FEAST OF SAINTS MICHAEL; GABRIEL AND RAPHAEL, ARCHANGELS ~ FEAST DAY ~ SEPTEMBER 29TH: Today, we celebrate the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Archangels on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s guidance and protection upon us all. We pray for the safety and well-being of all police officers and those in the military; for communications workers; for travelers and for all healthcare workers. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. We pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for the poor and needy, for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, the Bishops, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world…. Amen🙏
FEAST OF SAINTS MICHAEL; GABRIEL AND RAPHAEL, ARCHANGELS: The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that, “The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls “Angels” is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.”
Angels are pure, created spirits. The name Angel means servant or messenger of God. Angels are celestial or heavenly beings, on a higher order than human beings. Angels are spirits without bodies, who possess superior intelligence, gigantic strength, and surpassing holiness. They do not depend on matter for their existence or activity. They enjoy an intimate relationship to God as His special adopted children, contemplating, loving, and praising Him in heaven. Some of them are frequently sent as messengers to human beings from on high. They are distinct from saints, which men can become. Angels have intellect and will, and are immortal. They are a vast multitude, but each is an individual person. Archangels are one of the nine choirs of angels listed in the Bible. In ascending order, the choirs or classes are 1) Angels, 2) Archangels, 3) Principalities, 4) Powers, 5) Virtues, 6) Dominations, 7) Thrones, 8) Cherubim, and 9) Seraphim.
The Archangels, St. Gabriel, St. Michael, and St. Raphael share a feast day on September 29th. Each of these angels whose feast we celebrate today are God’s messengers. God’s greatest messenger was our Lord Jesus Christ. The three Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are the only angels named in Sacred Scripture and all three have important roles in the history of salvation. In the Book of Revelation, St. Michael means “Who is like God?” He is the warrior angel, fought against Satan and all his evil angels, defending all the friends of God. He’s the champion of God’s people and guardian and protector of the Church and all humanity from the snares of the devil (Rev. 12:7-9). St. Gabriel means “Power or Strength of God.” He is the messenger or herald angel most famous for appearing to the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Annunciation (Luke 1:11-38). St. Gabriel announced to Zachariah the forthcoming birth of John the Baptist, and was God’s messenger to Mary, revealing God’s choice of her to be the mother of God’s Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. His greeting to the Virgin, “Hail, full of grace,” is one of the most familiar and frequent prayers of the Christian people. In the Book of Tobit, St. Raphael means “God has healed or the Medicine of God.” He is a companion and healing angel, most famous for curing a man’s blindness and for traveling with Tobias in the book of Tobit (Tob. 12). St. Raphael is the archangel who took care of Tobias on his journey. St. Raphael is God’s messenger of healing to both Tobit and Sarah.
SAINT MICHAEL: Saint Michael is the “Prince of the Heavenly Host,” the leader of all the angels. His name is Hebrew for “Who is like God?” and was the battle cry of the good angels against Lucifer and his followers when they rebelled against God. He is mentioned four times in the Bible, in Daniel 10 and 12, in the letter of Jude, and in Revelation. Michael, whose forces cast down Lucifer and the evil spirits into Hell, is invoked for protection against Satan and all evil. Pope Leo XIII, in 1899, having had a prophetic vision of the evil that would be inflicted upon the Church and the world in the 20th century, instituted a prayer asking for Saint Michael’s protection to be said at the end of every Mass. Christian tradition recognizes four offices of Saint Michael: (i) to fight against Satan (ii) to rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death. (iii) to be the champion of God’s people, (iv) to call away from earth and bring men’s souls to judgment. He had been especially honored and invoked as Patron and Protector by the Church from the time of the Apostles. Although he is always called “the Archangel,” the Greek Fathers and many others place him over all the Angels—as Prince of the Seraphim. Archangel Michael is the Patron Saint against temptations; against powers of evil; policemen; artists; bakers; bankers; battle; boatmen; cemeteries; coopers; endangered children; dying; Emergency Medical Technicians; fencing; grocers; hatmakers; holy death; knights; mariners; mountaineers; paramedics; paratroopers; police officers; radiologists; sailors; the sick; security forces; soldiers; against storms at sea; swordsmiths; those in need of protection; churches and places.
PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL: St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.🙏
SAINT GABRIEL: “I am Gabriel, who stand before God.” (Luke 1, 19). Saint Gabriel, whose name means “God’s strength”; “man of God” or “God has shown Himself mighty.” He is mentioned four times in the Bible. It appears first in the prophecies of Daniel in the Old Testament. This Angel announced to Daniel the prophecy of the seventy weeks (Daniel 9:21-27). His name also occurs in the apocryphal book of Henoch. Most significant are St. Gabriel’s two mentions in the New Testament: to announce the birth of John the Baptist to his father Zachariah, (Luke 1:11) and finally, at Incarnation of the Word in the womb of Mary, he announced to Mary that she would bear a Son Who would be conceived of the Holy Spirit, Son of the Most High, and the Savior of the world (Luke 1:26). Christian tradition suggests that it is he who appeared to St. Joseph and to the shepherds, and also that it was he who “strengthened” Jesus during his agony in the garden of Gethsemane. He’s the Patron Saint of communication workers; ambassadors; broadcasting; childbirth; clergy; communications; diplomats; messengers; philatelists; postal workers; public relations; radio workers; secular clergy; stamp collectors; telecommunications, churches and places.
SAINT RAPHAEL: “I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord” (Tob 12:15). Saint Raphael, whose name means “God has healed” because of his healing of Tobias’ blindness in the Book of Tobit. Tobit is the first and only book in which he is mentioned. He acts as a guide to young Tobiah on his journey to Rages, a city in the country of the Medes, east of Niniveh, to collect a debt owed to his father. The Angel binds the demon Asmodeus in the desert of Egypt, helps Tobiah to find a wife and recover the debt, and heals Tobit from his blindness. He then reveals his identity: “I am the Angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the throne of God.” His office is generally accepted by tradition to be that of healing and acts of mercy. St. Raphael is also identified with the angel in John 5:1-4 who descended upon the pond and bestowed healing powers upon it so that the first to enter it after it moved would be healed of whatever infirmity he was suffering. He’s the Patron Saint of travelers; the blind; bodily ills; counselors; druggists; eye problems; guardian angels; happy meetings; healers; health inspectors; health technicians; love; lovers; mental illness; nurses; pharmacists; physicians; shepherds; against sickness; therapists; travellers; young people; young people leaving home for the first time; churches and places.
QUOTES FROM THE WAY ON DEVOTION TO THE GUARDIAN ANGELS
“Have confidence in your guardian angel. Treat him as a very dear friend – that’s what he is – and he will do a thousand services for you in the ordinary affairs of each day.” (no. 562)
“Win over the guardian angel of the one you want to draw to your apostolate. He is always a great ‘accomplice’.” (no. 563)
“If you would remember the presence of your guardian angel and those of your neighbors, you would avoid many of the foolish things you let slip into your conversation.” (no. 564)
“You seem amazed that your guardian angel has done so many obvious favors for you. But you shouldn’t be: that’s why our Lord has placed him at your side.” (no. 565)
“You say there are many occasions of going astray in such surroundings? That’s true, but aren’t there any guardian angels as well?” (no. 566)
“Turn to your guardian angel at the moment of trial; he will protect you from the devil and bring you holy inspirations.” (no. 567)
PRAYER: God, with great wisdom You direct the ministry of Angels and humans. Grant that those who always minister to You in heaven may defend us during our life on earth. Amen 🙏