24th - Archangel Raphael, Pope Francis

I have dawdled away another evening when I COULD BE...writing many very profound things.

I was reading a couple articles about the recent Extraordinary Synod on the Family, Pope Francis addressed the assembled Fathers, thanking them for their efforts and encouraging them to continue to journey. I found a couple new sites to read including Fr. John Zuhlsdorf and To Go Forth. Both had good articles and insights.




The below is an excerpt with my interpretation from the full text of his speech and comentary on Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam BLOG.  AND He used Fr. Z's BLOG Article on Pope Francis.

Istanbul Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I,  met with Pope Francis. I liked this photograph as a good reminder of how the papacy is in the limelight lately. 

POPE FRANCIS SAID IN HIS CLOSING ADDRESS TO THE SYNOD : " the duty of the Pope.... is that of reminding the faithful of  their duty to faithfully follow the Gospel of Christ; it is that of reminding the pastors that their first duty is to nourish the flock – to nourish the flock – that the Lord has entrusted to them, and to seek to welcome – with fatherly care and mercy, and without false fears – the lost sheep. 
I slipped [i.e. erred, or "slipped up"] here...I said "welcome." [pause] Go out and get them. 

[The phrase in bold was not present in the prepared text of his remarks. This extemporaneous statement, "Go out and get them" changes EVERYTHING.  Rather than instructing the pastors about who/what do we welcome and what should "welcoming" even look like, CHANGES to: 

go out and get the lost sheep, with fatherly care and mercy, without false fears.


 THAT is SOMETHING to THINK about.

***Saint***

St. Raphael the Archangel-------October 24

Standard Hebrew רָפָאֵל , Rāfāʾēl, 

"It is God who heals", "God Heals", "God, Please Heal"

Archangels are recognized in the New Testament (1 Thessalonians 4:15; Jude 9), but only Gabriel and Michael are mentioned by name. John 5:1-4 refers to the pool called Probatica, where 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”. Many think the angel of the Lord mentioned here is Raphael himself.

Raphael is mentioned by name in the Book of Tobit, included in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian bibles.

Raphael first appears disguised as the traveling companion of the younger Tobias, calling himself “Azarias the son of the great Ananias” During the journey his protective influence is shown in several ways, including binding a demon in the desert of Upper Egypt, and healing the elder Tobit of blindness. Raphael is shown in pictures with a large fish at times to remind people of how he healed Tobias. He uses the gallbladder to heal Tobit's eyes and then drives away the demon Asmodeus by burning the heart and liver of the fish.

 Finally, Azarias makes himself known as “the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord” Tobit12:15.

I found this site _ Angelology_ included many beautiful pictures and interesting anecdotes.