October 1, 2025, St. Michael and All Angels, 12-step Eucharist, Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11
St. Michael and All Angels September 29
Two days ago, the next-to-last day of September, is always the Feast Day of St. Michael and All Angels. I keep a carved stone with a painted picture of St. Michael, holding his sword, hanging above my desk in my home office by my window. St. Michael is almost the first thing I see when I lift my eyes from my computer. St. Michael lives in stained glass, overcoming evil just outside this chapel door. I give thanks for the St. Michaels in my life, who have been by my side in difficult times, lending me courage to go on. Those in 12-step Recovery call them sponsors.
I think of some other favorite modern angels of today. There, of course, is Angel 2nd class Clarence Odbody, played by Henry Travers, who saves George Bailey, Jimmy Stewart, from bankruptcy and suicide in the timeless Frank Capra 1946 Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. Whenever I hear a bell ring, I do wonder if an angel, or a sponsor, has earned their wings!
Then there is my all-time favorite movie angel, the suave Dudley, played to the essence by Cary Grant, who comes to save the life and marriage of Bishop Henry Brougham, David Niven, whose wife, Julia, is played by Loretta Young in the 1947 Samuel Goldwyn Christmas classic, The Bishop’s Wife.
Whenever I visit my Bishop’s office, I always look around to see where Dudley is.
As I talk to people in recovery, I listen to hear if they speak about angels in their lives —people whom they encounter for some time/ or briefly/ that stand by them or lead them through situations or obstacles that used to baffle them. (Of course, this is one of the promises.) Angels are life-changing and life-giving. They are messengers and truth tellers who see God in us, much like the angel Gabriel to Mary, proclaiming that God is in us even when we have no clue.
Give thanks for the angels in your life. Repay them by being a Dudley, Clarence, Michael, or another angel to someone else you will meet daily,/ one day at a time. It is called paying it forward. A daily dose will keep you clean and sober.
Joanna joannaseibert.com