Motoring along Normandy’s narrow country roads, the tour bus in which I was riding came to a stop as a flock of several hundred sheep flooded across the road. Pouring into our path, steered by two dutiful sheepdogs, the flock raced along toward the sea. With cinematic coordination, these humble stars of New Testament parables posed before the offshore Gothic masterpiece of the Avranches, le Mont Saint-Michel, like dusty, miniature clouds.
The famous abbey church rises up out of the sea, stretching the offshore island to touch heaven itself. Devotion to St. Michael began on the island once known as Mont Tombe (Mount Tomb, indicating it was used for burial) when Bishop Aubert laid the first foundations for a shrine in the archangel’s honor in 708. For 13 centuries, down to our present day, pilgrims have flocked to the fortified abbey, entrusting their prayers to St. Michael and seeking his intercession in the spiritual war against evil.
By the year 1000, the place had become a famed pilgrimage site. Benedictine monks had arrived, and at the behest of the Duke of Normandy Richard I, they began their twin works of prayer and hospitality. At the height of the Middle Ages, the abbey was Christendom’s second most important place of pilgrimage, falling only after Santiago de Compostela.
The abbey’s splendid architecture raises the mind of every visitor to heaven above. In fact, colloquially, it is known as La Merveille (“the Wonder”). The only way to reach the monastic church that crowns the island is to ascend the village’s winding path, a combination of paved stones and well-worn stairs. The tiny street, nearly crowded out by restaurants, shops and hotels, has been marvelously preserved, with the spirit of the middle ages practically dripping from the wrought iron signs hanging from the stone and timber storefronts.
The village parish church, at l’Eglise Saint-Pierre, is often overlooked by visitors, as it’s nestled alongside this main little street, le Grand Rue. For those who find it, the church offers a lovely place to pray along the way. Our group of pilgrims was able to pray a Mass at Saint-Pierre. The most moving thing about that Mass was seeing other visitors and pilgrims who, upon entering the Church, joined us. Simply by occasion, they caught our Mass and joined their voices to ours in prayer. How many such prayers could the stones of this church bear witness to! And I couldn’t help thinking: Mont Saint-Michel must have always been this way.
How many men and women must have arrived at the island, having traveled extraordinary distances, exhausted and looking for respite. I’m sure there were always restaurants that charged a premium (location, location, location!), and singers with open hats and palms looking to earn a coin or two for their song. For centuries, surely, there have been vendors selling books and statues and every other imaginable treasure Catholics are so famous for having. And how many times would pilgrims have caught a prayer?
The whole place drips in pilgrimage. In the pilgrim experience. And for us Catholics, we must always remember that being on pilgrimage is a sign of our earthly life. The English Dominican Father Bede Jarrett writes: “We are pilgrims here — we are strangers. The only dreadful danger that assaults us is the danger lest we settle down. We are pilgrims on the march!” Pilgrims wear down. They get tired. They face the frustration of travel, language barriers, impossible logistics. And even though our modern age boasts inventions that make travel more convenient, the substance is the same. It has always been so.
Father Jarrett exhorts us, saying: “Forget the things that are behind and stretch forward. There ahead is your comfort; and this also shall comfort you, that you are not a pilgrim alone.” And to guide us on our way, God has sent us a host of heavenly angels, among whom Michael holds a special place of prominence. This mighty chieftain of spiritual warfare is for us a powerful patron. His intercession gives succor to the weary. He strengthens us in battle. He keeps us fixed on the prize of heaven above.
Atop the abbey church’s main spire stands a statue of St. Michael. With outspread wings, bearing sword and shield, he is quite literally the protector of the church. This 9-foot-tall, gold-plated image of the angelic warrior not only inspires devotion but functions as the great church’s lightning rod, literally protecting the structure from lightning. He stands atop the dragon he has conquered, a symbol of good vanquishing evil (cf. Rv. 12:7).
This feast of St. Michael, let us renew our devotion to him. By reciting the traditional prayer invoking his intercession, placing his image in our homes or wearing it on medals, may we constantly remember that we are pilgrims. We are on our way, and God has given us a mighty protector to help guide us. We need not walk alone on our pilgrim way.
Father Patrick Briscoe, OP, is editor of Our Sunday Visitor. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickMaryOP.
