Homily on the Archangel Michael (for Ḥamle)

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God. A homily of the holy and glorious Michael, the chief of the angels, which is read on the tenth and the second of Ḥamle. May his blessing be with us forever and ever. Amen. John the bishop spoke concerning a certain proud man who dwelt in a certain city, and his heart was hard as Pharaoh’s, and he had no fasting nor prayer. And there was a certain poor man who dwelt in his neighborhood with his wife, and their faith was firm, and they were devoted to the holy Michael, the chief of the angels, continually, and they would prepare for his feast and give all that they had to the poor and the needy. And that proud man, their neighbor, saw them and murmured in his heart, saying, “Concerning these poor ones, who have nothing to eat nor drink, and cannot obtain for themselves anything at all, how can they give to the poor?” And one day he summoned the poor man and said to him, “You, a man who has no garment to wear, and have nothing to eat, and nothing to give—where do you find what to give to the poor?” And the poor man said to him, “I and my wife, when we invoke the name of Michael, the chief of the angels, he gives us strength and blessing, and we work with our hands much labor, and our handiwork is blessed thereby.” Then that proud man was ashamed and confounded.

And I, your father Yoḥannes, bishop of Ethiopia, and you, my children and my people, whom the Lord has given me, ask and pray that we may find favor, mercy, and compassion before Him, the lover of humanity, the Lord, through the prayer of the holy Michael, chief of the angels, and through the glory of the holy Gabriel, the announcer of the incarnation, and through the intercession of our Lady Mary, mother of God, and through the prayer of Yoḥannes the Baptist, and through the prayers of the righteous and martyrs, and through the intercession of the four living creatures and the twenty-four priests of heaven. Praise to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. May their blessing and the gift of their aid, of all the saints, be with us, for the one who wrote it, and for the one who had it written, for the one who read it, and for the one who translated it, and for the one who heard its words together, may the Lord forgive them in the kingdom of heaven forever and ever. Amen. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God. A homily of the holy and glorious Michael, chief of the angels, which is read on the tenth and the second of Ḥamle. May his blessing be with us forever and ever. Amen. Yoḥannes the bishop spoke concerning a certain proud man who dwelt in a certain city, and his heart was hard like Pharaoh, and he had no fasting nor prayer.

There was a certain poor man who dwelt in the courtyard of his house with his wife, and their faith was steadfast; and they would pray constantly to the holy Michael, chief of the angels, and they would prepare for his feast and give all that they had found to the poor and the needy. And I, your father Yoḥannes, bishop of Ethiopia, and you, my children and my people, whom the Lord has given me, ask and pray that we may find favor, mercy, and compassion before Him, the lover of humanity, the Lord, through the prayer of the holy Michael, chief of the angels, and through the humility of the holy Gabriel, the announcer of the incarnation, and through the intercession of our Lady Mary, the mother of God, and through the prayer of Yoḥannes the Baptist, and through the prayers of the righteous and the martyrs, and through the intercession of the four living creatures and the twenty-four heavenly priests. Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. May their blessing and the gift of their help, of all the saints, be with us. For the one who wrote it, and for the one who caused it to be written, for the one who read it, and for the one who translated it, and for the one who heard its words, may the Lord have mercy on them together in the kingdom of heaven for ever and ever. Amen.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God. A homily of the holy Michael, chief of the angels, which is read in the month of Ḥamle, which was delivered by John, bishop of the country of Ethiopia, whose see is in Aksum. There was a certain poor man, like Pharaoh, and he had no knowledge of fasting or prayer, but his heart was firm as that of our father Ayya the ascetic. And by his strength he dwelt in a place where there was no food for a day, and his faith was steadfast with his wife; and they would cleave to God and make a feast for the holy Michael, and they would give from what they had to the poor and the needy. And by the prayer of John the Baptist, and by the intercession of Michael and Gabriel, and by the prayer of all the saints, martyrs, righteous, prophets, and apostles, may He have mercy on us and pardon us. If you have found, give; and if you have not found, give water for the sake of the names Michael and Gabriel. And may the righteousness of him who praises be increased for you forever and ever. Amen.