October 24th - St. Raphael the Archangel
Regarding devotion to the angels, something rarely spoken about today is
that
Heaven is a true court. When I was a boy and the egalitarian spirit was
less
pervasive in society, more was said about the Heavenly Court. Books of
piety,
religion teachers and people in general spoke much more about the Heavenly
Court.
The idea of a heavenly court is based on the idea that God stands before
the
Angels and Saints as a King before his court. Because of the similarity
that
exists between Heaven and creation, the earthly courts in many ways are
images
of the Heavenly Court. For example, following the monarchic protocol that
existed to make the work of the King easier, there were eminent nobles who
assisted the King when he received placets, that is, the requests of his
people.
First, each person would approach the King, be presented by a noble, and
speak
briefly with the King putting forth his request. Then, he would deliver a
scroll
with his formal request to the King, which would be passed to a high
dignitary
and placed on a table. In this way the King would hear many different
persons in
an audience. Their requests would be examined by a special council, which
would
give its opinion and ask the King for his final decision.
You can see that requests to the King, as well as his decisions, were
mediated
by many nobles. One would reach the King through the same steps that
served
to
distribute his decisions. In the court there is a hierarchy of functions,
dignities and mediations that allow an individual to approach the King, as
well
as for the King to reach the individual. This is the mechanism of the
court.
In the Heavenly Court, much the same thing happens. In absolute terms, God
Our
Lord does not need anyone. However, since He created a multitude of
diverse
beings, it is natural that He would give these creatures tasks according
to
their positions, dignities and missions. It is also natural that these
beings
would exert a special efficiency, brilliance and splendor to serve their
Creator.
Heaven needs, therefore, a life with hierarchy, diversification of
function,
protocol, and dignity of court. One of the consequences of this is that,
according to the order created by God, the angels should be the
intercessors
and
rulers of men.
The feast day of St. Raphael reminds us that he is an eminent intercessor
-
a
special patron of the sick and travelers - who brings our prayers to God.
He
is
one of the highest angelic spirits that assist God and, therefore, has
conditions to ask God for the graces we need.
This general consideration inspired by St. Raphael's mission shows us how
similar earthly realities are to heavenly realities. Insofar as we love
the
earthly realities that are similar to those of Heaven, we are preparing
ourselves for Heaven. Love of hierarchy, nobility, distinction and
elevation
prepare us for Heaven.
This preparation for Heaven is ever more necessary as we sink into a world
of
horror. Our exterior surroundings are increasingly monstrous, chaotic and
disorganized. In order not to fall into despair, the human soul needs to
see
something that is magnificent and well-organized. It is harmful to a man's
soul
to live in constant disarray, seeing things deteriorating and decaying.
Since
everything that is elevated and dignified is disappearing from the earth,
our
desire for Heaven should intensify in order not to lose the psychological
conditions to survive in this world.
Just to have an idea of the splendor of St. Raphael, we can consider that
a
saint, whom I think was Blessed Anna Maria Taigi but I am not sure, saw
her
Guardian Angel. When she saw him, she prostrated herself on the ground to
adore
him, thinking that he was God. The Angel then explained that he was just
her
Guardian Angel. From this we can have an idea of how the splendor of a
simple
Guardian Angel - who belongs to the lowest choir of Angels - is absolutely
superior to our human nature. Further, if this is the case regarding a
simple
Guardian Angel, we see that it is almost unimaginable for the human mind
to
grasp the full splendor of St. Raphael.
Is there a way for us to visualize the relation of St. Raphael with Our
Lady? We
know that it is difficult, but returning to the earthly realities that are
images of Heaven, we can picture how St. Louis of France, for example,
would
have dealt with his mother, Blanche of Castile. He was a tall man,
handsome,
magnificent, who both attracted and imposed respect. He was affable to his
friends and terrible before his enemies. He was the most grandiose and
decorous
king of his time. He was also a saint, and the aura of sanctity reflected
in
him. This grand man was a devoted son as well. If we imagine him speaking
with
Blanche of Castile, we picture in the scene a great distinction, elevation
and
sublimity.
This image provides us an analogy to understand the relation of St.
Raphael
with
Our Lady. St. Louis was a kind of angel in earth; St. Raphael is a kind of
St.
Louis in Heaven. The transposition gives us an idea of the joy that we
will
have
in Heaven contemplating St. Raphael.
Let us ask him to help us to reach Heaven in order to contemplate him. We
should
also ask him to help us maintain a constant consideration of the celestial
order
to give us consolation and the hope of Heaven and the Reign of Mary in the
increasingly sad days in which we live.
See Pictures at:
http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j199sd_Raphael_10-24.html
Saint Quote:
"Give me souls take away the rest"
-St. John Bosco (Founder, 1815-88) - "St. John Bosco: a man with a dream"
Bible Quotes:
"For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and suffer the
loss
of his soul?" (Mark 8:36 )
"I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore thou shalt
hear
the word from my mouth, and shalt tell it them from me. When I say to the
wicked: O wicked man, thou shalt surely die: if thou dost not speak to
warn
the
wicked man from his way: that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I
will
require his blood at thy hand." (Ezechiel 33:7-8)
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FAITHFUL AND TRUE
You look at your soul-
Lost it's sparkle and vim;
And you can't figure out
how old Satan got in.
You check your reserves-
Got to line up those graces
to rescue you fast from those dark, hidden places!
You ****ne up your armor
to fight once anew,
For our dear Holy Father
cast aside by the few.
Your eyes are on Heaven;
Your words are a prayer
to join the vast army
of the folks who still care.
We'll raise up a banner
called 'Faithful and True',
and show the whole world
what a true love can do!
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