Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for your gifts of wisdom and grace. You are a guide of those who journey by land or sea or air, consoler of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners.I beg you, assist me in all my needs and in all the sufferings of this life, as once you helped the young Tobias on his travels. Because you are the “medicine of God” I humbly pray you to heal the many infirmities of my soul and the ills that afflict my body. I especially ask of you the favor (here mention your special intention), and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Then Raphael called the two of them privately and said to them, “Bless God and acknowledge him in the presence of all the living for the good things he has done for you. Bless and sing praise to his name. With fitting honor declare to all people the deeds of God. Do not be slow to acknowledge him Tobit 12:6
Saint Raphael the patron of Marriages gives the newly married Tobias the most important advice a married couple could receive: “Bless God and give him thanks before all the living for the good things he has done for you, by blessing and extolling his name in song. Proclaim before all with due honor the deeds of God, and do not be slack in thanking him.”
Living out a vocation-- marriage, singlehood, or religious life--comes with its challenges. It is easy, at times, to lose sight of the blessings that have been given to you and focus solely on the difficulties that have to be faced. In our first year of marriage, my husband and I faced a lot of difficulties--moving far from family, looking for a job, struggling to conceive, not to mention the normal difficulties that come with learning to live in a new state of life. But there were also so many incredible blessings, and there were times we almost missed them.
My husband began leading us at the end of each day in the Daily Examen laid out by St Ignatius in his Spiritual Exercises. This Examen begins with looking over the day with gratitude and thanking God for the specific blessings of that day. As you look over your whole day, you realize the many blessings, both big and more often small, God poured out for you. Recognizing and thanking God in the privacy of your own home builds your awareness of His constant presence and love and this awareness gives you what you need to proclaim that love to others.
image by thesaintsproject.org
