Sept. 29, 2010 Wednesday: The Feast of Archangels
Click to hear the audio homily
(Homily given at St. Michael's High School Mass)
Here is an interesting question for all of us: "What is your personal relationship with angels?"
Padre Pio frequently sent his angel to someone who needed help. For example, Father Alessio Parente was assigned to assist the fragile monk from the chapel to his monastic cell every day. But Father Parente had a habit of oversleeping. Often he wouldn't hear his alarm clock or, half awake, he would switch it off. "Every time I overslept," he says, "I heard a voice in my sleep saying, 'Alessio, Alessio, come down!' and a knocking at my door. Realizing I was late, I would jump out of bed and run out into the corridor to see who called me, but there was nobody there. I would race down to the church and there I invariably found Padre Pio at the end of Mass giving the last blessing.
"One day I was sitting by Padre Pio's side, feeling ashamed at my lack of punctuality. I was trying to explain to him that I never seemed to hear the alarm, but he interrupted me. 'Yes, I understand you,' he said. 'But do you think I will continue to send my guardian angel every day to wake you? You'd better go and buy yourself a new clock.'
On another occasion, an Italian girl, hearing of this saintly friar, sent her angel to ask for good health for her Uncle Fred. The girl then decided to visit Padre Pio. When she approached him, he joked with her: "Your angel kept me up all night, asking for a cure for your Uncle Fred!"
Do you ever wonder if your prayer is ever heard? If you prepare your hearts and minds through prayer, your angel will take them to Heavenly Father and you may hear your angel coming back with a message from the Heavenly Father for you. I named my guardian angel, St. Michael, and I ask him to do all sorts of things for me. I'm especially bad with my memory. I have countless number of people who ask me, "Father, please pray for Susan...for my uncle...for so and so..." Do you think I can remember all of their names? I ask St. Michael to remember them, and at mass I ask the Lord, "Lord I would like to offer this mass for all those that St. Michael remembers."
On other occasions, I ask St. Michael, "Please protect me while I'm driving, especially when I get sleepy." So I imagine flying beside my little Scion XB is St. Michael. Sometimes, I have to go to dangerous neighborhood or at night to anoint someone who is sick. Then I ask, "St. Michael, please stand by me and protect me from any persons or demons with evil intent." But just as our Archangels and guardian angels protect us from our enemies, we have to help defend those who are vulnerable from the evil in the world. And that could be standing up for someone who is getting bullied right here in our school. What would you do when you see someone being bullied or being pressured into doing something that they know is wrong? Ask St. Michael, St. Raphael, and St. Gabriel to protect you and to stand by you.
(Homily given at St. Michael's High School Mass)
Here is an interesting question for all of us: "What is your personal relationship with angels?"
Padre Pio frequently sent his angel to someone who needed help. For example, Father Alessio Parente was assigned to assist the fragile monk from the chapel to his monastic cell every day. But Father Parente had a habit of oversleeping. Often he wouldn't hear his alarm clock or, half awake, he would switch it off. "Every time I overslept," he says, "I heard a voice in my sleep saying, 'Alessio, Alessio, come down!' and a knocking at my door. Realizing I was late, I would jump out of bed and run out into the corridor to see who called me, but there was nobody there. I would race down to the church and there I invariably found Padre Pio at the end of Mass giving the last blessing.
"One day I was sitting by Padre Pio's side, feeling ashamed at my lack of punctuality. I was trying to explain to him that I never seemed to hear the alarm, but he interrupted me. 'Yes, I understand you,' he said. 'But do you think I will continue to send my guardian angel every day to wake you? You'd better go and buy yourself a new clock.'
On another occasion, an Italian girl, hearing of this saintly friar, sent her angel to ask for good health for her Uncle Fred. The girl then decided to visit Padre Pio. When she approached him, he joked with her: "Your angel kept me up all night, asking for a cure for your Uncle Fred!"
On other occasions, I ask St. Michael, "Please protect me while I'm driving, especially when I get sleepy." So I imagine flying beside my little Scion XB is St. Michael. Sometimes, I have to go to dangerous neighborhood or at night to anoint someone who is sick. Then I ask, "St. Michael, please stand by me and protect me from any persons or demons with evil intent." But just as our Archangels and guardian angels protect us from our enemies, we have to help defend those who are vulnerable from the evil in the world. And that could be standing up for someone who is getting bullied right here in our school. What would you do when you see someone being bullied or being pressured into doing something that they know is wrong? Ask St. Michael, St. Raphael, and St. Gabriel to protect you and to stand by you.
