Why Would St. Michael Ask to be Honored?

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I’ve recently come across the Chaplet of St. Michael and really like it. I prayed it yesterday and had a good experience. I would like to continue praying it, and trust that if the church approved it (it is approved, right?) they must have approved it after much discussion among theologians, priests, etc. In other words I’m trusting the judgement of the church. However I’m a little suspicious about why an Archangel, a servant of God, would ask to be honored? In Judges 13:16 an unnamed angel says “if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD” which I feel implies that the Angels don’t want special attention, rather they are humble servants and only encourage thanks and praise to God. I understand the concept of intercession, but the Chaplet of St. Michael was started after Antonia d’Astonac dreamed of St. Michael. He told her he wished to be honored. Doesn’t an Angel wishing to be honored sound a little suspicious? How do we know it wasn’t he devil in disguise trying to lead us astray? Really the same could be said for all rosaries and chaplets. But what got me was the idea of St. Michael asking to be honored. That doesn’t seem humble.

But like I said I like the chaplet and would like to keep using it, and I don’t mean to imply anything negative about St. Michael himself. I greatly appreciate him, I would just hate for him to be in heaven shaking his head, if this wasn’t actually from him. So I’d love to clear this up 🙂
 
I can’t answer the “why would St Michael ask to be honored”

But I can tell you, yes, the chaplet is an approved devotion
 
Lady_V said:
I’ve recently come across the Chaplet of St. Michael and really like it. I prayed it yesterday and had a good experience. I would like to continue praying it, and trust that if the church approved it (it is approved, right?) they must have approved it after much discussion among theologians, priests, etc. In other words I’m trusting the judgement of the church. However I’m a little suspicious about why an Archangel, a servant of God, would ask to be honored? In Judges 13:16 an unnamed angel says “if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD” which I feel implies that the Angels don’t want special attention, rather they are humble servants and only encourage thanks and praise to God. I understand the concept of intercession, but the Chaplet of St. Michael was started after Antonia d’Astonac dreamed of St. Michael. He told her he wished to be honored. Doesn’t an Angel wishing to be honored sound a little suspicious? How do we know it wasn’t he devil in disguise trying to lead us astray? Really the same could be said for all rosaries and chaplets. But what got me was the idea of St. Michael asking to be honored. That doesn’t seem humble.

But like I said I like the chaplet and would like to keep using it, and I don’t mean to imply anything negative about St. Michael himself. I greatly appreciate him, I would just hate for him to be in heaven shaking his head, if this wasn’t actually from him. So I’d love to clear this up 🙂
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Is this what you are referencing?

*The Chaplet of St. Michael is a wonderful way to honor this great Archangel along with the other nine Choirs of Angels. What do we mean by Choirs? It seems that God has created various orders of Angels. Sacred Scripture distinguishes nine such groupings: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Powers, Virtues, Principalities, Archangels and Angels (Isa. 6:2; Gen. 3:24; Col. 1:16; Eph. 1:21; Rom. 8:38). There may be more groupings but these are the only ones that have been revealed to us. The Seraphim is believed to be the highest Choir, the most intimately united to God, while the Angelic Choir is the lowest.

The history of this Chaplet goes back to a devout Servant of God, Antonia d’Astonac, who had a vision of St. Michael. *He told Antonia to honor him by nine salutations to the nine Choirs of Angels. St. Michael promised that whoever would practice this devotion in his honor would have, when approaching Holy Communion, an escort of nine angels chosen from each of the nine Choirs. In addition, for those who would recite the Chaplet daily, he promised his continual assistance and that of all the holy angels during life.
 
Marie5890: Thanks for the info 🙂

Lax16: Yes, that is what I was referring to 🙂
 
I know that at 7am Eastern time every day, the Chaplet is said on EWTN lead by the late Mother Angelica.

It’s a beautiful devotion that I have meditated on often
 
My take on this is that no amount of honoring of the angels and saints can detract from God. Every prayer to a saint comes with the knowledge that anything the Saint does for us is done through God’s power, not apart from it. As the prayer says, St. Michael defends us in battle. By charging us to focus pray for his intercession, he is basically telling us to focus on the fact that we need defending, that we can’t do it ourselves. That is a very important lesson for all Christians (and really, all people, period) to learn. By asking us to honor him and pray for his intercession, he is telling us to focus on our weakness and need for God, and that’s a positive thing to do.
 
Lady_V said:
But what got me was the idea of St. Michael asking to be honored. That doesn’t seem humble.
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St. Michael encouraging devotion to himself, and to all nine choirs of angels, is certainly in conformity with humility, coming, as it does, out of an interest for the human being. It’s not as if we’re giving anything to him that he doesn’t have infinitely more in the Beatific Vision. Instead, we are opening our hearts to the intercession and influence of the angelic, which in turn is ordered to our salvation.

In terms of approval, Pope Pius IX attached indulgences to the Chaplet, so we can feel very comfortable praying it and knowing that it is not harmful to us in the least. Moreover, do you really suppose a demon would come and encourage someone to pray to St. Michael, to all the choirs of angels, all while praying Our Fathers and Hail Marys, and all for the purposes of receiving Holy Communion more worthily? Wouldn’t he probably realize how many thousands would take up his “temptation,” which would deceive even the Holy Father himself, who would use the power of the keys to offer indulgences to the faithful as a result of this deception? The devil would sooner adore God himself. 🙂
 
Lady_V said:
I’ve recently come across the Chaplet of St. Michael and really like it. I prayed it yesterday and had a good experience. I would like to continue praying it, and trust that if the church approved it (it is approved, right?) they must have approved it after much discussion among theologians, priests, etc. In other words I’m trusting the judgement of the church. However I’m a little suspicious about why an Archangel, a servant of God, would ask to be honored? In Judges 13:16 an unnamed angel says “if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou must offer it unto the LORD” which I feel implies that the Angels don’t want special attention, rather they are humble servants and only encourage thanks and praise to God. I understand the concept of intercession, but the Chaplet of St. Michael was started after Antonia d’Astonac dreamed of St. Michael. He told her he wished to be honored. Doesn’t an Angel wishing to be honored sound a little suspicious? How do we know it wasn’t he devil in disguise trying to lead us astray? Really the same could be said for all rosaries and chaplets. But what got me was the idea of St. Michael asking to be honored. That doesn’t seem humble.

But like I said I like the chaplet and would like to keep using it, and I don’t mean to imply anything negative about St. Michael himself. I greatly appreciate him, I would just hate for him to be in heaven shaking his head, if this wasn’t actually from him. So I’d love to clear this up 🙂
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Honor isn’t the same as worship.

Saints and angels can be honored, while at the same time recognizing that their greatness and merits ultimately derive from God. In fact, honoring them is a way of giving thanks to God. However, worship is due to God alone.
 
I was thinking he deserved some honor for all the years he’s been guarding the Garden of Eden… It’s been a long time! (just musing)

:knight2:
 
Thank you everyone for all your (name removed by moderator)ut!

lax16: Thank you for the link 🙂

LaetenturCaeli: I thought about that too, but still wanted to get other’s thoughts on it 🙂
 
Thank you for this! I say the St. Michael chaplet often, and wondered the same thing. Thanks!
 
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