Gospel in Art: Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel & Raphael

The Three Archangels with Tobias, by Francesco Botticini, 1470. Uffizi Museum, Florence

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 29 September 2026
John 1:47-51

At that time: Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him and said of him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!' Nathanael said to him, 'How do you know me?' Jesus answered him, 'Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.' Nathanael answered him, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!' Jesus answered him, 'Because I said to you, "I saw you under the fig tree", do you believe? You will see greater things than these.' And he said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.'

Reflection on the painting

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. The word 'archangel' comes from the Greek 'arch'-angelos, meaning a 'chief' or principal angel: rather like the way an 'arch'-bishop has a particular place of responsibility among bishops. These three angels are especially important because Scripture gives each of them a name, and each name tells us something about God. Michael means 'Who is like God?', Gabriel 'God is my strength', and Raphael 'God heals'. Their feast today therefore celebrates not simply three heavenly beings, but three different ways in which God comes close to his people: protecting, speaking and healing.

Francesco Botticini brings all three together in this magnificent Florentine painting of around 1485. On the left stands Michael, splendidly dressed in armour, ready to fight the powers of evil. On the right is Gabriel, carrying the white lily that recalls his appearance to the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation. And between these two great figures walks Raphael, gently holding the young Tobias by the hand. Their enormous, beautifully coloured wings make the scene almost otherworldly, yet their feet are firmly planted on the earth. Heaven is walking here on earth.

The central two figures (Raphael and Tobias) come from the wonderful story told in the Book of Tobit. Tobias is sent by his father on a difficult journey, and Raphael accompanies him, although Tobias does not initially realise that his travelling companion is an angel. Tobias carries the fish caught along the way. Its heart and liver will be used to drive the demon Asmodeus away from Sarah, whom Tobias will marry, while its gall will eventually restore the sight of his blind father Tobit. Raphael is therefore not simply an angel of healing. He is an angel of the journey: walking beside Tobias, protecting him and quietly leading him towards a future he cannot yet see.

There is a lovely historical detail behind the painting too. Botticini painted it for the chapel of the Confraternity of the Archangel Raphael in the church of Santo Spirito in Florence. The image of Tobias travelling under angelic protection had become particularly popular among Florentine merchant families, whose own sons often had to leave home and travel considerable distances to buy textile in for example Bruges or even further afield in the Far East. Parents could look at a painting such as this and recognise something of their own hopes and anxieties: May an angel walk beside my child when I cannot.

There is something particularly beautiful about the fact that the angels in Botticini's painting are not floating somewhere in the heavens. They are walking. It reminds me of a GK Chesterton quote who wrote that 'Art is born when the temporary touches the eternal.' There is something of that idea in today's painting. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are sent by God into very particular human situation, on an earthly road. The eternal enters the temporal.

Perhaps that is also something we can pray for today. Each of us has our own road to walk and our own particular task to accomplish. We may not always see where it is leading. Like Tobias, we may not even recognise all the help God is giving us along the way. Today we ask the three Archangels to accompany us, and pray to them.

LINKS

Christian Art: www.christian.art
Today's image: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-1-47-51-2026/