January 10, 2023
Saint Michael the Archangel
Mika-El: Who is like God?
This was the war cry of the angels led by St. Michael himself as they battled to throw Satan and his followers out of heaven. Using his own name, Mika-El, to rally the heavenly troops, St. Michael posed a powerful question to Satan - who is like God? The answer, of course, much to Satan’s eternal fury, is no one. Only God is like God.
St. Michael is one of the most popular saints in Catholic tradition, and his veneration is one of the oldest traditions as well. Sanctuaries dedicated to him began springing up in the 4th century, and St. Gregory the Great led a devotional procession to him in 590 AD that reportedly ended a plague in the city of Rome. He was an important devotion to many throughout the centuries, particularly in the Middle Ages, influencing the devotions of great saints such as St. Bernard and St. Francis of Assisi, and inspired countless works of art, music, and architecture. St. Michael is unique in the fact that he is an archangel - one of only three named angels in the Bible. Interestingly, he’s also a saint, despite the fact that he was never a human being! However, his veneration was so great in the early Church that he was granted the title of saint, along with St. Gabriel and St. Raphael, the other two named angels in the Bible - centuries before the canonization process was formalized in the 12th century. St. Michael’s roles are also unique to him; he’s a warrior and the commander of the Army of God, he’s the Guardian of the Church and Blessed Sacrament, he is one of the angels believed to be present at the hour of death to rescue souls from Satan, and he also is present to weigh souls on judgment day.
In addition to his four main roles, St. Michael has a number of patronages. He’s the patron saint of police officers, military, paramedics, doctors, and mariners - traditionally extremely dangerous professions, fitting with his role as protector and warrior!
At Fount of Grace, we specialize in making beautiful, heirloom quality Catholic pieces for ardent defenders of the faith. Our St. Michael medal, cast in sterling silver, 14K gold vermeil or 14k gold, has an image of Saint Michael crushing the head of Satan, defending the church and protecting the faithful from evil. It’s long been a Catholic custom to wear a blessed medal bearing St. Michael’s image to symbolize not only St. Michael’s protection, but as a reminder of God’s triumph over evil and the fact that truly no one, except God, is like God.
SHOP SAINT MICHAEL PENDANT NOW
"St. 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, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen."
