Saint Gabriel the Archangel

The Story of Archangel Gabriel

Along with Saint Michael and Saint Raphael, Saint Gabriel is an archangel recognized by the Catholic Church. These three angels are especially personified in the Bible, which tells their story. In addition to these famous archangels, the Bible includes four others that are named in the apocryphal gospels. Gabriel belongs to the highest hierarchies of the heavenly spirits, his name means "Force of God" and throughout Sacred Scripture he has a messenger role. In the Old Testament, the archangel manifests himself to the prophet Daniel: "while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight", he announces to him the precise time of the coming of the Messiah (Daniel 9:21).

The archangel Gabriel is the messenger of God, charged with the missions concerning the salvation of men by the Incarnation of the Word, for which reason he is called the angel of the incarnation. In the gospel, Gabriel is first sent to the priest Zechariah, in the heart of the temple of Jerusalem, to announce to him that his prayers have been heard (Luke1:5-25). He would soon have a boy, whom he would name John, and who will be filled with the Holy Spirit (the future Saint John the Baptist). Zechariah, speechless and seized by doubt, was further told by the angel: “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.”

Six months later, the archangel was sent by God to Nazareth to a young virgin called Mary, who by her faith, would redeem Zechariah's lack of faith. Gabriel is the angel of the Annunciation. He announced to the Virgin Mary that she was chosen to be the mother of the Savior (Luke 1:26-38). The angel greets her with these words: “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Then, he added: “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” To the astonishment of the Blessed Virgin, the angel adds: “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Finally, the angel announced to Mary the pregnancy of her cousin Elisabeth. The exchange ended with the words of the Virgin Mary: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Finally, while in Bethlehem just after the Messiah was born, an angel appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of the Savior. He was accompanied by a myriad of angels, but it was up to him to speak. Many doctors and theologians see in this angel Gabriel, the archangel of the Good News.

Rosary of Saint Gabriel Archangel

The Eastern Churches celebrate the synaxis of Archangel Gabriel, “the servant of the ineffable, supernatural and divine mystery of the Incarnation of Christ.” In the West, Pope Benedict XV extended the feast of Saint Gabriel to the universal Church. Today the feast of the three archangels Michael, Raphael and Gabriel is celebrated on September 29. This very important feast in the Church is prepared by a novena. Gabriel is the patron of telecommunications and transmitters.

Prayer to Saint Gabriel the Archangel

Saint Gabriel the archangel is prayed to in order to understand the expectations God has for us. Various prayers exist to obtain his intercession, such as the rosary of Saint Gabriel, the litanies of Saint Gabriel or the consecration to the archangel Gabriel. Here are several invocations to pray to the archangel messenger of God:

Saint Gabriel, angel of the Incarnation

Saint Gabriel the archangel, angel of the Incarnation, opens our ears to the sweet warnings and urgent appeals of the Lord. Always stand before us, we beseech thee, that we may understand the word of God well, that we may follow Him and obey Him, and that we may do what He wills of us. Help us to stay awake so that when He comes, the Lord will not find us asleep. Amen. Amen.

Saint Gabriel, Force of God

Saint Gabriel, you who are rightly called the power of God, since you have been chosen to proclaim to Mary the mystery in which the Almighty has deployed the power of His arm, let us know the treasures contained in the person of the Son of God, and be our protector before his holy Mother.

Saint Gabriel, Messenger of God

Holy Archangel Gabriel, messenger of God's mercy on behalf of lowly Man, you who greeted the Most Blessed Virgin with these words: “Mary full of grace” and who has received an answer of such humility, protector of souls, help us to become imitators of her humility and obedience.

With Hozana, pray to Archangel Raphael

There are many prayers to angels and archangels. Hozana offers various prayer communities to get to know the angels better and especially the three glorious archangels: Michael, Raphael and Gabriel.

• Novena to Saint Michael and to the nine choirs of the angels. For nine days, pray to the Archangel St. Michael, leader of the army of God and the nine choirs of the angels who compose it.
• For nine days, pray with the angels, discover who they are, how they look after us and how to maintain a relationship with them.
• Spend 9 days with your Guardian Angel to get closer to him with the novena to your Guardian Angel.