Saint Raphael the Archangel

Raphael is one of the three archangels the Church names from Scripture, together with Michael and Gabriel, and his story is told in the Book of Tobit. His name comes from a Hebrew root meaning "to heal" and is usually rendered "God has healed." The book belongs to the deuterocanonical writings of the Old Testament. It was composed in the Jewish world of the third or second century before Christ, and fragments of it were found among the manuscripts of Qumran. Raphael is also named in the ancient Book of Enoch.

The story begins with two prayers. Tobit, an Israelite exiled to Nineveh, had gone blind and asked to die. Far away, Sara, the daughter of Raguel, was suffering under accusations since the deaths of seven husbands, and she too prayed to be released from her trouble. Both prayers were heard, and God sent Raphael to bring healing to both.

Tobit sent his son Tobias to Media to collect money left years before with Gabael at Rages. Looking for someone who knew the road, Tobias met Raphael, who did not reveal himself as an angel. He gave the name Azariah, son of Ananias, and said he knew the roads of Media well. On the banks of the Tigris a great fish attacked Tobias, and Raphael told him to catch it and keep its heart, liver, and gall. Burning the heart and liver would drive away the demon Asmodeus, who tormented Sara, and the gall would cure Tobit's blindness. The angel led Tobias to Raguel's house in Ecbatana, where Tobias married Sara and the demon was driven off, and back at home the gall restored Tobit's sight. Then Raphael told them who he was: one of the seven angels who stand before the glory of God.

Later Christian tradition tied Raphael to healing, protection on journeys, and guidance. Art shows him walking beside Tobias, with a fish, a staff or pilgrim's dress, or a flask of medicine. Tradition also identified him with the angel who stirred the waters at the Pool of Bethesda in John's Gospel. His feast on 29 September is shared with Michael and Gabriel and marks the dedication of a basilica of Saint Michael on the Via Salaria, six miles from Rome. Older calendars kept his own day on 24 October.

Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.