POWERFUL NOVENA TO THE ARCHANGELS (SAINTS MICHAEL, GABRIEL, AND RAPHAEL): DAY 6

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN

V. O God, come to my aid +
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

OPENING PRAYER

“Bless the Lord all ye His angels: You that are mighty in strength, and execute His word, hearkening to the voice of His orders. Bless the Lord, o my soul, and let all that is within me bless His holy name.” (Psalm 102:20)

O God, who from among all your angels chose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the mystery of the Incarnation, mercifully grant that we who solemnly remember him on earth may feel the benefit of his patronage in heaven, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him. We humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly host. By the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

O God, send the Archangel Raphael to our assistance. May he who stands forever praising you at your throne present our humble petitions to be blessed by you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Day 6 Instruction/Prayer: In Daniel 9:21-26, we read: “I was still occupied with this prayer, when Gabriel, the one whom I had seen before in vision, came to me in rapid flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me in these words: ‘Daniel, I have now come to give you understanding. After the sixty-two weeks, the Anointed One shall be slain: and the people that deny Him shall not be His. And a people with their leader that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” St. Gabriel the Archangel, you have the special role of announcing the Messiah, guard and protect us from the evil one who works tirelessly to keep us away from the path of the Messiah.

DAY 6 MEDITATION

(An exposition of the Angelic world, and how Archangel Michael became the Prince of the Heavenly Host) – Part 6

What led to the war in second heaven?

The Second Heaven is not the highest heaven where God dwells, as we stated earlier. The angels were created in the upper atmosphere – the sky, which was referred to as the place of the moon, stars, and other planetary bodies. Thus, before being admitted into the dwelling place of God, they had to pass through a trial to prove their love for God. Again, God is love, and if you must dwell with him, your love must have been purified – you must gain love’s high reward and it must be purified. Just as we are passing through our own trials too in this world. The angels had all passed through theirs and have been already judged and proved worthy of God before entering the main (highest) heaven where God dwells to contemplate Him, face to face.

The trial was God’s revelation to the angels that lower beings called humans would be created in His image and likeness, and that they would be at the service of men. God revealed also that His Son (the Eternal Word) would become man to redeem humanity by His death and resurrection, and that they would adore Him in the Person of His Son who would be made man. This revelation was a shock to them. Lucifer, who received the clearest of God’s revelation was bewildered and was not comfortable with that revelation. Why should God make a lower creature (man) in His own image and likeness, while they (angels) of superior nature without God’s image/likeness? Also, how could the angels adore God in the flesh of a lower creature? These were going through the mind of Lucifer. Before they could still get over this, God also revealed that above all the angels would be placed a woman through whom His Son would be born, she would be their queen, and superior to them. This actually “broke the Carmel’s back,” and as a result, Lucifer was soaked in pride and began to revolt.  How did he rebel against God? Because Lucifer occupied the highest of the angelic ranks, and in fact, the most intelligent, beautiful, etc., of them all, and whatever idea he communicates to those of lower ranks is what they would perceive. So, Lucifer began with his “seeming intelligent” arguments driven by pride, that God cannot be adored in the flesh, for the obvious reason that Angels are superior to men; and that a woman cannot be placed above them. This was his apparent attempt to ascend the highest heaven and overtake the Most High (cf. Is. 14:13). Thus, he polluted the ideas he received from God unto those of the lower ranks, trying to convince and confuse the other angels to do the same. The Book of Revelation gives us a clue. Let us now return to the two principal texts we cited at the very beginning of this lecture (Rev. 12 and Hebrews 1:6).

Transcending beyond the literal interpretation of Revelation 12, we read of the rage of the dragon who opposed the emergence of the Son of God in the flesh already in the womb of His Blessed Mother, Mary; put differently, the dragon confronting the pregnant woman of the Book of Revelation; its tail dragging down a third of the stars, etc… This was the war itself, THE WAR OF THE MIND/IDEAS; polluting the divine truth and confusing other angels as well, i.e., dragging a third of the stars; the ‘stars’ here are the angels.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Pause for a moment…

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

SHORT INVOCATIONS

God, the Father of Heaven, Creator of every spirit,
have mercy on us!

God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, on whom the angels desire to gaze,
have mercy on us!

God, the Holy Spirit, felicity of the blessed spirits,
have mercy on us!

Holy Trinity, one God, glory of the holy angels,
have mercy on us!

Holy Mary, Queen of the heavenly spirits,
pray for us!

Holy Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael,
pray for us!

St Michael, Prince of the celestial host,
pray for us!

St. Raphael, angel of health and curer of blindness,
pray for us!

St. Gabriel, who announced the Incarnation of the Word,
pray for us!

Faithful Ministers of Christ,
pray for us!

Solace of the faithful,
pray for us!

Protector of those who are devout to you,
pray for us!

Making joyful your devoted clients,
pray for us!

Consoler in necessities,
pray for us!

Christ Jesus, beatitude of the angels,
spare us!

Christ Jesus, glory of the heavenly spirits,
hear us!

Christ Jesus, splendor of the celestial armies,
have mercy on us!

CONCLUDING PRAYERS & CONSECRATION TO THE ARCHANGELS

St. Michael the Archangel, loyal champion of God and His people, I, today offer and consecrate myself to you, and place myself, my family, and all I possess under your most powerful protection, and I turn to you with confidence and seek your powerful intercession. For the love of God, Who made you so glorious in grace and power, and for the love of the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of the Angels, be pleased to hear my prayer. You know the value of my soul in the eyes of God. May no stain of evil ever disfigure its beauty. Help me to conquer the evil spirit who tempts me. I desire to imitate your loyalty to God and Holy Mother Church and your great love for God and people. And since you are God’s messenger for the care of his people, I entrust to you this special request: (Mention your request). St. Michael, since you are, by the Will of the Creator, the powerful intercessor of Christians, I have great confidence in your prayers. I earnestly trust that if it is God’s Holy Will, my petition will be granted. Pray for me, St. Michael, and also for those I love. Protect us in all dangers of body and soul. Help us in our daily needs. Through your powerful intercession, may we live a holy life, die a happy death, and reach heaven where we may praise and love God with you forever. Amen.

Holy Archangel Raphael, standing so close to the throne of God and offering Him our prayers, I, today offer and consecrate myself to you, and place myself, my family, and all I possess under your most powerful protection, and I turn to you with confidence and seek your powerful intercession. I venerate you as God’s special Friend and Messenger. I choose you as my Patron and wish to love and obey you as young Tobiah did. I consecrate to you my body and soul, all my work, and my whole life. I want you to be my Guide and Counselor in all the dangerous and difficult problems and decisions of my life. Remember, dearest, St. Raphael, that the grace of God preserved you with the good Angels in heaven when the proud ones were cast into hell. I entreat you, therefore, to help me in my struggle against the world, the spirit of impurity, and the devil. Defend me from all dangers and every occasion of sin. Direct me always in the way of peace, safety, and salvation. Offer my prayers to God as you offered those of Tobiah, so that through your intercession I may obtain the graces necessary for the salvation of my soul. I ask you to pray that God grant me this favor if it be His holy Will: (Mention your request). St. Raphael, help me to love and serve my God faithfully, to die in His grace, and finally to merit to join you in seeing and praising God forever in heaven. Amen.

St. Gabriel the Archangel, I venerate you as the “Angel of the Incarnation,” because God has specially appointed you to bear the messages concerning the God-Man to Daniel, Zechariah, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. I, today offer and consecrate myself to you, and place myself, my family, and all I possess under your most powerful protection, and I turn to you with confidence and seek your powerful intercession. I venerate you also as the “strength from God,” because you are the giver of God’s strength, consoler, and comforter chosen to strengthen God’s faithful and to teach them important truths. I ask for the grace of a special power of the will to strive for holiness of life. Steady my resolutions, renew my courage, comfort, and console me in the problems, trials, and sufferings of daily living, as you consoled our Savior in His agony and Mary in her sorrows and Joseph in his trials. I put my confidence in you. St. Gabriel, I ask you especially for this favor: (Mention your request). Through your earnest love for the Son of God-Made-Man and for His blessed Mother, I beg of you, intercede for me that my request may be granted if it be God’s holy Will.

Pray for us, St. Gabriel the Archangel. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray: Almighty and ever-living God, send to our assistance the Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael. May all who stand before the Throne of Thy Majesty, offer unto You our thanksgiving, praises, and petitions, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and mercifully grant that we who honour your holy Archangels on earth may feel the benefit of their patronage in heaven. You live and reign forever. Amen.

Blessing+
Through the intercession of the Holy Archangels – Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, may the Lord bless + us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

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