The Healing Journey

September 29, 2026

Michael, Gabriel and Raphael — the Archangels

By Father Richard Murphy

Today is the Feast of Archangels. Over the course of salvation history, as recorded in Scripture and the oral Tradition of the Church, we can know quite a bit about the angelic world.

The Angelic Choir has a hierarchical structure to it. We identify nine choirs in three hierarchies. Those highest (in most direct communion with God) are the Seraphim, the Cherubim, and Thrones, the next being Dominions, Virtues and Powers, and last but certainly not least, Principalities, Archangels and Angels.

I say “not least” in that God loves the lower levels no less than the higher choirs. There are different responsibilities for which each was created.

We call these purely spiritual beings “angels” because they function as messengers of God. That does not mean they merely tell us things from God, as Gabriel did when he announced to Mary that she would conceive of the Holy Spirit the Son of the Most High.

Catholic Tradition would tell us the Angelic Choirs worship God and aid Him in His plan for the whole of creation. Each angel is created for a certain mission or we may say vocation. Those angels we often think about are our guardian angels.

The Archangels are tasked with a higher mission. The three Archangels we know the names of from Catholic Tradition are Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Other traditions, such as some Orthodox churches, recognize as many as seven names.

St. Michael’s name is translated, “Who is like God.” He is referenced in both the Old and New Testaments and is claimed to have been seen by visionaries, including the children of Fatima. He defends the honor of God, defends against Satan and defends us. God will give him the honor of finally casting Satan into hell by God’s divine power.

St. Gabriel’s name is translated, “God is my strength.” He has been tasked with making the most profound proclamations of God’s work in salvation history. His name and his activity of proclaiming God’s strength working through him, helps us remember that without God, we can do nothing, but with Him all things are possible, as St. Paul tells us.

St. Raphael’s name is translated, “God heals.” He appears in the Book of Tobit and brings from God a miraculous healing of Tobit’s blindness. Tobit was a righteous man who suffered greatly doing the will of God against persecution. We are reminded that all healings, whether through the body’s function, a doctor’s intervention, medicine or a miracle, always come from God.

When people leave earth, they do not become angels. We are a particular type of being that is both soul and body. Angels are purely spirit. We call these three Archangels “saints” because God has revealed their names. The use of the term “saint” speaks to their being perfected in holiness and being in the direct presence of God.

God’s gift of creating Archangels and the whole of the angelic world is a testimony to His absolute glory and omnipotence, as well as His love and care for us. He employs them in His gracious care of us and His plan to make all things One and Holy in Jesus Christ by sending His Holy Spirit.

If you’re ever feeling poorly about what God thinks of you or how things are going, reflect on the angels who silently and invisibly care for us at the behest of God, who loved us enough not only to send us their help but to also send us His Only Begotten Son.

(Father Richard Murphy is the Associate Pastor at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Greenwich.)

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