How does Saint Michael defeat Satan?

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JohnR77

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I have a question.
How does Saint Michael defeat Satan?

Angels do not have bodies so I don’t think it was by physical force.
More likely by truth and virtue he defeated satan.

Saint Michael’s name means
"Who is like God "?

I used to think of that as a description of Saint Michael. But now I’m wondering if it might show how he defeated satan.

Satan in his arrogance pretended that he was like God . making his own Kingdom. And then St. Michael by humbly asking the question above which points to the truth, Puts satan in his place.

Once, Lucifer was the most brilliant of all Angels. Then he said in his heart: “I will scale the heavens; Above the stars of God I will set up my throne…. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will be like the Most High!” (Isaiah 14: 13, 14)*
 
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Angel means messenger. That is their office or mission to communicate God’s revelation so that we may know, love, and serve Him.

What if a person does not remain virtuous ?
He is then unable to communicate that message. He becomes small.

There - do you see him? that speck at the end of Michael’s spear? - that is Satan. The petty black demon is utterly vanquished -
 
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I was going to say with a sword, but I think the other answers are better. 😁
 
What separated the good angels from the fallen ones was their decision on whether or not to follow God.

I dont know what distinguished St Michael per se, but I’ve always found it interesting that the name means “one who is like God”, whereas satan was one who “wanted” to be “like God”. satan’s name used to be Lucifer, who was a “morning star”, and he was a musician. But - like many musicians - he wanted to be better than God, and, well, you cannot set the creature above the Creator, so that simply wasn’t going to happen.

Then, when the decision was made, since all angels are eternal and immortal like God - it is happened instantaneously, and 1/3 heaven fell away forever.

Exactly why St Michael championed God’s cause, I dont know, but I know a lot of folks named Michael, including my nephew and God son - and my Uncle, who’s name is also Michael, and my best friend.

They all seem to like to fight.

I mean, literally, my Nephew and his friends beat the hell out of each other for fun; they meet with the other kids at the playground, and he and his friend don’t even say hi. They just start wrestling and fighting. So says his Brothers and Sister - and Michael’s the baby…

I sometimes wonder if a person’s namesake has a deeper meaning to it. Maybe there’s something to it?

Dunno.

But thank you for this question. 🙂
 
LOL Yeah, that sounds like my Nephew… and my Uncle… and all one million of my Michael friends…

Of course, my name being William, they have to have someone to defend… 🤭
 
So that makes sense…

It would mean the difference between Michael and satan was… Michael simply knew he couldn’t beat God, whereas satan persisted in the error…

In New Testament terms, it seems to parallel the difference between Peter and Judas, too… What I mean is, while all the apostles would scatter when the Shepard was struck - Peter and the other apostles would return to the fold, but Judas didn’t have it in him to turn back… Peter believed in, learned, knew and grew with Christ’s forgiveness, but Judas didn’t…

That said, I sometimes wonder if God laments the fallen angels… Christ hates the sins we suffer as a result of it all… satan was supposed to be a great musician, so - in a way - what a loss… I mean, imagine if 1/3 of everything you had worked for was lost… I don’t know if that is how God actually sees it, but it would seem to make sense on a human level…
 
Yet the archangel Michael, when he argued with the devil in a dispute over the body of Moses, did not venture to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!”
Jude 1:9
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I never hought of this as a very military maneuver, but when God has commissioned you force is probably overkill.
 
Dovekin said:
Yet the archangel Michael, when he argued with the devil in a dispute over the body of Moses, did not venture to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!”
Jude 1:9
Click to expand...
No, what you said is correct. It is not overkill.

Here’s how I know.

There’s an old franciscan legend where St Francis of Assisi and his companions are traveling somewhere, and they end up spending the night in an old abandoned church. St Francis spend the night in prayer, and he is attacked by devils while doing so.

As the fight (and it is literally said to have been a fight, as the devils were physically beating him up) progresses, he rebukes them three or four times… but, it was the last thing he said, which gave him the victory…

While they were physically beating him up, he said something like, “Lord Jesus, you do me a very great favor when you allow these damned spirits to punish my body, for my body is an enemy of of all that is heavenly and right…” They then left him alone…

The way the old legend goes, the emphasis is placed on the corporeal nature of the assault. But it came to me in prayer after awhile, the emphasis was probably more on Jesus saving graces than just a sort of corporeal purging.

I dont remember the chapter offhand, but it is one of the earlier chapters in “the little flowers of st francis.”

So - if you ever feel like you have a bad spirit upon you - I mean really, not scruples, but something profoundly and really bad… Give it to Jesus… I dont know that I would say I have ever been in that position, but I have used that petition at times when I feel bad, and it seems to have worked so far…

There’s a funny old sci-fi movie I once saw of a vampire hunter taking on a vampire… At one point the vampire makes his move on the hunter, who is supposed to be like an old folk Dr, who isn’t particularly religious but brought a crucifix along on the hunt… When the vampire attacked the Dr, the Dr held up the crucifix, and the vampire laughed saying “Forget it… You have to believe in that for it to work…”

The funny part was - they both kind of paused for a second, and the Dr looked at the crucifix for a moment… when he suddenly had an infusion of faith… Then he just held it up to the vampire and destroyed the vampire…

I guess you kind of had to see it… I dont know too many people who have a sudden calling without some serious catechesis behind them… but then the vampire kind of sold the farm, too… kinda like if a werewolf were to just to have handed the Dr a gun filled with silver bullets and a shooting manual and sat around waiting for him to finish the course…
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Exactly. ‘O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls.’
 
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