説教
Meditation on the Feast of St. Michael
A Monthly Meditation for October 2021
(29th September)
“Who is your God
whom you are about to love and serve throughout your life?”
Fr. John S. Satoru Kato
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We celebrate the Feast of the Archangel Saint Michael on 29th September. This Feast reminds me of my young days when I was a student in England, very a long time ago!
You may know that, in England like some European countries, the schools and universities officially start their new school year on the feast day to commemorate the Archangel Saint Michael by the festive celebration Mass for the Saint.
Following this custom, the first term of the school and university year in England is called as the “Michael-mas (pronounced, strangely though, ‘mikul-mas’ in English) term”. That is the short form of “Saint Michael’s Mass term” which reminds us of ‘this term to be started by the celebration Mass of the Archangel Saint Michael’.
The name of Saint “Michael” is an interesting name in the original Hebrew with the two different grammatical interpretations. First, ‘Michael’ can be interpreted ‘a man like God’. However, ‘Michael’ could be interpreted not as a noun like other names but as an interrogative sentence(!), which means: “Who is your God?” Perhaps, more precisely, “Who is your God whom you are about to love and serve throughout your life?”
With the latter interpretation of the name ‘Michael’, you understand that, when Saint Michael is sent by God to you, you will face to the question, that is, “Who is you God whom you are about to love and serve throughout your life?” This is indeed, have to say, a divine question to each of you asked by God himself in the name of ‘Michael’.
Every year young students in England start their school year with this divine question asked by God in their mind. For them, therefore, the learning is the preparation of themselves for answering to God for this question properly and sincerely by themselves independently with their own responsibility.
This is, however, not only the matter for the English students, but for each one of us as well, wherever we live and whoever we are. Without answering to God for this divine question sincerely and correctly by yourselves, you cannot be God’s sons and daughters, perhaps even nor human! In other words, if you fail to answer to God for this question correctly, you will be lost and your lives will go to ruin!
On the contrary, finding the Lord Jesus Christ as your answer to this question, that is, Jesus is your Only and True God whom you are about to love and serve throughout your whole life, your life will be blessed by God and be fulfilled with God’s will and mercy.
Here, however, you may ask another question, that is, how you can find Jesus Christ and where you may see him?
Come to the Mass at the Catholic Church, where the Mass is celebrated following Jesus’s commandment, that is, “Do this (Mass) in memory of Me”, which was originally told to his twelve disciples by Jesus Himself at his Last Supper. The twelve disciples are representing all the disciples of Jesus throughout the ages, including you without doubt.
With those words of his commandment above, Jesus makes you sure that he will always be present at his own Mass with us, first, in the Gospel and, most importantly, in the form of the Blessed Sacraments by the power of the Holy Spirit. So, here at the Mass, I am very sure, you will see Jesus Christ and find him as the Only and True God whom you are about to love and serve.
On the Feat of Saint Michael, this Archangel will be sent by God himself to each of you. You need the correct answer, don’t you? Otherwise, you may be lost and you may never know who the True God is, or even you never know who you really are!
Come to the Mass where Jesus Christ is present and will wait for each of you. And he is your exact answer which you are looking for.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
