An invitation from Toronto Archbishop Francis Leo to pray the Novena for Saint Michael the Archangel, patron saint of the Archdiocese.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

I am writing in anticipation of the Solemnity of Saint Michael the Archangel which we celebrate on September 29th. We have added reason to celebrate the great defender and celestial helper because he is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Toronto. Last year I invited everyone to join our archdiocesan family in praying the Novena to St. Michael the Archangel in preparation for the feast. I would like to renew my invitation once again this year to pray the Novena, which begins on September 20th and ends on September 28th. 

The name “Michael” comes from the Hebrew meaning “Who is like God?” Traditionally, the name is associated with his battle-cry and victory over Satan in the face of Satan’s overwhelming pride. The motto of the Archdiocese of Toronto, “Quis ut Deus,” is the Latin translation of the Hebrew. Saint Michael’s defeat of Satan, rooted in his humble recognition that nothing is greater than God, offers us an example for our daily lives. With this in mind, I offer the following two points for our meditation stemming from the name of Saint Michael and his famous battle-cry.

First, the question “Who is like God?” involves a process of discernment. The name “Michael” is a call to examine the “stuff of life,” and to ask if “this” or “that” is of God. False idols that vie for our attention and affection are to be discerned and rejected. We turn to God alone and seek Him in all things. There is a common misconception that one can be holy apart from or without God. The Christian knows this is impossible. We are called to be holy because God is holy (Lev 19:2; 1 Pet 1:16) and it is the Eucharist that is “the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life” (CCC 1325). Concerning the interplay between discernment and the Eucharistic life, St. Irenaeus writes: “Our judgement is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our judgement” (Against Heresies 4).

Furthermore, we should not fall into error by thinking that that which is “like” God, is God—we must never confuse the Creator with the creature. To belong to God is to resemble God, it is to be like God in the same way as we bear His image and likeness. Satan’s refusal to serve God, “non serviam” (I will not serve), signaled his refusal to adore God. 

In other words, he wished to become like God apart from God – the very temptation that Satan would later use to entice Adam and Eve (Gen 3:1-5). Our discernment, asking “who is like God” is an invitation to seek the will of God in all things (Matt 16:23). 

We recognize the primacy of God in our lives and in the world; and we refute anything that would seek to deny God’s pre-eminence. God is not one among many; He is The One. When we acknowledge that nothing is God’s equal, we have a standard by which to measure all things correctly.

Second, true discernment leads to loving service. Knowing and following the divine standard set forth by Jesus in the Gospels and taught with joy by the Church, informs our mission and emboldens our service. At the heart of the Prayer to Saint Michael, penned by Pope Leo XIII, is the daily choice that each of us must make between good and evil. Our loving desire to serve God through generous and humble acts of service to our neighbour, particularly the poor, the lonely, the sick, the dying and all those in most need of God’s mercy, bids us to seek Saint Michael’s intercession as we pray for the clarity of vision that enables us to know what we must do, how we must do it, and when and where we can best serve.

Through prayer, we enter more deeply and profoundly into the revealed truths of our faith, discerning right from wrong, holy from unholy, Godly from ungodly, true from false. 

Saint Michael’s intercession is sure support for each of us as we strive to live as beloved sons and daughters of the Merciful Father. With this ongoing and daily discernment in place, we seek to faithfully and confidently put the fruits of our discernment into action, through service in our homes, families, schools, workplaces, neighbourhoods and communities….

Sincerely Yours in Jesus and Mary,

Most Reverend Francis Leo

Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto