The feast of the Archangel Gabriel follows yesterday's great feast of the Annunciation. Gabriel is often depicted as rather effeminate, but the archangels are actually fearsome beings. Their appearances brought fear, and even terror. Mary herself reacted with fear when Gabriel appeared to her. And before he appeared to Mary, Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, the father-to-be of John the Baptist, and Zechariah himself was terrified (ἐταράχθη Ζαχαρίας ἰδών, καὶ φόβος ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν). Not an everyday thing to be visited by an archangel. Gabriel announced himself to Zechariah with words that tell us what awesome beings the archangels are: “I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God" (Luke 1:19).
In the Orthodox tradition, there are seven named archangels. Here is one poem that praises all seven (from the Prologue of Ohrid).
The Archangels
Golden-headed seven, of angelic rank,
Seven archangels, the highest spirits:
Michael, the sword against adversaries, is the first;
By the sword he renders payment to those who wage war against God.
Gabriel is the herald of God’s Incarnation,
The all-wondrous recorder of human salvation.
Raphael, like a sun, is the servant of the Trinity;
He is the physician of vast human afflictions.
Uriel is the radiant light of God,
The enlightener of human souls.
Selathiel, the intercessor, offers up prayers,
And brings the prayers of the people before God.
Jegudiel, glorifier of God the Almighty,
Encourages the willing man to glory.
Barachiel, dispenser of the blessing of heaven,
Gives men what they need from God.
A new Gallup poll was released this week that shows 56% of Americans seldom or never attend religious services! I was distressed to see that among all Christians Orthodox are the least likely to attend church services on a regular basis! Is that because most Orthodox people are Orthodox only by cultural and ethnic identity? It is a fact that while our ethnic population dwindles, Orthodox churches are seeing the influx of people who are finding the most faithful expression of biblical truth in our Orthodox faith, and they are coming to us from other Christian traditions. So maybe our Orthodox churches will fare better in Gallup polls ten or twenty years from now. God knows.
But the dire poll numbers go beyond the Orthodox. All Christian churches have seen an accelerating decline in the past 20 years or so. Are we losing faith in the truths of Christianity? Was our Lord Jesus Christ correct when he wondered whether he would find faith on earth when he returns? (see Luke 18:8) Do many of us even believe what we proclaim in the Creed, that he will come again to judge the living and the dead? At every Liturgy, in the priest’s prayer before the consecration of the bread and wine, we remember the cross, the tomb, the resurrection, the ascension to heaven, the sitting at the right hand of God, and the second and glorious coming. The second and glorious coming has not happened yet, but we remember it in the Liturgy as a present reality!
I’ve gotten into the habit of reading from the Prologue of Ohrid almost every day. This is a compilation of daily reflections, poems and saints’ lives published about a hundred years ago in Serbia. So I'd like to share with you a homily from the Prologue of Ohrid that should give pause to any loss of faith that Satan might try to trigger in our minds and hearts.
on the imminence of the coming of the Lord
Behold, I come quickly (Revelation 22:7)
Unbelievers and those who are perishing in spirit will say: “Nearly two thousand years ago He promised that He would come, and He has not come yet!” This is how they laugh—those who will lament in eternal torment. But we who are prepared for happiness in His Kingdom know that He will come in power and glory just as He promised.
We know that He has already come countless times and showed Himself to His faithful ones. Did He not come to John the Divine, to whom He spoke these words: Behold, I come quickly (Revelation 3:11)? John saw Him in power and glory, felt His hand on him when he was frightened, and fell before His feet as dead: And He laid his right hand upon me (Revelation 1:17). Did He not come to Saul, when he breathed hatred against the Christians and when on the road to Damascus he fell on the ground, seeing the Lord and hearing His voice saying: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me (Acts 9:4)? And again, did He not enter into the heart of the Apostle Paul when he recognized that nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me (Galatians 2:20)? Did He not come to the countless martyrs, both male and female, who suffered for His name, to encourage them, to heal them, and to have mercy on them? Did He not come to Anthony the Great, Theodore Stratelates, St. Charalampus, St. Marina, St. Sylvester and many, many more?
But what are we saying? Did He not return from the kingdom of death on the third day and appear before the apostles? Did He not come to the aid of the Church many, many times? And did He not resurrect her as from the dead whenever her enemies rejoiced, thinking that they had given His Church over to death forever? Did He not manifest His power in the Church in the time of Nero as well as in the time of Constantine; in the time of Julian, as well as in the time of Justinian; in the time of Arab tyranny, as well as in the time of the Turkish and Mongolian oppression of Christians?
O my faithful brethren, do not submit to deception. He came countless times and comes even today. He comes to every soul that is accessible, regardless of impurity. However, we are all waiting for Him to come for the last time in power and glory. We know that His coming is certain. O Lord Most-gracious, before Thou comest, make us worthy to recognize Thy face and to be ashamed of our own faces, darkened by sin. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
Perhaps this homily I just quoted would be Gabriel's message to us today, to keep us from paying much attention to Gallup polls and losing hope. I believe that Christ will come to the aid of his church, and he is doing it right now through the many who are returning or who are coming through our doors for the first time. And he will come again to judge the living and the dead. It could happen today, or it could happen in a billion years. No matter. For a day is like a thousand years to God (2 Peter 3:8). Praise God. We choose to be patient.
As important as it is to notice the decline of the Church, it is just as important to remember how bad it's been in past centuries and how it always bounced back. God always reveals His grace to us eventually. It seems as though the darker times get, the more people seek the light of the Church. I think history has shown that time and time again. Wonderful read, thank you for your wisdom.