Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
Angels—messengers from God—appear frequently in Scripture, but only Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are named.
Michael appears in Daniel's vision as "the great prince" who defends
Israel against its enemies; in the Book of Revelation, he leads God's
armies to final victory over the forces of evil. Devotion to Michael is
the oldest angelic devotion, rising in the East in the fourth century.
The Church in the West began to observe a feast honoring Michael and the
angels in the fifth century
.
Gabriel also makes an appearance in
Daniel's visions, announcing Michael's role in God's plan. His
best-known appearance is an encounter with a young Jewish girl named
Mary, who consents to bear the Messiah.
Raphael's activity is
confined to the Old Testament story of Tobit. There he appears to guide
Tobit's son Tobiah through a series of fantastic adventures which lead
to a threefold happy ending: Tobiah's marriage to Sarah, the healing of
Tobit's blindness and the restoration of the family fortune.
The
memorials of Gabriel (March 24) and Raphael (October 24) were added to
the Roman calendar in 1921. The 1970 revision of the calendar joined
their feasts to Michael's.
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