St. Michael...from the Hebrew...Who is as God?
His name is a battle cry. The popularity of this name in the Old Testament appears from the fact that no less than ten persons bearing the name of Michael are mentioned in the sacred books,
As the proper name of one of the great Archangels, the word Michael appears for the first time in the book of the prophet Daniel, where he is called: "Michael, one of the chief princes," and again: "At that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people." (Daniel 10:12-13)
The name "Archangel" is given only to Saint Michael, even though sacred tradition and the liturgy of the Church attribute the same title to Saint Gabriel and Saint Raphael: "When Michael, the archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses, he durst not bring against him the judgment of railing speech, but said: The Lord command thee." (Jude 1:9)
Saint Michael has always been the warrior Angel, fighting first Satan and his demons from the beginning, then, in the course of time, all the enemies of God's own People. He is "the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people." As of old, so today, Saint Michael is the great defender of the Church of Christ on earth. (Revelation 12:7-12)
As long as God's children are exposed to the attacks of Satan in this world, Saint Michael's battle cry: "Who is like God?" will continue to scare and shatter all the forces of evil, and his powerful intervention in the struggle in behalf of the children of God will never cease.
St. Gabirel...the Hebrew words, Man of God, or Strength of God.
Practically all the missions and manifestations of this Archangel are closely connected with the coming of the Messiah. The most accurate prophecy regarding the time of the coming of Christ was made by Saint Gabriel through the prophet Daniel. (Daniel 9:22-23)
Immediately before the coming of Christ we meet the Archangel Gabriel in the temple of Jerusalem, announcing to Zachary the birth of a son, John the Baptist, the precursor of Christ: "I am Gabriel, who stand before God, and am sent to speak to thee, and to bring thee these good tidings." ((Luke 1:11–20)
The greatest and by far the most joyful message ever committed to an Angel from the beginning of time, was the one brought by the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, announcing to her the Incarnation of the Word of God and the birth of Christ, the Savior of mankind. (Luke 1:26–38)
It is very likely that St Gabriel continued to guard over the Holy Family...speaking to Joseph about the Messiah and guiding in the way to Bethlehem, Egypt and back to Nazareth (Matthew 1:18-25). And also spread the message of the Messiah to the shepherds to unite them in praise with the choir of angels. (Luke 2:9)
Many believe that Gabriel who is "the strength of God" must have been the Angel mentioned in Christ's agony in the garden: "And there appeared to him an Angel from heaven, strengthening him." (Luke 22: 43) It was fitting that the Angel who had witnessed the Savior's agony, and who had announced His coming to both the Old and New Testament, should also be the first to announce to the world the Savior's Resurrection, His triumph over sin and death on Easter morning: "An Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and coming rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow." (Matthew 28:2)
And in the final days, it is believed that the Archangel Gabriel is the one who with a mighty voice will call the dead to life and to judgment: "The Lord himself shall come down from heaven with commandment, and with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead who are in Christ shall rise first." (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)
St. Raphael, from the Hebrew, means "God heals."
The history of Tobias, revolves around the manifestation of the Archangel Raphael under the assumed name and form of a beautiful young man named Azarias. At the very end of his long mission the Archangel revealed his own identity and his real name, together with the actual purpose of his mission: "And now the Lord hath sent me to heal thee, and to deliver Sara thy son's wife from the devil. For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord." (Tobit 12: 11-15)
Raphael, the Divine healer, seems to have been at work at Jerusalem, in the days of Christ our Lord, in the pool called Bethsaida by the Sheepgate. In the five porticoes surrounding that pool there was a multitude of sick people, waiting for the action of the Angel upon the water of the pool, an action which cured immediately any person who first descended into the pool: "An Angel of the Lord used to come down at certain times into the pool and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pool after the motion of the water, was cured of whatever infirmity he had." (John 5:2-15)
The health-giving ministry of Saint Raphael may still be seen in the miraculous cures that have taken place up to our own times in many of the sacred Shrines throughout the Christian world.
I have researched the archangels for many years and gathered this information in many places (mainly EWTN and other Catholic websites) I take little credit for the words above other than compiling them into an easy to read format. I love this feast day and rightly so as I consider St. Michael to be a joint patron with my dear husband. We have always felt a special connection to this archangel...praying to him for protection and guidance often. I know that if I should wake up for even a few seconds in the night, a quick prayer to St Michael is said for myself and my loved ones. The other arch angels are joined in this special day as we celebrate the joy that will come one day when we are united with the arch angels before God.
St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St Raphael and to the other archangels...Pray for us!
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