Michael, Hebrew Mikhaʾel, Arabic Mīkāl or Mīkhāʾīl, also called St. Michael the Archangel, in the Bible and in the Qurʾān (as Mīkāl), one of the archangels. He is repeatedly depicted as the “great captain,” the leader of the heavenly hosts, and the warrior helping the children of Israel. Early in the history of the Christian church, he came to be regarded as the helper of the church’s armies against the heathen and against the attacks of the Devil. He holds the secret of the mighty “word” by the utterance of which God created heaven and earth and was “the angel who spoke [to Moses] at Mount Sinai” (Acts 7:38). The numerous representations of Michael in art reflect his character as a warrior: he is shown with a sword, in combat with or triumph over a dragon, from the story in the Book of Revelation (Apocalypse). The feast of St. Michael, which originated in Phrygia, is kept on September 29 in the West, where it is also known as Michaelmas. Most Eastern Orthodox churches commemorate St. Michael and the other angels on November 8, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church honours him on the 12th of each month. In the Roman Catholic Church the feast of the Appearing (or Apparition) of St. Michael the Archangel is kept on May 8. According to legend, this appearance took place on Mount Gargano, in Apulia, about 492, and the mountain became an important medieval pilgrimage site. A formal prayer to St. Michael originated with Pope Leo XIII in 1886.
St. Gabriel is an angel who serves as a messenger for God to certain people. He is one of the three archangels. Gabriel is mentioned in both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible. First, in the Old Testament, Gabriel appears to the prophet Daniel to explain his visions. Gabriel is described as, “one who looked like man,” as he interprets Daniel’s visions. He speaks to Daniel while he is sleeping. After Gabriel’s first visit, Daniel becomes tired and sick for days. Gabriel later visits Daniel again providing him with more insight and understanding in an answered prayer.
In the New Testament, Gabriel, described as “an angel of the Lord,” first appears to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. He tells him, “Fear not, Zacharias: for
thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth.” Luke 1:13.
After Elizabeth conceived and was six months pregnant, Gabriel appears again. The Book of Luke states he was sent from God to Nazareth to visit the virgin married to a man named Joseph. Gabriel said to Mary, “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” Luke 1:28.
“Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom, there shall be no end.” Luke 1:30-33
Gabriel told Mary she would conceive from The Holy Ghost and the baby will be the Son of God.
After the Annunciation of Mary, Gabriel is not spoken of again.
Gabriel’s attributes are the Archangel; he is clothed in blue or white; and is seen carrying a lily, a trumpet, a shining lantern, a branch from Paradise, a scroll, or a scepter. In art, Gabriel is most commonly represented in the scene of the Annunciation. In art, Gabriel is often represented in the scene of the Annunciation.
He is occasionally cited as the one who blows God’s trumpet to indicate the Lord’s return to Earth. However, the person designated with this task varies; different passages cite different people. The earliest known identification of Gabriel as the trumpet holder comes in 1455 represented in Byzantine art. Gabriel is recognized as the patron saint of messengers, telecommunication workers, and postal workers.
St. Raphael is one of the seven Archangels who stand before the throne of the Lord, and one of the only three mentioned by name in the Bible. He appears, by name, only in the Book of Tobit. Raphael’s name means “God heals.” This identity came about because of the biblical story that claims he “healed” the earth when it was defiled by the sins of the fallen angels in the apocryphal book of Enoch.
Disguised as a human in the Book of Tobit, Raphael refers to himself as “Azarias the son of the great Ananias” and travels alongside Tobit’s son, Tobiah. Once Raphael returns from his journey with Tobiah, he declares to Tobit that he was sent by the Lord to heal his blindness and deliver Sarah, Tobiah’s future wife, from the demon Asmodeus. It is then that his true healing powers are revealed and he makes himself known as “the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord” Tobit 12:15.
The demon Asmodeus killed every man Sarah married on the night of the wedding before the marriage could be consummated. Raphael guided Tobiah and taught him how to safely enter the marriage with Sarah.
Raphael is credited with driving the evil spirit from Sarah and restoring Tobit’s vision, allowing him to see the light of Heaven and for receiving all good things through his intercession.
Although only the archangels Gabriel and Michael are mentioned by name in the New Testament, the Gospel of John speaks of the pool at Bethesda, where many ill people rested, awaiting the moving of the water. “An angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond, and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under” John 5:1-4. Because of the healing powers often linked to Raphael, the angel spoken of is generally associated with St. Raphael, the Archangel.
St. Raphael is the patron saint of travelers, the blind, bodily ills, happy meetings, nurses, physicians, and medical workers. He is often pictured holding a staff and either holding or standing on a fish.
