IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, ONE GOD. AMEN. 

Commemorated the glorious the archangel Rufa’el (Raphael), the third of the vigilant, holy and heavenly archangel. 

​On this day, the Apostles asked the Lord Jesus Christ  on the Mount of Olive, saying”, ‘O our Lord and God, we beseech and entreat Thee to tell us about the glory of the honourable angel Rufa’el (Raphael), and what day Thou didst appoint him, and in what month, and whether he is the equal of his fellow archangels, so that we may preach him in the world, and that men may celebrate a festival in his honour as they celebrate festivals in honour of his fellow archangels, and that men may pray to him in the time of their sorrow and tribulation, so that they may find grace and compassion with Thee, and his intercession.’  

​Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded “the three archangels, came from the third heaven, Michael, and Gabriel and Rufa’el (Raphael) with great joy, and they bowed down before our Lord Christ: and our Lord said unto the angel Rufa’el (Raphael), ‘Tell the Apostles thy name so that they may know thy great honor.’ 

He told them that his name is Rufa’el who makes the heart of man and woman rejoice, he is sincere, good and merciful to sinners. He opens the womb and helps during childbirth. He promised saying, “if any man shall do a good deed to another man, who is in tribulation upon earth, for my name’s sake, or shall write a book about my office, or shall remember any of the poor in my name, or shall offer up an offering or incense on the day of my commemoration, which is the third day of Paguemen, whereon God appointed me, and crowned me with the office of the angels, I will bear them and transport them on the chariot of light, until they enter the heavenly Jerusalem”.  

Rufa’el (Raphael) said, “I send angels with the souls of sinners, and I treat them with long-suffering until at length they repent of their sins, and forsake their transgressions” 

I am Rufa’el (Raphael) whom God set over the twenty-three hosts of angels, [and] we praise God the Father, and His compassionate Son, and the Holy Spirit the Comforter. 

I am Rufa’el (Raphael) whom God commanded to give good things to the saints at the Marriage of One Thousand Years in Mount Zion, when our Lord Jesus Christ made them to drink out of the cup, which is filled with honor indeed, as they reclined with Him when He sat on the holy throne. 

I am Rufa’el (Raphael) whom God commanded to take up branches of the Tree of Life in my hand, and to give them to Christians on that day [of] life and joy. 

​The Holy Angel Rufa’el is one of the nine Arc-angel. He is in charge of the Second Tribe called the Mänabərt − መናብርት (Thrones); in the second Angelic World called RAMA. 

​Story of Arc-angel Rufa’el, Tobit, Tobias and Sara -The Book of Tobit tells the story of a charitable man Tobit and his son Tobias who lived in exile during Assyrian conquest. Tobit was a faithful and God-fearing man while all the tribe of Israel forgot God and started to sacrifice to the calf Baal.Through the extraordinarily difficult times, Tobit became blind. In response to Tobit intense prayer, the Arc-angel Rufa’el was sent [from Gd]to deal with both problems—to heal Tobit and to ensure that his son Tobias will succeed in marrying Sarah, who lived In Ecbatana in Media, a long distance away. Sara was the daughter of Raguel,  who had suffered the loss of seven husbands just before the marriage night; and she was mocked even by the servants, for all of this was regarded as a Divine judgment against her. Arc-Angel Rafa’el, disguised as a human, guided Tobias to the house of Raguel.  When the Angel and Tobias reached the house Tobias asked for the hand of Sara. Raguel didn’t hid the danger of marrying his daughter and told Tobias, saying, 

​“I have given my daughter to seven men of our kinsmen, and when each came to her he died in the night. But for the present, my child, eat and drink, and the LORD will act on behalf of you both.” But Tobias said, “I will eat nothing here unless you make a binding agreement with me.” [ Tobit 7:11]​

However, Arc-angel Raphael already told Tobias in what manner he should pray to defeat the evil spirit within Sara, saying, “And when you approach her,” Angel Rufa’el told Tobias, “rise up, both of you, and cry out to the merciful God, and he will save you and have mercy on you” (6:17). God listen their prayer and they lived in righteousness and happiness thereafter. 

​We know from the story of Sara and Tobias [in the book of Tobit] that God commissioned the angel Rafa’el to heal Tobit and his daughter-in-law Sarah. God takes care of us and sends us His angels to protect us, to lead us, to heal us and to guide us: The Angels “who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord” are always with us. The story of Sara and Tobit are the perfect example of how we are carefully watched and cared for by angels. Please read the Book of Tobit. 

https://www.coptics.info/Bible_Study/Bible/The%20Book%20of%20Tobias.pdf

Finally the Angel Rufa’el told the Apostles “to preach his name and his work unto all men in all the world that they must celebrate his commemoration, and he will make intercession with God on their behalf, and  He will deliver them from their tribulation, and they shall never see punishment.” 

O! Rufa’el, you descend from heaven to raise the prayers of righteous and martyrs. O! Rufa’el, you are the strength for the weak, I plead and ask you to raise my prayer in the name of God Son through intersession of the Mother of God, St. Mary. 

​O! Rufa’el, receive my prayer of thanksgiving offer within my [weak] ability, O! Rufa’el, You are without feeling of being jealous or envy; you make the poor [sinner], rich [in righteousness], endow the good gift of the THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD to your servant. 

O! God of the Holy Angel Rufa’el, hid me from physical and spiritual suffering [tribulation]. For Thine is the kingdom, and the Power and the glory, forever amen. 

Deacon Medhanie Haile

God Bless 

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