St. Michael: Who is Like God?
-
September 26, 2026Last week, I reflected on the practice of praying the St. Michael Prayer after Mass. This week, with the Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael coming on September 29, I would like to look more closely at the saint whose name our parish bears.
When most of us picture St. Michael, we probably imagine the familiar image: armor, wings, a sword or spear, and the devil beneath his feet. The St. Michael Prayer reinforces that image. We ask him to “defend us in battle,” to protect us against the “wickedness and snares of the devil,” and to cast evil spirits into hell “by the power of God.” All of this is firmly rooted in Scripture, especially the Book of Revelation, where Michael and his angels battle against the dragon. But it is not the whole picture.
In the early Church, especially in the East, St. Michael was also associated with healing. Christians traveled to shrines dedicated to him, seeking healing from illness and asking his intercession for the sick. Ancient tradition also remembered Michael as a protector of God’s people, particularly the weak and persecuted, and as one who accompanies souls at the hour of death.
These images may be less familiar to us, but they broaden our understanding of what it means for St. Michael to be our patron. They help us appreciate that while St. Michael is a defender, defense is not only about fighting evil; it is also about protecting what is good. It means caring for those who are vulnerable, visiting the sick, accompanying those who are grieving, defending the dignity of those who are forgotten, and helping to heal what has been wounded. This takes a different kind of strength.
Perhaps the most important thing St. Michael teaches us has nothing to do with his sword at all. It is contained in his name. The name “Michael” means, “Who is like God?” It is really a question, and the answer is simple: no one.
Michael’s name is a lesson in humility. God is God, and we are not. Everything good we have comes from Him. Even the St. Michael Prayer makes this clear. Michael acts not by his own power, but “by the power of God.” In his humility, St. Michael reveals something about the true power of God, who, as St. Paul says in the second reading this weekend, “emptied himself,” taking the form of a servant, and “humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
The Christian life is not about making ourselves important. It is about glorifying God through obedience, humility, service, and trust. That is also the point of Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel. A father asks two sons to work in his vineyard. One says no, but later changes his mind and goes. The other says yes, but never actually goes. Jesus asks: which one did the father’s will?
It is not enough to say the right words. We can pray the St. Michael Prayer, wear a medal, keep a statue in our home, and call upon him in times of difficulty. Those are good things. But devotion must also shape the way we live. If we ask Michael to protect the weak, then we must be willing to protect them. If we ask him to defend us from evil, then we must resist sin in our own lives.
There is one final image of St. Michael that I find especially meaningful. Christian tradition often places him near the altar, standing before the throne of God in worship, the one mentioned in the Eucharistic Prayer I, when the priest prays, “In humble prayer we ask you, almighty God: command that these gifts be borne by the hands of your holy Angel to your altar on high in the sight of your divine majesty.”
St. Michael’s whole existence points beyond himself to the Lord. And that is where every authentic devotion must lead us. St. Michael does not draw attention to himself. Rather, his very name, “Who is like God?” points us toward the answer: no one. God alone is worthy of worship. For a parish that bears his name, perhaps that is the most important lesson of all.
Through the intercession of St. Michael and the Archangels, may we as St. Michael Parish be strong without becoming harsh, humble without becoming timid, attentive to the sick and vulnerable, obedient to the Father’s will, and centered always on Christ, so that when the Father sends us into His vineyard, our “yes” may be more than just words.