Reflection for WEDNESDAY, 

By


Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Rector and Parish Priest
Don Bosco Shrine
Lingarajapuram, Bangalore

The Feast of  Holy Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.

Today's Word

John 1:50 -51

Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”  He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[ you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

Today's Reflection

When it comes to the things of the spiritual realm, what can be discussed is from what has been revealed in the Bible and from the Church's teachings.

From the Bible and from what the Church teaches, there is the existence of the spiritual world of angels.

In this multitude of angels, we know the names of three of them, and the Church calls them "Archangels".

From St. Michael, we know that God protects us and so we pray to St. Michael and there is a prayer that is dedicated to him.

From St. Gabriel, who announced the Good News of salvation to Mary, we know that we too are blessed with the Good News that God loves us and will save us.

We too pray to St. Gabriel that we will experience the saving love of God and be messengers of the Good News of salvation.

And from St. Raphael, who directed Tobias to obtain the healing remedy for his father's blindness, we know that God will forgive us our sins and heal our spiritual and physical infirmities.

We too ask St. Raphael to pray for us for healing and forgiveness.

In these three Archangels, God is showing us that He loves and protects us, He is our Saviour and Healer.

We give thanks and praise to God, and let us continue to invoke the intercession of these three Archangels.

GOD BLESS YOU 🙏

Good morning. Have a nice safe day.


HAPPY FEAST!

ARCHANGELS MICHAEL, GABRIEL & RAPHAEL:

Angels—messengers from God—appear frequently in Scripture, but only MICHAEL, GABRIEL, and RAPHAEL are named.

Michael [“Who is like God?”] appears in Daniel’s vision as “the great prince” who defends Israel against its enemies; in the book of Revelation, he leads God’s armies to final victory over the forces of evil. Devotion to Michael is the oldest angelic devotion, rising in the East in the fourth century. The Church in the West began to observe a feast honoring Michael and the angels in the fifth century.

Gabriel [“God is my Strength”]also makes an appearance in Daniel’s visions, announcing Michael’s role in God’s plan. His best-known appearance is an encounter with a young Jewish girl named Mary, who consents to bear the Messiah.

Raphael’s [“Healing of God”] activity is related in the Book of Tobit. There he appears to guide Tobit’s son Tobiah through a series of fantastic adventures which lead to a threefold happy ending: Tobiah’s marriage to Sarah, the healing of Tobit’s blindness and the restoration of the family fortune.