The Archangel Raphael is known through the Book of Tobias in the Old Testament. He appeared in human form as a gracious young man called Azarias, to protect the younger Tobias on his journey from Ninive to a city of the Medes. In the process, he found a wife for Tobias, and later delivered her from an evil spirit; he also healed the elder Tobias of blindness. Raphael is “one of the seven who stand before the Lord” (Tob. 12:15). The day’s Collect speaks of him as a companion in journeys. The reading shows him as presenting our prayers to God. The Gospel is a reminder of Raphael’s healing powers, for his name means “God has healed.” See “An Exposition of Angels: All You Need To Know” for more information on angels.
The feast day of Raphael was included by Pope Benedict XV for the first time in the General Roman Calendar in 1921, for celebration on October 24. In honor of his feast day, pray the Litany to St. Raphael the Archangel and the Chaplet of St. Raphael. It is also an ideal day to pray for the souls of the sick and for the souls in Purgatory. A prayer for the former through the intercession of St. Raphael is as follows:
O Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great Prince of the Heavenly Court, illustrious for thy gifts of wisdom and grace, guide of those who journey by land or sea, consoler of the afflicted and refuge of sinners: assist me in all my needs and in all the suffering of this life, I beseech thee, as once thou didst help the young Tobias in his travels. And because thou art “the medicine of God,” I humbly pray thee to heal me of the many infirmities of my soul and of the ills which afflict my body if this be for my greater good. I especially ask of thee for an angelic purity, which may fit me to be the temple of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
As for food, since fish is part of the story of St. Raphael in the Scriptures, it would be a fitting dish for the day.
For more liturgical year customs, please see the book "Restoring Lost Customs of Christendom."
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