The Archangels Every year on Sept. 29th we celebrate the feast day of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Who are these Angels, and how do we know their names? Let us begin by describing how angels differ from humans. Angels are pure created spirits. Because they are pure spirits, they do not take up any space. Jokingly, we used to ask in the seminary - How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Since the angels do not take up any space, the answer is, of course, an infinite number. We also learned that the angels have a different thinking process. They do not go from cause to effect as we do, but are intuitive and go immediately to the conclusion. Therefore they are much more intelligent that human beings As we all know, all angels are divided into two categories, the good angels, lead by Michael, and the bad angels, lead by Lucifer. Both are extremely intelligent. The name Michael means, like unto God or to be as God. And so how do we know the names of the angels. Actually, we only know the names of 3 of the Archangels. We find these names in Sacred Scripture. And so where do we find the name, Michael. There are several places, but the one I consider most important is Revelation 12: 7-9: Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they did not prevail, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with him. Another reason why Michael, the Archangel is known so well is because of Pope Leo XIII. In 1884, Pope Leo had a vision in which he saw all the evil that the devil was going to produce who would wreak havoc in the world for a hundred years. Pope Leo collapsed on the spot, the vision was so terrible. Pope Leo composed a prayer to St. Michael the Archangel and asked that this prayer be recited after every mass for the purpose of calling upon Michael to do battle with Satan.. I am sure many of you are very familiar with this prayer. This prayer was unfortunately discontinued in 1962, although many Catholics still say it privately. Michael is Gods warrior. Probably the most popular of the Archangels is Gabriel. Gabriel is Gods messenger par excellence. His name means Strength of God. Practically all the missions of this Archangel are closely connected with the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. He appeared to Zachary in the temple telling him of the coming birth of John the Baptist. The greatest and by far the most joyful message is the message to Mary, that she would be come the mother of Jesus the son of the most high God. Gabriel also appeared in a dream to Joseph, the foster Father of Jesus, telling Joseph not to worry about the pregnancy of Mary his espoused wife, for this pregnancy was of the Holy Spirit. And finally we have the Archangel, Raphael. Raphael appeared to Tobias in the guise of a human being. We find this in the book of Tobit in the Old Testament. The story is about the elderly Tobit and his son, Tobias who live in Nineveh. The Jews from Samaria had been transported there in 721 BC when Samaria was conquered by the Assyrians. Tobias is sent by his Father Tobit (who was blind) to visit their cousin, Raquel in the land of the Medes. Tobit wants Tobias to find a companion for the journey. A man by the name of Azarius, by Divine Providence, joins Tobias. Azarius is really the angel Raphael who appears as a man. When they get to Cousin, Raquels house, Azarius convinces Tobias to marry Raquels daughter, Sara. Sara has been engaged 7 times to 7 different men. On the night of the wedding each one of these men dies before the marriage can be consummated. Tobias takes the chance and Azarius heals the situation and Tobias does not die. Raphael accompanies the happy couple home to Tobits father in Nineveh. Raphael also cures Tobit of his blindness. At the very end of his long mission, the Archangel Raphael, reveals his true identity and his real name and the purpose of his mission. This story has a very happy ending because of the power of Raphael to heal. Perhaps you can guess the meaning of the name, Raphael. Yes, the name means God heals. As we celebrate the feast day of these three wonderful Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, let us praise and thank God for giving us the angels to aid and protect us. On Oct. 2 we will also remember our guardian angels so personal to each one of us. Fr. Marvin Deutsch, M.M.
Posted on: Wed, 01 Oct 2014 03:15:34 +0000
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