Every Tuesday, the Church's tradition of devotion turns our hearts toward the Holy Angels — and among them, St. Raphael the Archangel holds a particular place for anyone striving to grow in the virtue of chastity.
Most Catholics know Raphael as the patron of travelers and of physical healing; his very name means "God heals." Fewer recognize that Sacred Scripture also presents him as a guide for the interior journey toward purity of heart, and that the Church has, for centuries, drawn on his example when teaching about marriage, self-mastery, and spiritual warfare.
Who Is St. Raphael? A Brief Angelology
St. Raphael is one of only three angels named in Scripture, alongside St. Michael and St. Gabriel, and one of seven archangels referenced in Jewish and early Christian tradition who "stand before the glory of the Lord" (Tobit 12:15). The Catechism teaches that angels are "purely spiritual creatures" possessing intelligence and will, who serve God and assist His plan of salvation for mankind (CCC 328–332). Raphael's role in Tobit is a concrete instance of this: an angel sent at God’s command to accompany, protect, and instruct a human being at a decisive moment in his life.
The Church has traditionally assigned September 29 as the shared feast of Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael (Michaelmas), while devotions such as this Tuesday reflection draw on the older custom of dedicating each day of the week to a particular mystery of the faith.
The Biblical Foundation: The Book of Tobit
The Book of Tobit recounts how God sends the Archangel Raphael, in human disguise, to accompany young Tobias on a perilous journey. Tobias is traveling to marry Sarah, whose first seven husbands had each been killed by the demon Asmodeus before the marriage could be consummated (Tobit 3:8; 6:14).
This is not merely a dramatic plot device. The Church has long read the Book of Tobit as instructive for marriage precisely because it addresses, in narrative form, the spiritual reality that human love — including its bodily expression — takes place within a real battle between grace and disordered desire. The Roman Ritual's traditional nuptial blessing itself echoes Tobit's prayer, asking that the couple imitate "the holy union of Tobias and Sarah."
What Raphael Teaches About Chastity
Under Raphael's guidance, Tobias does not approach marriage as a purely natural or self-directed act. He is instructed to entrust the marriage to God through prayer before entering into the physical union with his bride (Tobit 8:4–9). Tobias and Sarah pray together, asking God's mercy and protection, and Scripture tells us the Lord heard them and delivered them from the demon's power.
This episode illustrates a principle central to the Church's teaching on chastity: that the virtue is not merely the absence of sin, but the successful integration of sexuality within the person and, consequently, "the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being" (CCC 2337). Tobias's marriage begins rightly ordered — grounded in faith, prayer, and self-mastery — rather than in appetite alone.
For this reason, the Church has long regarded St. Raphael as a fitting intercessor for the virtue of chastity: for the purity of the unmarried, for the fidelity of the married, for those bound by habitual sin against the Sixth Commandment, and for anyone seeking healing after wounds caused by lust.
Three Dimensions of the Struggle Raphael Addresses
Drawing on the Tobit narrative and the Church's broader moral theology, three distinct dimensions of the battle for purity emerge:
- Fear and discouragement. Tobias approaches his marriage aware of Sarah's tragic history and, understandably, afraid. Raphael's presence teaches that fear of past failure or past sin should never keep a person from pursuing a rightly ordered future; grace can transform even a history marked by loss.
- The demonic dimension of temptation. The Church has always taught that impurity is not merely a psychological or biological struggle but also has a spiritual dimension (CCC 2846–2849, on temptation generally; Ephesians 6:12). Raphael's binding of Asmodeus is a reminder that prayer and sacramental life are real weapons, not merely helpful habits.
- The call to integration, not repression. Raphael does not counsel Tobias to suppress or deny his humanity, but to order it rightly within marriage, through prayer and mutual reverence for his bride. This mirrors the Church's teaching that chastity is "the successful integration of sexuality within the person," not its denial (CCC 2337).
The Church's Teaching on Grace and Effort
The Catechism reminds us that chastity is a virtue — meaning it is cultivated over time through repeated acts, and it requires "an apprenticeship in self-mastery" sustained by grace (CCC 2339, 2342). This is not a burden meant to be carried alone. Christ offers the grace necessary through the sacraments, and the saints and angels intercede for us as members of the Body of Christ united in prayer.
The Catechism further notes that chastity has its own laws of growth, "which proceeds through stages marked by imperfection and, too often, by sin" (CCC 2343). This is a point worth dwelling on: the spiritual life, including growth in purity, is rarely linear. Setbacks do not disqualify a person from the pursuit of holiness; they are, in fact, the ordinary terrain on which the virtue is formed.
Concretely, the Church's ordinary means for growth in this virtue include:
- Frequent reception of the sacraments, particularly Confession and the Eucharist, which the Catechism describes as the source and summit of the Christian life
- Regular, persevering prayer, especially when temptation feels most acute, and especially prayer offered before moments of vulnerability rather than only after failure
- The intercession of the saints and angels, who "always behold the face of my Father" (Matthew 18:10) and who intercede for us before His throne
- Ongoing formation of conscience, understanding chastity not as repression but as freedom for authentic love
- Custody of the eyes and imagination, a traditional ascetic practice tied to the ninth commandment's teaching on interior purity (CCC 2528–2533)
- Honest accountability, whether through spiritual direction, a confessor, or trusted friends who can support the pursuit of virtue
A Simple Prayer of Entrustment to St. Raphael
Those seeking Raphael's intercession need not wait for a formal litany. A simple daily entrustment can be as brief as:
"St. Raphael, you guided Tobias safely to his marriage and guarded him from the enemy. Guide me now, guard my heart, and obtain for me the grace of purity, according to God's will."
Conclusion
If you are carrying the cross of temptation, disordered habit, or past wounds related to lust, the Church's teaching — and the witness of Tobias and Sarah — offers real hope. God's mercy exceeds every sin, and the grace available in the sacraments is sufficient for the struggle. Growth in this virtue, like every virtue, is gradual, sustained by grace, and never meant to be pursued in isolation.
St. Raphael's intercession is not superstition; it is participation in the Communion of Saints, in which those who behold God pray for those still on pilgrimage.
Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.
Continue this devotion with the Litany to St. Raphael.
