The Angels
(from Fr Giovanni)
On 29th September the Church celebrates the Archangels: St Michael, St Gabriel and St Raphael. And on 2nd October, the Church venerates the Guardian Angels. Our belief in Angels is an important building block in our Catholic faith.
Both the New and the Old Testaments speak about them. The acclamation Holy, Holy, Holy (Sanctus) which we repeat at every Mass, is the hymn the Angels and Seraphim sing unceasingly in the presence of God (Is 6:3). The Annunciation, one of the most important events in history, is the work of the Archangel Gabriel.
Our belief in the Angels and other spiritual beings is constantly challenged in the present day, when everything has to be observable, measurable and verified. And yet, precisely for this reason, our devotion to the Angels is important, because it is a constant reminder that creation is much more complex and varied than we may think. Angels are an antidote to our pride. We humans are the pinnacle of creation; we have been created in the image of God and are capable of thinking and loving. Angels, too, have an intellect and a will.
Angels are also a remedy against materialism; they are purely spiritual beings. Our belief in them reminds us there is more to creation than just the physical realm. And because Angels are spiritual beings without physical bodies, they remind us that our soul can indeed exist independently of our body; our soul is not a set of connections among neurons.
Finally, the Angels and Archangels are a sign of God’s care for us. He has been sending them to save us (Gabriel at the Annunciation), to guide us (Raphael in the Book of Tobit), to defend us against the Evil One (Michael) or simply to watch over us day by day (our Guardian Angels).
St Michael, the Archangel, defend us in the day of battle, be our safeguard against the wickedness and the snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray and do you, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen
O Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here ̶
ever this day/night be at my side
to light, to guard, to rule and guide. Amen