On the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael

Michael (Who is like God?) was the archangel who fought against Satan and all his evil angels, defending all the friends of God. He is the protector of all humanity from the snares of the devil. 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 (Strength of God) appears three times as a messenger in the Bible. He had been sent to Daniel to explain a vision concerning the Messiah. Gabriel announced to Zachariah the forthcoming birth of John the Baptist, and to Mary, the birth of Jesus. His greeting to the Virgin, “Hail, full of grace,” is one of the most familiar and frequent prayers of the Christian people.

Raphael (Medicine of God) is the archangel who took care of Tobias on his journey. 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.

Comments: Angels—messengers from God—appear frequently in Scripture, but only Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are named. Each of these archangels performs a different mission in Scripture: Michael protects; Gabriel announces; Raphael guides.

Let us thank our Lord for the Archangels who have often entered into history as messengers in God’s providential plan of salvation. Let us also remember our close connection with them in Christ, and frequently turn to them for their intercessory protection and assistance in times of trouble.

Proclaim His Deeds and Trust His Providence

“Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds!” (Ps. 96)

We must always keep praising the Lord for all he is doing in our lives and trust his providential care. When we look to the past, as did those in Old Testament scriptures, it is to remember all the marvels He has done for his people. When we look to the future, it is to trust that He is shaping and preparing the way for His will to be done in us and will provide all things. When we spend much time in prayer, service and worship before the Lord He does provide for all our needs. An incident in my life showed me that this continual thanks, praise and worship is justified even in our sickness and confusion.

Jesus is planning to heal and bless us all the time.

I had a very severe problem of not being able to sleep. For more than a month I would be up in the night almost every hour restless, unable to lie still until 3:00am. It was a case of restless leg syndrome. After getting only 4 hours of sleep it would be time to go to work. I was exhausted and depressed with this problem. I sought spiritual counsel and healing by prayer with many holy priests.

There was another problem in my life which irritated me. My employer had hired me for a position for which he did not need to provide any medical benefits. Without medical insurance in the US one visit to the doctor costs over $100.00. Further treatment and medicines will also be very costly. I resented this injustice and complained to my fellow employees about it all the time. Thus, I refused to go to the doctor with this cost and accompanying resentment. I resolved to solve my problems myself, with prayer or by practicing a healthy lifestyle. After getting prayers from several priests and examining my conscience still, the sleeplessness continued. One nun told me to go to the doctor…still, I delayed.

Then one day, out of the blue, I was given over $300.00 from a benefactor who stated that God told him to give me this money. I was helping out in the service of the Lord at the Divine Retreat Center in New Jersey. In prayer, I asked the Lord why this money was given to me when I had enough money already to pay for my expenses. Then the thought came that I should use it to go to the doctor. What was amazing was that this was just what my healing required; the doctor was very kind, she took a blood test and came up with the solution as due to thyroid and lack of iron. These two deficiencies were the cause of the sleep disorder. The medicine and vitamins were not costly at all. I am completely cured through God’s grace and the physician.

There was also a spiritual healing. No longer do I ever complain about lack of medical insurance since the Lord provided even money to force me to go to the doctor and provide for this need. He is my Provider, not my employer. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing.” (Ps. 23:1) My stubbornness and pride were also conquered; the doctor is provided by the Lord and is also to be seen when he so wills it. “My son, when you are sick do not neglect yourself: but pray to the Lord and he shall heal you.
Turn away from sin…and cleanse your heart from all offense….then give place to the physician. For the Lord created her and let her not depart from you, for the physician’s works are necessary…For there is a time when you must fall into their hands…” (Sirach 38:9-13) What a wonderful spiritual and physical healing the Lord has done in my life!

Thank you Jesus for your providential care.

I Am the Lord Who Heals You

The Old Testament tells us that when the people of Israel were guided by God they were safe and sound. They obeyed God’s precepts and commandments so God’s angels protected them from the evil afflictions.

The Lord tells us in the Bible:
• Listen and Obey. God said in the Old Testament: “ If you listen carefully to the
voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight and give heed to His commandments and keep all his statutes I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians for I am the Lord who heals you” (Ex. 15:26).

• Healing in the Name of Jesus. The Gospel of Mark chapter sixteen tells us, “…those who believe using the name of Jesus may lay their hands on the sick and they will recover” (17-18). Whenever you are sick ask Jesus to heal you. On many occasions whenever I was sick I asked the Lord for the forgiveness of sins and healing. Once, I had a toothache and since I did not have any insurance I was repeating in Jesus Name many times, “Jesus forgive me, Jesus heal me.”
So I received healings in this way. I recommend you pray for the forgiveness of your sins when you are sick and pray and believe that he is near to you as he promised, “ I will be with you to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20).

• Confess your Sins and Pray for Healings. At Delhi Divine Ashram, a mother named Elsie told me about her experience. When the parents she knew made confession whenever their small children used to get sick, the children received healings. I suggested this method to some families here in Detroit and New York when they asked me to pray for their sick children.

Both of these families told me separately that as soon as they decided to go for confession, the healings started. St. James (5:15-16) also tells us, “The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who commits sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess you sins…so that you may be healed.” Jesus tells us that there are 13 sins in the heart: evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. Jesus tells that all these evils come from within and they defile a person (Mk. 7:21). “Give up your faults and cleanse your hearts from sins” (Sir. 38: 10).

• Physicians and Health. The Lord tells us, “Honor the physicians for their services
for the Lord created them” (Sirach 38). We are supposed to obey the instructions which we have received from the doctors. “The Lord created medicine out of the earth; the sensible will not despise them.”

The Bible tells us that even when we receive the healing through the doctors we should glorify the marvelous works of God! At the same time the Lord tells us to pray when we are ill. When you are ill do not delay but pray to the Lord Almighty (Sir. 38:9) and believe that God is
your Father as Jesus said in the New Testament.

• Food and Exercise. Prayer is called, “walking with God.” We read in the Bible,
that Jesus used to walk to the villages, towns, on water and climbed up the steep Mt. Tabor. In these modern days, the doctor will tell you that walking is good exercise; they will tell you also to do activity to balance cholesterol, diabetes and avoid gaining weight. A woman who came to me was sick so I advised her to walk and do exercise.

That woman later told me that she started to walk two miles every day to go to Church here in New Jersey and this helped her to reduce her weight. She felt much better, well and fresh!

The Bible says this about overeating: “My child, test yourself while you live; see what is bad for you and do not give in to it. For not everything is good for everyone, and no one enjoys everything. Do not be greedy for every delicacy, and do not eat without restraint; for overeating brings sickness, and gluttony leads to nausea. Many have died of gluttony, but one who guards against it prolongs his life” (Sir. 37:27-31). God said even in the beginning to the first parents who were healthy and without
sin, “You may eat of every tree of the garden…but of the tree knowledge you may not eat.” (Gen. 2:17). You may not have knowledge of certain foods which may be harmful to you. You may not have discernment about this on your own. If God tells you this through the doctors please obey.

• Death, A Healing. Many saints were sick but they offered their illness and
suffering for the conversion of sinners and as a penance for their sins and those of the family members. Jesus also tells us after His resurrection that though he had the wounds there on his body, he was healthy. Through death God can still heal us. The poor man named Lazarus was covered with sores, hungry with no one to comfort or nurse him. He died and was carried away by the angels to
be with Abraham. So, remember, throughout our lives we may be in poverty— emotionally, financially, socially—but God’s angels are ready to take us up after our death. Death is also a blessing after long suffering; then you will have peace and joy with God. Jesus told the thief on the cross who was suffering, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk. 23:43). He rewards our
faithfulness in the end. “Enter into the joy of your Master” (Mt. 25:21).

Planted & Built up

“Planted and built up in Jesus Christ, firm in the faith” (Col 2:7)

The theme that the youth in Spain and the world over are celebrating at the time of penning this letter seems to be so apt in this ‘crazy’ world around. Everything seems to be in a tailspin - the financial markets reflect the shaky position of the US markets and their European counterparts, while, closer home, the political scenario in India continues to be in a tizzy due to the effects and the after-effects of a corrupt system. We truly seem to be a society on “shaky ground”.

And the journey from ‘shaky ground’ to ‘holy ground’ appears to be what the Lord continually calls us to make. From the call to Moses from the burning bush to the call to our youth to be “Planted and built up in Jesus Christ” the Lord invites us to be “firm in the faith”. Reflecting on this verse, in his letter to the young people, our Holy Father writes, “wherever individuals and nations accept God’s presence, worship him in truth and listen to his voice, then the civilization of love is being built, a civilization in which the dignity of all is respected, and communion increases, with all its benefits.”

But how do we get individuals and nations to accept His presence and worship Him. Romans 10:14 serves as a pointer to us.

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?

The responsibility of the proclaimer is tremendous, the joy and reward even greater. And every baptised is called to be a proclaimer. Paul VI clearly stated “To evangelize, is the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her profound identity” (Evangelium nuntiandi, no. 14). How privileged are we to share the good news… to share in the saving work of our Saviour and Lord.

Thus this month we focus our fervent prayer (James 5:16) for the Proclamation Outreach at Mount Mary’s Basilica in Bandra, Mumbai. As thousands upon thousands come to seek the blessings of the Blessed Mother on her birthday, may they discover the Saviour of Mary in whom her ‘spirit rejoices’ (Luke 1:47) as she loving whispers to them to ‘do whatever He tells’ (John 2:5).

We pray that the Holy Spirit, the ‘chief agent of evangelisation’, prepares the soil of the hearts of the proclaimers (to respond generously with their time, their respect and their love) as well as those to whom they are sent (that they have a ‘restless’ and open heart) so that they will bear fruit in “hundred fold” (Mark 4:8).

We thank God in faith-filled anticipation that the hills of the Mount will be covered with “beautiful feet of those bringing the good news” (Rom 10:15) as volunteers, counsellors, proclaimers are drawn by the Lord of the Harvest for His glory alone. Mary our Mother, guide our steps as you guided and taught the Child Jesus. May our teachers and proclaimers truly ‘witness to the beauty of the Gospel with the joy of faith’ (Intentions of the Holy Father for the month of September).