Novena to St. Raphael the Archangel: Nine Days with the Book of Tobit

Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, illustrious for thy gifts of wisdom and grace, guide of travelers by land and sea, consoler of the unfortunate, and refuge of sinners, I entreat thee to help me in all my needs and in all the trials of this life, as thou didst once assist the young Tobias in his journeying. And since thou art the “physician of God,” I humbly pray thee to heal my soul of its many infirmities and my body of the ills that afflict it, if it be for my greater good. I ask, especially, for angelic purity, that I may be made fit to be the living temple of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

At that time the prayers of them both were heard in the sight of the glory of the most high God:
And the holy angel of the Lord, Raphael was sent to heal them both, whose prayers at one time were rehearsed in the sight of the Lord.

Then Tobias going forth, found a beautiful young man, standing girded, and as it were ready to walk.
And not knowing that he was an angel of God, he saluted him, and said: From whence art thou, good young man?

And the angel said to him: I will conduct him thither, and bring him back to thee.
And Tobias said to him: I pray thee, tell me, of what family, or what tribe art thou?
And Raphael the angel answered: Dost thou seek the family of him thou hirest, or the hired servant himself to go with thy son?
But lest I should make thee uneasy, I am Azarias the son of the great Ananias.
And Tobias answered: Thou art of a great family. But I pray thee be not angry that I desired to know thy family.
And the angel said to him: I will lead thy son safe, and bring him to thee again safe.
And Tobias answering, said: May you have a good journey, and God be with you in your way, and his angel accompany you.
Then all things being ready, that were to be carried in their journey, Tobias bade his father and his mother farewell, and they set out both together.

And Tobias went forward, and the dog followed him, and he lodged the first night by the river of Tigris.
And he went out to wash his feet, and behold a monstrous fish came up to devour him.
And Tobias being afraid of him, cried out with a loud voice, saying: Sir, he cometh upon me.
And the angel said to him: Take him by the gill, and draw him to thee. And when he had done so, he drew him out upon the land, and he began to pant before his feet.
Then the angel said to him: Take out the entrails of the fish, and lay up his heart, and his gall, and his liver for thee: for these are necessary for useful medicines.
And when he had done so, he roasted the flesh thereof, and they took it with them in the way: the rest they salted as much as might serve them, till they came to Rages the city of the Medes.
Then Tobias asked the angel, and said to him: I beseech thee, brother Azarias, tell me what remedies are these things good for, which thou hast bid me keep of the fish?
And the angel, answering, said to him: If thou put a little piece of its heart upon coals, the smoke thereof driveth away all kind of devils, either from man or from woman, so that they come no more to them.
And the gall is good for anointing the eyes, in which there is a white speck, and they shall be cured.

Then Tobias exhorted the virgin, and said to her: Sara, arise, and let us pray to God today, and tomorrow, and the next day: because for these three nights we are joined to God: and when the third night is over, we will be in our own wedlock.
For we are the children of saints, and we must not be joined together like heathens that know not God.
So they both arose, and prayed earnestly both together that health might be given them,
And Tobias said: Lord God of our father, may the heavens and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains, and the rivers, and all thy creatures that are in them, bless thee.
Thou madest Adam of the slime of the earth, and gavest him Eve for a helper.
And now, Lord, thou knowest, that not for fleshly lust do I take my sister to wife, but only for the love of posterity, in which thy name may be blessed for ever and ever.
Sara also said: Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, and let us grow old both together in health.

And Raphael said to Tobias: As soon as thou shalt come into thy house, forthwith adore the Lord thy God: and giving thanks to him, go to thy father, and kiss him.
And immediately anoint his eyes with this gall of the fish, which thou carriest with thee. For be assured that his eyes shall be presently opened, and thy father shall see the light of heaven, and shall rejoice in the sight of thee.
Then the dog, which had been with them in the way, ran before, and coming as if he had brought the news, shewed his joy by his fawning and wagging his tail.
And his father that was blind, rising up, began to run stumbling with his feet: and giving a servant his hand, went to meet his son.
And receiving him kissed him, as did also his wife, and they began to weep for joy.
And when they had adored God, and given him thanks, they sat down together.
Then Tobias taking of the gall of the fish, anointed his father’s eyes.
And he stayed about half an hour: and a white skin began to come out of his eyes, like the skin of an egg.
And Tobias took hold of it, and drew it from his eyes, and immediately he recovered his sight.

Then he said to them secretly: Bless ye the God of heaven, give glory to him in the sight of all that live, because he hath shewn his mercy to you.
For it is good to hide the secret of a king: but honourable to reveal and confess the works of God.
Prayer is good with fasting and alms more than to lay up treasures of gold:
For alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting.

When thou didst pray with tears, and didst bury the dead, and didst leave thy dinner, and hide the dead by day in thy house, and bury them by night, I offered thy prayer to the Lord.
And because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee.
And now the Lord hath sent me to heal thee, and to deliver Sara thy son’s wife from the devil.
For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord.

And when they had heard these things, they were troubled, and being seized with fear they fell upon the ground on their face.
And the angel said to them: Peace be to you, fear not.
For when I was with you, I was there by the will of God: bless ye him, and sing praises to him.
I seemed indeed to eat and to drink with you: but I use an invisible meat and drink, which cannot be seen by men.
It is time therefore that I return to him that sent me: but bless ye God, and publish all his wonderful works.