Sene 12 — June 19

The Feast of Saint Michael the Archangel

Today is a very special day. On the twelfth day of every month we remember Saint Michael the Archangel. Saint Michael is the chief of all the angels, one of the very greatest, and he loves to help God's people.

Long ago in the big city of Alexandria, in Egypt, there was a tall building called a temple where people prayed to a statue instead of to the true God. They had done this for hundreds of years. A kind church leader named Abba Alexander wanted to help them learn the truth. He gently explained that a statue cannot help anyone, and that only God is real and good.

So they made a big change. They turned that building into a church in honor of Saint Michael. They shared good food with people who were poor and hungry, and they celebrated together with joy. From then on, people everywhere kept this happy feast for Saint Michael.

Saint Michael does many kind things for people who remember him. One time, a good woman was about to have her baby, and she was frightened and in pain. She prayed to God and asked Saint Michael to help her. Right away her little room filled with bright light, her pain went away, and she had a baby boy. Saint Michael himself came down and blessed the child.

Saint Michael watched over that boy as he grew, keeping him safe again and again. When the boy was a young man, Saint Michael appeared on the road dressed like a soldier and helped him at just the right moment, so that everything turned out joyful and good. The young man grew up to build a beautiful church for Saint Michael, and many people were healed there. Saint Michael loves to carry the prayers of God's people up to heaven, like a friend who never forgets us.

O Michael, angel of God, have compassion upon me, and ask God to help me.— the prayer of the good woman

It is good to remember Saint Michael, even if it is only to give a cup of cold water in his name.

Saint Euphemia, Who Trusted God

Saint Euphemia was a good woman who loved God very much. Her husband loved God too, and they liked to share what they had with people who were poor. Every month they kept three happy feast days: one for Saint Michael, one for the holy Lady Mary, and one to remember the birth of Jesus.

When her husband went home to God, Euphemia kept on giving to the poor and keeping the feasts, just as they had always done together. She also kept a beautiful picture of Saint Michael in her house to remind her to pray.

An evil spirit did not want her to keep doing good, and it tried to trick her into stopping. But Euphemia was wise. She asked it questions about God that only a true angel could answer, and it could not. She held up her picture of Saint Michael and prayed, and Saint Michael came right away and sent the evil spirit far off, because God is always stronger than anything bad.

After that, Euphemia gave all her money to the bishop to share with people who were poor and hungry. Then, holding her picture of Saint Michael close, she fell asleep in peace and went home to God.

Father Justus, Whom Saint Mark Baptized

Father Justus lived in the city of Alexandria a very long time ago. He was a smart and kind man. Saint Mark, the same Mark who wrote one of the four Gospels in the Bible, baptized him and his mother, washing them with water in God's name to begin a new life with Jesus.

Justus learned all the holy Scriptures and loved to teach people about God. He was so good and faithful that he became the archbishop of Alexandria, the leader of all its churches. He looked after God's people gently and well for twelve years. Then, when he was very old, he died in peace, having made God happy with his life.

Father Cyril, the Wise Church Leader

Father Cyril was chosen by God to be an archbishop in Alexandria. When the church needed a new leader, an angel of God told a holy man exactly who the right person was. So they found Cyril, and even though he was humble and did not want such a big job, they asked him to lead, and the whole church was happy.

Cyril was very learned and full of love. He fixed up many churches and chose good helpers to teach people about God. He even sent a kind bishop named Sawiros to far-away Ethiopia, where the people were overjoyed to learn from him. After many good years of serving God, Father Cyril died in peace.

King Lalibela, the Builder of Churches

King Lalibela was a holy king of Ethiopia. His parents raised him to love and trust God from the time he was little. God kept him safe in every trouble, and his older brother, who had once been unkind to him, became his friend again and they made peace.

When Lalibela became king, he thought all the time about how to please God. He was very generous and gave many gifts to people who were poor and in need.

One night, God showed Lalibela something amazing in a dream: how to build ten churches, each one different and beautiful. Lalibela did just what God showed him, and those ten wonderful churches were carved right out of the rock. People still visit them in Ethiopia today! That is why we remember Lalibela as the great builder of churches.