Within Reach of St. RaPhael

Readings for a Celebration for a Home from the Book of Occasional Services (p. 156)

• Genesis 18:1-8
• Psalm 112:1-7
• 3 John 1-6a, 11, 13 – 15
• Matthew 6:25 – 33

This reflection was shared at the Reach in Eureka CA on the Feast Day of St. Michael and All Angels, September 29, 2021.

The reading from the Hebrew Scriptures assigned for the Blessing of a Home in “The Book of Occasional Services” is a passage from Genesis 18 in which Abraham welcomes three mysterious visitors while he is sitting under the Trees of Mamre. After Abraham and his wife Sarah show them hospitality, the visitors reveal their identity as messengers of God sent to inform them of their future son, which is a preposterous idea considering Sarah’s age, so preposterous that Sarah laughs out loud. When this idea becomes a reality, Abraham and Sarah decide to name their son after laughter itself: Isaac, which means “the laughing one.”

These three visitors were divine messengers and the Greek word for messenger is angelos, which is where we get the word “angel.” On this feast day of St. Michael and All Angels (which also happens to be the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah), we’re invited to see these three visitors the way many of the Jewish sages have seen them, as the three great Archangels: St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael.

St. Michael the Archangel is the great champion of justice, the protector of God’s people (especially the Jewish people), and a healer of the sick. He’s often pictured slaying the dragon of sin, sickness, injustice, and death.

St. Gabriel the Archangel is the great communicator who brings insight and wisdom, who appeared to Zacharias and to Mary and announced the arrival of the Christ child. The Bible’s first reference to Gabriel is in the book of Daniel, where he interprets Daniel’s visions and offers him insight as Daniel struggles with sickness and exhaustion.

Both Michael and Gabriel are archangels who bring healing in their own particulary way, but the archangel who is most associated with healing is St. Raphael, whose name means “God heals”; and I believe St. Raphael would be a perfect patron saint for the Reach, this beautiful home that we are blessing today, which was created to promote healing and restoration. According to tradition, Raphael is the angel who stirred the healing waters at the Sheep pool in Jerusalem, described in John chapter 5. So, it is appropriate that we ask Raphael the Archangel to stir his healing power here on this sheep meadow in Eureka.

Just as Raphael and the other archangels appeared to Abraham when he was among the trees of Mamre, may we remain open to the presence of Raphael and all angels here among these trees, the Hermes Tree and this spectacular Tree of Forgiveness, among the birds and the lilies, symbols of God’s providence and care, as Christ taught.

May the loving hand of Raphael reach us all here, at the Reach. Amen.