Daily Meditation: Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Archangel Michael - his festival at the beginning of autumn

09/29/2010

In the Old Testament, Michael is the archangel who wins victories at the head of heaven's armies. And in the New Testament, in Revelations in particular, it is he who will slay the dragon at the end of time. It is also said that, when Moses died, the devil tried to take possession of his body, and it was Archangel Michael who confronted him and snatched the body away from him. Numerous paintings and icons show the Archangel holding a pair of scales, weighing the actions of humans after they die: the bad actions are stacked in one pan, the good ones in the other. Meanwhile, the devil is there, ready to drag the person down to his kingdom of hell, and he is full of fury, gnashing his teeth as he sees Michael adding the one last good action to the pan that will tip the scales in favour of the good. The Michaelmas festival takes place in the sign of Libra, at the beginning of autumn. Autumn is the harvest season: the fruit is gathered in, the rotten fruit thrown away and the healthy kept. Just as you can recognize trees by their fruits, so Jesus said you can also recognize people by theirs. In a sense, you could say that each harvest is a judgment.