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Q. Do you know if it’s true that St. Patrick drove all snakes out of Ireland? And when was he canonized? — E.U., Minnesota.
A. St. Patrick (385-461) was born in Roman Britain, captured by pirates at age 16, and taken to Ireland, where he worked as a slave for six years. A dream encouraged him to escape his captivity, and he traveled to Gaul. Educated in Gaul, or Britain, Patrick was ordained a priest and returned to Ireland as a bishop around the year 432. He was a prodigious missionary, converting the entire largely pagan country over a period of 29 years.
The legend that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland is probably not true since there may not have ever been snakes in Ireland. The formal process of canonization in the Church didn’t begin until the tenth century, so Patrick, like so many other saints in the first millennium, was publicly recognized as a saint by the people because of his extraordinary holiness.
Q. In the Gospel reading at Mass today (Matt. 23:1-12), Jesus denounced the Scribes and Pharisees for imposing heavy burdens on people and for seeking honors and acclaim and “the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Messiah.”
If we’re not supposed to call anyone on earth “father,” then how can we give priests this title? — E.M., via e-mail.
A. If we consider the context of our Lord’s remarks, we see that He was denouncing the Pharisees not for using the titles of “rabbi” (which means teacher) or “father” or “master,” but rather for building up a cult of superiority around themselves and for requiring the people to perform hard tasks while avoiding such works themselves.
Instead of helping to lighten the burdens on the people, the Pharisees were busy seeking places of honor at banquets, in the synagogues, and in the marketplace. Jesus told them to avoid these titles and to remember that “the greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt. 23:11-12).
What our Lord was doing was using hyperbole, engaging in exaggerated speech to make a point. He was not ruling out the use of such titles (what else are we to call our male parent or the person who instructs our children in school?), but was criticizing the Pharisees for abusing the authority attached to these titles, for proudly setting up themselves, instead of God, as the ultimate authority.
That Christ was not forbidding the use of the title “father” on Earth is clear from its use by those in the early Church. For example, when Stephen was brought in before the Sanhedrin, he addressed the members of the ruling council as “my brothers and fathers” (Acts 7:2).
In his first letter, John said, “I am writing to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning” (1 John 2:13). And Paul had no problem with being considered as a spiritual father to the people of Corinth: “I am writing you this not to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. Even if you should have countless guides to Christ, yet you do not have many fathers, for I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (1 Cor. 4:14-15).
Q. The Catechism (n. 329) says that angels are mighty servants and messengers of God, but I was surprised to learn that they are on the lowest rung of the nine choirs of angels. Can you explain why? — C.J., via e-mail.
A. We know that God created a multitude of angels and that they have played a vital role in salvation history. Based on the writings of Saints Dionysius, Gregory the Great, and Thomas Aquinas, the Church has traditionally divided them into nine choirs or categories, ranking them from top to bottom as follows: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations (or Dominions), Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels.
Only three of them are mentioned by name in Scripture. They are the Archangels Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael.
Raphael is mentioned in the Book of Tobit, where he took on human form and played a key role in the life of a virtuous man named Tobit and his son Tobiah. Reading this Old Testament book would be a good Lenten exercise. Gabriel (cf. Luke 1) is best known for appearing separately to Zechariah and the Virgin Mary and announcing the births of their respective children, John the Baptist and Jesus. Michael is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments. In Daniel 10:13, 21, he is cited as “one of the chief princes” who came to help Daniel in his battle with the king of Persia.
In the New Testament, Michael is described as arguing with the Devil over the body of Moses and telling the Devil, “May the Lord rebuke you” (Jude 9), and then there are these verses in the Book of Revelation (12:7-9):
“Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.”
Despite being listed in the second-lowest rank of angels, Michael is chiefly invoked today in this powerful prayer: “St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”
In his Modern Catholic Dictionary, Fr. John Hardon, SJ, said that angels “are usually represented in worship before the Blessed Sacrament on earth and before the throne of God in Heaven. Archangels are variously depicted: Michael driving Satan into Hell, Gabriel announcing the Incarnation to Mary, Raphael healing the blind Tobit. The Thrones are shown kneeling in adoration; Seraphim symbolize fire and love with their six red wings and eyes; Cherubim, with four-eyed wings of blue and holding a book, indicate their great knowledge; Dominations, in royal robes, are crowned with authority; Virtues, two-eyed, are charged with dispensing celestial miracles; the Powers, holding swords, indicate their conquest of the evil spirits shown under their feet; the Principalities carry scepters to assist in their direction of God’s commands.”
Lucifer, whose name means “light-bearer,” was reputedly the brightest of the fallen angels.
He once belonged to the Seraphim, and St. Thomas Aquinas quotes Pope St. Gregory as saying that Lucifer was “set over all the hosts of angels, surpassed them in brightness, and was by comparison the most illustrious of them all.”
The reason for their fall was explained in the 1975 Vatican document entitled Christian Faith and Demonology, which said that a majority of the early Church Fathers “saw the angels’ pride as the reason for their fall. The ‘pride’ of the angels was manifested in their desire to exalt themselves above their condition, to maintain complete independence, and to make themselves divine. Many Fathers, however, emphasized not only the pride of the angels but also their malice toward men. For St. Irenaeus the Devil’s apostasy began when he became jealous of man and sought to make him rebel against his Creator.”
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