Angels Week

“For He will give His angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways.” -Psalm 91:11

There are two feast days in the liturgical year honoring angels and both of them happen this week. Tuesday, we honor the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. These are the only angels named in the Bible. In Revelation, Michael (meaning “Who is like God?”) led God’s faithful angels in the battle to defeat Satan. He is a protector and patron saint of police officers. Gabriel (meaning “God is my strength”) appeared to Zechariah and Mary in Luke’s Gospel to announce the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. As the bearer of good news, Gabriel is the patron saint of broadcasters. Raphael (meaning “God heals”) is the first angel to be identified by name. In the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit, he journeys with Tobias to his wedding, ensuring his safety. Raphael is the patron saint of travelers. This feast of the Archangels is relatively new, only being added to the Roman calendar in 1970.

The second feast day honoring angels is Friday, the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. Tradition states that God has assigned an angel to every person. St. Benedict is credited with originating angelic devotion in the 6th century. In the 12th century, St. Bernard of Clairvaux believed angelic devotion to be an expression of faith in God’s enduring love and providential care for each person. His advocacy for this devotion led to the current form of angelic devotion. Pope Paul V added the feast to the Roman calendar in 1615, with Pope Clement X extending it to the universal Church shortly thereafter.

This week, be sure to ask St. Michael for protection, St. Gabriel to bring good tidings and St. Raphael to journey with you wherever you go. And each day be sure to pray:

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom God’s love commits me here,
Ever this day be at my side
To light and guard, to rule and guide.