Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 or Revelation 12:7-12
Psalm 138:1-5
John 1:47-51
Once upon a time, although this really happened outside of time, but once upon a time, war broke out in heaven. Of all the angels that God made, one was the smartest, the most beautiful, the greatest angel. He was trusted with carrying the first thing that God had made when he made the universe. God said, “Let there be light. And there was light. And it was good.” And God entrusted his first precious creation to the greatest angel he had created, so the angel was called “The Carrier of Light” or “Lucifer”.
Lucifer loved himself above all else. He knew that he was the most intelligent angel and the most beautiful angel and the greatest angel, but it made him mad that God was in charge. He wanted to be in charge of God. So he convinced one-third of the other angels to join him in a war against God for control of all reality.
God could have stopped Lucifer immediately, since he is God. Instead, one of the other angels, not as important as Lucifer, but still very important, led the other angels in battle. His name was Michael, which means, “Who is like God?” The answer of course is nobody. Nobody is like God. Lucifer thought that he was like God, but he was wrong. No matter how wonderful he is, he was still made by God. God will always be greater by far than anything he creates.
Michael and his angels fought against Lucifer and his angels. And Michael won, because he was right: no one is like God, and in heaven, whoever is right wins the war. So Lucifer had to give up the light and so his name could no longer be called Lucifer, instead he was called Satan, which means: the one who accuses.
Then Satan and his angels had to leave heaven, because “there was no longer any place for them in heaven.” It was not that heaven changed, but that Satan and his angels had changed. There was no place in heaven for someone who hated God. So they went to Hell instead, and Satan got to be in charge just like he wanted. Not in charge of all reality but in charge of Hell.
So the question for us is, whose side are we going to choose: Satan’s or Michael’s? I recommend the winning side.
Daily Homilies
