Today's Ornament of Grace for Sunday of the first week of Advent is the Archangel Raphael.
Matthew 24:37-44
Jesus said to his disciples: “The coming of the Son of Man will repeat what happened in Noah’s time. In the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and being married, right up to the day Noah entered the ark. They were totally unconcerned until the flood came and destroyed them. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man… Stay awake, therefore! You cannot know the day your Lord is coming.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is not asking us to go without sleep. Rather, He is warning us against sleepwalking through life, missing the very moments He is present with us in ordinary people or in our everyday routine. He reminds us to be aware of His presence when we face interruptions in our schedule or when this fragile life of ours is threatened by serious crises.
To begin our Advent journey and to ask for the healing which will help us keep alert to the actions of God in our lives during this time of expectation, we might turn to the Archangel Raphael, one of the Archangels revered along with Gabriel and Michael. The Old Testament’s Book of Tobit tells us much about the healing presence of St. Raphael and the importance of recognizing the face of God in our daily encounters.
Tobias was sent by his blind father, Tobit, to recover money he had lent to a man some distance from his home. Tobias obeyed his father and went to collect the debt. The Archangel Raphael appeared in the form of a young man to Tobias and offered to accompany him on his journey. Tobias recognized his companion’s goodness and, in so doing, found an unending source of help along the way.
Early on, Raphael rescued Tobias from a sea monster on the banks of the Tigris River. Shortly thereafter, he urged Tobias to go to a father whose only daughter brought death to all who married her because she was possessed by a demon; Raphael urged Tobias to ask for her hand in marriage. Sara, the daughter, had prayed unceasingly that whatever curse she suffered could be removed. When Tobias hesitated, Raphael said, “Heed me well… and thou shalt hear why the demon has power to hurt some and not others. The fiend has power over such as go about their mating with all thought of God shut out of their hearts and minds, wholly intent on their lust…”
So, trusting his good companion, Tobias married the once “dangerous” daughter. The couple prayed together, and the evil spirit fled. After that, as the young couple celebrated, Raphael went to collect the debt for Tobias’s father and returned to accompany the newlyweds home. Once there, Raphael restored sight to Tobias’s blind father.
As Tobias and his father thanked Raphael and wanted to share their money with him, Raphael said, “Prayer, fasting, and alms… here is better treasure to lay up than any store of gold… When thou, Tobias, were praying, I all the while, was offering that prayer to the Lord… Who am I? I am the Angel Raphael, and my place is among those seven who stand in the presence of the Lord… And the angel left them.
We all sometimes need to be healed from our blindness, so that we see the people – and maybe even the angels in disguise – who come to journey with us through life.
Observing the Beautiful Ornaments
What are some ways we can find healing from daily distractions that keep us from recognizing and trusting in the goodness of those around us?
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