The
Saint Archangels Miguel, Gabriel and Raphael
INTRODUCTION
The Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are the ambassadors of the
Holy Trinity. As such, they were received by the patriarch Abraham, to
whom they appeared in human form (Genesis 18:1-16). They represent,
respectively, an image of the Father (St. Michael), the Word (St.
Gabriel) and the Holy Spirit (St. Raphael). They are the three
principal of the "seven Spirits who
are before the throne of
God" (Tobit 11:15; Rev. 1:5).
The meeting of the three Archangels with Abraham:
Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks
of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door
in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that
three men stood near him.
When he saw them, he ran to meet them
from the tent door, and bowed
himself to the earth, and said, “My lord, if now I have found favor
in your sight, please don’t go away from your servant. Now let a
little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the
tree. I will get a piece of bread so you can refresh your heart.
After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant.”
They said, “Very well, do as you have
said.” Abraham hurried into the
tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly prepare three seahs of fine meal,
knead it, and make cakes.” Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a
tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried to dress
it. He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set
it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate. [Genesis 18:1-8]
The seven Spirits:
“I am
Raphael, one of the seven holy angels
which present the prayers of the saints and go in before the glory of the Holy One.”
[Tobit 12:15]
John,
to the seven assemblies that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from
God, who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before
his throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the
firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. [Rev. 1:4:5]
DETAILS
(1)
Angels
are spirits without bodies, who possess superior intelligence,
gigantic strength, and surpassing holiness. They enjoy an intimate
relationship to God as is special adopted children, contemplating,
loving, and praising Him in Heaven. some of them are frequently sent as
messengers to men from on high.
The feast of September 29 celebrates three Angels who were sent by God
to man over the course of the ages: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. They
are termed Archangels, the second of nine choirs of Angels, which are
in descending order: Seraphim, cherubim Thrones, Dominations, Virtues,
Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels.
"Who is like to God?"
The name
Michael signifies "Who is like to God?" and was the war cry of
the good Angels in the battle fought in Heaven against Satan and his
followers (2).
Holy Scripture describes St. Michael as "one of the chief
princes", and as leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over
the powers of hell. He has 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.
In the Holy Scriptures, he appears in the Book of Revelation and in the
Letter of the Apostle St. Jude.
There
was war in the sky. Michael
and his angels made war on the dragon. The dragon and his angels made
war. They didn’t prevail. No place was found for them any more
in heaven. [Rev 12:7-8]
But Michael, the archangel, when
contending with the devil and arguing about the body of Moses, dared
not bring against him an abusive condemnation, but said, “May the Lord
rebuke you!” [Jude 1:9]
He is usually depicted in a warrior's costume with a spear or sword
defeating the demon.
Back to CONTENTS
"messenger of God"
The name
Gabriel means "man of God", or "God has shown Himself mighty".
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 (3). He was
the Angel who appeared to Zechariah to announce the birth of St. John
the Baptizer (Luke 1:11). Finally, 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).
While
I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel,
whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly
swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening offering. He
instructed me and talked with me, and said, “Daniel, I have now come to
give you wisdom and understanding. At the beginning of your petitions
the commandment went out and I have come to tell you, ...” [Daniel 9:21-23]
An
angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the
altar of incense. Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell
upon him. But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias,
because your request has been heard. ...” ... The angel answered him,
“I
am Gabriel, who stands in the
presence of God. I was sent to speak to
you and to bring you this good news.” [Luke 1:11-13,19]
Now
in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel
was sent from God to a city of
Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man
whose name was Joseph, of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary.
..... The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found
favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth
to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’” [Luke 1:26-27,30-31]
He is depicted with a fragrant lily wand, symbolically a gift to Mary
Most Holy at the Annunciation.
Back to CONTENTS
"medicine of God"
The name
Raphael means "God has healed". This Angel first appears in
Holy Scripture in the Book of Tobit. He acts as a guide to young Tobiah
on his journey to Rages, a city in the country of the Medes, east of
Nineveh, 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."
Then
he called them both [Tobit and his son Tobias] privately, and said to them, “Bless God, and give
him thanks, and magnify him, and give him thanks in the sight of all
that live, for the things which he has done with you. ..... And now,
when you prayed, and Sarah your daughter-in-law, I brought the memorial
of your prayer before the Holy One. When you buried the dead, I was
with you likewise. And now God sent me to heal you and Sarah your
daughter-in-law. I am Raphael, one of the
seven holy angels which
present the prayers of the saints and go in before the
glory of the Holy One.”
[Tobit 12:6,12,14-15]
He is usually depicted as a walker, with a walking stick and the fish
with which he cured Tobit.
Back to CONTENTS
NOTES
(1)
Text in dashed-line
boxes: Text Source: "Lives of the
Saints. For every
day of the year. In Accord
with the Norms and Principles of the New Roman Calendar." -
Revision of
the Original Edition of Ref. Hugo Hoever, S.O. Cist., Ph.D. - Catholic
Book Publishing co. 1955 - New Jersey
En Español: Los Santos
Arcángeles
Miguel, Gabriel y Rafael
Published on September 29, 2022
- Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
© Copyright 2022 by The
M+G+R Foundation.
All rights reserved. However, you may
freely reproduce and distribute this document as long as: (1)
Appropriate credit is given as to its source; (2) No changes are made
in the text without prior written consent; and (3) No charge is made
for it.
Related
Documents
The M+G+R Foundation
Please Note: If the above dated image does not appear
on this document, it means that you are not viewing the original
document from our servers. Should you have reason to doubt the
authenticity of the document, we recommend that you access our server
again and click on the "Refresh" or "Reload" button of your Browser to
view the original document.
