Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Saint of the day for 29 September

Saints Michael, Gabriel and the story of Raphael
Angels, messengers of God, appear frequently in Scripture, but only Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are named.

Michael appears in Daniel's vision as "the great prince" who defends Israel from its enemies; in the Book of Revelation, lead the armies of God to the final victory over the forces of evil. Devotion to Michael is the oldest angelic devotion, which arose in the East in the XNUMXth century. The Church in the West began celebrating a feast in honor of Michael and the angels in the XNUMXth century.

Gabriel also makes an appearance in Daniel's visions, announcing Michael's role in God's plan. His best-known aspect is meeting a young Jewish girl named Mary, who agrees to bear the Messiah.

Angels

Raphael's activity is limited to the story of Tobias' Old Testament. There he appears to guide Tobiah's son, Tobiah, through a series of fantastic adventures that lead to a triple happy ending: Tobiah's marriage to Sarah, the healing of Tobiah's blindness and the restoration of the family fortune.

The memorials of Gabriel and Raphael were added to the Roman calendar in 1921. The revision of the calendar of 1970 combined their individual holidays with Michael's.

Reflection
Each of the archangels carries out a different mission in Scripture: Michael protects; Gabriel announces; Raphael's Guides. The earlier belief that unexplained events were due to the actions of spiritual beings has given way to a scientific world view and a different sense of cause and effect. Yet believers still experience God's protection, communication, and guidance in ways that defy description. We cannot dismiss angels too lightly.