👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾The Feast of the Archangel Saint #Raphael (#Pagume 3)
Beloved in Christ, children of the holy Church, peace and grace be multiplied unto you. Today we gather to remember with reverence the annual feast of the Archangel Raphael, which shines forth on the third day of Pagume. Among the many commemorations of this blessed month, this feast holds a special place, for it calls us to contemplate the mercy of God revealed through His angelic minister, Raphael, whose very name proclaims: “Healing from God.”
The Name and Dignity of Raphael
The name Raphael comes from two words: Rufa, meaning health, medicine, and healing, and El, the holy name of God. Joined together, the name declares his mission: healing given by God to His people. Thus the Lord testified in the Scripture: “Behold, I send My angel before you… Do not resist him, for My name is in him” (Ex. 23:20–22).
This Raphael, the gentle and merciful one, stands among the seven archangels, and in rank is placed after Michael and Gabriel. Of himself he bore witness, saying: “I am Raphael, one of the seven chiefs who bring the prayers of the saints before the throne of glory” (Tobit 12:15).
He is, therefore, both intercessor and guardian, offering our supplications to God, reconciling us to the Creator, and ever praising the Most High with the heavenly hosts.
The Sevenfold Ministry of Raphael
1. The Healer of the Sick "Fewase Duyan"
When our Lord Jesus Christ walked the earth, He healed both body and soul. Likewise, Raphael has been appointed by the Almighty to heal mankind of sickness and of sin. Enoch testifies: “Saint Raphael is appointed over all diseases and wounds of the children of men” (Enoch 10:13).
Thus, as Christ healed the paralytic with the words “Rise, take up your bed, and walk” (Jn. 5:8), so Raphael heals by intercession and prayer, curing wounds both visible and hidden. He is a physician of God, a protector who shields us from the maladies of flesh and the corruption of the soul.
2. The Opener of the Womb"Fetahe Mahtsen"
God, who made barren Sarah to laugh with joy, who gave children to Rachel, Hannah, and Elizabeth, has appointed Raphael as minister of this mystery. He comforts mothers in labor, protects children in the womb, and eases the pangs of childbirth.
From the first moment of conception until the hour of delivery, Raphael does not depart, but stands guard as a heavenly midwife, easing pain and safeguarding life. Thus mothers cry his name in prayer, and through his intercession are delivered with joy.
3. The Exorcist of Demons"Sadade Aganant"
As Christ cast out unclean spirits, so Raphael has received authority to bind the demons. When Sarah, daughter of Raguel, was tormented by the demon Asmodeus, Raphael expelled him with divine power (Tobit 3:8, 17).
Enoch also records: “Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness” (Enoch 10:4–7). This same Raphael is today sent to drive away from us envy, hatred, deceit, and every whisper of the evil one.
4. The Advocate of Prayer"Akabe Hohat"
Raphael is not only healer and protector, but also intercessor, who carries the prayers of men before the throne of God. As he declared: “I am Raphael… who brings the prayers of the saints before the glory of the Holy One” (Tobit 12:15).
A wondrous miracle bears witness: when the faithful prayed in a church on an island near Alexandria, the devil sought to destroy them by stirring the waters beneath. Yet when they cried out to God in Raphael’s name, the angel struck the reef with the sign of the Cross, and the danger ceased. Thus he revealed himself as guardian of the faithful and protector of the Church.
Continues 👇🏾