[From Aelfric]
Truly, the angels whom God has appointed as guardians for his chosen never leave his presence, because God is everywhere, and wherever the angels fly they are ever in his presence, and enjoy his glory. They take news of our words and deeds to the Almighty, although to him nothing is hidden; as the Archangel Raphael said to the man of God, Tobias, “When you prayed, I offered your prayers before God.”
The Old Testament tells us that archangels are set over every nation, above the other angels, so that they may protect the peoples, as Moses, in the fifth book of the Old Testament, reveals in these words: “When the high God separated and scattered the offspring of Adam, he set the boundaries of the peoples according to the numbers of his angels”. The prophet Daniel agrees with this in his prophecy: a certain angel of God spoke to Daniel concerning the archangel who guided the Persians, and said, “The archangel came to me, the leader of the Greek people, and none was my helper but Michael, leader of the Hebrews. Even now Michael, one of the foremost of the leaders, came to support me, and I remained there with the king of the Persians.” With these words, when he said that Michael came to help him, it is shown what great care the archangels take in their authority over mankind.
Now it is to be believed that the archangel Michael has care of Christian people, who was the leader of the Hebrew people while they believed in God; and that he manifested himself when he built himself a church among a faithful people on the mount Gargano, as we read before. It is arranged by God’s dispensation that the glorious angel of heaven is continually the helper of Christians on earth and their advocate in heaven before Almighty God, who lives and reigns for ever in eternity. Amen.
Peter Paul Rubens
(1577–1640)The Engelsturz.
Archangel Michael
in the fight against
the renegade angels. pic.twitter.com/7zgf8PcUnD— Beba Kron (@BebaKron) June 29, 2016