Sts. Michael, Rafael and Gabriel, Pray for Us.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Once again, we find ourselves suffering through another catastrophic fire in Sonoma County. As I write this, many, if not most, of our parish families are in evacuation mode. The Cathedral itself is in the warning stage, meaning that if the fire progresses, we may have to evacuate, too. I find it comforting to know that in times like this, we are blessed to have our guardian angels helping and watching over us. Speaking of angels, it is fortuitous that today we celebrate the Feast of the Archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. I have brought up the topic of angels often in our past bulletins because I think it is so important for us to recognize the existence of the invisible world.
Our modern day world tells us that we should only believe in what we can see or touch or directly experience, but really, that is only a tiny percentage of what is truly “out there!” For example, St. John Chrysostom tells us, “When Mass is being celebrated, the sanctuary is filled with countless angels who adore the Divine Victim immolated on the altar.” Though our mortal eyes cannot see the angelic world, we know from Scripture and from the saints that there are innumerable angels and that they are of different ranks, 9 to be exact. Although there are believed to be seven archangels (based on Tobit 12:15 and Rev. 8:2), only three are mentioned by name in the Bible: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Saint Michael the Archangel is the patron of spiritual warfare, dying people, police and firemen, soldiers, etc. He was the leader of God's army during the uprising of Lucifer and is honored in not only Christianity but also Judaism and Islam. Saint Michael the Archangel is also considered to be the guardian and protector of the Church. Saint Gabriel the Archangel is the patron of radio, post offices, telephones, diplomats, and television. He is the messenger angel of God and is mentioned throughout the Bible. He is most famous for appearing to the Virgin Mary for the annunciation. Saint Raphael is the patron of nurses, blind people, travelers, shepherds, and mentally ill people. St. Raphael is well-noted for curing a man's blindness and traveling with Tobiah in the book of Tobit.
It may be surprising that the archangels are one of the lowest ranks of angelic creatures. Archangels are called such because their choir is above that of the lowest angels (among these are our Guardian Angels, for whom this Friday is the Feast day), therefore they are referred to as the "princes" of the angels that rank beneath them. We can discern from this ranking of angels that the lower choirs have closer dealings with events on earth, while the higher choirs attend the throne of God in heaven. Both angels and archangels are the angelic beings that have direct dealings with humans as recorded in the Bible. The archangels are seen to be the highest of all God's messenger angels and they are given the most important missions. Of the archangels, St. Michael is regarded as the highest ranked. St. Michael, please keep us safe during this dangerous time! Amen.
—Fr. Epperson
Announcements
FEAST OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY Please join us either in person or in spirit, tomorrow, Wednesday, October 7th, the Feast of our Lady of the Rosary, for a Rosary and Litany at 6:30 p.m, outside next to the Fatima Grotto. The Rosary is the only effective weapon we have to combat all the many evils in the world today, so please pray with on this day.
RCIA SPONSORS NEEDED Several RCIA participants are in need of sponsors. If you are interested in volunteering for this vital role, please contact the parish office at 542-6984, ext 10 or come to the RCIA class next Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in the Becker Center, Brinker Room.
Parish Finances in the Age of Covid
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Jan-Aug Finances
Income $309,480.06
Short fall $-32,296.02
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