Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael Archangels

The Feast of the Archangels is a great thanksgiving to God for His goodness and incomprehensible desire to help and protect us from evil. The existence of God’s angels confirms God’s desire to provide safety and happiness for people on earth. Angels are God’s outstretched hand that protects us so that we reach our destination, eternal life, safely.

St. Gregory the Great describes the nature and meaning of the pure spirits: “It should be known that the name angel denotes service, not nature. Although these blessed spirits in the heavenly realm are spirits, they cannot always be called angels. They are angels only when they convey a message. Those who convey messages of lesser importance are called angels, and those who convey messages of great importance are called archangels.”

And St. Bernard, full of wonder at God’s care for our earthly life, explains the role of the angels. Thus, “You send O God, blessed spirits to do us service, commission them to watch over us, and command them to educate us. You have commanded your angels to guard you in all your ways… They are, therefore, with you to help you; they are not only with you but also for you. They are with thee to protect thee; they are with thee to prosper thee.” God sent the angels we think of today to deliver critical messages in salvation history, which is why we call them archangels.

The archangel Michael, whose name means “Who is like God,” was tasked with protecting first the chosen people, now the Church, from the main threat posed by the evil spirit. He is the victor over the demons. When we feel threatened by the workings of malevolent power, we have the help we need in the archangel Michael.

Archangel Gabriel, whose name means “God has shown His power,” has been given the task of proclaiming the great works of God. He announced the birth of John the Baptist and also Jesus Christ. His messages showed a God who has the power to do things infinitely beyond human ability. When we feel helpless and have humanly insoluble problems in life, we have help from the Archangel Michael to believe in God’s omnipotence and providence.

Archangel Raphael, whose name means “God has healed,” has the task of helping us in our sickness. Jesus, through his public ministry, clearly demonstrated God’s will to heal in body and soul. The Archangel Raphael brings us God’s graces to heal when various illnesses occur.

Let us repeat: Today’s feast reminds us that God cares for our happy life on earth and a glorious eternity and provides every necessary help for this. There is one more critical thing concerning how his service comes to us. This is the subject of today’s Gospel. Jesus said to Nathanael and the other disciples, “You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” This means that God’s angels will come with God’s help only where Jesus Christ is. And Jesus Christ is always where two or more believers gather in Jesus’ name. Just as Philip brought Nathanael to Jesus, so we should bring others to faith in Jesus Christ and then to prayer together.