Since today is the actual feast of the 3 Archangels, (and in the past it was called the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels) I thought I'd post something from Peter Kreeft about Angels in general.Angels--The Twelve Most Important Things to Know About Them
1. They really exist. Not just in our minds, or our myths, or our symbols, or our culture. They are as real as your dog, or your sister, or electricity.
2. They’re present, right here, right now, right next to you, reading these words with you.
3. They’re not cute, cuddly, comfortable, chummy, or “cool”. They are fearsome and formidable. They are huge. They are warriors.
4. They are the real “extra-terrestrials”, the real “Super-men”, the ultimate aliens. Their powers are far beyond those of all fictional creatures.
5. They are more brilliant minds than Einstein.
6. They can literally move the heavens and the earth if God permits them.
7. There are also evil angels, fallen angels, demons, or devils. These too are not myths. Demon possessions, and exorcisms, are real.
8. Angels are aware of you, even though you can’t usually see or hear them. But you can communicate with them. You can talk to them without even speaking.
9. You really do have your very own “guardian angel”. Everybody does.
10. Angels often come disguised. “Do not neglect hospitality, for some have entertained angels unawares”—that’s a warning from life’s oldest and best instruction manual.
11. We are on a protected part of a great battlefield between angels and devils, extending to eternity.
12. Angels are sentinels standing at the crossroads where life meets death. They work especially at moments of crisis, at the brink of disaster—for bodies, for souls, and for nations.
That is wonderful! Thanks for the great post. I read another blog in which it mentioned all the guardian angels who fill the church when we attend Mass. It gave such a beautiful mental picture.
ReplyDeleteIt is!
ReplyDeletei love reading this stuff about angels. Thanks Dymphna!! Whenever I say something stupid-....sometimes I will say "earth humor, guardian angels!" Like if I or someone says "That will be the death of you" or "I'm going crazy" or something that I DONT want to speak into existance. It's just reminding myself that I should be more careful what I say becuase the angels are listening. In Corinthians, it says that women should cover their heads when they pray "because of the angels." NOT to argue the headcovering part of it but in general...hhmmm.... the angels are watching us and stuff we do or say is a witness to them...and can bind or loose them to aid us. Which is part of the validity of the sacrament of confession. That Jesus gave his apostles the power to bind and loose. "What you bind (loose) on earth will be bound (loosed) in the heavans." I wonder if anyone knows any more about that or what the Church or various saints have said about how our behavior or words or praying affects angels. Imagin what they think of the Mass....it must be awesome and puzzling to them. Think of the highest saint and the suffering they had to endure to become holy and to get in God's presence; and angels just have that holiness and Presence automatically and yet the Bible says they dont understand salvation. It's pretty amazing.
ReplyDeletewow, MK. You bring up a lot of stuff that I know nothing about! I don't know what the bible/Church teaching says about speaking something into existance because of the angels. Good point, tho. And I had no idea that they didn't understand salvation. Is there a quote you can reference for that?
ReplyDeleteCool post - I am linking to it on my blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Angela!
ReplyDeletemk~
ReplyDeleteYou do indeed ask many questions, but it was also said (somewhere, can't remember where) that the angels envy us as humans because we can recieve the Eucharist...and they cannot. Are you Catholic?
As far as the text, "whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven...etc.", refers to the powers given at what we now refer to as "ordination". This took place in context after Jesus gave Peter the keys to heaven and it references the sacrament of Confession...whatsoever the priests binds on earth shall be bound in heaven. It is a reference to the apostles, and those through succession, having the authority of the Lord. Jesus didn't set it up so that only Peter and the apostles would have authority, for he promised that the gates of Hell would not prevail...thus He clearly had a succession, a passing on of His authority, in mind, beginning with Peter and the Apostles.
As far as all the angels go...thank you for the imagery, thank you for the explanation. I've been talking to my Guardian Angel all day. I can't wait until I can "meet" hin "live", in person someday, by the grace of God.