The Archangels
One
Today is the Feast of the Archangels: Michael, Gabriel, and Rafael.
Recall from our meditation on the Angels that there are three levels or hierarchies of angels and three groups within each hierarchy, making nine choirs of angels. The first level is comprised of the Seraphim, the Cherubim, and the Thrones. The second is the Dominions, Virtues, and Powers. Finally, you have the Principalities, the Archangels, and the Angels.
There are three things Archangels do. They fight against the powers of evil to defend us, announce the will of God to us, and they help and heal us. This corresponds to the three Angels whose names we know—St. Michael, who cast Satan into hell. St. Gabriel, who announced God’s plan to Zechariah and Mary. St. Raphael, who brought healing to Sarah and Tobit.
Two
The Archangel Gabriel makes God’s plan known to us
Gabriel appeared to Zechariah, telling him that God’s plan was for he and his elderly wife Elizabeth to have a son and name him John. This son would then go on to prepare Israel and the whole world for the Messiah. Zechariah however does not believe because he has not spent time with God in silence. When God reveals his plan, through the Angel, Zechariah doesn’t get it and he can’t accept it. So, Gabriel silences Zechariah - no hearing or speech for nine months. Zechariah needs silence to hear God.
Soon after, Gabriel comes to Mary in Nazareth to announce God’s plan. She too is to have a son and name him Jesus. He will be the Son of God and save the whole world from sin and death. Mary believes Gabriel because she has the habit of silent meditation on the word of God.
Would you like to know God’s plan for your life? Ask Gabriel to reveal it to you. But make sure you are spending time in silent meditation on the Word of God each day. Otherwise you won’t be able to hear God and respond. And Gabriel might have to silence you as well…
Three
The name Rafael means “God heals”
He is the special Archangel of healing and consolation.
We meet Raphael in the Old Testament Book of Tobit where Raphael takes on a temporary human appearance as “Azarias” to assist Tobit and his son, Tobias. His intercession leads to the spiritual healing of Tobias’ future wife, Sarah, from the demon Asmodeus. The hidden Raphael also directs Tobit to the ingredients necessary for the physical healing of Tobit from blindness.
After the fulfillment of his heavenly mission, Raphael reveals his true identity to both Tobit and Tobias, saying, “I am Raphael, one of the seven holy Angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One” (Tobit 12:15).
As the “Archangel of healing,” some speculate that St. Raphael may also be the “angel of the Lord” referred to in the New Testament ( see Jn. 5:2-4), who stirs up the waters at the healing pool of Bethesda, “An angel of the Lord went down in certain seasons into the pool, and stirred up the water; whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed from whatever disease that person had” (Jn. 5:4).
Are you or a loved one in need of spiritual, physical, mental or emotional healing? Ask Rafael to help you, to guide you in seeking healing and to strengthen you to endure cheerfully as you accept your suffering and unite them to the suffering of Jesus to help him save souls.
Four
St. Michael is the Archangel who defends us in the spiritual battle.
In Revelation 12:7-9, “And now war broke out in heaven, when Michael with his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were defeated and driven out of heaven. The great dragon, the primeval serpent, known as the devil or Satan, who had deceived all the world, was hurled down to the earth and his angels were hurled down with him.”
I shared with you the vision of Pope Leo XIII that led him to have the prayer to St. Michael said at the end of every Mass. When this was discontinued in the 1960’s all hell broke loose.
So, on April 24, 1994, following the Regina Caeli address, John Paul II urged the faithful to recite the St. Michael Prayer regularly, emphasizing its relevance in the face of modern spiritual challenges. He said, "Although this prayer is no longer recited at the end of Mass, I ask everyone not to forget it and to recite it to obtain help in the battle against the forces of darkness and against the spirit of this world."
St. Faustyna experienced the help of St. Michael. In her diary she writes, “On the feast of St Michael the Archangel, I saw by my side that great Leader, who spoke these words to me – ‘The Lord has ordered me to take special care of you. Know that you are hated by evil; but do not fear – Who is like God!’. And he disappeared. But I feel his presence and assistance.” (Diary of St Faustina, 706)
Five
Jesus reminds us of the help of angels
Announcing angels: Jesus’s conception, his birth, and his resurrection are all announced by angels. Helping angels: When Jesus is in His agony in the garden right before that, an angel comes to bring Him comfort. Warrior angels: When Peter cuts off the ear of one of the men coming to arrest Jesus, the Lord says, “don’t you know if I asked My Father would send an army of angels to defend me?” If he wanted, Jesus could have summoned this angelic army to stop his arrest and suffering.
The best way to engage them is to develop a friendship with them. So, build a friendship with them by acknowledging their presence, speaking with them often, thanking them, and asking their help in specific situations.