I love St. Raphael! What a patron for all of us maneuvering this valley of tears. First of all, he heals physical ailments. He cured Tobit of his blindness, but only after a long trial for the dear old man.
But he isn't only a healer of the body. Raphael also intercedes for the healing of the mind and emotions. He can help us with the difficult people in our lives who are most hard to love. St. Raphael guides our thoughts into constructive paths. He can whisper solutions in our ears and suggestions for our own charitable behavior.
Think of his tender consideration for Tobias as the young man left home to seek a wife and the problem he encountered when he met Sarah. All her previous marriages resulted in the death of her spouses on their wedding nights because of the infestation of a devil. But Raphael helps Tobias overcome any worry and anxiety and his influence leads the young lover to kneel with his bride and pray. God is bigger than the boogie man, as the Veggie Tales song says.
What a great intercessor for our time when so many are addicted to drugs and behavior that hurts the body, mental and emotional problems that plague the mind, and spiritual problems that turn the heart and soul into a dry and barren tree. With St. Raphael as our guide, all these challenges of body, mind and spirit can be turned to opportunities of grace.
If anyone reading this is not Catholic or Orthodox, I would kindly advise them to discover the Book of Tobit. You can easily find it online by going to the Douay-Reims website: https://www.drbo.org/chapter/17001.htm.
ReplyDeleteI really don't understand what Martin Luther was thinking when he removed this beautiful chapter of the Bible's Old Testament. I personally find it to be one the most inspirational and motivating books of the Sacred Scriptures. It's not just a cool story about an angel that came to earth disguised as a human, but rather a well-written reminder of God's Mercy for those who love Him and persevere in their Faith. Angels are celestial beings so God can send them to do what He wills and He can send them as however He sees fit. I don't think it is unfathomable at all to assume that we have seen and spoken to angels in disguise at times in our lives.
Glorious Archangel, St. Raphael. Great prince of the Heavenly court.
You are illustrious for your gifts of wisdom and grace.
You are a guide of those who journey, by land, sea or air.
Consoler of the afflicted and refuge of sinners.
I beg of you, assist me in my needs as you once helped the young Tobias on his travels.
Because you are the Medicine of God, I humbly pray you to heal the many infirmities that afflict my soul and body.
I especially ask you the favor of [ASK YOUR INTENTION] and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Saint Raphael, pray for us.
And get an old Bible...the book is bowdlerized in some new ones.
ReplyDelete"He cured Tobit of his blindness, but only after a long trial for the dear old man."
ReplyDelete"I really don't understand what Martin Luther was thinking when he removed this beautiful chapter of the Bible's Old Testament."
The first two chapters are all the works Tobias did from his youth to please God. Luther teaches that God does not render according to our works (MATT 16:27). After all these works including burying the dead, the Lord permitted the trial of blindness to happen to him "that an example might be given to posterity of his patience, as also of holy Job. For whereas he had always feared God from his infancy, and kept his commandments, he repined not against God because the evil of blindness had befallen him but continued immovable in the fear of God, giving thanks to God all the days of his life." Tobias 2:12-14
After Tobias wife turns against him, he prays to God w/tears asking forgiveness for his sins and those of his parents and asks to die (Luther didn't believe in prayin'for the dead) (3:1-4). At the same time Sara (think of Abraham's wife) is accused of murdering her 7 husbands by her maid who also expresses the hope she may never have children. Sara retires to an upper chamber and beseeches God fasting and "in prayer with tears" three days and nights to deliver her from this reproach.
Similar to Jesus after 40 days of fasting and being tormented by the devil and at the agony in the garden and also the prayer of Daniel, God sends angels to minister to them.
A Dunn had curious words to say: "We should all be striving to be saints" (you can't get into heaven w/out being a saint like the song says: when the saints go marching in). Only reason Catholics wouldn't be striving for that is they are lost in the N.O. where all are saints because they "believe" like Martin Luther taught. "Sts. Augustine, Mary Magdalene and Francis of Assisi were sinful lay people like us who turned themselves around" (we can do nothing w/out God). I never heard FoA was a "great sinner" like A & MM are reputed to be. He converted at 23 and founded perhaps the most well known religious order of the Catholic Church. Augustine converted at 31 and was in the process 2-3 years before that. He also founded a religious order, was a priest and bishop. M Voris was in the seminary 1987-88 from the gap in his wiki bio when he was 26-27, but was dismissed/left and proceeded to live a life of sexual degradation until 2003-4 when he was 43, had AIDS, had made a porn film and civilly married a member of the same sex. Now in Opus Dei that means you are a chosen victim soul to spread the gospel similar to the BVM requesting prayers for the conversion of Russia means that country has a special mission now that it has 'repented' (even though the abortion rate is sky high etc.), similar to the "priest" running the Acton Institute who used to perform sodomite marriages. Jesus said that those who cast out the impure spirit, but don't love God (humble themselves, weep for their sins, confess them like St. Augustine not thru EM Jones) end up occupied by that evil spirit plus seven more wicked (of course, Opus Dei and the N.O. don't distinguish between fallen angels and those faithful to God--hell is empty).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Voris