Theodora is correct. The “Chain of Command” in heaven is as follows …newby:
Angles are defined as servants or messengers of God. St. Michael is the leader of all the angels and is also at the disposal of Queen Mother Mary. One of the many titles the Catholic Church has given Mary is, after all, “Queen of the Angels.”
Good enough?
Not a bad start
Somebody has a rather dreary image of Catholicism
Of course sin can be “fun” that’s why it’s so hard to stop
IIRC there’s nothing in the rules against beer
Actually, Tralon, you are being a harsh here. You sound like a very young person who still thinks they know everything!
Good point. Michael is an Archangel, and if I were to draw a military analogy to the choirs of angels, I suppose that Michael could have been something like a corporal in the Heavenly Army, since Archangels are the second lowest choir of angels. I tend to favor your view that Michael was a relatively lowly Archangel, because it shows that the lowly acting with God have more strength than the powerful without God. However, I found a Catholic website that says this about Archangels: “Archangels are generally taken to mean “chief or leading angel” ( Jude 9; 1 Thes 4:16), they are the most frequently mentioned throughout the Bible. They may be of this or other hierarchies as St. Michael Archangel, who is a princely Seraph.”
Looks like St. Michael got a “battlefield promotion” then
newadvent.org/cathen/01476d.htm has this to say about the other orders of angels:
…St. Thomas (Summa Theologica I:108), following St. Denis (De Coelesti Hierarchia, vi, vii), divides the angels into three hierarchies each of which contains three orders. Their proximity to the Supreme Being serves as the basis of this division. In the first hierarchy he places the Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones; in the second, the Dominations, Virtues, and Powers; in the third, the Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. The only Scriptural names furnished of individual angels are Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel, names which signify their respective attributes. Apocryphal Jewish books, such as the Book of Enoch, supply those of Uriel and Jeremiel, while many are found in other apocryphal sources…
Sir, you certainly do not equate John Travota with an Arch Angel… Michael was the name of my of my first boy, and he was a football player at West Point ( The US Military Acadamy). I gave him that name thinking he would fight for what is riight. He has.
Actually, the link you provided suggests that Archangels may be of other choirs as well, and that St. Michael was a Seraphim:
Personally, I always thought of Michael as the 5-star General of the Heavenly Army. Doesn’t Tradition tell us that he led the army of faithful Angels against Lucifer?
It seems to me that you correctly understand what was written in the article. But none of this is dogma. I can see merit in what you have said; that Michael was from the ranks of the lower angels. A lowly angel with God on his side would be able to defeat the most powerful angels that are in rebellion against God. Even after the Fall of the Angels, Michael does not fight with the devil out of his own strength.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!”
The Archangel St. Michael is neither a “Saint” (a human who has died and is now in heaven) nor is he an “Archangel” in the sence that he belongs to the ‘archangel’ hierarchy order of angels. Saint Michael is of the “Seraphim” order which is the highest hierarchy of angels and he is the “prince” of that order.Looks like St. Michael got a “battlefield promotion” then
newadvent.org/cathen/01476d.htm has this to say about the other orders of angels:
…St. Thomas (Summa Theologica I:108), following St. Denis (De Coelesti Hierarchia, vi, vii), divides the angels into three hierarchies each of which contains three orders. Their proximity to the Supreme Being serves as the basis of this division. In the first hierarchy he places the Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones; in the second, the Dominations, Virtues, and Powers; in the third, the Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. The only Scriptural names furnished of individual angels are Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel, names which signify their respective attributes. Apocryphal Jewish books, such as the Book of Enoch, supply those of Uriel and Jeremiel, while many are found in other apocryphal sources…
He is FAR from being a corporal. Otherwise, prayers like the following wouldn’t make any sense …
… Thus, I stand by my original statement that Michael stands next in line after God & Mary.
Perhaps Erich is right - St. Michael received a “battlefield promotion” for his valor, and he is now “chief and commander of the heavenly hosts.”
He has shown strength with his arm,
Thanks for this reference… Understanding “archangel” in the sense of “chief or leading angel” as opposed to the sense of “belongs to the ‘archangel’ hierarchy order of angels” answers for me how Michael can be both “archangel” and “#3 in Sir Knight’s Chain of Command.” And who knows… he could still have started out in the archangel order and gotten a promotion!
