St. Raphael is first mentioned in the Book of Tobit, where he appeared disguised in human form to Tobias, son of the blind man Tobit, and traveled with him from Nineveh to Media.
While
they were in Media, the Archangel told Tobias of Sarah, daughter of
Raguel. Sarah had been married seven previous times, but each time, on
the night of the wedding, her husband was abducted and slain by a demon.
St. Raphael convinced Tobias to present himself as a husband to Sarah,
who accepted him.
Sarah despaired that yet another of her husbands would be taken from her, and she prayed for her own death. Raphael banished the demon from her, and she and Tobias had a happy marriage. After the wedding feast, Tobias and Sarah return to Nineveh. There, Raphael cured Tobit’s blindness, revealed his true identity and returned to heaven.
Raphael's name means "God heals." This identity came about because of the biblical story which claims that he "healed" the earth when it was defiled by the sins of the fallen angels.
He is also the patron of the blind, happy meetings, nurses, physicians and of travelers.
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