As some of you have already heard, an unwelcomed guest visited our house on Friday night. At around 10 PM while I was preparing for bed, I heard yelling and commotion coming from our courtyard. Unsure of what was going on out there, I turned off the lights and tried to peak out the window. After a few loud smacks, I heard my name called to come outside and that it was safe. Still unsure of what happened, I went to check it out. Lying at the bottom of the steps of our house was a three-foot long Puff Adder Viper (Africa’s Deadliest Snake) that the three guards “handled.” It turns out this snake was just outside my room minutes before. Even crazier than the event that transpired is the fact that it occurred on the eve of the Feast of the Archangels (Michael the protector, Gabriel the bearer of good news, and Raphael the divine healer).
The Three-Foot Long Puff Adder Viper
At Mass the next morning while listening to the reading of Michael and the angels battling with the devil (The Deadliest Thing To Our Soul), the parallels between what happened the night before and the reading dawned on me. Whether the slaying of the deadliest serpent by our three guards on the eve of the Feast of the Archangels was a sign or coincidence, the event made me think of the presence of the Archangels in my life. How often do St. Michael and the Archangels protect me against the wickedness and snares of the devil? Daily I’m sure. How often do I fail to realize their presence and pray to them? Daily as well. However, the encounter with the earthly serpent was enough to show me that while we all go on with our daily lives, helping and doing battle on our behalf, the Archangels are among us.
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