The Gospel for the feasts of St. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael archangels is taken from John 1:47, 50. Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said to 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. When John speaks of the Son of Man, he’s talking about the humanity of Jesus. Jesus is the model of our humanity. And when Jesus is explaining the kingdom of God, he’s so clearly saying that what’s going to happen is that human beings are going to be filled with the wisdom that flows from the angelic realm into the human realm. We’ll be taught, will be shown, we’ll be awakened. It’s a beautiful image of what God has asked Jesus to establish on this earth, connection with him.

The Closing Prayer Father, awaken our imagination, our curiosity to ponder these words and images that you have shared with us so that we can open our hearts to a reality that’s beyond our imagining. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.