HOMILY
Diocesan Teachers Institute – September 29, 2025
Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels
Daniel 7:9-10, 12-14; John 1:47-51
There are few elements of our Catholic faith tradition that are at once both revered and simultaneously trivialized in their significance as angels. We entrust the patronage of our churches to them. Many of us pray to them on a daily basis. At the same time, the best of us have pinned pin little representations of them on the shoulders of our clothing or lapels and we depict them as bored and mischievous Cupids around Valentine’s Day.
As such, today’s feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, the Archangels, however, is a welcomed moment that we are given by the Church to focus on the blessing of these spiritual beings. The existence of angels is a truth of our faith and the witness of Scripture regarding their presence in our lives is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.
For all the different ways in which we depict them, angels are simply servants of God. Our late Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI reflected beautifully on today’s feast. “All three names of the archangels,” Benedict began, ‘end with the word El, which in Hebrew means ‘God.’ God is inscribed in their very names, in their nature. Their true nature is existing in God’s sight and for him. Secondly, they are God’s messengers. They bring God to men, they open heaven and thus open earth … touching men on God’s behalf.”
The Holy Father went on, “All this becomes even clearer if we look at the figures of the three archangels whose feast the Church celebrates. First there is Michael, who defends the cause of God against the presumption of evil. … Gabriel is the messenger of God’s incarnation. He knocks at Mary’s door, and, through him, God himself asks Mary for her ‘yes’ to the proposal to become the Mother of the Redeemer. … And Raphael is presented to us, above all in the Old Testament Book of Tobit, as the angel to whom is entrusted the task of healing” – healing us in body, soul and spirit.
Essentially, today’s feast reminds us so well that there is more to this world than we can see and touch. Through the miracle and wonder of God and the incarnation of Jesus, God’s presence abounds in our lives. We know that very well.
Yet, sisters and brothers, for as significant as angels are in communicating God’s life and love to us, we are not only recipients of God’s merciful presence. No, like Mary who responded to the archangel Gabriel, with God’s help we are called to become instruments of grace in the lives of those whom God has given to our care.
As such, the example of the archangels reminds us that our primary focus – as educators – as administrators – as clergy – as Christians – must be centered less upon our own needs and plans and far more upon the lives that God entrusts to us in the work that we’ve been given to do. For you, as Catholic educators, that care extends to fostering the well-being of the entire student who walks across the threshold of one of our schools.
Listen to the Mission Statement for our diocesan school system that clearly reminds us of that preeminent responsibility: We, the Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Scranton, are committed to educating students and their families in the Catholic faith. We provide a Catholic education that is spiritually sound and academically excellent. We strive to prepare our students to be faith-filled leaders and life-long leaders dedicated to serving the church and society.
Yes, our primary focus is the children who come to us seeking to learn. But they come with families who are also recipients of what we share. And what we share is not simply an educational experience that is academically excellent, but one that is rooted in the teachings of our faith. Indeed, it’s the faith dimension of what we teach – rooted in servant leadership that we both are called to model and instill in the lives given to our care – that sets us apart and gives us our unique Catholic identity. Without it, our mission, however noble, is lacking.
Some years before she died in 1997, Saint Theresa of Calcutta – Mother Theresa – the great modern-day apostle to the poor – shared these reflections. “There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty — it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There’s a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.”
So, so many of the children and families who come into our lives are poor. Some are materially poor. Far more are spiritually and emotionally poor. Yes, they come seeking an education. But many also come looking for meaning and purpose in their lives. Parents come with hopes for their children. And children come trusting you to love and respect them and to give them a way forward in life.
As you reflect upon the vision and mission of our Catholic school system, I hope you can begin to see something of yourselves and the unique role that you have and continue to play in the lives of our students, their families, our parishes and our communities.
Just a few weeks ago, during the tragic school shooting that occurred at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis at a Mass celebrating the opening of the new school year, the depth of your commitment to serve and care for the lives of the students entrusted to you was on display for the whole world to see. While, thank God, that tragedy didn’t occur at one of our schools, teachers just like you, put themselves in harms way to save lives. They did what you would have done!
Sisters and brothers, like the angels who engage us along our journey of life, imparting to us healing, meaning and hope through God’s mercy and grace, continue to be signs of hope, grace and love to our children and families who weave their way into our lives and hearts.
We are so grateful for and blessed by your dedication in serving the lives God has given to your care. May God’s light continue to shine brightly through you, especially for the sake of every young person whose life encounters yours.
God bless you and thank you!