Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Feast for Saint Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangel Dem
Listen for English
“Amen, amen, I dey tell una, una go see heaven open, and God angel dem dey go up and dey come down on the Pikin of Man.” John 1:51
Yes, angel dem dey truly exist. Dem get great power, glory, beauty and splendour for every way. Today, we dey honour three out of the plenty angel dem for Heaven: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
These angel dem na “archangel dem.” Archangel na the second rank of angel, just above the guardian angel dem. Altogether, nine ranks of heavenly beings dey wey we normally dey call angel dem, and according to tradition, all these nine ranks dey arranged inside three levels. According to tradition, na like this the whole arrangement of ranks be:
Highest Level: Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones.
Middle Level: Dominions, Virtues and Powers.
Lower Level: Principalities, Archangels and Angels (Guardian Angel Dem).
The ranks of these heavenly beings dey arranged according to their work and purpose. God create the highest among them, the Seraphim, only to surround His Throne, dey worship and adore Him without end. God create the lowest among them, the Guardian Angel dem, to care for human beings and deliver His messages. God create the Archangel dem, wey we dey honour today, to bring messages wey get very great importance to us and to carry out work wey get the highest importance for our lives.
People sabi Michael well as the archangel wey God give power to drive Lucifer comot from Heaven. According to tradition, people believe say Lucifer belong to the highest level of heavenly beings. So, as one archangel wey dey low for rank drive am comot, na serious humiliation for am.
People sabi Gabriel well as the archangel wey bring the message of the Incarnation to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
And Raphael, wey im name mean “God dey heal,” na one of the angel dem wey the Book of Tobit for the Old Testament talk about. The book talk say God send am to heal Tobit eyes.
Even though we no know plenty about these archangel dem, e dey important to believe say dem dey, honour dem and pray to dem. We dey pray to dem because we believe say God don give dem the mission to help us bring healing, fight evil and proclaim God Word. Their power dey come from God, but God don choose to use the archangel dem and all heavenly beings to carry out His plan and purpose.
Today, reflect on wetin you know about angel dem. You believe say dem dey? You dey honour dem? You dey depend on their powerful intercession and mediation for your life? God want use dem, so you suppose truly seek their help for your life.
Lord, thank You for the gift of the Archangel dem wey we dey honour today. Thank You for the powerful work wey dem dey do for our lives. Help us to depend on dem and love dem because of their service. Archangel dem, pray for us, heal us, teach us and protect us. Jesus, na You I trust.
Day Eight: Novena to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux – The Small Flower
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Feast for Today– Saint Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangel Dem
Picture: The Three Archangel Dem with Tobias, wey Francesco Botticini paint
_c.1471_Uffizi,_Florence.jpg){kind=link}