Feast of the Archangels St, St Raphael andSt Gabriel-Feast Day 29th September: Although there are 7 Archangels that stand before the throne of God only three of them are mentioned by name in the Catholic Bible. The Archangels are an order of angels within a hierarchy of angelic hosts along with our guardian angels, they interact with human beings and are regarded as Gods greatest messengers or Princes of Angels.St Michael whose name means » Who is Like God» is mentioned 3 times in the Book of Daniel and is seenas a strong protector of the Jewish nation.In the New Testament he leads God´s army against satanic forces and is known as the» Captain of the Heavenly Host.» Michael is also the angel who brings the souls of men to judgement before God. Saint Micahel is the guardian of the Vatican city andis usually portrayed carrying a sword over a postrate satan, he works in unison with the Virigin Mary to combat evil. Saint Raphael is the gentleangel his name means » God heals»,the biblical story of Enoch it is claimed that he healed the earth when it was defiled by the sins of the fallen angels. He appearsname only in the book of Tobit ,disguised as a human being named Azarius he travels alongside Tobit´s son Tobiah . He was sent to deliver Sarah Tobiah´s future wife from the demon Asmodeus and to heal Tobit´s blindness. Lastly Saint Gabriel, his name means » God is my strength», he is Gods chief herald or messenger. In the New Testament he appears to Zachariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist but most importantlyis present atAnnunciation where he announces to the Virgin Mary that she will conceive by the Holy Spirit and bear God´s Son the Saviour of the world.
Saint Therese of Lisieux «of the Child Jesus»-Feast Day October 1st. «The Little Flower», was born Marie, Francoise Therese Martin in 1873 in Alencon , Lisieuxin France in 1873. From a small child ,Therese had a strong wilful and emotional character and a deep affection for Jesus and the Virgin Mary. She came from a very devout Catholic family ,five of her sisters also became Carmelite. At the young age of 15 Therese herself joined the Carmelite convent at Lisieux where she remained until her death from tuberculosis in 1897 at the age of 24.was here that she composed her famous spiritual biography » The Journey of a Soul», in it she describes her famous «little way «,the essence of which was trusting in Gods mercy and love with a child like trust and trying to achieve holiness in a hidden way through the simplest and smallest things. Therese´s purity and beauty stemmed from her belief of her uttermost need for God and of the recognition of theofhuman soul ,she wasan individual»in spirit.»Before her death she announced , «I will spend my heaven doing good on earth». Many healing miracles have been attributed to hera single rose petal or a rose miracuoslyfallen from heaven can be a sign of her intercession. Therese was canonized in 1925 and declared a Doctor of the Church by John Paul II in 1997.
Feast of the Guardian Angels-October 2nd. The Feast is a Catholic festival celebrated annually, Pope Paul V was the first Pope in 1608 to authorise a feast day in honour of the angels. Catholics believe that each soul has an angel assigned to it, give it guidance from the moment of its birthits journey on earth. Our guardian angels will accompany us to heaven or purgatorywe leave this earth.Angels are none corporeal beings our guardian angels are the lowest in the rank of the hierarchy of angels but they aresinless pure beings of light who worship and adore God.The angles help us in various ways protecting us from demons and encouraging us to do good work . The angels cannot however affect the free will of humanitybut only the senses and the imagination, and through these, the intellect. Our angels will inter-cess for us here on earth. «Beside each believer stands an angel as a protector and shepherd leading him to life» «Angel of God my guardian dear, to whom God´s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide».
