Story
On the twelfth day of the blessed month of Paona, the Holy Church keeps the radiant feast of the great Archangel Michael, captain of the heavenly hosts and intercessor for the whole race of mankind. His very name, in the tongue of the Hebrews, is a question that confounds the proud and comforts the lowly: "Who is like God?" For Michael is the first among the seven archangels who stand before the Most High, the chief of the bodiless powers, and the standard-bearer of the King of glory. He stands continually before the throne of God, ceaselessly offering Him glory with the cherubim and the seraphim, and lifting up to the Most High the prayers and supplications of the faithful upon the earth, even as it is written that an angel offers the prayers of the saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne, Revelation 8:3.
The Holy Church confesses that the great Michael is appointed by God over the people of His inheritance, the watchful guardian set over the nations of the faithful. For Daniel the prophet beheld him and named him "Michael, one of the chief princes," who came to help in the heavenly contest, Daniel 10:13; and again he is called "the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people," Daniel 12:1. Thus the Church beholds in him the swift defender of the Church of Christ, the comforter of the afflicted, and the guide of departing souls unto the place of rest.
Holy Scripture proclaims his exalted ministry from the beginning. When Joshua the son of Nun stood before the walls of Jericho, the Archangel Michael appeared to him as a man with a drawn sword, and strengthened him, saying, "Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come," Joshua 5:14. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped, for the ground whereon he stood was holy. By this heavenly help the strong city of Jericho fell into the hands of the people of God, and when Joshua afterward battled, the very sun stood still in the heavens until the victory was accomplished. Thus the Church confesses Michael to be the leader of the armies of the Lord, the swift helper of the righteous and the terror of the demons.
The holy apostle Jude also bears witness to his power, recording how "Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee," Jude 1:9. In this the Church learns the meekness of the great archangel, who, though mighty in strength, ascribes all power unto the Lord alone. And in the vision of John the Theologian, it was Michael and his angels who fought against the dragon and his angels, casting down that old serpent which is the devil, that he should deceive the nations no more, Revelation 12:7. Therefore the faithful flee to his protection against every snare of the enemy.
In the days of the believing Emperor Constantine the Great, the dwellers of Alexandria were yet darkened by the worship of idols. Upon this same day they had been wont to honor a lifeless idol whose statue and temple had been raised up in former times, offering to it sacrifices and gifts. But the shepherd of the city preached the word of truth to the people, showing them the folly of bowing down before things made by the hands of men, which neither move nor reason nor save.
When the hearts of the people were turned to the living God, the holy patriarch cast down that idol and cleansed its temple, and consecrated it a church in the honored name of the Archangel Michael. He commanded that whatsoever the people had once offered to the idol they should now distribute to the poor and the needy for the glory of God, and that on this day they should keep the feast of the great heavenly leader. So the place that had once been a den of error was made a house of prayer, and the name once defiled by demons was hallowed by the praises of the captain of the heavenly hosts.
For this cause the Church of Christ appointed the twelfth day of every Coptic month to be a perpetual commemoration of the honored Archangel Michael, that the faithful might remember his unceasing intercession and his tender care for the children of men. Above all is his feast kept with great splendor on the twelfth of Paona, when the river of Egypt is wont to rise for the watering of the land, and the faithful entreat his blessing upon the fields and the harvest. On his feasts the believers gather for the Holy Liturgy, prepare tables of mercy for the poor, and entreat his protection over their souls and their lands.
Let us therefore take refuge beneath the wings of this great archangel, who rejoices over every sinner that repenteth, Luke 15:10, and who is sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation, Hebrews 1:14. May the intercession of the great Archangel Michael, the standard-bearer of the King of glory, and the prayers that he offers unceasingly before the throne of God, be a shelter and a help to us all. May his intercession be with us. Amen.