Today in Saintly Sixteen action, Esther squares off against Michael the Archangel. To make it this far, Esther made it past Lazarus while Michael got by Anna the Prophet. Will St. Michael or one of the "all angels" prevail?
Yesterday, Anna Alexander made it past Edith Cavell 65% to 35% to advance to the Elate Eight. She'll face the winner of Eglantyne Jebb vs. Catherine Winkworth. By the way, our Bracket Czar Adam Thomas delved into bracket history and has ruled that Monday's battle that saw Maria Skobtsova trounce Quiteria 91% to 9% was the most lopsided victory ever in the modern era of Lent Madness. The previous record was from 2014 when Basil defeated Antony of Egypt 87% to 13%.
Oh, and did you miss the Tuesday edition of Monday Madness? If you can stand the planets being out of alignment, watch it here.
Esther
Esther, or Hadassah in Hebrew, was the secretly-Jewish queen of Persia who saved her people from genocide through her prayer, bravery, and wits, as recorded in the Bible.
She is celebrated in the church on July 1 in the Eastern Orthodox church. Note that the Orthodox church does not have the same requirements for sainthood as you might be used to: she joins luminaries like Abraham, Joseph, and Jacob on the calendar. Also, recall that in the years before formalized bureaucratic processes, saints were not made by the Church; they arose, grassroots-style, from the people.
In Esther’s case, she became very popular with a particular group of people in Spain, born from one of the worst sins the Church committed. During the Spanish Inquisition of the late 15th century, the Jews of Spain were given a life-or-death choice: convert to Christianity, flee the country, or die. For the Jews who chose conversion, such a capitulation did not reward them with an easy life thereafter: they were ridiculed and shunned by their former community, and denigrated and distrusted by their new co-religionists. The word for this group of converted Jews in Spanish among the Spanish Catholics was ‘marranos’ or ‘pigs’ which should give you an idea of how they were received. In the face of such hatred from all corners, this beleaguered group found a way to hold on to their identity in secret.
Because they were not able to celebrate Purim or Passover, or any of the traditional festivals, the Jewish converts became much enamored with a Saint Esther, and threw themselves into celebrating her festival in the spring—around the same time as Purim and Passover would normally fall. St. Esther’s festival could pass as acceptable, because after all—was she not in the Christian Bible? Was she not a biblical heroine? Surely all good Catholics had heard of Saint Esther! Icons of her began to appear all around.
Many of the converted Jews fled to the New World, and seemed to have taken their love of Esther with them to Mexico and the American Southwest (although there is conflicting information on this). The retablo style of iconography soon grew to include Esther, and celebrations of her feast day sprang up in the small towns of New Mexico.
Esther’s story, of a woman who secretly clung to her faith in spite of all oppression, spoke to those who were experiencing the same sort of trials at the hands of the Church. Her sainthood then is both a rebuke of the Church’s sins, and a hope that people of faith may learn from her witness in the future.
Michael the Archangel
The Archangel Michael is not known for giving interviews, so quotes from the Archangel are rare (read: nonexistent).
Quirks, however, are plentiful, particularly those associated with the many monasteries, churches, and holy sites named in honor of St. Michael.
One particularly fascinating quirk is the legendary Sword of Michael, a straight line of monasteries and churches forming a spiritual path devoted to St. Michael in the form of Michael’s sword. The hilt of the Sword begins at Skellig Michael (meaning Michael’s Rock), a 6th century monastery off the coast of Ireland (or somewhere in a galaxy far, far away, if you’re a fan of the latest Star Wars movies).
The Sword of St. Michael continues through Saint Michael’s Mount (Cornwall, England); Mont Saint-Michel (Normandy, France); Sacra di San Michele (Turin, Italy); Sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo (Mount Gargano, Italy); before coming to an end at Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery (Haifa, Israel), representing the tip of the sword. Legend holds this line symbolizes the sword that Michael used to send Lucifer and the other rebellious angels into hell.
Michael’s legendary fortress, Mont Saint-Michel off the Normandy coast, may be the most famous edifice built to honor the Archangel. Mont Saint-Michel began its life in the 8th century, when legend holds that Michael appeared to Aubert, bishop of Avranches, and instructed the bishop to build a church in the Archangel’s honor. The bishop ignored the Archangel’s request until Michael burned a hole in the bishop’s skull with Michael’s angelic finger.
Needless to say, the bishop began the foundations of Mont Saint-Michel immediately.
Its English counterpart, located off the coast of Cornwall in a tidal area with similar characteristics, is Saint Michael’s Mount, also built in the 8th century and serving as a monastery until the early 11th century, when it passed into private ownership.
No legends tell of Michael burning holes to encourage the building of this edifice, although the island’s west side was long-known as a place local fisherman would row past before going out to sea, as Michael would appear and warn of any imminent danger that awaited them.
While not directly associated with Michael, the island is also known as the dwelling place of a giant who would steal cattle and children until a young man named Jack ventured to the Mount, dug a deep pit while the giant was sleeping and blew a loud horn to startle the giant awake. Raging to find the source of his disturbed sleep, the giant stormed out of his castle and fell into the deep pit, and the legend of Jack the Giant Killer was born.
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159 comments on “Esther vs. Michael the Archangel”
I object (once again) to pitting mortals against angels - but I still love Lent Madness! And, how fascinating (and tragic) about the Jews in Spain and how they found a way to remain true to their heritage.
ESTHER ALL THE WAY!
Today's winner will go up against Peter. I don't think Esther can beat him, but I'm going with her anyway.
I loved learning about the Esther fan club among the Jews in Spain. Here is the power of the whole concept of sainthood--to encourage and inspire the suffering. No one asked if she were "real," but real people were changed by her story--"just" a story. So I'm voting for Esther--for her witness and courage, for the power of stories, and because I'm still smarting from Michael's defeat of Anna the Prophet!
I'm with the others here who say no to angels as saints. And to me, swords are not saintly, nor fortresses, and certainly not burning holes in people's heads!
Agree. Love Lent Madness but, Michael should not be in the race. I call on him so often how can I NOT vote for him?
I think the bio on St. Michael the Archangel was milk toast and geared towards giving Esther a leg up. I call BIAS!
How could I not?
Vote for Michael, I mean.
Me, too. I'm with Michael. I don't usually gravitate towards dudes wielding swords, but hey, people have been dissing him so much that he's now the underdog, thereby qualifying him for my vote. If I ever meet him I'm glad I will be able to say I at least voted for him once (I didn't in the first round). And no more comlaints about his presence in this race. It's not LM, but church tradition that's made him a saint. There is a reason for that (I only hope it's a good one).
Esther: for the rebuke.
While the stuff about the sword of St. Michael was interesting (could a link to a map image be included?), I don't think it's fair to have angels or archangels (or cherubim or seraphim for that matter) in the competition. And I love that Esther continued to inspire her people.
Here ya go: https://www.tfpstudentaction.org/blog/sword-of-saint-michael
I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition this morning, but had I not already decided on Esther, it would have sealed my vote!
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
"Mont Saint-Michel began its life in the 8th century, when legend holds that Michael appeared to Aubert, bishop of Avranches, and instructed the bishop to build a church in the Archangel’s honor. The bishop ignored the Archangel’s request until Michael burned a hole in the bishop’s skull with Michael’s angelic finger."
This "quirk" seems to be completely disqualifying. Supposedly, a messenger of God demanded a church to be built in his own honor, and then caused great harm to a human being who did not obey his demands. I don't believe a word of it, but then, I also don't believe that angels have any right to compete with human saints for the Golden Halo.
"...for the saints of God are just folk like me...."
I must agree, Angels aren't 'saints'; mortals are. In the spirit of the book of Hebrews, what guiding witness can an angel offer, who has not suffered in this world as mortals must? Esther's story is a great encouragement to all who are persecuted, and we have too many of those these days.
Sorry, the legend of Jack the Giant Killer doesn't sway me to Michael. Voted for Esther, as I did in the first round.
I also disagree with pitting angels against humans. I went with Esther, for a variety of reasons, though, not just that.
I have yet to cast my ballot, but from the comments above, I presume Esther is running away with it. A good friend of mine loved Esther, it was her favorite holy day on the Jewish Calendar, so my guess is my vote goes for Esther. Michael doesn't come off to saintly, but as an angel, I'm not in a position to question his goodness. God works through Michael in mysterious ways.
An archangel who burns holes in people’s heads versus a young woman who risks her life to save her people? Hmmmmm, how will I ever decide?
That's how you get their attention.
Not to mention any names, but haven't we all known bishops who needed drastic measures to let a little sense in?
YES!!!!
AGREE!
In the past, totally.
Michael all the way -- Michael - one who is like God. So vote for God.
For her faith and courage, Esther gets my vote today. All honor to St. Michael, nevertheless, since I'm a retired thurifer, and I once heard a prayer to St. Michael said while the priest was laying on the incense. My older son was baptized in the chapel of St. Michael and All Angels in Dallas.
Although he's not specifically identified as St. Michael, an angel who is either St. Michael or so much like him that it makes no difference, appears in the comic strip "Rose is Rose." He's Pasquale's normally cherubic guardian angel's alter ego who morphs and appears, sword in hand, when Pasquale is about to do something dangerous.
Like!
I didn't know about the festivals for St. Esther becoming so (understandably) meaningful to Jewish-to-Christian converts in Spain!
As for Michael, um, insisting on a church built in his own honor (and using harm to persuade) is not at all saintly, and hardly angelic. Perhaps it wasn't Michael who appeared to the bishop.
While I'm not convinced either of these two characters actually existed, I'm going for Esther because of the legacy of her story.
For my Jewish friends and my grandmothers, both named Esther, I'll go with Esther.
I loved the history of the "marranos" association with Esther, who was already one of my favorite old testament figures. Therefore, Esther, once again, wins my vote!
Esther for the Halo!
really enjoyed the story of Esther today and was especially interested in her place in New Mexican culture. Time for further research!
check out
https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2016/01/queen-saint-esther-world-within-image.html
and
http://bechollashon.org/heart/index.php/articles/5991-queen-esther-patron-saint-of-crypto-jews
Still a little fuzzy on how either of these eminent beings made it into a list of saints....
I was al prepared to vote for St. Michael, but Esther’s witness to those abused by the church swayed me today
Michael the mighty warrior angel.
Ha! HA!
So there's no one out there who ever wanted to burn a hole in a bishop's head - at least figuratively?
I'm sure there is somewhere.
As a nurse I was horrified that an angel would burn a hole in someone's head for any reason. That seems distinctly evil to me.
Esther gets my vote - as she did in the first round.