This week, we liturgically celebrate angels twice, the Feast of the Archangels on September 29 and the Memorial of the Guardian Angels on October 2.
Both the Old and the New Testaments are filled with angelic appearances, Heavenly visitors who serve as messengers, mediators, and extensions of God’s will, mercy, providence, power, and care.
Think of the angelic visitations to Abraham and Sarah, Jacob, Samson’s parents, Gideon, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the shepherds at Bethlehem, and St. Peter in prison.
These pure spirits, created by God, adore Him perpetually in Heaven and accomplish His purpose on Earth.
Angels signify to us the consoling truth that God is vigilant for our salvation and welfare, active in human events, and powerful in His redeeming action.
Knowing the angels
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that “St. Augustine teaches us that ‘angel’ is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is ‘spirit’; if you seek the name of their office, it is ‘angel’ . . . With their whole beings, the angels are servants and messengers of God . . . As purely spiritual creatures, angels have intelligence and will; they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness.” (CCC 329-2330)
The Archangel Raphael, mentioned in the Book of Tobit and the patron of our diocese, is a healing, compassionate, and protective agent in the lives of Tobit and his family, shielding them from danger and leading them on the right path.
The Archangel Gabriel is the supreme messenger who brings the astounding news of the Incarnation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as telling the birth of John the Baptist to his father Zechariah.
The drama and beauty of the Annunciation have captivated artists and poets down through the centuries, Gabriel facing Mary in her astonishment and wonder.
The Archangel Michael appears in the Book of Revelation, doing battle with Satan and his evil forces, driving them out of Heaven.
The St. Michael Prayer is a powerful supplication to this angelic warrior to defeat the power of the devil, sin, and evil.
The Catholic Church teaches that every person enjoys the protection and guidance of a personal guardian angel, whose purpose is to guard us from danger and sin, and to inspire and lead us to holiness and to Heaven.
The Scriptural source for this belief is Matthew 18: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my Heavenly Father.”
The Church encourages us to pray to our guardian angel, seeking the divine protection and guidance that they give.
The truth about angels
To a modern rationalist, angels seem fanciful and fictitious, another example showing that the Bible is more mythology than fact. Our faith teaches otherwise.
In the hierarchy of creation, the angels are pure spirits, reflecting the glory and light of God.
In the course of human events, they reveal God’s purpose, warn against danger, protect against harm, and do battle with the forces of death.
The existence of angels explains the reality of Satan and demons, the fallen angels whom God created as good, but who rebelled against Him, were driven out of Heaven by Michael, and remain in a perpetual state of evil resistance to the One who made them.
The evidence of the Scriptures and the experience of exorcists show that the devil is not just a mythical illusion of the human mind to explain away all the evil in the world.
Satan is an active, malevolent force who seeks to pull humanity away from the Lord and salvation.
He hates us because we are made in the image and likeness of God, and so works to pull us down to death and Hell.
We know the glorious outcome of this spiritual battle, which has continued throughout all human history and within every soul. Christ has won the victory for us through His death and Resurrection!
The presence, graces, and gifts which the angels offer us are supernatural remedies to help us on our stumbling path to the Kingdom of God.
For such holy protectors and such plentiful mercy, we offer praise and thanks to the Lord!