ON the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, celebrated on September 29, we are reminded of this mostly overlooked world of spirits, mainly composed of angels and demons. What is even more disturbing is the personal impression that more people seem to be more aware and concerned about demons than about angels.
We need to strengthen our belief and awareness of the great help
angels can offer us. They actually are powerful and very benevolent beings who
play a very significant role in our life, providing us with protection,
guidance and even communication with the divine. They make themselves effective
intermediaries or messengers who carry out the divine will for our own good,
offering us support in our earthly sojourn.
Angels are always attentive to our needs, even when we are unaware
of them. They help us to face challenges, trials and difficulties in our life.
They can inspire acts of love, compassion and forgiveness, especially in those
moments when we find it hard to do them.
Regarding the archangels, our Christian faith considers them as
powerful intermediaries between God and man. They are made as messengers of God
for a specific purpose, playing a crucial role in guiding, inspiring and
safeguarding individuals, and the world in general.
The Archangel Gabriel, for example, was made to deliver a very
important message of God to the Blessed Virgin that occasioned the very
conception of the Son of God, our Redeemer, in the virginal womb of Our Lady.
The Archangel Michael is made as our powerful protector against evil
spirits. He is actually seen as the warrior who leads the heavenly hosts
against the forces of evil. He is considered a protector of the Church. He is
also regarded as the angel of death who guides souls to the afterlife.
The Archangel Raphael, whose name means “God’s remedy,” was the one
who helped the youth Tobias to carry out the errand of his father and to meet
his wife and rid her of demonic possession, as well as healed the blindness of
Tobit, Tobias’ father. (cfr. Tobit 12) We can just imagine what he can do for
us! Thus, he is often associated with healing and often invoked for physical
and emotional well-being.
It’s important that we be aware of the existence of these very
powerful archangels who, for sure, would be most willing and most happy to help
us in their own way. We just have to enliven our faith in them and develop the
appropriate devotion.
Many great saints have benefited from the help of these archangels.
For one, St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, entrusted to them the
tremendous apostolic work he and the faithful of Opus Dei have to carry out
till the end of time.
It would be good if we train ourselves to develop an intimate
relationship with them. To be sure, only good things can come out of such
relationship! They definitely would be a great help in our most important duty
of seeking holiness and of cooperating with Christ in the on-going work of
human redemption.
We cannot overemphasize the tremendous challenges we face in these
areas and we should just seek the help of these very powerful allies who are
all too willing to help us. We should just grow in our faith in them,
supporting it with the appropriate acts of piety and devotion.
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