The main function of the Archangel Raphael is to protect. The Book of Tobias relates the protection of the angel with the author throughout his earthly journey. Both in the journey and in the process of locomotion, the angel was with Tobias, delivering him from all the evils and dangers of the road.

In Hebrew, the name Raphael means "divine healer." "Raphael" means "healing" and "El" means "God." Among all the Archangels, Raphael was the only one to strip himself of his divinity and walk the earth with men in human form. Therefore, he knows very well how to help people in difficult times.

Archangel Uriel

If you want to improve your quality of life and don't know where to start, then you can turn to the Archangel Uriel. This is because Uriel is the angel responsible for providing creativity to the faithful, helping them to make their walk on this earth more interesting and pleasurable. He acts in many areas of human life by providing revolutionary ideas.

But the Archangel Uriel also assists devotees in cases of spiritual emergencies. In requests for immediate help, the Angel is there to help people. In addition, he has a great performance in situations of injustice. He presents as meaning the name "fire of God", revealing his firm performance in the happiness of religious people.

Baraquiel

In one of the Books of Enoch, there is recorded the Archangel Barakiel, considered to be the angel of light. As one of the seven principal archangels, Barakiel is cited as the leader of approximately 496,000 angels, all being ministered to by the Archangel, obeying his directives. In Heaven, he holds the second position of the principal archangels.

As a function, Baraquiel is concerned with the regulation of angels. His main activity is in the heavenly regions, managing the angelic army to positively influence the lives of the faithful. Should any devotee invoke the Archangel Baraquiel, clarity in walking can be provided. As he is an angel of light, he can clarify the steps of the faithful.

Jegudiel

Unlike other archangels, the Angel Jegudiel is not found in any holy book. There is no mention, citation or reference to the archangel even in the Apocryphal Books. But despite this, Jegudiel is widely accepted by the Orthodox church because of the angel's history and function in the lives of the workers.

Jegudiel was included in the list of the seven archangels by the Monk Amadeus Menez de Silva. According to the belief, the angel is the protector of those who work hard, especially in the work of God. Those who employ dedication to their work, Jegudiel rewards. However, as he is not very well known, few believers invoke the Archangel.

Salatiel

Salathiel is an Archangel of prayer. Together with God, he makes supplications for the good of the Lord's children and is crying out for the salvation and health of people all over the earth. In the sacred writings, the Archangel appears in the third Book of Ezra guiding people to make decisions.

In addition, some people suggest that Salathiel is the angel who appeared to Hagar when she went into the desert, an episode reported in the Book of Genesis. Since he is the one who makes supplications for God's people, the faithful may call upon the Archangel for help. In times of great distress, Salathiel may go to meet the faithful devotee.

Do petitions made to the Archangel on St. Michael's Day have more force?

Regardless of the commemorative date, Saint Michael can be invoked at any time of the year. Whenever people need a cure, a deliverance or a request for justice, the Archangel is there ready to help the children of God. The function of the angel is to help the people, so he is always willing to provide aid.

However, on St. Michael's Day, many people usually set aside the day to make special requests or those petitions that have been accumulated throughout the year. It is believed that the Archangel hears these prayers and answers them immediately. It is for this reason that devotees believe in the strength of the requests made on the commemorative date.

However, it is important to emphasize that St. Michael is a celestial being. The person must have faith in the existence of the angel and believe that their requests will be fulfilled. There is no point in asking and not trusting that the Archangel will deliver your victory.

But now that you know the whole story of St. Michael, you can cultivate a rational faith and receive help whenever you need it.