Everlasting God, you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of angels and mortals: Mercifully grant that, as your holy angels always serve and worship you in heaven, so by your appointment they may help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP p. 244)

This is the Collect for the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels which is commemorated on Monday, Sept. 29. Lesser Feasts and Fasts reminds us that “Of the many angels spoken of in the Bible, only four are called by name: Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael.” These four are the Archangels and are the second order of the nine orders of angels. The Archangel Michael wards off evil from God’s people and the Archangel Gabriel is the one who announced to Mary that she would bear the Christ. The word “angel” comes from the Greek angelos, meaning messenger. Angels of the first order are the lowest order in the heavenly realm and human beings are the highest order in the earthly realm. When we are told that Jesus was made “a little lower than the angels,” it means he became a human, crossing over from heaven to earth.

We have three events coming up next weekend at the Cathedral.

• A music fundraiser with the KC Jazz Orchestra will be on Friday at 6:30 p.m. in Founders’ Hall.
• Our annual Blessing of the Animals will be Saturday, Oct. 4 at 11 a.m. on the north lawn.
• Finally, our annual Hymn Sing will be Sunday, Oct. 5 at 3:30 p.m. in the Nave. Come enjoy some jazz, bring your pets for the blessing, and be sure to send in all your favorite hymns.

Please continue to pray for one another, for our Cathedral family, our nation, and the world.