In the Catholic tradition, today we celebrate the feast of the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. Michael, whose name means “who is like God?” is the chief archangel. The feat he is most known for is driving Lucifer out of heaven.

Michael the Archangel. A 13th-century Byzantine icon from the Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai.

Saint Michael is the archangel I’m most familiar with, because that’s the name of the grade school I attended. That was many years ago, but the song we sang in his honor is still lodged firmly in my memory: “Saint Michael, Archangel, defend us in battle, and lead us to our Lord.”

Back in 5th grade, the use of militaristic language in religious songs didn’t catch my attention the way it does now. Even so, it was the art work depicting Saint Michael that most boggled my religious imagination back then. In school, we had a giant statue of Saint Michael standing over Lucifer and holding a long spear to his head. It freaked me out. I couldn’t name it then, but now I understand that it was because of the association between religion and violence.

As an adult, I can look at things differently. Where I can find meaning in the feast of Saint Michael is in what the archangel symbolizes: that good is more powerful than evil. When I think of Saint Michael this way, he’s not an image of violence but a symbol of hope. Happy feast, Saint Michael!

What are some of the images and symbols of Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael that are meaningful to you?

Happy Feast of the Archangels! Michael, Gabriel, Raphael be blessed! I must confess I’m not one for run-of-the-mill angels (especially the little baby-faced ones which kind of scare me) but archangels? That’s my kind of angel! So who are these three that we celebrate today?

Well first, by way of information, an archangel is a chief angel. There are typically 3 archangels that we honor by name in the Christian tradition — Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. There may be up to 7 archangels in total (including Uriel who is honored in the Eastern Christian tradition) but this area seems to be a bit fuzzy in our tradition. The 3 archangels are honored in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

19th century Russian Orthodox icon of the Archangels. Michael is in the center, behind the circular mandorla of Christ. Gabriel and Raphael stand in front to the left and right respectively. Tempera and gold leaf on wood

Michael is considered the leader of the heavenly host, “one of the chief princes”. He is a patron of soldiers. His name in Hebrew means “Who is like God?” He is mentioned by name in three books of the Bible: Daniel, Jude, and Revelations. He is patron saint of many including soldiers, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and sailors.

Gabriel appears in the book of Daniel where he helped by explaining the prophet’s visions. Gabriel is probably best know as the angel of the Annunciation who appeared to Mary announcing that she would give birth to the Savior. He also announced John the Baptist’s birth to Zachariah. His name means “God is my strength”. Gabriel is patron saint of broadcasters (radio, TV, etc.) among others.

Raphael appears in the Book of Tobit where he heals Tobit of his blindness and helps Tobiah and Sarah. His name means “God heals”. Raphael is the patron of people who are blind, of healers, and of happy meetings.

We honor the archangels along with saints and other angels by remembering them and praying with them. Just like we might ask a friend to pray for us, or turn to someone who has “been there, done that” in some particular situation we are facing, we look to the archangels for support and for their presence. In early Jewish literature archangels are called “angels of the presence” which I think well describes how they are in our life.

How have you encountered these “angels of presence” in your life?

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