A day after voting between two saints with elegant names, we’re back to more mundane monikers. Anna and Michael. There is nothing mundane about these two contestants, however, as prophet faces archangel in a matchup you will only find here at Lent Madness. Is it fair to put an angel in the bracket against a mere mortal? We’re not sure. But as the familiar expression goes, “All’s fair in love and Lent Madness.”
Speaking of those elegantly named saints, Eglantyne Jebb easily defeated Seraphim of Sarov 73% to 27% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen.
Today is the last battle of a full week of saintly thrills and spills. We’ll see everyone bright and early on Monday morning with an exciting agricultural matchup between Isidore the Farmer and Phocus the Gardener. TGIL, everybody! (Thank God It’s Lent).
Anna the Prophet
Like many women in the Bible, Anna doesn’t have a lot of scriptural context to sketch a complete biography. However, the simple fact that Anna is given a name and title speaks to the importance of this woman. Known as Anna the Prophet, she is recognized as the widow who was with Simeon in the temple when Jesus was presented by Mary and Joseph shortly after his birth.
Saint Luke (2:36–38) tells us: “There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
As a Jewish prophet, Anna led a life of devotion to God through daily prayer, worship, and work at the temple. Anna is honored as a saint for her recognition of Christ as the Messiah during his presentation in the temple. Both Simeon and Anna were transformed by their encounter with Jesus, which led to the creation of the Song of Simeon that we sing to this day. Also known as the Nunc Dimittis, the Song of Simeon is a traditional canticle often used in Compline and Evensong.
Although we don’t know much about the details of her life, Anna’s presence and witness offer several important lessons. She teaches us about the importance of prayer and fasting to prepare for the coming of our Lord. She models for us the importance of patience, since much of a faithful life is spent waiting. Her diligence assures us that the practices of prayer, fasting, preparation, and patience will give us a reward far greater than anything we can imagine. Anna teaches us that our faithful practices allow us to participate in the coming of Christ.
Anna’s feast day is celebrated on February 3.
Collect for Anna the Prophet
Almighty and life-giving God, we give thanks for the witness of Anna the Prophet who recognized our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ during his presentation in the temple. We give thanks, O Lord, for the teachings of Anna that show us the path to glory can be found through prayer, fasting, preparation, and patience; in Christ’s name. Amen.
Michael the Archangel
The word angel means messenger from God. Archangels are considered the chief angels in the hierarchy of angels, although most of this hierarchy is human construct. The full name of Michael translates to “Who is like God?”—an obviously rhetorical question. Michael is mentioned in the holy texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Michael is described in the Bible as a helper and defender of God’s holy people, the one who cares for the dead (Michael even argues with the devil over Moses’ body in the book of Jude). Most notably, Michael is portrayed as fighting and defeating the dragon in the Book of Revelation. Michael is frequently depicted as a warrior angel, holding a sword and a shield and standing astride a defeated and subdued dragon.
While Michael has been invoked in prayer through the centuries as the defender and protector of the people of God, the warrior image is a more modern concept. In the early centuries of Christianity, the faithful venerated Michael as a defender and protector, not through violence and war but through healing. Churches, shrines, and holy places dedicated to Michael began appearing in the fourth century as places of healing. Many of these holy places were built around hot springs in Greece and Asia. Michael’s protection extended from life to death, as Michael guarded the souls of the dead against evil and guided them to God as they came into the kingdom of heaven.
Only as Christianity became associated with political and military might did the image of Michael shift to an archangel clad in armor and leading armies in the name of Christ. By the Middle Ages, Michael and George became the patron saints of chivalry, a code of conduct associated with knighthood and military service.
Michael is given credit for redirecting a river to save a church; standing with a sword over the tomb of Hadrian, thus protecting Rome from a devastating plague under the papacy of Gregory the Great; and appearing to the Bishop of Avranches in 708 with directions to build a church on the rocky islet now known as Mont Saint-Michel in France. Michael is also considered to be the domesticator of horses; legend holds that Michael taught Saint Florus and Saint Laurus to listen to the language of horses so they could be helpers to humanity.
Collect for Michael the Archangel
Everlasting God, you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of angels and mortals: Mercifully grant that, as your holy angels always serve and worship you in heaven, so by your appointment they may help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Anna the Prophet vs. Michael the Archangel
- Michael the Archangel (53%, 4,109 Votes)
- Anna the Prophet (47%, 3,661 Votes)
Total Voters: 7,770
Loading ...
I’m Ann, so need to go with Anna!
I’m Michael, so. . .
As a member of the Society of St. Anna the Prophet, I vote for….(guess)
Michael the Archangel will win because he is an Archangel. He also defeated a dragon. He has my vote.
In the Orthodox tradition he is also known as the Prince of Heaven and Vanquisher of Hell.
you have the same name as my dad!
I believe thatSaint George defeated a dragon
Perhaps so, but the one George defeated (slew) was just another dragon, and the one Michael defeated was supposedly Satan. (Unfortunately, he didn’t stay defeated for long, but got right back to work. Is there a theological message here I’m missing?)
Michael’s battle with Satan was actually a battle with Lucifer Morningstar. It was Michael’s victory that banished Lucifer from Heaven. Only then did Lucifer “become” Satan, take dominion over hell, and “get to work” corrupting the souls of man. So, Satan didn’t “get right back to work.” He …um…”changed his line of work”? Of course, SFAIK, *none* of this is actually scriptural. 😀
I like dragons!
I was born September 29, so need to go with Michael!
Cannot understand putting an angelic being up against a blood and flesh saint. Is that fair? Just kidding. Of course I voted for Anna!
My thought EXACTLY!
My thought EXACTLY TOO!
One of my life rules is “Life isnt fair.” (Or the fair comes only once a year.)
Life is definitely unfair, but surely we ought to be. Well, more than fair, we ought to be just, especially if we want to be saints too!
This was a tough one as Michael the Archangel is a figure I have always admired (that sounds so weird) but I went with Anna because she foresaw the goodness and holiness in the Christ Child.
Exactly! That is how I made my decision as well. While I am grateful for the healing presence of Michael, Anna’s patience and devotion are truly heroic sacrifices and gifts from a mere mortal.
That’s pretty much why I sided with Anna. Nothing against the Archangel, but I just couldn’t say no to the human.
I don’t understand how Michael is even eligible. He’s great, but he’s an archangel, not a saint! We can have another contest for angels. And Anna is someone worthy of a vote in any case.
Michael is an archangel, and Anna has a verrrrrry thin biography – hard to vote for either. Went with Anna simple based on her being a human being.
This was a tough one! In the end i went with Michael, mostly for his many different attributes. But Anna, in her patience and perception! Sigh. Whomever wins, I’ll be grateful.
Hmmm, yes. Either the widowed prophet or the rhetorical archangel.
Not moved either way today.
✔
Nor was I. I did end up voting for Michael but because I believe God created the Angels as his first Beings and therefore must have loved them very, very much………and Michael stayed true to God and not jealous or demanding more status as did Lucifer. I feel pretty sure that Michael probably defended the Kingdom of God . So, it was Michael. Anna sounded like a good woman but if she never left the temple did she require others to meet her needs of food, clothing, etc? Recognizing the Child Jesus as the Savior was a gift to her, I believe… not something she simply knew??
It’s my understanding that it was incumbent on the Jewish community to protect and provide for Anna. As a widow, what options did she have in first-century Palestine? She apparently had neither children nor other family, and she could hardly get a job, elderly and female as she was. Ministry to the widows and orphans is something that was carried over into the nascent Christian community from Judaism, and the administration of that care gave Christians their first big internal controversy. (Acts 6:1-6)
Love your post. I was already planning to vote for Michael for much the same reasons you wrote so eloquently. I won’t repeat my version – your comments are great. Thank you!
I agree with you Gail. This was a hard choice. I voted for Michael.
Can an angel be a saint????
I was wondering the same thing. Also, Anna’s always been a “favorite” & I now think it’s because I still have a lot to learn about patience and prayer.
My reasons too. Anna bears humble, daily witness. We all need more of that.
“Saint” just means “holy.” Archangels presumably would be holy!
I also feel that since angels are totally different beings that they should not be pitted against human saints. I had a tough time deciding who to vote for, but ended up going for Anna since she is human.
There is a rich history in Christianity going back centuries of angels being saints.
So, yes 🙂
Can you meet them in trains, or in lanes, or at tea?
Well played, Polly!
Polly, that was the perfect response! The “cradle Episcopalians” in my congregation love that hymn…it always makes me smile a bit. An update might be “in Ubers, on Twitter, or over latte.”
This cradle Catholic was wondering about that reference. However the concept of meeting angels everywhere and anywhere is lovely!
I hope I can meet angels in those places and other places. I don’t limit angelic appearances to needed big feathery wings. After all, there are those strangers whom we should treat hospitably lest they be angels unaware.
Well, our pro-cathedral in Boise is St. Michael’s. The cathedral church in Coventry, England is St. Michael’s. So, the church through the ages would answer “Yes.”
But, tbh, the one in Boise was named in honor of an early rector.
I honestly voted for Anna cause I wanted to and my friend told me too so ya 🙂
I have long loved Anna, so devoted to her faith, and she knew immediately that she was in the presence of the Messiah!
He fought and defeated the dragon in Revelation.
That should be enough.
#Michael4Michael
Not so fast there, Michael…
Anna saw and knew Jesus. Now THAT is enough!
XOXO
A a member of St. Michael’s Church Bon Air, I had to go with our guy!
As do I as a grateful member of St. Michael and All Angels, Portland, OR.
Ditto, Gillian. A blessed place!!
Way back on the first match-up, I went with Peter, even though St. Paul is my church’s patron!
I am a member there also and so went with Michael today!
Seems unfair to pit an Archangel against a mortal, so I will go with Anne, whose words are lost to us while we have Simeon’s.
September 30 Michaelmas baby, but that does sway me.
Oops! Keyboard fights with me … does NOT sway me. Does Michael have control of keyboards?
No, keyboards have been given over to Satan.
I believe in and appreciate guardian angels, but I do not believe they are saints. Saintly, maybe. but to me, saints are by definition human. I voted for Anna.
Exactly!!
I felt similarly. I likely don’t know all the “details” of angels, but Anna being fully human I think makes it more challenging to be a saint and more inspirational
My feelings as well. “Anna teaches us that our faithful practices allow us to participate in the coming of Christ.” Something to aspire to and work toward.
Anna recognized the Messiah. Would that we all would follow her example and continually recognize the Messiah in our lives.
Yes! I voted Anna too.
I agree, Dianne! Well stated.
We need Michael today, to defend the downtrodden and to find common ground between the three major religions that respect him.
I like your thinking, and feel the same way. Sometimes it feels like we need all the protection we can get!
C’mon, people! Anna was an awesome old lady…..like some of us!
Yay!
Ditto!
Amen Sister! While Anna may only have a few verses that for me says it all about her importance in recognizing our Savor. Now in my mid to late 60’s I truly value the wisdom of older and wiser women in my life who have always mentored me.
Let’s hear it for the wisdom of the crone!
Here here!
Right on!
I’m with you. Perhaps she also represents the voice of the marginalized, the silent ones.
Well, then, since I am in my 70’s , I think a vote for Michael would be appropriate , said the older and wiser! Ha ha ha ha!!!
and really-do angels even exist?
I had to go with Michael because when my dad was five years old he looked out his window and saw two golden angels descending from the clouds. He said they were kind of spiraling down. The next morning he woke up and rushed to tell his mom. Before he could tell her though, she said she had something she had to tell him first. His grandmother (who was living with them at the time) had died that night. He believes that he saw the angels coming to get her.
What a lovely story! I totally believe your dad saw the angels.
Anna is probably a construct invented by Luke, so “existence” didn’t factor into this vote for me. I went with Michael.
Well, old, anyway … and trying to approach awesomeness …
Right on!
My own name is Ann, I’m old, and I’m a Benedictine oblate. Benedictine’s strive for faithfulness and patience. The choice was easy !
Love the way you put that, Barbara. I already voted for her, too!
I pre-filled my bracket. Been getting few wins. But finally here is one where I picked the woman. So if trends hold I should be ok. Archangel? seems and unfair fight to me.
I was ordained on the feast of St. Michael and all Angels so there’s an affinity there, but Anna is a sign of God’s wisdom in the humble. I have always loved her faithfulness and confident proclamation of the Messiah. Mere mortal that she was, I had to go with Anna!
Actually, God as warrior is not a “more modern” concept, but rather is present in ancient Judaism. I can provide citations if desired.
That bit wasn’t about God, it was about Michael: “While Michael has been invoked in prayer through the centuries as the defender and protector of the people of God, the warrior image is a more modern concept. In the early centuries of Christianity, the faithful venerated Michael as a defender and protector, not through violence and war but through healing.”
The healing part of Michael’s ministry (and I do think angelic work is a ministry) sealed it for my vote.
Michael beat a dragon and Anna didn’t so Michael is better
We only know about one day of Anna’s life. We don’t know what she got up to the rest of her long days!
Right. And just think how awesome the dragon would be on that LM mug!! Plus when you invoke St. Michael, don’t you you usually get All the Angels coming along? I think I’ll go with Michael for the mug.
I am a Michael too. But today I went with Anna. I love the Song of Simeon, one of my favorite prayers. And Anna’s faithfulness is a real example. Her patience, and her ability to recognize Jesus as Messiah is so compelling.
Love you Michael, but it’s Anna today.
Ooh, but you are right, too. Poor Anna got cheated out of a song. You’d think if they gave one to Simeon….And then look at all Michael has been given: a flaming sword, a dragon to slay, and all the company of heaven. Anna got robbed of her husband and then her song. Maybe I have to go with her. If Michael is a defender he really ought to come to Anna’s aid, don’t you think? I know I bet one of these LM voter’s is gonna write Anna a song before the end of the day.
I went with Michael as protector and defender. But also don’t want to incur his wrath as a warrior.
Anna’s fasting, prayer and patience are
lesson for humanity.
Voting for the human being.
I voted for Michael, because if he wins, I thought his image would look really cool on a coffee cup! (actually and more honestly, I am not sure we have had an angle in Lent Madness before and I thought the angels should have some recognition)
Michael’s not a human being and thus can’t be a saint, so I voted for Anna.
But he is in the Episcopal church! His feast day is September 30, Michaelmas! (For which we have Michaelmas daisies! http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1000/farmington-michaelmas-daisy/
Saints are not just human. For over 2,000 years angels have been saints in the Christian tradition.
Human versus archangel? Both had impressive accomplishments. But Michael achieved what he did because of being an angel, while Anna achieved what she did _despite_ being human. Anna for me!
While I have always loved Anna for her perseverance in waiting to see and recognize Jesus, Michael the Archangel did throw Satan out of Heaven, for Heaven’s sakes! In Revelations, dragon is used as a name for Satan and that is not clear in the information given regarding our two notable subjects for today. Michael defend us from the devil and all his works!
Sometimes you just need to find a reason that speaks to you. Mont Saint Michel wouldn’t have existed without Michael? That’s my reason!
Like
This is tough. While I love both of these saints I usually side with the human because I find their stories more relatable and instructive. Michael won me today because the imagery in his stories is pretty interesting and I could use a protector from time to time.
As a foster son, perhaps, of the house; the Michael bell there at Nashotah, for my own belief that Michael also guards and defends those who are homeless. My ordination named Michael (prayer D). This deacon is with Michael.
I have always held Anna in high esteem, but I could not vote for her against, Michael, who protects us all daily. Not sure that a saint should be competing with an angel.
How did an angel, albeit a mighty one, slip into Lent Madness? Have we already run out of mortal saints?
With all the events in today’s world, we need the strength and defense of Michael, the Archangel. Watch over us< Michael!
Ditto, Gillian. A blessed place!!
Maybe it is unfair to pit an angel against a mortal, and I love Anna. But when I read that the taming of horses is attributed to Michael, I have to go with the horse guy.
I voted for Michael because he/she (I don’t want to say “it”) was an activist angel, providing protection, messages and healing. The fact that I was married in St. Michael and All Angels Church, and the fact that he/she made that bishop build one of my favorite places on earth, Mont-Saint-Michel, I have to vote for St. Michael. That’s not even thinking about how I want him/her on my side as a guide when I finally die.
Thank you for honoring the gender ambiguity of the divine with your comment. 🙂
The SEC has had a lapse in judgement i think. Angel in the saints match up is like NBA team in March Madness.
Well stated!
What a great contest! I have a big ol’ spot in my heart for both of these saints. I’ve been reading a lot about Anna lately for a study of Luke at our church (St. DUNSTAN, by the way–ahem, SEC!!). It’s interesting that while Luke gets so much credit for having women in his writings, he often silences them and reminds his readers that quiet, adoring, and obedient women are more pleasing to God. Anna is a prophet, but he silenced her.
Nevertheless, we at least got her name! And that really speaks to her good work of prayer and faithful presence in the worshipping community. And she recognized God in the Babe! There is an order of more, shall we say, mature women in our diocese, the Society of St. Anna the Prophet, who are dedicated to a ministry of prayer and service to the elderly and youth. http://annasisters.org/
But I love St. Michael as well. When I first became an Episcopalian 28 years ago, our parish (St. Bartholomew–ahem, SEC!) had its Old English Festival every year on the feast of St. Michael and All Angels. I have fond, fond memories of our evensongs, and our anthems and hymns about all the heavenly host. It was all new to me then, and, well, heavenly! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTK4dE-_OP4. (St. Michael gets verse 2! Listen and picture clouds of incense, verger, acolytes, choir and candles—heaven!
Uh oh, forgot to close those parentheses!
Anna didn’t get a song like Simeon, it’s true; but “At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:38) So maybe she was really the first apostle??!!
I’m so bummed by this choice. I have always loved Anna for her faithful, prayerful persistence and for perceiving the Christ Child when he appeared, and I have friends who are members of the Society of St. Anna the Prophet. But when my son-in-law was grievously injured in a bicycle-car accident, and I wondered how to pray for the healing he needed, it was Michael who appeared to me, all aglow with vibrant kinetic energy in the very part of his body where Ben was most injured. I’m sure he is a protector and guardian and healer. No notion yet who will get my vote, but I’ll be okay with either as winner and sorry the other one didn’t win!
Ah, but wasn’t Mary Magdalene the first apostle?
Sept. 28 baby here, but middle name Anne. Michael is cool and a big deal but patience and perseverance is maybe the harder job. And little old ladies CAN rule. Voted for Anna.
This is a tough one for me. Love them both. Will have to mull these bios over & re-read them. An aged female widow prophet who immediately recognized Christ as the Messiah and starts praising him or an archangel who defended God’s people ………………… keep going back & forth. Will return later to vote
How can I not vote for Michael, the one who proposed the building of the ethereal Mont Saint-Michel in France? As a lover of horses, I also favor Michael for telling humans to listen to horses so they could be our helpers. Yea Michael!
I love your handle, by the way. I may have to change my name.
“They lived not only in ages past;
there are hundreds of thousands still…”
I’m for Michael. Very close race. I wonder if I can get the Russians to “help” Michael win this election. 🙂
A tough choice, as always. Since some angels are venerated as saints in both East and West, and since Mt.-St.-Michel is one of my favorite holy places in France, I’m strongly pulled in his direction. On the other hand, the brief mention of Anna the Prophet in the Gospel of Luke has its own poignancy and resonance thanks to her proximity to Simeon and the Nunc Dimittis, which may have been the first canticle I heard as I drew near to the Episcopal Church. On the third hand, I like the way Michael invites us to active furtherance of God’s kingdom, so in the end Michael had my vote.
I went with Michael. The reason that wont get me in trouble with the politiccally correct crowd is that Michael does a lot more in the Bible than Anna.
Politically correct or incorrect, we all serve one God in Christ Jesus.
I’m agreeing with Buff here, I thought this was about Saints. I’m confused about Michael now – was he supposed to have been a human? I’m going with Anna – I want my saints to be human.
Ah, politically correct or incorrect, we all serve one God in Christ Jesus!
Kudos to the bloggers today for these beautiful essays. At present, the lady and the angel are neck and neck.
Again, I do not understand all of the male versus female match ups.
Michael versus someone that we barely know anything about….and it is 50-50?
I am not sure angels have gender in the humans do!
“Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.” (Isaiah 6:2) In the Bible, “feet” is a common euphemism for genitals. The angels are covering their faces and genitals with their extra wings, out of modesty and reverence. And Milton assures us in Paradise Lost that angels have sex. Whether that is “gender,” strictly speaking, is another issue. But the ecstasy angels experience seems like a bliss we might all have some capacity for imagining.
How did Milton know? Was he a prophet? I think angels exist in a different way than humans do, at least in this life. Angels don’t procreate, so why would they need genitalia? Nevertheless, they participate in God’s holiness, so they certainly experience ecstasy in some angelic way.
All poets are prophets. In Book 8 of Paradise Lost, Adam asks Raphael if angels make love, and Raphael assures him that they do, and it’s terrific. Adam is very dry and Aristotelian. Raphael blushes and assures him that angel sex is the best sex of all. Raphael has also just enjoyed a hearty meal with Adam, and he ate with real hunger. So angels, while without corporeal bodies, still have senses and desires and know full love. (So heaven is going to be great! Don’t everybody rush to get there before your time! Remember Anna: patience is the spice that makes it even better!)
[Adam]
Bear with me then, if lawful what I ask;
Love not the heav’nly Spirits, and how thir Love
Express they, by looks onely, or do they mix
Irradiance, virtual or immediate touch?
[Raphael]
To whom the Angel with a smile that glow’d
Celestial rosie red, Loves proper hue,
Answer’d. Let it suffice thee that thou know’st
Us happie, and without Love no happiness.
Whatever pure thou in the body enjoy’st
(And pure thou wert created) we enjoy
In eminence, and obstacle find none
Of membrane, joynt, or limb, exclusive barrs:
Easier then Air with Air, if Spirits embrace,
Total they mix, Union of Pure with Pure
Desiring; nor restrain’d conveyance need
As Flesh to mix with Flesh, or Soul with Soul.
Considering Milton’s anti-Trinitarian opinions, I would not accept his opinions on the supposed sexual lives of angels.
Milton’s putative Arianism sinks my sketchy knowledge of 17th-century wranglings over Calvinism into the murky depths. It’s been ages since I read Areopagitica. But therein he writes: “as good almost kill a Man as kill a good Book; who kills a Man kills a reasonable creature, Gods Image; but hee who destroyes a good Booke, kills reason it selfe, kills the Image of God, as it were in the eye. Many a man lives a burden to the Earth; but a good Booke is the pretious life-blood of a master spirit, imbalm’d and treasur’d up on purpose to a life beyond life.” He also therein writes, using very Pauline imagery: “I cannot praise a fugitive and cloister’d vertue, unexercis’d & unbreath’d, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but slinks out of the race, where that immortall garland is to be run for, not without dust and heat.” So I think Milton values false doctrine as a challenge to the truth and as a foil to the truth, so that truth can prevail and shine the more brightly. And there is no one I would trust more than a poet to explain to me the sex lives of angels.
St. Celia et seq. – You have provided more evidence for why I am mad about Lent Madness. Isaiah! Milton! The sex life (or not) of angels! Love this thread! Thank you, each and all.
“And there is no one I would trust more than a poet to explain to me the sex lives of angels.” Gems like these make it worthwhile to scroll back through the comments at the end of the day!
This is going to be a nail-biter!
I voted for Anna because the lovely bio of her really helped me see how Anna is indeed the poster Saint for the season of Lent. With her life, she sets the pattern for a holy Lent and one that indeed leads us to be ready for the coming of Christ into our lives on the glorious morning of Easter!
My Mother’s favorite NT lady, I’m voting for Anna the Prophet also for my bestie,
Rev. Anna the Preacher, UMC minister (Ret.) I’ve always loved the story of Anna
for her devotion & reward and so proud of my Anna who can preach too.
Michael taught them “to listen to the language of horses so they could be helpers to humanity”. That worked for me.
Never underestimate the power of an old lady filled with the Holy Spirit! Plus, she’s my and my daughter’s patron. So, Anna has my vote!
Anna got my vote roday. This was a tough one but her devotion and seeing Jesus presented at the temple swung it to her.
Went with Anna today.
My children went to a wonderful Episcopal day school called Saint Michael’s. Every year, a few weks after school started, the kids put on a fabulous St Michael pageant. In chapel the kids sang a little prayer one of the founders had arranged:
Michael Archangel
Holy Saint Michael
Be thou our shield against darkness and sin
O prince most glorious
Michael Archangel
Guard us for Jesus’ sake
Outside and in.
How is Michael as warrior a “more modern concept” when that is precisely how he is portrayed in both Daniel and Revelation? Even if war against Satan (in Revelation) doesn’t count, surely war for Israel against the angels of the enemy nations (in Daniel) must?
Had to go with Michael the Archangel…just because of the “domesticator of horses”…my passion. Although I do see the argument that “humans become saints”, but Michael has always been portrayed as the “defender” and we humans need more defending
Hadrian’s Wall has haunted my dreams for many years, so I had to visit it when touring the UK .. thus my vote for Michael today!
The patience and the vision of Anna! To wait and serve in the temple for some 50 years, waiting for the promised Messiah, and to recognize him, as an 8-day-old infant? Would I had such patience and discernment. And Michael, I’m sorry, had his/her halo from the start. (Also gets a movie this month–Wrinkle in Time–does NOT need a mug.)
Her quiet patience did it for me. And that she’s a prophet, reminding me of the Godly Play introduction to the stories about prophets: Prophets are people who come so close to God, and God comes so close to them, that they know what God wants”.
I would vote for Anna even if I weren’t agnostic about the existence of angels. Lots of people are citing Michael’s slaying of a dragon… well, I know for a fact there’s no such thing as dragons. Dragon being a metaphor in that case, surely Anna slayed dragons too!
This month? Hooray!
I thought I was going to vote for Anna, but Michael is the patron of law enforcement as well as the military. So in memory of my father, who was a Coastie veteran and a law enforcement officer who really believed that “to serve and protect” included everyone, I voted for Michael.
Michael will forever be a heavy John Travolta with wings holding a puppy (or just eating pie). That’s a tough image to beat, but that story of Anna really touched me. I voted for her!
Both are worthy Saints but I voted for Anna as hers is a powerful witness—I used to attend evening prayer weekly and loved the Nunc Dimittis.
General Eisenhower, fully aware of the historic significance of the lore surrounding Michael the Archangel defeating Lucifer in the battle of good and evil, worshiped at Mont St. Michel after taking the Normandy beaches in WWII in preparation for his march towards Berlin. Locals firmly believe that the protection of St. Michel aided the Allies in their quest to defeat Nazi Germany.
Had to vote for Michael since our church is St. Michael and All Angels!
Love them both for different reasons. . . heads, it’s Anna, tails, it’s Michael (cue the drum roll!)
And it comes up Michael! We are blest either way!
Oh, THANK YOU, Mama J! You showed me how to decide!
And after another drum roll, a French 2-franc coin came up tails, so I will indeed vote for Michael! And we are indeed blessed with either one proceeding to the next round.
Pile ou face? Pile!
If a saint is a holy person, meaning set apart for the service of God, it is right to choose Anna. She must have had the gift of discernment, as the Spirit revealed to her that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. I can only imagine how many babies she witnessed being dedicated, year after year after year. I also can imagine how this event changed her life and witness in her remaining years. Michael is an archangel; that’s recognition enough!
Michael has a role in Louise Penny’s latest, Glass Houses, so he gets my vote.
Mandy B
Oh my, brackets this year are so tough!
I voted for Anna today. My previous votes went to the more action-oriented saints, but there is such a need in our lives for prayer and quiet contemplation. Plus, my daughter is named for her great-grandmother Anna, so there it is!
You just never know what the Internet will reveal. On YouTube, search for “mysterious line st michael” to find a video about seven shrines to the Archangel situated in a straight line that runs from Ireland to Israel. Ignore (a) the fact that the source is “UFOmania,” (b) the weird conjectures, and (c) the LOL pronunciations caused by the use of a robotic voice to read a written text (!), and enjoy the shrines.
I’m going to take your word for it, Davis! Reminds me of Charing Cross and the other crosses in England that King Edward i put up along Eleanor’s funeral procession. Not a straight line, but there was a plan!
One of those is Sagra San Michele, atop an isolated peak not far from Turin. At the foot of the road to the shrine is a restaurant that my wife and I visited on September 29, 1987 — I’m pretty sure it was the Ristorante Della Sacra that exists today. We stopped for lunch and were told, apologetically, that they could only offer us a set meal “perché è San Michele.” The place was crammed with feasting families, but they made room for us.
It was the lunch of our lives: fifteen courses, all delicious! The dollar was strong at the time, and when they told us the cost at the end it was so reasonable that I had to ask whether it was for one {no) or two (si). I’ve always wanted to go back and may yet manage it.
I tell you this, not as a mere diversion but because this is my chance finally to thank St. Michael for that lunch. On the basis of the bios I would probably have chosen Anna, but today I cast my ballot on three levels: as a vote, as an ex voto, and as a prayer to St. Michael to watch over the Italian people as they vote in their national election on Sunday.
Lovely story, Davis! I didn’t know they were in Italy, too! I only knew about those in England.
While I’m a bit wary of voting against an arch-angel, I’m hoping he’s big enough to understand. Anna appeared to have done much as a “mere” human. Much more achievable for me to model.
Michael is cool and all, but doesn’t one need to be human to be a saint? God is God and angels are angels but humans can be…well, decidedly unsaintly!
Two very worthy saints. Since my daughter loves and has a rescue horse which she had trained to be ridden I must vote for Michael.
I thought about this one more than I did with the other stumper with J. Westley. Anna led the life I would aspire too. There has always been turmoil and “battles” in my life. Contemplation- something I catch between brushing my teeth and bed. Wanted to vote for Anna but my vote was for Michael. His strength.
Please, everyone, our founder’s name is Wesley–no t!
lol, next year in Round One of Lent Madness: a briefly mentioned biblical figure versus: God the Father. Make it happen, SEC!
It seems a bizarre to me to include an angel, but what is Lent Madness for if not to stretch our minds and hearts? Michael as angel in three religions and as a protector and healer made me vote for him. I am surprised to have done so.
Horses not withstanding, my vote has to go to Anna, for those years of patient prayer and devotion, and for her joyful recognition of the infant Christ and proclamation of him as redeemer.
I was raised and confirmed at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Austin, so I already knew I’d vote for Michael (even though I love the story of Anna the Prophet!), but then the image of Michael standing over Hadrian’s Mausoleum to save medieval Rome from plague sealed the deal for this Latin teacher.
Michael is not human, that does seem unfair. And today’s events make me nervous about venerating anyone who has become associated with, through no fault of their own, military type demeanor. We need more patience, prayer and devotion. So – Anna for me.
Agree!
Since Michael is noted in “holy texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam” he gets my vote as one who today can promote commonality.
Love Anna, but went with Michael
Anna for being such a keen observer. Michael sounds like a non-human workaholic, which is not a good role model for me.
had to go with anna, because this resonated with me: “She models for us the importance of patience, since much of a faithful life is spent waiting.” patience has never been my strong suit, but i find more value in it as i get older.
Michael is, for me, more like a mythical figure to be conjured up and used as a model for beating up some bad ole dragons ! Just joshing with you. Seriously, Anna is the model most of us lowly sinners need to be more serious about preparing for Lent and Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. She is the model for prayer, fasting, patience, waiting and being diligent. These are the acts of the faithful that stymie many of us. It is Anna who lets us know who Jesus is-not a figure of mystery but the one who will be our ultimate salvation.
Anna recognized Christ. I am voting for her. Michael has status, and much of it well-deserved, but I am saddened by the indiscriminate killing of dragons.
“No animals were harmed in the making of this hagiography” it isn’t!
“Much of it well deserved” ha ha. Dragons get their due at Chinese new year but any land beast with scales gets severe treatment in the western imagination. Perhaps if Michael were lauded as killing cancer we would view his battling more favorably. But I appreciate your droll defense of the dragon even though I suspect the creature at issue is not the domestic Hogwarts version but something shapeless, smoky, and fire dealing, something dark and terrifying creating havoc and panic, something an angel would vanquish for us.
Surely this is the same dragon identified with Satan in Rev. 12:9 and 20:2. Just as you describe it.
Angels are the closest things we have to real life super heroes. They always look out for us so I am going to look out for one og them when given the opportunity. My vote is for Michael!
I totally cry foul! Michael is an Angel. Maybe the Archangel. He is not human and has not overcome human foibles to be a Saint. I think he should be DQ’d and the Exec Committee should be chastised for allowing this ringer into the bracket. Your halo must be earned, not given to you!
Michael the Archangel all the way.
When I was young, I dreamt of a mighty angel, strong and implacable and holding a child. No idea what if anything it means, maybe my dinner disagreeing with me. But I’ve always remembered it vividly, and here’s my first chance to vote for an angel.
Can’t vote for Michael.
You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea,
in church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea;
for the saints of God are just folk like me,
and I mean to be one too.
They lived not only in ages past;
there are hundreds of thousands still;
the world is bright with the joyous saints
who love to do Jesus’ will.
Right!
Sorry, golden halos are not required for winged angels. Even though they shrink at The Glory when entering into the sacred light, they’ve got wings!
Anna, on the other hand, is a human. Whether she truly lived in reality, apart from Luke’s fanciful tale of birth and childhood, we may never know. But we are told of her witness and revelation. And for me, that’s what this contest is all about.
Who among those we are presented with did the most to share the good news? Well, Anna the blabbermouth prophetess did her job, nobly.
Anna for the win!
I have lots of police officers and members of the military in my family, so I voted for Michael.
Michael, Patron Saint of Police Officers. Law Enforcement Officers in our country need extra help from up above during these turbulent times.
Anna hers my vote today. She’s a real witness and dedicated to her faith.
I have a daughter named Anne, so there’s that. But I mainly voted for Anna because older women become invisible in past and current history. At a great age, her wisdom led herto see what others could not.
I voted for Michael because I have always prayed to him since I was a small child.
I voted for Anna because she reminds me of the vows I made when I became a Daughter of the King.
Tough vote for me today. Anna’s witness was important, and I love the humility of her devotion. On the other hand Michael is such a mighty angel.
I was born on St. Michael’s day, so I will let that be thumb on the scale
I love Mont-saint-Michel, but Anna gets my vote!
Michael is more than a saint of goodly deeds, he is one of God’s chosen! Who are we that we should not continue to acknowledge that fact especially during lent just as Anna recognized Christ at the temple?
Nora Ephratah saw Michael as John Travolta
And Andrew Greeley sees him as Michael Jordan. Great images. My vote is for the Archangel.
You would think I would feel compelled to vote for Anna. Additionally, the tribe of Asher (which means Happy) was greatly blessed by Jacob and Moses. There has to be a reason the gospel writer would include that information in the story. She is one of the few transitional prophets between the Old and New Testaments and the only female so named a prophet in the New Testament.
However, it’s Friday, and the fact that Michael taught the first horse whisperers cinched it for me today. I went with Michael (besides he looks like John Travolta and smells like fresh baked cookies). Anna really deserves to win this round though.
Michael. Have you been to Mont Saint Michel? ..and a horse whisperer.
I insisted that the Gospel reading for my mother’s funeral – Simeon- include the rest of the story – Anna. She was truly the inspiration for my mother’s active participation in her church from before I was born until she ended up in a nursing facility in her late 80’s. Had to vote for Anna.
Hard for me to justify including an archangel (or any angel for that matter) for consideration as a saint. To me, a saint is someone, who like Jesus, was born of flesh and lived as a human. Anna, who was a faithful Jewish prophet, recognized Jesus as the Christ. Truly, she is the saint here and has my vote.
something about having an angel in this contest doesn’t sit right with me. I want to hear about ordinary, fallible humans, rising above or doing good works or witnessing for Christ. an angel has an unfair head start. Anna for me!
At age 80, I need all the role models I can find! So I vote for Anna, as I spend my life in prayer and contemplation because doors are not open for me to exercise my other callings. I vote for Anna, and hope to emulate her.
Anna the Prophet, because I believe that being an archangel gives one a significant edge. All honor to Michael, however, and thanksgiving for his care of Pasquale in the comic strip “Rose is Rose.” It’s great fun to see Pasquale’s ordinarily cherubic guardian angel morph into Michael when Pasquale is about to get himself into trouble. John Travolta was a very appealing Michael in the movie by the same name. How can anyone not like an archangel who “smells like cookies”?
if I don’t get a very strong feeling towards one or the other in the vote, my default is for the woman!
Hahaha! Oh, SEC. Sorry, I just gotta go with the human on this one, so Anna it is. But I see it’s a close race! This will be interesting.
Love reading the comments. All Y’all rock in my estimation.
Every saint bears witness to some aspect of the Divine. St. Michael reveals God’s love in protecting, defending, and healing those who suffer from the conflicts in our broken world– especially (for me) those enduring the horrors of tribal wars, terrorism, and genocide in too many countries. Today, Michael has my vote.
Going with the widow, as I am one. Certainly not as faithful as Anna, but I admire her for it.
Anna for me. There’s no evidence of Micahel ever being human, and in this contest I”m species-ist.
I didn’t hesitate in this vote at all. Michael as domesticator of horses is quite the Trojan hero. But Troy has been sung for ages and ages and will be sung for ages to come. And Michael is so well ensconsed in heaven, always already and forevermore standing in the presence of God with Gabriel and all the company of heaven, that he doesn’t need my vote.
But Anna is the only woman identified as a prophet in the Bible, unless Miriam can also lay claim to that title. And aging women without men get such short shrift, receiving the crumbs of any society. Jesus tells us directly that God prefers the widow’s mite. So I am voting for Anna. The “bio” stresses patience and faithfulness. What is impressive to me is that in her human mortality, Anna has not “grown old,” so to speak; she is fresh and ready and practiced, through her spiritual disciplines, to receive the divine when it appears. She promptly perceives it, recognizes it, and acclaims it. Anna is a model of the true, human, spiritual warrior. Anna for me today.
Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old.
Yeats has been on my mind this week ever since I saw “Annihilation”!
You missed Huldah (who shares a name with one of my great grandmothers).
2 Kings 22:14-20
&
2 Chronicles 34:22-28
. . . Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter) . . .
Wow, I’ve never heard of her! Thank you. I am afraid Kings and Chronicles are books that gather dust in my Biblical reading; I maneuver my literary camels well around them . . .
I would encourage you to give them a chance. Think of it as a Lenten discipline if that helps.
Almost enough to make me regret voting the lunch ticket.
Googled a bit, and looks like the RC Church does not technically consider angels saints, though they certainly are worthy of being called sancta/holy. I think Michael and Gabriel kind of got grandfathered into the calendar of saints because they were already being invoked and getting churches named after them when the Church got more systematic about defining what constitutes a saint. I believe in angelic entities — though I’m quite agnostic about their particulars — but I don’t think Michael, wherever and whatever he/she may be, has need of a halo made in China in the 21st-century. Anna the Prophet gets my vote.
For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room, and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Anna reminds me of one of my favorite lines from the Psalter.
Miss Jan, you have picked one of my absolute all-time favorite psalms. Perfect.
Voted for Anna because I saw a recent production of an opera that had Anna as a character so this stood out for me. Also she is a woman that was given a name in the Bible. And, although I have always been fond of Michael, it occurred to me that I don’t like the armor and warrior aspect and reading about him made me think of the crusades, not our brightest moment.
Hear, hear!
My husband’s name is Michael, my 5th son’s birthday is Sept. 29th. For decades Mike has tried to teach me about angels and archangels and I still don’t believe a word of it. Grotesques, he says. I like grotesques and they’re all over my cathedral (WDC). So are angels. They’re in stained glass windows in nearly every church. Well, Episcopal churches–if they have anything more than color. I don’t care if Michael wasn’t a mortal or a saint. I just looked at tons of images of the Archangels. It’s a wonder Christianity still is. I like Anna. I’m old too. Makes me want a few angels around. I’m going with Michael.
Definitely a tough call. I have much admiration for Anna, but have called on Michael to vanquish the powers of hell more than once in this lifetime, so Michael it is.
Patience, patience…
I have to vote for old women everywhere! Anna for me today.
I went with the human, Anna. I know the church recognizes angels as saints, but I think it’s an unfair match-up
I’m all for the archangels, but they don’t need my vote to be famous or honored. Even though Michael’s places started out as places of healing, and he’s associated with horses — both important to me — I’m going with the Jewish woman prophet whose devotion is an example.
Tough choice for me today – but I chose Anna because her story is more solid to me than that of Michael.
Gotta be Michael. As a fencer (a very poor one) I took him as my patron,
l
In our time of new challenges to Christianity, we need Michael to lead us. I like his active deeds and his courage.
Hey – SEC. Cute one, assigning both Anna Alexander and Anna the Prophet to CB Anna Fitch Courie.
I voted for Michael because I thought he’d have better kitsch.
I call foul on the SEC for sending in an Archangel Ringer! Very naughty!
Tough choice here. Angels and prophets are both messengers. But angels are s comfort: they always lead with “do not be afraid”. Michael gets my vote and my heart
Prophets and angels are both messengers. Angels bring comfort with them “do not be afraid” is always the lead . My vote and heart go to Michael
Michael already has it “made.” Anna is the great one.
Wait a minute. Michael is not human, he is an angel. Unfair
Madness! Sheer madness! Prophet vs Archangel?? What to do??
I chose Michael because he is a defender of God’s people.
Don’t angels already have halos? If so, then it seems redundant to include an angel in Lent Madness competing for the Golden Halo.
A long time ago I asked when we started canonizing angels since the feast day was being called St Michael and All Angels. The “St” has been dropped in the current lectionary, but we still have a day to honor the angels. I have no problem with that, but I have never gotten an answer to my original question. I don’t pray to angels or ask them to intercede for me. I go directly to God and ask Him to intercede in whatever way He deems best. It may very well be by sending an angel, or even Michael, but that is not my choice to make.
I don’t know how God would define “saint,” but I think Anna definitely qualifies.
I am not a fan of the Church Militant. That is definitely NOT what Christ taught. I prefer humble and fasting, as Jesus is. I chose Anna.
Voting in honor of a parish with a special place in my heart- St. Michael’s Austin!
I voted for Michael for the most mundane reason perhaps – because I love the Mont Saint Michel in France, and without Michael, well…..
I’m disappointed Seraphim lost, even tho I usually vote for the women over the men, Seraphim has been a hero for me. I’m also disappointed that Anna the Prophet – the only woman to be awarded the title “Prophet” in the NT, is trailing behind Michael Archangel. No offense, Michael. But Prophet!
I’ve attended two St. Michael and all Angels parishes, but the story of the Presentation at the Temple is a favorite of mine. So I voted for Anna, her wisdom, patience, faithfulness and prophetic powers. (I’m thankfu Anna wasn’t pitted against Simeon. That would have been an impossible choice!)
As a historical reenactor in a company of Renaissance German mercenaries, I have a deep affection for an angelic warrior even if the fighting attribute didn’t come about until the Middle Ages. And walking unprepared into the demented splendor of the high altar in St. Michael’s Church in Vienna is one of my fondest memories from my honeymoon. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael%27s_Church,_Vienna#/media/File:Wien_-_Michaelerkirche,_Hochaltar.JPG) BUT, “The simple fact that Anna is given a name and title speaks to the importance of this woman.” Yes indeed! On this match-up, I’m going with Crone Power.
“Demented splendor” captures it. Rococo to the max. Thanks.
(Apparently I hit the wrong “reply” button.)
Today the vote goes for the archangel Michael. Are the other three archangels going to be contestants? The
“Demented splendor” captures it. Rococo to the max. Thanks.
Real person vs. an angel. Anna gets my vote.
That’s the first time my moniker has been called mundane. Harumpf!
They misspelled “mignon monikers.”
Anna’s example of patience and devotion to God spoke to me today, as I feel particularly besieged by our cultural abandonment of God’s Word of love and justice in today’s political climate. I need her model of wisdom, understanding, and PATIENCE this Lent. “Heal us, Good Lord”.
You’ve said it well, Sally.
We gave both our sons middle names after archangels. Ironically, the one who went into the Marine Corps has the middle name of Michael. I always thought he was the coolest angel.
Our local RC church is San Miguel, and comes with a great story. The church was built in 1615, and originally Nuestra Senora de Socorro (our Lady of Help.) In the 19th century, there was an Apache raid, and villagers sought refuge in the adobe church. The raiders saw an apparition of a winged man wielding a sword, and fled. The church was renamed San Miguel, since he had protected them.
Going with Michael!
Wow! That IS a great story!
So I suppose Our Lady did send help!
Even though we named one of our kids after the aforesaid archangel, I voted for Anna and am inspired by her example of prayer, fasting, patience, anticipation, and waiting for the Lord.
I have to go with Michael, as my Adult Son
When he was in Sunday School portrayed
Michael the Archangel. And as Michael was
Seen fighting the dragon in Revelations my So.
Fought many a dragon with Math in School!
He won, became a teacher in Math and is now a Principal! So, not only did Michael fight, defeat, & Conqueor he also helped people
With what they were dealing with and helped
Guide them as well! So I feel bad for Anna but
my heart is with Michael!
Michael is probably working overtime as the Patron Saint of our beloved PB. Compared to that, dragons are a piece of cake.
May Gabriel be with me on Sundays, and the power of the King of Heaven
May Gabriel be with me always that evil may not come to me, nor injury.
Michael on Monday I speak of, my mind is set on him,
Not with anyone do I compare him but with Jesus, Mary’s son.
If it be Tuesday, Raphael I mention, until the end comes, for my help.
One of the seven whom I beseech, as long as I am on the field of the world.
May Uriel be with me on Wednesdays, the abbot with high nobility,
Against wound and against danger, against the sea of rough wind.
Sariel on Thursday I speak of, against the swift waves of the sea,
Against every evil that comes to a man, against every disease that seizes him.
On the day of the second fast, Rumiel – a clear blessing – I have loved,
I say only the truth, good the friend I have taken.
May Panchel be with me on Saturdays, as long as I am in the yellow-coloured world,
May sweet Mary, together with her friend, deliver me from strangers.
May the Trinity protect me! May the Trinity defend me!
May the Trinity save me from every hurt, from every danger.
– A ninth century Irish “Archangelic prayer.” It includes several lesser known names among the archangels.
http://fullhomelydivinity.org/articles/angels.htm
I was going to vote for Anna in honor of my grandmother Anna, a nurse and former Episcopal nun in the Order of St Anne (see Call the Midwife.) However, when I heard that Michael taught two human saints to understand the language of horses, I had to vote for him. How delightful that people understood early on that horses have their own language, which people can try to understand in order to communicate with them. I rode for many years before finally retiring a year ago. I learned a little bit of the language of horses. Horse people refer to certain patient school ponys and horses as saints, with good reason.
I always thought it was cheating to call angels saints since they aren’t human. I’m voting Anna!
For me, in some ways, this was the most difficult choice yet. In another, the similarity of Michael’s qualities and attributes to another Michael, taken to heaven much too soon for us earthbound, won the day. Our Michael, a marine, son, father, brother and friend has the most beautiful depiction of the Archangel Michael on his headstone. And then, there’s the bit about horses…
Her prayer, patience, devotion, and boldness in speaking “about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” cause me to vote for Anna.
Oh, Lent Madness Organizing Committee…. how do you decide who, exactly, gets to be a saint in this annual tourney? Especially curious today, since neither the Jewish temple-dweller nor the heavenly sword-wielder are likely to be found in any list of saints, not even in lists of “Anglican saints.” (Where canonization is not required.)
So… how does one get “saint” bestowed upon oneself for Lent Madness?
“St. Michael and All Angels” is a feast day in the Episcopal Church – September 29.
Also, this article says that “The Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church commemorate Anna as a saint, Anna the Prophetess. ” The rule, I believe, is that those chosen for Lent Madness must be celebrated on at least one calendar (not necessarily the Episcopal Church or an Anglican church).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_the_Prophetess
This was a very difficult choice for me. It occurs to me that the stories of Anna and Michael might be more fruitfully interpreted metaphorically than literally. As someone pointed out, the word “sanctus” first means “consecrated” or “holy.” The Episcopal Sanctus begins, “holy, holy, holy.” “Sanctus” doesn’t necessarily denotes “sainthood.” I have always found the concept that humans are qualified to declare who or isn’t a saint a curious notion. I don’t think this pairing is as unfair as it is impossible. Michael needs no introduction and certainly no human attempts to elevate him. I like to think him as standing at the entrance to heaven, greeting Anna, for whom I voted, with a smile and a halo.
Many languages, including most of the familiar Western ones, don’t have a separate word for “saint.”
Though Italian and the Iberian languages do have a special form they use as a title for most male saints.
Word nerd! (I’m one, too!)
Brilliant! now we have an armed archangel and a dragon in competition with an aged widow! As an awesome elder I’m going with Anna and her recognition of the Messiah –
A very hard choice again today. Anna is my daughter’s name and she was born on my birthday; which is the day we commemorate Michael and the Angels.
I am very devoted to Michael, but being an immortal, is he qualified to be a mere human saint?
Father, Son, Holy Spirit — Archangel Michael –Amen
In my family we vote for human beings, just saying… 🙂
Had to go with Anna- her feast day is my birthday
Michael was a healer and protected, before he was a warrior. I voted for Michael, in honor to his previous vocation. Let us return him to it.
I have experienced Michael as a healer and companion in healing during a hard and scary time in my life. He gets my vote and my gratitude.
As awesome as Michael is, this match-up is unfair. The Saintly Scorecard pits saint against saint–not saint vs heavenly being who never experienced life as a human being.
If Michael indeed guards the souls of the dead and escorts them to God, I’m not voting against him!
Terrible choice to make. Both are excellent examples of Godly virtue but I will have to go with Michael, mostly because I am really partial to angels!!
I think it is interesting that a lot of the votes for Anna have the same reasoning as was used to vote against Seraphim yesterday.
Horse sense leads me to vote for Michael. And his care of so many for so long.
Human vs archangel! This is madness!!!
I have a photo of myself with Abp. Ramsey and my then young son Michael. I attached a(n imagined) caption:
ME: Your Grace, this is my son, Michael, named after the archangel.
ABP: You know, the archangel was named after me.
(Not far out of character — At a conference with Cardinal Suenens a reporter asked which one was the Cardinal and Ramsey promptly replied that he was.)
Needless to say, I vote for Michael.
I was a little befuddled today, choosing between a lady who sits in temple all day and a guy who arguably isn’t even a guy. More like some kind of demigod.
The only person to vote for would be Anna, and all she did was show up. Then I thought about it a bit more. “They also serve who only stand and wait.” And all the despair that had to go into the writing of that poem.
Woody Allen supposedly observed that most of what constitutes leading a good life is “showing up.”
Or something like that. Showing up.
Well, maybe that’s a point all of us can take as we move through this holy season.
Sometimes it isn’t the clever turns of phrase or the erudite reasoning employed that make the difference. Sometimes it’s just showing up.
When your kid is singing at the Spring Concert, it doesn’t matter if you understand what they’re singing, or why they chose the pieces they did. What matters, above all, is that you show up.
When someone is being buried, you might not even have known the guy very well, but you show up.
Well, Anna showed up. And for that, she will always be remembered.
Nice! Thanks
Well reasoned. “What he said.”
Anna for me. She devoted her life to prayer and fasting and actually saw the infant Jesus, our Lord. Michael the Arch angel is in heaven getting a laugh out of this, I bet.
I cannot see how an angel would know the human life with its ups and downs. This has been an interesting addition when the saints in this lent madness were martyrs and suffered to be a testimony to Jesus and Christianity.
I voted for Anna because while we as Christians need the protection of big, bold Angels, we also need the meek and less physically forceful to quietly move Heaven to advance the faith!
I agree with you Paxton. I also voted for Anna.
I voted for Anna, based on being a real person, but I did enjoy Michael dancing to “Chain, chain, chain.”