God our Father,
in a wonderful way you guide the work of angels and men.
May those who serve you constantly in heaven
keep our lives safe from all harm on earth.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Collect for the Feast of the Holy Archangels

Thank God for the archangels who minister before his throne!

Today is the Feast of the Holy Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael. These 3 archangels are mentioned by name in Sacred Scripture. It’s interesting to note that they all have ‘EL’ (‘God’ in Hebrew) at the end of their names:

St. Michael (Who is like God?) is the Archangel who, by the power of God, drove satan out of heaven. He is the prince of the heavenly armies and the defender of those who fight on earth.

St. Gabriel (Strength of God) is the Archangel who is associated with the life of Christ, announcing his conception, birth and resurrection at the empty tomb. He was thought to have been the one who aided Jesus at the garden of Gethsemane.

St. Raphael accompanied Tobias on his journey providing healing for his father and deliverance for his wife. It is probable that he is the angel who stirred up the pool of Bethsaida that people were immersing themselves in for healing.

Today as I was reading about St. Raphael, it really struck me how generous God is to us through his angels. The Lord provided an angel in disguise to guide Tobias on the journey and to make his family glad. The angel hooked him up with his wife and healed his father’s blindness. When he revealed himself, St. Raphael broke it to them gradually. I mean that’s really how much God cares for us–he even sends Angels to aid us here on earth. The Collect prayer of the Mass today says it all:

“God our Father,
in a wonderful way you guide the work of angels and men.
”

The ministry of the Angels is, as the title of a Mars ill song puts it, When Heaven Scrapes the Pavement.