St. Sealtiel

St. Sealtiel's name means "Prayer of God" 

Patron of the Sacrament of Holy Orders

St Sealtiel carries an incenser, symbol of the prayers & offering of the Divine Sacifice of the Mass, only through the actions of the ordained.
"And another angel came and stood before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God. And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel." Apoc 8:3-4

Reflections

1) Do I take time to pray and reflect during some moments of the day?
2) Do I praise and thank God for every blessing in my life?
3) Do I pray with filial trust and confidence in God?
4) Do I make my life prayer of praise and thanksgiving?

Novena to the Archangels

O Pure and Holy Archangel St. Sealtiel, you bow before the Almighty Lord offering angelic salutations of praise and thanksgiving. Guide us in our prayer. Like you, we would like to unceasingly pray and worship God the right way. May our lives be like incense pleasing to God. While awaiting for the inevitable time of separation frmo this material world, may we praise the Holy Trinity in the spirit of true love and humility throughout the days of our life in eternity. Obtain for us these favors _________ and present to God the Father all these petitions through Jesus Christ our Lord together with the Holy Spirit forever and ever.
Amen.

Prayer for Priests:

Oh holy St. Sealtiel come to my aid with your legion of angels! Intercede to our Almighty and merciful God! Graciously attend to to my humble prayers; and make me, whom God has appointed to dispense the heavenly Mysteries through no merits of my own, but only through the infinite bounty of His Mercy, a worthy minister at His sacred altar; that what is set forth by my voice may be confirmed by His Holy Grace. Pray for me that our good Jesus may grant me the grace to be a priest after His own Sacred Heart! Amen

St. Uriel

Uriel, Gabriel, Michael and Raphael are
the four archangels mentioned most often in
Hebrew, Kabbalistic, Islamic, and Christian
traditions.   The name Uriel literally means
"Fire of God," "Flame of God," "Light of God,"
or even "Sun of God." 

 Some accounts place the Archangel Uriel at the head of the third order or company of angels.  Others identify Uriel as one of the Seven Spirits before the Throne.  Kabbalists assign Uriel to the middle pillar of the Tree of Life, and specifically to the sephirah Malkuth, the Kingdom.   Malkuth is often associated with the Shekinah, the Glory of God and the divine presence in the world.   Malkuth represents the lowest point of descent of the divine force, from which it ascends again to complete the cycle of manifestation and pralaya.  The penetration of divine force to the physical plane is of particular interest, at this time, because of the increasing intensity of seventh-ray energy in the world and growing emphasis on healing work.

 

The Archangel Uriel has been called "the Lord of powerful action" [Helena Roerich.  Heart.  Agni Yoga Society, 1932, 268].  Uriel personifies the Divine Fire that comes down from the Third Aspect of Deity--Universal Mind--penetrating each plane until It reaches the physical.  There, the Fire ignites the fusion in the center of the Sun, the fission at the center of the Earth, and the kundalini at the base of the spine.  It creates worlds, universes, and life--which then await the quickening impulse of the Second Aspect to evolve and grow.

The Book of Enoch describes Uriel as "one of the holy angels, who is over the world... the leader of them all."  Later we read in the same book: "Uriel showed to me, whom the Lord of glory hath set for ever over all the luminaries of the heaven... the sun, moon, and stars, all the ministering creatures which make their revolution in all the chariots of the heaven." 

In Paradise Lost, John Milton mentions "Th' Arch-Angel URIEL, one of the seav'n, Who in Gods presence, neerest to his Throne... Regent of the Sun."  In his oratorio, The Creation, composed in 1797, Franz Joseph Haydn has Uriel announce the words from Genesis: "And God saw the light, that it was good... And God said, Let there be light in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day from the night, and to give light upon the earth... He made the stars also."

Colin Wilson describes encounters between Uriel and the 16th century scholar, Dr. John Dee.  Dee's scrying assistant, Edward Kelley, saw a cherub in a crystal ball.   Dee identified the cherub from his Kabbalistic knowledge as "Uriel, the angel of light."  Later, in 1582, Dee had a vision of a child angel floating outside the window, holding a crystal egg.  Again he identified this with Uriel.  Wilson claims that the crystal egg is preserved in the British Museum. [Colin Wilson.  The Occult: A History.  Random House, 1971, pp. 273-4].  Whether Uriel appears as a child, a powerful man, or a woman of regal bearing, the archangel continues to command the imagination, reverence, and devotion of people around the world.

Uriel is often referred to as the Great Archangel of the Earth.  One contemporary account describes the archangel thus: "He (or she) is the keeper of the mysteries which are deep within the planet, underground and in the hidden depths of the living world."

The feast day of the Archangel Uriel is celebrated July 28.   Uriel's influence is believed to peak during the summer months.  According to Corinne Heline:  "The beautiful Uriel stands guardian over the activities of the summer.  The ripening of grain and the floodtide of blossom are under his guidance.   He also supervises the Nature Spirits, those fascinating little sprites who inhabit the elements of earth, air, fire and water, and who lend so much to the beautification of all nature.  The highest initiatory teachings belonging to the New Age... are under the direction of Uriel."  [Corinne Heline.  The Blessed Virgin Mary.  New Age Press, 1971, p. 110.]

 

Reflections

1) Do I love God above all persons and things?
2) How do I deal with God's commandments?
3) Do I treat others justly?
4) Do I help those who are victims of injustices?

 

Invocation to the Archangel Uriel

Glory to God and his deeds,
for everything is good and wonderful.
Holy Archangel Uriel,
protect and look after rivers,
their waters we drink,
life springs up from them;
make grass sprout for cattle,
make man yield bread out of the land,
wine to enliven his heart,
oil and food to give him force.

[This beautiful invocation was translated from the original Spanish by Pedro Pablo Parrado of Bogota, Colombia--to whom we are also indebted for letting us know about three of the pictures shown below.]

St. Raphael

The name of this archangel (Raphael = "God has healed") does not appear in the Hebrew Scriptures, and in the Septuagint only in the Book of Tobias. Here he first appears disguised in human form as the travelling companion of the younger Tobias, calling himself "Azarias the son of the great Ananias". The story of the adventurous journey during which the protective influence of the angel is shown in many ways including the binding "in the desert of upper Egypt" of the demon who had previously slain seven husbands of Sara, daughter of Raguel, is picturesquely related in Tobit 5-11, to which the reader is referred. After the return and the healing of the blindness of the elder Tobias, Azarias makes himself known as "the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord" (Tobit 12:15. Cf. Revelation 8:2). Of these seven "archangels" which appear in the angelology of post-Exilic Judaism, only three, Gabriel, Michael and Raphael, are mentioned in the canonical Scriptures. The others, according to the Book of Enoch (cf. xxi) are Uriel, Raguel, Sariel, and Jerahmeel, while from other apocryphal sources we get the variant names Izidkiel, Hanael, and Kepharel instead of the last three in the other list. 

Regarding the functions attributed to Raphael we have little more than his declaration to Tobias (Tobit 12) that when the latter was occupied in his works of mercy and charity, he (Raphael) offered his prayer to the Lord, that he was sent by the Lord to heal him of his blindness and to deliver Sara, his son's wife, from the devil. The Jewish category of the archangels is recognized in the New Testament (1 Thessalonians 4:15; Jude 9), but only Gabriel and Michael are mentioned by name. Many commentators, however, identify Raphael with the "angel of the Lord" mentioned in John 5. This conjecture is base both on the significance of the name and on the healing role attributed to Raphael in the Book of Tobias. The Church assigns the feast of St. Raphael to 24 October. The hymns of the Office recall the healing power of the archangel and his victory over the demon. The lessons of the first Nocturn and the Antiphons of the entire Office are taken from the Book of Tobias, and the lessons of the second and third Nocturns from the works of St. Augustine, viz. for the second Nocturn a sermon on Tobias (sermon I on the fifteenth Sunday), and for the third, a homily on the opening verse of John 5. The Epistle of the Mass is taken from the twelfth chapter of Tobias, and the Gospel from John 5:1-4, referring to the pool called Probatica, where the multitude of the infirm lay awaiting the moving of the water, for "an angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond; and the water was moved.And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under". Thus the conjecture of the commentators referred to above is confirmed by the official Liturgy of the Church.

 Reflections

1) Am I aware that my life here on earth is a pilgrimage to heaven?
2) During my journey, do I contemplate the past and prepare myself for tomorrow to meet my God?
3) Do I prefer to gain material riches than that of the upliftment of my soul in anticipation of the divine judgment of God?
4) Do I pray for others who are at present dying or sick aside from myself?

Prayer:

O Great Archangel, St. Raphael, you have been appointed by God to become our healer and to guide us in our earthly pilgrimage to our home in heaven. We beg you to assist us in all our undertakings and in all the trials and pains of this earthly life. We pray for constant good health both physically, mentally and spiritually. We beseech you to guide always our steps that we shall walk with confidence towards our journey, and enlighten us with our doubts generated by intellectual pride and wordly ambitions. St. Raphael, please present to God the following petitions _________  through Jesus Christ our Lord together with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

St. Gabriel

"Fortitudo Dei", one of the three archangels mentioned in the Bible. 

Only four appearances of Gabriel are recorded: In Daniel 8, he explains the vision of the horned ram as portending the destruction of the Persian Empire by the Macedonian Alexander the Great, after whose death the kingdom will be divided up among his generals, from one of whom will spring Antiochus Epiphanes. In chapter 9, after Daniel had prayed for Israel, we read that "the man Gabriel . . . . flying swiftly touched me" and he communicated to him the mysterious prophecy of the "seventy weeks" of years which should elapse before the coming of Christ. In chapter 10, it is not clear whether the angel is Gabriel or not, but at any rate we may apply to him the marvellous description in verses 5 and 6. In the New Testament he foretells to Zachary the birth of the Precursor, and to Mary that of the Saviour. 

Thus he is throughout the angel of the Incarnation and of Consolation, and so in Christian tradition Gabriel is ever the angel of mercy while Michael is rather the angel of judgment. At the same time, even in the Bible, Gabriel is, in accordance with his name, the angel of the Power of God, and it is worth while noting the frequency with which such words as "great", "might", "power", and "strength" occur in the passages referred to above. The Jews indeed seem to have dwelt particularly upon this feature in Gabriel's character, and he is regarded by them as the angel of judgment, while Michael is called the angel of mercy. Thus they attribute to Gabriel the destruction of Sodom and of the host of Sennacherib, though they also regard him as the angel who buried Moses, and as the man deputed to mark the figure Tau on the foreheads of the he elect (Ezekiel 4). In later Jewish literature the names of angels were considered to have a peculiar efficacy, and the British Museum possesses some magic bowls inscribed with Hebrew, Aramaic, and Syriac incantations in which the names of Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel occur. These bowls were found at Hillah, the site of Babylon, and constitute an interesting relic of the Jewish captivity. In apocryphal Christian literature the same names occur, cf. Enoch, ix, and the Apocalypse of the Blessed Virgin. 

As remarked above, Gabriel is mentioned only twice in the New Testament, but it is not unreasonable to suppose with Christian tradition that it is he who appeared to St. Joseph and to the shepherds, and also that it was he who "strengthened" Our Lord in the garden (cf. the Hymn for Lauds on 24 March). Gabriel is generally termed only an archangel, but the expression used by St. Raphael, "I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord" (Tobit 12:15) and St. Gabriel's own words, "I am Gabriel, who stand before God" (Luke 1:19), have led some to think that these angels must belong to the highest rank; but this is generally explained as referring to their rank as the highest of God's messengers, and not as placing them among the Seraphim and Cherubim (cf. St. Thomas, I.112.3; III.30.2 ad 4um). 

Reflections

1) How faithful am I in bringing God's message of love to the people as St. Gabriel brought faithfully and promptly the message of love incarnate to the Blessed Virgin Mary?
2) How attentive am I in listening to God's words and voice as He talks to me in my everyday life?
3) Am I following the footsteps of Jesus and am I ready to carry the cross that He has given me?
4) Do I project God's love to others by my exemplary life?
 
Prayer
St. Gabriel, Holy Archangel, you, who are known as the bearer of God's secrets meant especially for His chosen ones, we, God's children, are constantly keeping watch on God's message. Through your powerful intercession, may we receive God's words and messages so that together with Mary, our Blessed Mother, we may give glory and praise to Him. May we also radiate God's love to others by our exemplary deeds. O, St. Gabriel, obtain for us the grace and present to God the Father the following requests _________ through Jesus Christ our Lord together with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

St. Michael

 St. Michael, the Archangel - Feast day - September 29th The name Michael signifies "Who is like to God?" and was the warcry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven against satan and his followers. Holy Scripture describes St. Michael as "one of the chief princes," and leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over the powers of hell. He has been especially honored and invoked as patron and protector by the Church from the time of the Apostles.

Although he is always called "the Archangel," the Greek Fathers and many others place him over all the angels - as Prince of the Seraphim. St. Michael is the patron of grocers, mariners, paratroopers, police and sickness. 

St. Michael in Scriptures:

(Hebrew "Who is like God?").

St. Michael is one of the principal angels; Four times his name is recorded in Scripture:

 (1) Daniel 10:13 sqq., Gabriel says to Daniel, when he asks God to permit the Jews to return to Jerusalem: "The Angel [D.V. prince] of the kingdom of the Persians resisted me . . . and, behold Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me . . . and none is my helper in all these things, but Michael your prince."

(2) Daniel 12, the Angel speaking of the end of the world and the Antichrist says: "At that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people." 

 (3) In the Catholic Epistle of St. Jude: "When Michael the Archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses", etc. St. Jude alludes to an ancient Jewish tradition of a dispute between Michael and Satan over the body of Moses, an account of which is also found in the apocryphal book on the assumption of Moses (Origen, De Principiis III.2.2). St. Michael concealed the tomb of Moses; Satan, however, by disclosing it, tried to seduce the Jewish people to the sin of hero-worship. St. Michael also guards the body of Eve, according to the "Revelation of Moses" ("Apocryphal Gospels", etc., ed. A. Walker, Edinburgh, p. 647). 

 (4) Apocalypse 12:7, "And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon." St. John speaks of the great conflict at the end of time, which reflects also the battle in heaven at the beginning of time. According to the Fathers there is often question of St. Michael in Scripture where his name is not mentioned. They say he was the cherub who stood at the gate of paradise, "to keep the way of the tree of life" (Genesis 3:24), the angel through whom God published the Decalogue to his chosen people, the angel who stood in the way against Balaam (Numbers 22:22 sqq.), the angel who routed the army of Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:35). 

Following these Scriptural passages, Christian tradition gives to St. Michael four offices:
 

• To fight against Satan. 
• To rescue the souls of the faithful from the power of the enemy, especially at the hour of death.
• To be the champion of God's people, the Jews in the Old Law, the Christians in the New Testament; therefore he was the patron of the Church, and of the orders of knights during the Middle Ages.
• To call away from earth and bring men's souls to judgment ("signifer S. Michael repraesentet eas in lucam sanctam", Offert. Miss Defunct. "Constituit eum principem super animas suscipiendas", Antiph. off. Cf. The Shepherd of Hermas, Book III, Similitude 8, Chapter 3). 

Regarding his rank in the celestial hierarchy opinions vary; St. Basil (Hom. de angelis) and other Greek Fathers, also Salmeron, Bellarmine, etc., place St. Michael over all the angels; they say he is called "archangel" because he is the prince of the other angels; others (cf. P. Bonaventura, op. cit.) believe that he is the prince of the seraphim, the first of the nine angelic orders. But, according to St. Thomas (Summa Ia.113.3) he is the prince of the last and lowest choir, the angels. The Roman Liturgy seems to follow the Greek Fathers; it calls him "Princeps militiae coelestis quem honorificant angelorum cives". The hymn of the Mozarabic Breviary places St. Michael even above the Twenty-four Elders. The Greek Liturgy styles him Archistrategos, "highest general" (cf. Menaea, 8 Nov. and 6 Sept.). 

Reflections:

1) How strong is my faith in God?
2) Do I firmly believe that He constantly watches me in all my undertakings?
3) Do I reject sin and all the works, promises and influence of Satan?
4) Do I commit myself faithfully to Jesus Christ by serving and loving my neighbors?

Prayer:

O Mighty Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, St. Michael, we beg you to protect and defend us in ll struggles against the everyday temptations in this world. Help us to overcome all evils and strengthen us, that we may declare our faith in and loyalty to the Most High so that together with all the angels and saints in heaven we may glorify the Lord. St. Michael, please intercede for us together with the Blessed Virgin Mary, and obtain for us the following requests __________.

Present to God the Father all these petitions through Jesus Christ our Lord together with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

The Archangels

The only two angels named in the protestant Bible are Michael and Gabriel. The book of Jude mentions "the archangel Michael" (1:19), and that there is a fixed number of top ranking angels is clear according to Daniel, who wrote of “Michael, one of the chief [arch] princes [angels]" (Dan. 10:13). Now, compare the following verses:

Before (enopion) the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God (Rev 4:5).

 

I saw the seven angels who stand before (enopion) God, and to them were given seven trumpets (Rev 8:2). 

Michael and the other "chief princes" are indicated in Revelation 8:2, as "the seven angels who stand before God." With a similar terminology, 

Luke 1:19 states, "The angel answered, 'I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God.' " 

 These are apparently associated with "the seven spirits of God" who are "before the throne" (Rev. 4:5). Notice that both the seven spirits and the seven angels stand "before" God or his throne. The word before is "enopion" in Greek and means "in the face of:--before, in the presence (sight) of". That angels are also called "spirits" is clear in Hebrews 1:14, "Are not all angels ministering spirits?" Moreover, i n Revelation 5:6, the seven spirits are called the "seven horns" of the Lamb. This can be compared to the seven angels of chapter 8, for "to them were given seven trumpets" (Rev 8:2). Although horn instruments are different than brass trumpets, a pattern is indicated. That the seven trumpets connect to the seven Archangels can clearly be seen in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, "The Lord himself will come down from heaven with...the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God." The return of Jesus, which shall be announced with a trumpet, is likewise associated with the voice of the archangel. 

While there is only one Holy Spirit (cf. Jn. 16:13, 1Co. 12:11), the main symbol of Revelation is the seven branched Menorah Lampstand, symbolizing the seven attributes of the Holy Spirit (cf. Zech 4, Isa. 11, Rev. 4:5). From the stand, the seven Archangels branch off to each operate in a specific function corresponding to God's sevenfold charactor. In the book of Tobit, contained in the ancient Greek Septuagint (LXX) and Catholic canons of the Bible, the angel Raphael is named as one of these seven angels before God's throne:

I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels, which present the prayers of the saints, and which go in and out before the glory of the Holy One (Tobit 12:14-15).

Raphael is mentioned as one of the seven archangels who are "before the glory of the Holy One". Notice the word "before." This verifies what is indicated in Revelation 4:5 and 8:2, i.e., that the seven spirits are the seven angels BEFORE the throne. That angels can be associates with the Holy Spirit is indicated where Paul stated: “I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things" (1 Tim. 5:21). Instead of saying the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (cf. Matt. 28:19), Paul places the angels after Jesus. This very order is also repeated in Revelation 1:4-5, where the "seven spirits before his throne" are apparently interchangeable with the Holy Spirit. I believe this is because the one and the same Spirit branches out to reveal God's charactor through the seven archangels.

Now, many women lost in the New Age movement have worshiped angels, equating them right along with Buddha and pagan Hindu idols. Instead of doing this, these women ought to have taken their love of angels and went to India, like Mother Teresa, and helped to replace all Hindu idolatry with the beautiful actuality of the angels of heaven. But the Bible strictly forbids this saying:

Do not let anyone who delights in…the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions (Col. 2:18).

Many "new agers" are quick to go into great detail about angels, all the while, admitting they do not even believe in Jesus Christ. Thus, this caution can be seen clearly where after “the angel” spoke to John the Revelator, he wrote:

At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!” (Rev. 19:10).

As our fellow servants, they serve as some of the best examples of service to the Heavenly Father. Moreover, Jesus “became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs” (Heb. 1:4). Jesus, the King of angels, sends them forth as servants under his command.

Although the Bible indicates that these are archangels, they are by no means to be exalted. Rather, they are to be understood as different attributes of the Holy Spirit. We are to understand this mystery only as it enhances our understanding of the LORD God Almighty. It is true that the book of Revelation emphasizes what is "before the throne", but it is also written, "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it" (Rev. 20:11). The value of a mere menorah is to be found in its ability to, in many ways, represent our love that we are to have for who is on the throne of heaven and upon the throne of our hearts.