Scripture reveals the role of our guardian angels through the work of St. Raphael. Discover how your guardian angel defends and guides you in this excerpt!
Raphael the Archangel
By his own testimony, recorded in Sacred Scripture, Raphael is one of the seven spirits who always stand in the presence of God. From this fact, it is clear that his rank within the celestial hierarchy is a very exalted one indeed and that he is one of the very greatest of all the angels of paradise.
In the following discussion, we shall come to consider the many benefits which we each receive from our own particular guardian angel. For Raphael, by the offices of charity and protection which he exhibited to both Tobit and Tobias, is shown to be a model of the benefits which our own guardian angels confer upon each one of us. In his actions, he typifies and illustrates the role assigned to each particular guardian angel.
The name “Raphael” signifies “the medicine of God.” This appellation is most apt for this holy angel because of the spiritual and physical healing which his actions imparted to both Tobit and Tobias. It was by the divine medicine which Raphael administered that sight was restored to the afflicted Tobit and that Tobias was protected from the insidious assaults of a very wicked and murderous demon.
Please consider for a moment—what is it that your own guardian angel does for you, except for providing you with divine medicine?
The Three Stages of Life
So that you may understand this more clearly, reflect upon the three different states of human life. The first state of life is that which takes place in the womb of one’s mother from the moment of conception until the time of birth. The second state of life begins with the moment of birth and extends to earthly death, after which the particular judgment of the soul follows. The third state of human life is that which follows death. In each of these three states of life, you may reflect upon the benefits your guardian angel provides and find this to be congruent with the model shown in the actions of Saint Raphael.
The First
In regard to the first state of life, Scripture narrates that when Tobit planned on sending his son, Tobias, to a distant region, he was solicitous to obtain for him a faithful companion for his travels. And—lo!—before this good youth had set a single foot out of his homeland, an angel sent by God—that is Raphael—appeared to him in human form. He offered himself as a companion and guardian to the young Tobias and promised to act as his guide for the whole of his journey.
O my reader, how immense is the love shown by our Creator to you! For even before you went forth from your mother’s womb, before you encountered a single one of the perils of life and the snares of your foes, God had already given a command to one of his holy angels, one of the blessed spirits who eternally contemplate His divine face. This guardian angel, appointed to protect you, had already began this task before you were born. While still being nourished within your mother’s womb, and in a defenseless and vulnerable condition and subject to many possible perils, your guardian angel protected both you and your mother who carried you—and thus you were able to arrive safely and without impediment to the sacred grace of the baptismal font, and there to have your name inscribed amongst those of the children of God.
The Second
Turning now to the second state of human life—that is, after a person has come forth from the womb and entered the light of this earthly theater—Scripture tells us how the angel Raphael went forth with Tobias when he began his journey.
Raphael promises Tobias that he will be a faithful companion to him for the entire course of his travels and will lead him safely to his true destination. In the same way, from the very moment of your birth, you are accompanied by the angel—one of the citizens of the celestial city—appointed as your guardian by God. This angel receives you into his special protection and patronage and acts towards you as a teacher and guide. Indeed, in this life, we are all like small children, constantly needing someone to act as our tutor and guardian. It is our guardian angel who does this, leading us by the hand and supporting us, lest the sharp rock of sin should pierce our foot or some sudden hazard overtake us. Often this guardian angel will take us up in his hands and tenderly carry us so that we are borne through some danger or peril before we are even aware of its existence.
The Third
Coming to the third and final stage of existence of the human soul—that is, after it has left this mortal life and entered the world beyond—consider how the angel Raphael, after he had united Tobias with Sarah as his wife, ensured that Tobias became the heir of all the treasures of his father-in-law, Raguel. He also led Tobias, after the successful and profitable completion of his long pilgrimage, back to his own beloved homeland and his father’s house. There, he was received with immense joy, proportionate to the sorrow at his departure and all the danger he encountered during his wanderings.
Contemplate now the services of your own guardian angel in relation to these events. For this angel will lead you back to your heavenly homeland after the long and perilous pilgrimage of this life is complete. Enriched with a multitude of gifts and graces, you shall be taken to the celestial paradise of eternal rest, which is your soul’s true native land. You shall be led into the radiant splendor of the New Jerusalem! There, with outpourings of fervent joy and the exultation from the whole assembly of supernal spirits and blessed saints, your guardian angel shall happily present you. And there the hand of God Himself shall bestow upon you the golden crown of unfading glory and ineffable bliss, which has been prepared for you for all eternity. You will then have attained forever that splendid reward for which we all long and sigh throughout the trials and tribulations of this mortal life, as we mourn and weep here now as exiles in this earthly valley of tears.
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This article is taken from a chapter in Meditations on the Holy Angels by St. Aloysius Gonzaga which is available from TAN Books.
