The Feast Day of St. Michael is ~ September 29th
The name Michael in Hebrew signifies “who is like God” -the battle cry of good angels who drove satan from Heaven. In Holy Scripture he is shown to have been the guardian and comforter of the Chosen Race who prepared their return from captivity in Persia and insured the victory of the Maccabees.
The early Christians entrusted to St. Michael the care of their sick: all who bathed in his medicinal spring near Colossae, invoking him and the Holy Trinity, were healed; and near Constantinople the sick used to spend the night in his church in the hope of a cure.
Catholic tradition assigns to this “great prince” these four offices; to fight against satan, to rescue the souls of the faithful from his grasp, especially at death, to be the special Patron of Holy church, and to bring men’s souls to judgement. St. Michael’s was one of the “voices ” which instructed St. Joan Of Arc.
The 29th September is probably the date on which the Ancient Roman Basilica to “St. Michael and All Angels” at Gargano in Italy was dedicated in the 6th century, but that building disappeared over a thousand years ago. In England ” Michaelmas Day” is one of the regular days on which quarterly rents and accounts are settled. St. Michael is the Patron Saint of grocers, and the guardian of all mountain places. He is also held to be the special Guardian Angel of the Pope and, according to St. Eutropius, of Blessed Sacrament.
Reflection: “Make the holy Angels your friends! No matter how weak you may be, how sad your condition, or how great the perils which surround us, we have nothing to fear under the protection of such guardians”. (St. Bernard)