St Michael the Archangel Battles Satan

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"And there was a great battle in heaven; Michael and his angels fought with the dragon and the dragon fought and his angels." 

When the Lord had manifested these things to the good and to the bad angels, the holy prince Saint Michael the Archangel and his companions, with the permission of God, gave battle to the dragon and his followers.

It was a wonderful battle, for it was fought with the understanding and the will. 

Saint Michael, burning with zeal for the honor of God and armed with divine power and with his own humility, resisted the arrogant pride of the dragon, saying:

"Worthy is the Highest of honor, praise and reverence, and of being loved, feared and obeyed by all creation.

He is mighty to work whatever He desires.

He that is increate and without dependence on any other being, cannot seek anything that is not most just.

To us He gave grace such as we have, creating us and forming us out of nothing. 

He can create other beings, as many and in what manner He pleases. 

It is reasonable that we, submissive and prostrate in his presence, adore his Majesty and kingly grandeur. 

Come then, ye angels, follow me, let us adore Him, and extol his admirable and secret judgments, his most perfect and holy works.

God is most exalted and above all creatures, and He would not be the Most High, if we could attain or comprehend his great works.

Infinite He is in wisdom and goodness, rich in the treasures of his benefits.

As Lord of all and needing none, He can distribute them to whomsoever He wishes, and He cannot err in the selection. 

He can love and confer his favor to whomsoever He chooses, and He can love whom He likes; He can raise up, create and enrich according as it is his good pleasure.

In all things He will be wise, holy and irresistible.

Let us adore and thank Him for the wonderful work of the Incarnation which He has decreed, and for his favors to his people and for its restoration to grace after its fall.

Let us adore this Person (Jesus) endowed with the human and the divine nature, let us reverence It and accept It as our Head; let us confess, that He is worthy of all glory, praise and magnificence, and, as the Author of grace, let us give Him glory and acknowledge his power and Divinity." 

With such arms St. Michael and his angels gave battle, fighting as it were, with the powerful rays of truth against the dragon and his followers, who on their hand made use of blasphemies.

But Lucifer at the sight of the holy prince (Jesus), not being able to resist, was torn with interior rage and sought to fly from his torments; it was the will of God, however, that he should not only be punished, but also conquered, in order that by his fall he might know the truth and power of God. 

Nevertheless he blasphemed and cried out: "Unjust is God in raising the human nature above the angelic. I am the most exalted and beautiful angel and the triumph belongs to me, It is I who am to place my throne above the stars and who shall be like unto the Highest; I will subject myself to no one of an inferior nature, and I will not consent that anyone take precedence of me or be greater than I." In the same way spoke the apostate followers of Lucifer. 

But St. Michael answered: "Who is there like unto the Lord, who dwells in the heavens, or who to compare himself to Him? Be silent, enemy, cease thy dreadful blasphemies, and since iniquity has taken possession of thee, depart from our midst, wretch, and be hurled in thy blind ignorance and wickedness into the dark night and chaos of the infernal pains. But let us, O spirits of the Lord, honor and reverence this blessed Woman, who is to give human flesh to the eternal Word; and let us recognize Her as our Queen and Lady." 

The great sign of the Woman (our Blessed Lady)  served the good angels as a shield and as arms of battle against the evil ones; for at the sight of it, all their power of reasoning weakened and was brought to confusion and silence, since they could not endure the mysteries and sacraments contained in this sign ( of Jesus and His mother Mary as human creatures). 

And just as by divine power this mysterious sign appeared, so also now the other figure or sign of the dragon appeared, in order that thus transformed he might be ignominiously hurled from heaven amid the fright and terror of his followers and amid the astonishment of the holy angels. 

All this was the effect of this new manifestation of the justice and power of God. 

It is difficult to describe in words what passed in that memorable battle, since there is such a wide difference between our conceptions, founded on material objects, and those which would be appropriate to the nature and operations of such great spirits as these angels. 

"But the bad ones did not prevail" for injustice, lies, ignorance and malice could not prevail against equity, truth, light and goodness; nor could these virtues be overcome by vices. 

Therefore, it is also said: From that time on their place was not found in heaven, through the sins which these disgraced angels had committed, they made themselves unworthy of the eternal vision and company of the Lord. Their memory was blotted out from his mind, where they had been written by the excellences and graces of the nature given to them. Having lost the right to the places, which had been reserved for them, if they had obeyed, it passed over to mankind. To man these places were now transferred in such a way that the very vestiges of the apostate angels were blotted out and were no more found in heaven.

Read: Volume I Book I Chapter IX