In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!” – Psalm 148:2
“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” – Hebrews 1:14
Brothers and sisters,
We usually don’t consider angels unless we need one. We often picture angels on Christmas cards or perched on children’s shoulders, but Scripture reveals them as mighty, pure beings, wholly obedient to God. The word angel simply means ‘messenger’ – angelos. And among that vast, unseen host, the Church has named three from ancient times, because God revealed their names to us. And in Scripture, a name reveals a mission.
Today we celebrate three persons who are not individuals like us but who have stood closer to the mystery of God than we can imagine: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. And with them, all the Archangels.
1. Saint Michael – “Who is like God?”
His name itself is a battle cry. Mi-cha-el – Who is like God?
We meet him in the Book of Daniel as the great prince who protects God’s people, and in Revelation 12 we see the vision:
“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon… and the dragon was thrown down.”
Michael is not an alternative to God. He is the defender of God’s uniqueness. Whenever a power—political, spiritual, personal— tries to put itself in God’s place, Michael stands up.
Every age has its dragons. For some of you, the dragon is addiction. For some, it is resentment that has lived in your house for twenty years. For some, it is fear that whispers you are alone.
Michael teaches us that spiritual life is not just about being nice; it is about combat. He does not fight with his own power; he fights by asking that first question: Who is like God? No sorrow is like God. No sin is like God. No enemy is like God. When we pray the old prayer, “Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle,” we are not asking for magic. We are asking for the courage to put God back at the center.
Ask yourself today: What in my life has been acting as if it were God?
2. Saint Gabriel – “God is my strength”
If Michael is the warrior, Gabriel is the herald.
We know his voice. It is Gabriel who comes to Zechariah in the Temple to announce John the Baptist. It is Gabriel who comes to a young girl in Nazareth and says, “Hail, full of grace. The Lord is with you.”
Gabriel never speaks his own words. He always brings Someone Else’s Word. That is why he is the patron of communicators, of messengers, of those who carry good news.
Notice how he comes. He does not overpower Mary. He greets her. He waits for her answer. The greatest moment in human history – God becoming man – waited on a teenage girl’s “yes”. Gabriel shows us how much God values human freedom.
God still sends Gabriel. A phone call out of the blue, a Scripture verse that seems to have your name on it, a sermon that hits exactly where you hurt. God is still announcing that He is with us.
But Gabriel also asks something of us: Will we carry the message? After Mary said yes, she went in haste to Elizabeth. She became a Gabriel herself. Who needs to hear good news from you this week?
3. Saint Raphael – “God heals”
We know Raphael from one book – the beautiful, almost overlooked Book of Tobit. Tobit is blind; Sarah is bound by grief and a demon. God sends Raphael, disguised as a traveller named Azariah. He heals Tobit’s eyes with the gall of a fish, he frees Sarah, and he guides young Tobias on a dangerous road.
And at the end, he reveals himself: “I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand and serve before the Glory of the Lord.”
Raphael’s name means God heals. Not that Raphael heals – God heals through him.
He is the archangel of the long, ordinary journey. He doesn’t appear in flashes of lightning. He walks with you. He is the patron of healers, of travellers, and of marriages.
Some wounds need Michael – they need to be fought. Some wounds need Raphael – they need to be walked with, patiently, until sight returns. Perhaps you have been praying for a Michael miracle – a sudden victory – when God has sent you a Raphael, who wants to walk the road with you, step by step, until healing comes.
And the Archangels
Why three names? Because God wants us to know He is not distant. The Catechism teaches that angels are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing all visible creatures in perfection. They are with us throughout our lives.
Michael reminds us that evil is real, but not victorious.
Gabriel reminds us that God still speaks, and He needs our yes.
Raphael reminds us that God still heals, often slowly and through companions on the road.
We live in a world that says only what we can see is real. The Feast of the Archangels says the opposite: the most real things are unseen, and you are not alone in the fight.
So let us pray today not to angels as if they were gods, but to angels and to God who gave them to us.
A final prayer:
Saint Michael, you who asked, “Who is like God?” – teach us to put God first again. Defend us where we cannot defend ourselves.
Saint Gabriel, you who brought good news – open our ears to hear God’s voice today, and give us courage to say, like Mary, “Let it be to me according to your word.”
Saint Raphael, you who walked the long road – walk with us. Heal what is blind in us, and bring us home safely.
Holy Archangels, you who stand before the throne, pray for us that we may one day stand with you, praising the God who made both angels and men for His glory.
Amen.
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