ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL—FRIEND ON JOURNEY
HOME!
God’s goodness has not limits! Giving to us freely, supporting us,
sustaining us in every moment, saving us from danger and peril--- this
describes our Loving and Providential Father.
All of us, from our conception, have
been gifted by God with a Guardian Angel, whose purpose is to guide us on the
pathway to heaven, to warn us of moral evils, the near occasion of sin, and to
inspire and console us in moments of desolation. How unfortunate that we pay so very little
attention to a dear friend of ours--- Our Guardian angel.
Speaking about angels, the Bible
gives us the names of three Archangels: Michael, which means “who is like unto
God”; Gabriel, which means “power of God”; finally Raphael, “Medicine of God”
or “God heals”.
God desires that we recognize,
appreciate, and even more important that we enter into friendship and dialogue
with these Archangels.
They are not simply plaster statues
as exhibits in art-museums, rusting and collecting dust! They are angels--- and powerful angels called
“Archangels”.
Michael, who is the prince of the
heavenly host, has been granted by God a special power over Satan. He is invoked in the formal Rite of Exorcism,
with St. Joseph, St. Benedict, and Mary and of course the Holy Name of Jesus.
Pope Leo XIII ordered that the prayer
to St. Michael the Archangel be prayed at the conclusion of all Masses, because
it seemed as if the bad odor of Satan had permeated the Church
The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI,
is promoting more, the formation of formal exorcists so as to stem the tide of
Satanism and demonic possessions.
Therefore, we should cultivate a deep relationship to the angels, but especially
St. Michael the Archangel. Why not form
the habit of praying to him every day.
Parishes should pray the Rosary, and
pray for the intentions of the Holy Father and the 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….”
ARCHANGEL GABRIEL. This Archangel can be found in the Book of
Daniel, in the Old Testament. However, in a more prominent location, he is
found twice in the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke. First, he announces to the elderly priest Zacharias,
the future birth of St. John the Baptist.
Then, Gabriel, ‘Power of God” was called by God to announce the greatest
news in the history of the world. He was sent to the Virgin Mary at Nazareth
with the Good News of the Incarnation of the Son of God. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with
you…” Mary responded, “Behold I am the
handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.”
Given the sublime importance of the
message and the messenger, the Archangel Gabriel was proclaimed by Pope Paul VI
as the modern “Patron of communications”.
May this Archangel Gabriel attain for
us the grace, intelligence and fortitude to communicate clearly, cogently, and
convincingly the Word of God in all times, in all places, in word and by
example!
ST RAPHAEL. Finally, the 3rd Archangel whose
name we have in the Bible is that of St. Raphael, which means “God heals” or
“Medicine of God”.
This Archangel can be encountered in
the book of Tobit, with its 14 chapters, couched in between Nehemiah and
Judith.
Raphael can be considered the patron
saint of many, due to his powerful presence in this short masterpiece. Raphael
intervenes to resolve, through the power of God, serious problems.
Tobit Sr. has lost his eyesight;
Tobit Jr. is in search of a future spouse. Sarah, has lost several prospect
spouses, having been slain the wedding night by the devil Asmodeus. Raphael in a very hidden and inconspicuous
way, through the power of God, resolves all the problems.
Raphael, patron on the journey,
accompanies Tobit Jr. to the home of his future spouse Sarah. On the way,
walking along the seashore, a fish is caught and Raphael orders Tobit to cut
out the fish’s heart and liver and to bring it to the home of Sarah.
This done, upon arriving , Tobit asks
for the hand of Sarah in marriage, but before consummating the marriage, both
pray for a happy and holy marriage and that their marriage be not based on lust
but for the honest desire to form a family.
The remains of the fish is burnt, thereby expelling the demon. Their marriage is sealed by prayer,
blessings, good will and the desire to form a family based on Godly principles.
Sarah, who even was contemplating
suicide, is saved! Tobit Jr. finds his
soul-mate.
Meanwhile, back at home, Tobit Sr. is
blind. Burying the dead, and falling
asleep with his eyes opened, birds left droppings in his eyes thereby blinding
him. Raphael to the rescue again!
When Tobias Jr. arrives home, still
holding on to the fish gall and liver, Raphael once again intervenes telling
the son to apply the fish internals to the eyes of his ailing and blind father.
Obedient to the Archangel Raphael,
applying the fish gall, from the eyes of the father fall something like scales
and his eyesight is totally restored!
Another major victory, once again through the intercession of the
Archangel Raphael, “Medicine of God”, “God heals!” He certainly did accomplish the miracle and
in a hidden but powerful way.
Therefore through the intercession of
St Raphael terrible tragedies were resolved.
A young man connected to the woman of his life. A woman, having lost several prospect spouses
killed by the devil himself, was saved from despair and met her own
soul-mate. Finally, a man of good will
and charitable disposition, who lost his eyesight on the line of duty by
burying the dead, recovered his eyesight!
Praise be to God through the intercession of the Archangel St. Raphael.
St Raphael can be considered the
patron saint of many specific causes!
1.
Patron of travelers! He safely led Tobit Jr. to his destination.
2.
Patron of spouses! He connected both Sarah and Tobit Jr. helping
them to unite in the Sacrament of Matrimony.
3.
Patron purity. By burning the gall and insides of the fish,
the bad odor of impurity was expelled from the domicile of Sarah.
4.
Patron of happy meetings. The encounter between Sarah and her family
and Tobit was a most joyful experience.
5.
Patron of eyesight! It was through Raphael’s insistence that the
fish remains were applied to the eyes of Tobit, Sr. causing something like
scales to fall from his eyes resulting in the perfect restoration of sight!
6.
Patron of Gratitude. The Archangel invites to give God thanks and
glory!
In conclusion, we are never alone in
life! God has sent us many friends. Our
Guardian angel accompanies us. Still
more, three other powerful friends are always at our side ready to help
us, pray for us accompany us protect us,
inspire us, and lead us safely to the Kingdom where forever with them we will
praise the Blessed Trinity with Mary, the Queen of angels and Queen of Saints!