Archangel Raphael, the Patron Saint of Healing

Archangel Raphael.

Raphael is the angel associated with healing. In Hebrew, his name translates to “the medicine of God.” Catholics refer to Raphael as the patron saint of doctors, nurses and medical workers. Throughout Italy, health facilities are called Raphael Centers.

Raphael is one of four archangels. The others are Michael, Gabriel and Uriel. In the New Testament, Raphael is thought to be the unnamed angel stirring the healing pool at Bethesda. In the Babylonian Talmud, three angels appear to Abraham. God assigns each a specific mission. Michael is told to inform Sarah she’ll give birth to Isaac. Gabriel is told to destroy Sodom. Raphael’s charge is to heal and save human beings.

The Bible teaches that angels are real and can work on our behalf. (“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”) We are not to worship or pray directly to angels. We are to worship and pray only to God. (“Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”) Angels do God’s bidding. Their power comes from God who instructs the angels to intervene on our behalf.

Several years ago, I suffered from horrible allergies. My doctor could not discern the cause. Medicine was ineffective. I went on a wheat and dairy detox but the allergies continued. I prayed to God for guidance. I woke one morning with a word in my head. “Aubergine.” My wife reminded me this is the French word for eggplant. I booked an appointment with a kinesiologist who’d helped me with health issues in the past. She concluded I was allergic to nightshade vegetables and gave me a list of foods to avoid: tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and of course, eggplant.

According to the book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Connecting With Your Angels, this is how Raphael works. He provides hunches to guide you in your healing. He often works in riddles (as in “aubergine”). Maybe he’ll inform a dream with an obscure message. Raphael is a prankster. He might drop items into your shopping cart or knock a book off a shelf you’re meant to read. Perhaps he’ll “accidentally” cue you to a new way of thinking.

In 1928, the British bacteriologist Alexander Fleming returned from a vacation to his London lab. He noticed something unusual in a petri dish. New colonies of Staphylococcus had spread throughout the…