Archangels
29 September 2017
There are a lot of Archangels in our house. Without particular design, we have managed to choose names and confirmation names such that they are all represented. I chose Gabriel as my confirmation saint, and I must admit that this was more because I liked the name than any young devotion; however, as I have grown in faith I have pondered this choice. I do seem to find myself in situations where I am required to act as a messenger, as Gabriel did.
What I admire about the Archangels is their singleness of purpose. Michael is a handy one to call on in a spiritual battle and Raphael expresses the healing of God. They each have a particular mission that comes from God’s choice of them.
I am certainly not an angel and suffer from the tendency to allow my sense of purpose to be diluted. One reason for this is because I focus too much on the question “What will I do?” rather than the question “Who has God made me to be?” Society asks us to focus on our occupation rather than our personhood; on “doing” rather than “being”.
In today’s Gospel, we see a beautiful illustration of how Jesus sees us. He looked at Nathanael and he knew WHO he was. I do not know much about Nathanael’s story, but I imagine that moment of being known, completely, marked the beginning of a new journey for him. Perhaps the answer to my “What will I do?” question lies not in knowing, but in being known. I have a feeling that allowing myself to be looked at, known and loved by Jesus is both the beginning and the end of my quest.