On November 21, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Heavenly Powers.
St. Cyril of Alexandria said that our Earth is a nexus between different realms and it carries a vast number of people and other living beings, but far more inhabitants are contained in the great immaterial Heaven, which no human mind can fathom. The angels are inhabitants of the immaterial Heaven. They have a subtle, spiritual, immortal nature, free from all corruption, but limited—not like the Lord’s. God brought the angels from non-being into being, sanctifying them with His Word and confirming them by the Holy Spirit as they were not susceptible to evil. The nature of the angels is full of wondrous and unfading light, holiness and goodness, beauty and wisdom, power and immortality, and an ardent love for the Lord, for each other, and for men. The angels always rejoice in the salvation of people and want to see them as their fellow citizens in the Heavenly Kingdom.
The Archangels Michael and Gabriel perpetually stand before the Throne of God, are enlightened by His light and illuminate the angelic ranks next to them with the knowledge of Divine mysteries. In the Heavenly hierarchy, Michael and Gabriel are called archangels.
When the Lord got angry with Lucifer and the other angels who had fallen away from Him, He ordered the Archangel Michael to cast them out of Heaven to the Earth.
The Archangel Michael always comes to the rescue of those who pray to him and cry out for his protection.
When the inhabitants of Naples were still pagans, they went to the city of Sinope near the Black Sea coast for loot. Sinope, a beautiful and wealthy city, had an abundance of Orthodox churches. And this city was besieged by the Neapolitans, whose commander sent his ultimatum through a messenger:
“Surrender immediately or you will all die!”
All the city residents mournfully gathered inside the main church and filled the entire square in front of it. The bishop told his flock:
“Let’s not be afraid of the enemies. Let’s put our hope in the Lord: let’s fast for three days and pray to God for the rescue from the brazen invaders!”
And the people of Sinope filled all the churches of the city, imploring the Lord for deliverance from the foes. For three days and three nights they did not eat anything and only offered up their fervent prayers.
After three days of fasting and prayer, in the early morning of the fourth day, the Archangel Michael appeared to the bishop and said:
“Boldly open the gate and go out to fight the adversary! I will be with you!”
Archangel Michael Overjoyed by this news, the townspeople quickly formed an army, prayed before the battle and marched out of the city. Once the Christian army had left the city gate, deafening thunder resounded from heavens, lightning flashed, and fiery rays struck down several hundred people. The rest of the pagan warriors fled in panic, abandoning their horses, guns, and clothes in their field camp.
Thus the Archangel Michael saved the inhabitants of Sinope from destruction.
The Archangel Michael helps all those who turn to him for help.
The feast of the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Heavenly Powers was established in the fourth century A.D. at the Synod of Laodicea.
Like the Archangel Michael, St. Gabriel is an archangel and “head of the angelic host.” He is a participant in the battle with the fallen angels. The Archangel Gabriel, the second after the Archangel Michael, is responsible for communication between the Heavenly and earthly realms. He is the messenger of God’s mysteries.
St. Dimitry of Rostov (†1709) wrote that the Archangel Gabriel prepared Moses in the desert for his mission as a prophet, told him about the creation of the world, about the creation of the first man Adam and about his life, about the Flood, about the mixing of languages and the separation of peoples, taught him astronomy, arithmetic, geometry and other sciences.
The Archangel Gabriel
The Lord sent the Archangel Gabriel to help the pious King Hezekiah (ruled c. 715–686 B.C.) of Judah, who, along with the Prophet Isaiah, prayed fervently to God when the Assyrians besieged Jerusalem. And St. Gabriel destroyed the Assyrian commander.
The Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Prophet Daniel more than once, told him about the events of the future, about the coming of Jesus Christ, about the antichrist, and about the end of time. He was preparing humanity for the Incarnation of the Lord on earth.
The Archangel Gabriel came to the childless Righteous Joachim and Anna. He announced to the elderly Anna that she would have a Daughter, through Whom the Savior would come to people. He also revealed her Daughter’s name—Mary. Gabriel appeared to the unfortunate Joachim, who had retreated to a deserted place from people’s reproaches, and brought him the wonderful, amazing news of the forthcoming birth of his Daughter Mary, “Who would be a joy to the whole world”, and told him to return home.
When Mary began to live at the Temple of Jerusalem, the Archangel Gabriel guarded Her unceasingly, bringing Her food to the Holy of Holies.
Gabriel appeared to the old priest Zachariah and told him about the forthcoming birth of his son, St. John the Baptist. The archangel punished Zachariah with dumbness until his son’s birth for failing to believe his message.
The Archangel Gabriel came to the Virgin Mary and brought Her the Good Tidings.
And the Ever-Virgin Mary said to the archangel: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word (Lk. 1:38). This is how the Archangel Gabriel fulfilled an important task from the Lord.
Icon of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos
And after that St. Gabriel continued to protect the Theotokos and Her Baby. He appeared in a dream to the Righteous Joseph the Betrothed and, explaining that the Baby had been conceived immaculately, ordered Joseph to take care of the Divine Infant.
The Archangel Gabriel told the shepherds about the Savior’s Birth, and they came to bow to the Infant Christ in Bethlehem. Then the Archangel Gabriel came to Joseph again, told him about King Herod’s treacherous designs and ordered him to take the Baby and Mary and flee to Egypt. Later, Gabriel revealed to Joseph that they could return home, for they are dead which sought the young Child’s life (Mt. 2:20).
Subsequently, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the holy Myrrh-Bearing Women and told them the Good News of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The Archangel Gabriel protected the Mother of God throughout Her life. Three days before Her repose, when the Most Holy Virgin was praying, Gabriel revealed to Her the day of Her Dormition and presented Her with a branch from Paradise—a symbol of victory over death.
Later accounts of apparitions of the Archangel Gabriel to people and of his help to those in need and those praying to him have survived as well. An elder and a young novice struggled in a cell on Mt. Athos. Once, in the evening, the elder went to the Vigil, leaving the young man to pray alone in his cell. Suddenly, a monk unknown to him entered the cell where the young novice was praying. And they continued praying together. At some point the novice started singing: “More honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim…”
The monk interrupted his prayer and said to him: “That’s not how we magnify the Mother of God.” And he suggested a different beginning to the prayer: “It is truly meet to bless thee, who didst bring forth God, ever blessed and most blameless and the Mother of our God.”
And after these words he proceeded:
“More honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim…”
The unknown monk told the young novice to recite this prayer only in this way. Fearing to forget the prayer, the latter asked the monk to write it down somewhere. But there was nowhere to write it down in the cell, and so the guest inscribed this hymn right on a stone with his index finger, and while he was writing, the stone became as soft as wax! Dumbfounded, the novice asked the stranger what his name was. He replied: “Gabriel.” And he suddenly disappeared.
The Archangel Gabriel
On returning from the Vigil, the elder listened with excitement to the young novice’s story, saw the words of prayer on the stone and realized who had visited their cell. After that, he conveyed the words of this prayer to all the brethren and other people, so that everyone would sing this hymn the way the angels sing it in Heaven. And thenceforth these words became part of Orthodox liturgical life forever.
The news of this miracle was told to the Byzantine emperors Basil and Constantine. The stone with the words of the holy hymn, inscribed by the Archangel Gabriel himself, was brought to Constantinople. The icon in front of which the Archangel Gabriel and the young novice had prayed together was called, “It Is Truly Meet.”
In Russia, the Archangels Michael and Gabriel have been venerated since the adoption of Christianity. In 1037, Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise (ruled 1019–1054) built new fortress walls around Kiev and erected a church in honor of the Archangel Gabriel over the Golden Gate. One of the chapels of the Annunciation Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, built by Grand Prince Ivan III (ruled 1462–1505) as the house church of the Russian Tsars, is dedicated to the Archangel Gabriel.
The Archangel Gabriel was the Heavenly patron of Ivan III’s son, Grand Prince Vasily III (ruled 1505–1533). Vasily III was childless for a long time; he prayed fervently to the Archangel Gabriel, and in 1530 his son, the future Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, was born. As a token of gratitude, he built a church in honor of the Archangel Gabriel in the Monastery of St. Cyril of White Lake (in the Vologda region).
Tsar Ivan IV (ruled 1547–1584) built a church in honor of the Archangel Gabriel on Chistye Prudy in Moscow.
St. Martyrius of Zelenets The Archangel Gabriel appeared to saints in Russia as well. In the sixteenth century, he appeared to St. Martyrius of Zelenets (†1603; commemorated March 1), who saw in a dream an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos floating on the sea. The Archangel Gabriel appeared to the right of the icon and ordered St. Martyrius to venerate the image. St. Martyrius entered the water, but the icon began to sink. He started praying, and the wave carried him along with the newly discovered icon to the shore. This is how the Holy Trinity Monastery of Zelenets (now in the Leningrad region) was founded.
As was the case with the Most Holy Theotokos, the Archangel Gabriel notifies God’s chosen ones about their forthcoming departure to eternity. Elder John (Krestiankin) wrote down a prayer in his Cell Book of Penitential Prayers and Reflections: “Holy Archangel Gabriel, messenger of God, announce the hour of my death to me.”
Elder Nikolai Guryanov (†2002) knew the hour of his death in advance and told his close ones that the Archangel Gabriel had come to his cell with a lily in his hand, blessing the elder and making the sign of the cross over him with this flower.
The Archangel Gabriel, one of the angels closest to the Throne of the Lord and the Mother of God, connects two realms—the earthly and the Heavenly, transmits the grace of God to people and transmits our petitions and requests to the Lord.
The holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel head the Bodiless Heavenly Powers, stand before the Throne of the Lord and help people attain salvation.
