POWERFUL NOVENA TO THE ARCHANGELS (SAINTS MICHAEL, GABRIEL, AND RAPHAEL): DAY 8

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN

V. O God, come to my aid +
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

OPENING PRAYER

“Bless the Lord all ye His angels: You that are mighty in strength, and execute His word, hearkening to the voice of His orders. Bless the Lord, o my soul, and let all that is within me bless His holy name.” (Psalm 102:20)

O God, who from among all your angels chose the Archangel Gabriel to announce the mystery of the Incarnation, mercifully grant that we who solemnly remember him on earth may feel the benefit of his patronage in heaven, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him. We humbly pray and do thou O Prince of the heavenly host. By the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.

O God, send the Archangel Raphael to our assistance. May he who stands forever praising you at your throne present our humble petitions to be blessed by you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Day 8 Instruction/Prayer: We see St. Raphael, ‘Medicine of God’, and as the Angel of Prosperity in Chapter 12 of the Book of Tobit. Tobiah and Tobit discuss what should be the wage given to Azariah (St. Raphael). Tobiah said, “It would not hurt me at all to give him half of all the wealth he brought back with me. He led me back safe and sound; he cured my wife; he cured you !”(verse 2) So they offered Azariah the said wages and St. Raphael responds (verse 15 & 17) “I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord. No need to fear, you are safe. Thank God now and forever.” May St. Raphael obtain the graces we need, both temporal and spiritual in accordance with the Will of God. Amen.

DAY 8 MEDITATION

(An exposition of the Angelic world, and how Archangel Michael became the Prince of the Heavenly Host) – Part 8

CONCLUSION: “A luta continua” (The struggle continues) for man

The struggle is now left for us humans to face. Just as some angels rejected God, and they were cast out, and those who proved their love for God were admitted into heaven; so also, some men would reject God by their freewill and be condemned at the last day, while others would prove their love for Him and be admitted into heaven at the end of time.

Dear friends in Christ, what the devil does is to drag many men as much as possible as he did to the one-third of the angels. This he is doing by his lies, deception, and falsehood today. He is busy communicating confusion into our hearts today that Jesus is not to be adored, that Jesus is not God; and already many are believing in him. Satan is the father of lies as Jesus says: “He was a murderer from the beginning; he was never grounded in the truth; there is no truth in him at all. When he lies he is speaking true of his nature, because he is a liar, and the father of lies.” (Jn. 8:44). He is also ‘the accuser’ (cf. Rev. 12:9). What he does is to pollute the divine ideas and confuse many. That is why St. Paul says that we “wrestle not against flesh and blood but principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). Here, Paul refers to a part of some of the choirs of angels deceived and dragged by satan during his rebellion; therefore, apart from having the good Principalities and Powers (Ephesians 1:18, 20-21; Colossians 1:16), we also have the evil ones as described by Paul. This kind of wrestle is not achieved by physical strength but by the spiritual grace that comes from God. That is why it becomes questionable when one tries to use his physical strength to confront satan or demons at deliverance.

Satan is still powerful and very intelligent, such that he is capable of destroying all of us (humans) but he is unable to because God does not will it. If any evil comes from satan, it is because God wills it and that God has seen it yielding a greater good; otherwise, He will not will it. The only power satan uses is his intelligence to deceive and seduce us to turn away from God. Let us all be mindful of him, stand up to him (resist him), strong in faith as Peter advises because he is like a roaring lion; he only roars and looks for someone to eat, but cannot do more than that (cf. 1Pet. 5:8). Let us not be afraid of satan, for “our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.” (Ps. 124:8).

Above all, the feast of the Archangels – Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael is carefully selected, dating from August 15 (the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary) to September 29 to give us a total of 40 days. This is so because it was originally used to honour St. Michael the archangel as the “Lent of St. Michael the Archangel” (Quaresma de São Miguel, Arcanjo, in Portuguese). The origin of this devotion is linked to the life of intense penance of St. Francis of Assisi. When he converted, he did public penances. One of the several special periods in which Francis was mortified was precisely the forty days before the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel. It was during this time that at the end of his life, he received the holy stigmata from God.

Referential Texts

• This exposition drew its inspiration from the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas reflected in his “Summa Theologica ” and also from the writings of St. Augustine.
• José Antonio Fortea. History of the world of angels (trad. Laura de Andrade). São Paulo: Palavra & Prece, 2012. (Original text in Portuguese)
• Catechism of the Catholic Church
• Sacred Scripture

TO BE CONTINUED…

Pause for a moment…

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

SHORT INVOCATIONS

God, the Father of Heaven, Creator of every spirit,
have mercy on us!

God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, on whom the angels desire to gaze,
have mercy on us!

God, the Holy Spirit, felicity of the blessed spirits,
have mercy on us!

Holy Trinity, one God, glory of the holy angels,
have mercy on us!

Holy Mary, Queen of the heavenly spirits,
pray for us!

Holy Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael,
pray for us!

St Michael, Prince of the celestial host,
pray for us!

St. Raphael, angel of health and curer of blindness,
pray for us!

St. Gabriel, who announced the Incarnation of the Word,
pray for us!

Faithful Ministers of Christ,
pray for us!

Solace of the faithful,
pray for us!

Protector of those who are devout to you,
pray for us!

Making joyful your devoted clients,
pray for us!

Consoler in necessities,
pray for us!

Christ Jesus, beatitude of the angels,
spare us!

Christ Jesus, glory of the heavenly spirits,
hear us!

Christ Jesus, splendor of the celestial armies,
have mercy on us!

CONCLUDING PRAYERS & CONSECRATION TO THE ARCHANGELS

St. Michael the Archangel, loyal champion of God and His people, I, today offer and consecrate myself to you, and place myself, my family, and all I possess under your most powerful protection, and I turn to you with confidence and seek your powerful intercession. For the love of God, Who made you so glorious in grace and power, and for the love of the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of the Angels, be pleased to hear my prayer. You know the value of my soul in the eyes of God. May no stain of evil ever disfigure its beauty. Help me to conquer the evil spirit who tempts me. I desire to imitate your loyalty to God and Holy Mother Church and your great love for God and people. And since you are God’s messenger for the care of his people, I entrust to you this special request: (Mention your request). St. Michael, since you are, by the Will of the Creator, the powerful intercessor of Christians, I have great confidence in your prayers. I earnestly trust that if it is God’s Holy Will, my petition will be granted. Pray for me, St. Michael, and also for those I love. Protect us in all dangers of body and soul. Help us in our daily needs. Through your powerful intercession, may we live a holy life, die a happy death, and reach heaven where we may praise and love God with you forever. Amen.

Holy Archangel Raphael, standing so close to the throne of God and offering Him our prayers, I, today offer and consecrate myself to you, and place myself, my family, and all I possess under your most powerful protection, and I turn to you with confidence and seek your powerful intercession. I venerate you as God’s special Friend and Messenger. I choose you as my Patron and wish to love and obey you as young Tobiah did. I consecrate to you my body and soul, all my work, and my whole life. I want you to be my Guide and Counselor in all the dangerous and difficult problems and decisions of my life. Remember, dearest, St. Raphael, that the grace of God preserved you with the good Angels in heaven when the proud ones were cast into hell. I entreat you, therefore, to help me in my struggle against the world, the spirit of impurity, and the devil. Defend me from all dangers and every occasion of sin. Direct me always in the way of peace, safety, and salvation. Offer my prayers to God as you offered those of Tobiah, so that through your intercession I may obtain the graces necessary for the salvation of my soul. I ask you to pray that God grant me this favor if it be His holy Will: (Mention your request). St. Raphael, help me to love and serve my God faithfully, to die in His grace, and finally to merit to join you in seeing and praising God forever in heaven. Amen.

St. Gabriel the Archangel, I venerate you as the “Angel of the Incarnation,” because God has specially appointed you to bear the messages concerning the God-Man to Daniel, Zechariah, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. I, today offer and consecrate myself to you, and place myself, my family, and all I possess under your most powerful protection, and I turn to you with confidence and seek your powerful intercession. I venerate you also as the “strength from God,” because you are the giver of God’s strength, consoler, and comforter chosen to strengthen God’s faithful and to teach them important truths. I ask for the grace of a special power of the will to strive for holiness of life. Steady my resolutions, renew my courage, comfort, and console me in the problems, trials, and sufferings of daily living, as you consoled our Savior in His agony and Mary in her sorrows and Joseph in his trials. I put my confidence in you. St. Gabriel, I ask you especially for this favor: (Mention your request). Through your earnest love for the Son of God-Made-Man and for His blessed Mother, I beg of you, intercede for me that my request may be granted if it be God’s holy Will.

Pray for us, St. Gabriel the Archangel. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray: Almighty and ever-living God, send to our assistance the Archangels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael. May all who stand before the Throne of Thy Majesty, offer unto You our thanksgiving, praises, and petitions, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and mercifully grant that we who honour your holy Archangels on earth may feel the benefit of their patronage in heaven. You live and reign forever. Amen.

Blessing+
Through the intercession of the Holy Archangels – Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, may the Lord bless + us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

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