On a Mission From God

  LOCAL NEWS   Sep 29, 2025   1   210  Add to Reading List
On a Mission From God

September 29th marks the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.  They originally had separate feasts, with St. Michael being celebrated on the 29th; hence, you will often hear the day called by the traditional title of Michaelmas, which has many popular customs and culinary traditions associated with it.



In a homily on this feast in 2007, Pope Benedict XVI - drawing on Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition - said of the Holy Archangels, “On the one hand, the Angel is a creature who stands before God, oriented to God with his whole being. All three names of the Archangels end with the word ‘El,’ which means ‘God.’” In fact, each of their names gives us insight into each Archangel’s mission from God in Scripture.

  • Michael (“Who is like God?”) shows up in the book of Daniel, the Epistle of Jude, and Revelation.  
  • Gabriel (“The Strength of God”) shows up in the Gospel of Luke.
  • Raphael (“Remedy/Medicine of God”) shows up in the book of Tobit.


Pope Benedict XVI goes on:

God is inscribed in their names, in their nature. Their true nature exists in his sight and for him. In this very way, the second aspect that characterizes Angels is also explained: they are God's messengers. They bring God to men, opening heaven and thus opening the earth. Precisely because they are with God, they can also be very close to man. Indeed, God is closer to each one of us than we ourselves are. The Angels speak to man of what constitutes his true being, of what in his life is so often concealed and buried. They bring him back to himself, touching him on God's behalf.

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