Every September 29, the Church celebrates the feast of the holy Archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel. Their names remain engraved in the souls of Christians of all times due to their greatness and obedience to the will of God.
We know Michael, Raphael and Gabriel well because they are mentioned in Holy Scripture, each one carrying out some crucial mission, under divine command, within the history of salvation.
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(At the end of this note some articles of the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding the nature of angels).
The names of the Archangels
Saint Michael the Archangel is the one in command of the heavenly armies. The name “Michael” in Hebrew means “Who is like God!” (sometimes the exclamation appears as a question); expression that evokes the omnipotence of God, as well as his infinite love and justice. His name is the war cry that resounds triumphantly in the battle against the Adversary, Satan, and his court of fallen angels.
“Rafael”, for its part, means “medicine of God” or “God has made health”. Saint Raphael is the archangel friend of walkers and pilgrims; He is also the doctor of those who suffer from an illness.
Finally, “Gabriel” means “fortress of God.” Saint Gabriel was entrusted with the mission of announcing to the Virgin Mary that she was the one chosen to be the Mother of the Savior.
God wanted to reveal his power to us through the Holy Archangels
In one of his homilies, Pope Saint Gregory the Great (c. 540-604), Father and Doctor of the Church, points out that God wanted to reveal the personal names of these three archangels as a way of knowing “what is the specific mission for which are sent to us.” In this way, it is possible to go to them in particular situations, according to the power that God granted to each one.
On September 29, 2017, Pope Francis, on the occasion of the holiday that is celebrated today, stated: «Today we celebrate the day of three of these archangels because they have had an important role in the history of salvation. And we commemorate these three because they also have an important role in our path to salvation.
Miguel, Rafael and Gabriel, watch over the children of the Church!
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Catechetical note:
The following text has been extracted from Catechism of the Catholic Church (number. 328-330):
I The angels
The existence of angels, truth of faith
328 The existence of spiritual, non-corporeal beings, which sacred Scripture usually calls angels, is a truth of faith. The testimony of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.
Who are the angels
329 Saint Augustine says about them: Angel is a name of office, not of nature. You ask the name of this nature, it is spirit; you seek a duty, it is an angel: from what it is, it is a spirit, from what it does, an angel (“The name angel indicates its office, not its nature. If you ask about its nature, I will tell you that it is a spirit; if you ask about what it does, I will tell you that it is an angel”) (Narrative in the Psalm103, 1, 15). With all their being, angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they “constantly contemplate the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 18, 10), are “agents of his orders, attentive to the voice of his word” (Sal 103, 20).
330 As purely spiritual creatures, they have intelligence and will: they are personal creatures (cf. Pius XII, enc. Of the human race: DS 3891) and immortals (cf Lc 20, 36). They surpass all visible creatures in perfection. The radiance of his glory bears witness to this (cf. Dn 10, 9-12).
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If you want to know more about angels, we recommend the following article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/%C3%81ngeles.
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