Do you believe that ghosts exists? Some people not only believe, but they would become quite superstitious and wear all sorts of amulets or charms, chant prayers, offer gifts such as fruits and food, avoid going near certain places like the graveyard at night, and do all sorts of other things, in the hope that the spirits would not disturb them. Such people are frightened that the ghost would bring them bad luck or disaster should they encounter one.
For some, ghosts are considered evil or wicked and should be avoided at all cost. But are all spirits evil? No. There are also good spirits which help us in one way or another, sometimes without even us realising that they are present. One such spirit are the angels or archangels, like Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, whose feast we celebrate today. The name Michael means "who is like God." In Scripture, it was St.
Michael who long ago led the battle against Satan (Rev. 12:7-9) and his
will is focused and driven toward accomplishing goodness: he is a
protector of souls, and wields his sword of righteous justice against
Satan. Gabriel means "God is my strength." In Scripture, He appears to
Zechariah (Lk 1:13) and Mother Mary (Lk 1:27-28). Gabriel brought us
God's message of strength in which we draw our hope: God Incarnate was
soon to enter history for love of man. Raphael means "God is my health."
Raphael is one of seven angels "who enter and serve before the Glory of
the Lord" (Tob 12:15). The meaning of Raphael's name reflects the fact
that he touched Tobit's eyes in order to heal them of blindness.
Though God cannot be seen, yet through these three archangels, He manifests His power and presence. Each angel is sent by God to be our help and our guide, since an angel cannot give instructions on its own accord, but deliver instructions from God to us. May we be docile and humble enough to listen to the angels and archangels, who are there to be our rule and our guide, so that with their help, we could grow closer with our loving Lord.
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