Today is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels (Anglican) or Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels (Catholic). Either way, it’s a day primarily for honoring Michael.
I think it’s interesting how Michael is honored near the Fall Equinox. Look at how the key players of the Nativity Story are all honored on or near the astronomical quarter days:
- Near the Spring Equinox is the Feast of the Annunciation, in which the Archangel Gabriel announces to Mary her role as Theotokos (March 25);
- Near the Summer Solstice is the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Forerunner of Christ (June 24);
- Near the Fall Equinox is the Feast of the Angels, who sang at the Nativity (September 29);
- And of course, near the Winter Solstice is the Nativity of Christ himself (December 25).
So the Solstices are marked with the dual nativities of Jesus and John, while the Equinoxes are commemorated with feasts for the Angels (and the Virgin). There seems to be a lovely symmetry about it all.
