29 SEPTEMBER: ARCHANGELS MICHAEL, GABRIEL AND RAPHAEL
Proclaimers of God’s mysteries
The three Archangels, whom we celebrate on 29 September, were contemplatives of the Glory of God and messengers of the Good News. Their names express their mission, not their nature. They are messengers of the Lord who proclaim his will and “along with the Saints, constitute the immense multitude of worshippers of the living God”.
Their names refer to God: Michael, (Mikha-el) means “Who is like God?”, is Patron Saint of the Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City State. Gabriel, which means “God is my strength”, is the messenger par excellence, while Raphael, which means “God heals”, represents Divine Providence. The Angels are mentioned in the Preface, in the Roman Missal and in the Liturgy of the Hours.
Michael appears three times in the Old Testament, in particular in the Book of Daniel (Dn 10:13,21 and 12:1) in which he is considered the defender of the Hebrew people and supreme leader of the heavenly army that defends the weak and the persecuted.
In the Book of Revelations, he is presented as the “champion of the One God”, who constantly fights against the forces of evil. In Chapter 12 (7-9), there is a reference to a battle, described as follows: “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him”.
Michael accompanies men in their fight against evil and protects them from the snares of the devil. This is why the Church invokes him and invites us to entrust ourselves to him for protection and inspiration to carry out good deeds.
He is represented in both Eastern and Western iconography with a sword or a spear in his hand, and the dragon, the symbol of Satan, at his feet, defeated in battle. At the end of the fifth century, veneration of Michael quickly spread throughout Europe, thanks to his apparition on Mount Gargano in Puglia. According to tradition, the Archangel appeared to Saint Lawrence Maiorano, Bishop of Siponto, on 8 May 490, to ask that a cave be dedicated to Christian worship. The Sanctuary of Saint Michael Archangel, Celestial Basilica of Monte Sant’Angelo, is the only place in the world that was not consecrated by human intervention. In the Middle Ages it became the destination of many pilgrimages. Also well-known is the Sanctuary of Mont-Saint-Michel in France, where he is worshipped as Patron Saint. The sanctuary in Normandy was founded by Bishop Aubert of Avranches in 708 on Mont-Tombe, after three successive apparitions of the Archangel.
According to popular tradition, Saint Michael is considered the defender of the People of God and the victor of the fight of good against evil. It is not by chance that Saint Michael is depicted in various churches or at the top of bell towers. In the East, he is worshipped with the title “Archistrategos”, which corresponds to the Latin title princeps militiae caelestis (prince of the heavenly militia). In fact, veneration of Archangel Michael has its origins in the East. The first basilica dedicated to the Archangel in the West was located at the seventh mile of Via Salaria and was consecrated on 29 September of a year before 450. This Basilica was called in Septimo and was the destination of pilgrimages until the ninth century. Hence the choice of 29 September for his liturgical feast day.
Tradition attributes Saint Michael with the task of weighing souls after death. This is why some representations of him show him holding scales in addition to the sword. Moreover in the early centuries, the Byzantines considered him to be a heavenly doctor of human illnesses.
Very popular among the faithful, Saint Michael, soldier of God, was proclaimed Patron and protector of State Police which provides daily protection of public order and safety, by Pius XII on 29 September 1949. He is also the Patron Saint of gilders, merchants, makers of scales, judges, fencing teachers, and radiologists.
The New Testament mentions Archangel Gabriel in the account in which he is sent to the high priest Zechariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist (Lk 1:11-19), the precursor. Luke also describes the Archangel as he announces the birth of Jesus, to Mary (Lk 1:26-35).
Iconography depicts Saint Gabriel in the classic form of angels, with a lily in his hand, which according to tradition, he gave to Our Lady as a gift, symbolizing her Immaculate Conception, virginity, purity and abandonment to God’s will. In some images, he is depicted wearing deacon vestments, while in others he is depicted holding a lit lantern and a green jasper mirror bearing a transcription of God’s orders, which he must faithfully transmit.
In many paintings, Saint Gabriel is depicted carrying a phylactery inscribed with the Latin words, “Ave Maria, gratia plena” (Hail Mary, full of grace). He is the protector of communication, postmen and women, ambassadors, news agents and couriers.
Raphael is mentioned in the Book of Tobit, which tells the story of a Hebrew man named Tobit, who lived between the 8th and 7th century B.C. and his son Tobias. Tobit, who was blind due to an incurable illness, asks his son Tobias to set on a journey towards Media to recover ten silver coins he had left with a distant relative known as Gabeal. Tobit prayed to God to protect his son’s journey. In Ecbatana, a young woman named Sarah, a relative of Tobit, was possessed by the demon, Asmodeus. The demon made her commit murders and had already killed seven of her husbands on their wedding night.
She wanted to kill herself but she entrusted herself to God to save her. The Lord intervened and sent Archangel Gabriel to protect Tobias and save Sarah. During the journey, Tobias encountered the Archangel, and though he did not know who he was, he welcomed him as a travelling companion. Near the River Tigris, Tobias was attacked by a large fish and the Archangel instructs him to kill it and extract its gall and heart to cure his father’s blindness and protect himself from the encounter with a demon.
When he reached Ecbatana, Tobias heard about Sarah’s situation and fell in love with her. Archangel Raphael then told him to make her eat the heart of the fish to break the curse. And so he did. Tobias married Sarah, collected his father’s money and returned to him. Raphael advised Tobias to spread the fish’s gall on his father’s eyes and Tobit regained his sight. Then the travelling companion revealed himself to be the Archangel Raphael, sent from God to protect young people and cure Tobit.
Archangel Raphael is considered the protector of health, of travellers, of young people and of pharmacists.
Saint Gregory the Great highlighted that the Archangels are more than angels because they “announce the greatest of mysteries”. The Church honours only three of them liturgically because the Scriptures mention them and their mission.