St. Raphael, Patron of Happy Meetings
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One of the three archangels mentioned in the Bible by name is St. Raphael. His name means "God heals" and he is the patron of travelers, but did you also know that he is the patron saint of Catholic singles, happy meetings, and healings? That is why CatholicMatch is under the patronage of St. Raphael the Archangel.
In the Liturgical calendar for the extraordinary form, today is the feast day for St. Raphael. In honor of this mighty archangel that brings lovers together I'd like to take a deeper look at his life.
Within the Book of Tobit, St. Raphael is sent from God to help the healing of not only Tobias's father, but also the deliverance of Sarah from the devil.
This story is among the wisdom literature of the Bible. Tobias wants to begin the relationship to his beloved, Sarah, whom God has given to him by an honest and truthful prayer before the marriage bed. By obeying St. Raphael, and taking the live ashes of incense with the heart and liver of the fish, the devil is expelled once and for all from the presence of Sarah. Tobias is now free to be with his intended bride. Before anything else takes place, he tells her to get up from bed so they may pray together, and the Lord will show his mercy upon them. The author of this book relates the prayer of praise and thanksgiving of Tobias, with his beloved using the very heart of the Book of Genesis when God told Adam that he was going to give him a helpmate:
"Blessed are you, O God of our ancestors; blessed be your name forever and ever! You made Adam, and you made his wife Eve to be his helper and support; and from these two the human race has come. You said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; let us make him a helper like himself'" (Tobit 8: 5-6).
And above all, Tobias prayerfully from his heart utters his sincere and true intentions toward this woman he is about to be with the rest of his life.
The Word of God here is telling us that this is a model of true love and marriage, and how honor toward one's mate should be shown. Tobias says:
"Now, not with lust, but with fidelity I take this kinswoman as my wife. Send down your mercy on me and on her, and grant that we may grow old together. Bless us with children” (Tobit 8: 7-8).
Marriage is seen as a holy union between two people who love each other, want to be faithful to God, and spread that love to family and others. The message of St. Raphael, when he reveals himself as the angel of the Lord, is that each of us should praise God and give thanks to Him for everything.
St. Raphael is the patron saint of medical workers, doctors, matchmakers, and travelers. Clearly, within the Book of Tobit, one can see that God wants us all to be healed and to be happy, in this world and forever. As St. Raphael was intercessor for Tobit, Tobias, and Sarah, so too he is intercessor for us today.
Mike Koeberlein contributed to this article. This article is reprinted with written permission of 4marks Magazine.
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