Archangels to Protect, Announce, and Guide

Angels—messengers from God who help carry out various aspects of God's salvation plan —appear frequently in Scripture, but only Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are named.  Each of the archangels performs a different mission in Scripture: Michael protects; Gabriel announces; Raphael guides.

Michael’s name means “who is like God.”  God gave Michael the responsibility of protecting us as God protects us.  Michael appears in Daniel’s vision as “the great prince” (Daniel 10:13) who defends Israel against its enemies; in the Book of Revelation, he leads God’s armies to final victory over the forces of evil (Revelation 12: 7-9).  

Gabriel’s name means “hero of God.”  Gabriel is God’s hero because he communicates God’s message to people.  Gabriel also makes an appearance in Daniel’s visions, announcing Michael’s role in God’s plan (Daniel 10:10-14).  His best-known appearances are an encounter with a young Jewish girl named Mary, who consents to bear the Messiah (Luke 1: 26-38), and when he announces the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:19).

Raphael’s name means “God has healed.”  Raphael’s activity is confined to the Old Testament story of Tobit, beginning in Chapter Five.  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.  

On the feast day of the archangels, we remember that God’s messengers guide us in our journey to everlasting life with our Father.  We can pray to Michael when we face temptation.  We can ask to Gabriel to help us say “yes” to God as Mary did so many years ago.  We can pray to Raphael when we are ill or know someone who is in need of healing.

We honor the archangels as saints. They remind us that God is always with us and that God loves so much about us that he gives us special helpers to light and guide us to him.

In an earlier time of our history, inexplicable events were believed due to the actions of spiritual beings.  But that thought has given way to an increasingly secular and scientific world view and a different sense of cause and effect.  Yet believers still experience God’s protection, communication, and guidance in ways which defy description.  We cannot—no, we MUST NOT—dismiss angels too lightly.