On Monday, I will discuss on my blog a book called "Angels In My Hair" by an Irish mystic who claims that she talks to angels. She writes:
As you sit there reading this--whether you believe it or not--there is an angel by your side: it is your guardian angel, and it never leaves you. Each one of us have been given a gift, a shield made from the energy of light. It is a part of the guardian angel's task to put this shield around us. To God and the angels we are all equal; we all deserve to be protected, to be cared for, and to be loved, regardless of what others might think of us--good or bad. When I look at someone I can physically see this shield around them; it's as if it's alive.
Your guardian angel is the gatekeeper of your body and your soul. He was assigned to you before you were even conceived; as you grew in your mother's womb he was there with you at every moment, protecting you. Once you were born and as you grow up your guardian angel never leaves your side for an instant; he is with you when you sleep, when you are in the bathroom, all the time--you are never alone. Then, when you die, your guardian angel is there beside you, helping you to pass over. ...Human beings are much more than flesh and blood, and as you become aware of this and start to believe that you have a soul, your connection with the angels will blossom.
I was somewhat skeptical at first, but the author seems so authentic and humble. It's got me thinking a lot about angels, especially guardian angels, and whether or not we all have one. What do you think?
I'm sorry. I can hardly type I'm laughing so hard.
Yes, I actually do believe in guardian angels.
What was making me laugh was my daughter questioning how your angel is chosen. Her answer was "God picks someone just like you, so they will understand you." Oh My God! If my guardian angel is just like me, I'm screwed! I'm kind of counting on him (or her, as she reminds me), to be just a little more...stable?...organized?...consistent? You get the idea!
Michelle (hoping that my guardian angel has already earned his wings!)
I could probably answer better if I could remember the scriptures specifically related to the subject, but here goes;
Definition of an angel; our word comes from the Greek word "angelos", which means "messenger". For those who remember the TV show "Touched By An Angel", the climax of each episode is right on target. The angel announces, "I am an angel, sent by God." The message is the same; the message of God's love, and that His love is eminently practical to the situation at hand. Angels are therefore first and foremost God's messengers to this world.
There *is* a ministry of angels, Biblically speaking. Psalm 91:11-12 states "For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." This is the same passage that Satan used in Matthew 4 and Luke 4 to tempt Jesus to jump off the top of the Temple. Jesus didn't dispute the truth of that passage, only responding that it is also written that you shall not put the Lord Your God to a foolish test. The Bible is loaded with examples of times when angels ministered to His people in their times of need.
I don't recall any Biblical basis for believing that specific angels are assigned to individuals to accompany us on this earth. I'd be interested to know of any scriptures related to that idea. Personally, I don't think one angel would be enough for me; I need a whole MESS of 'em!
I'm sure that believing that one has an individual angel assigned to them is comforting to many and I don't know that it hurts to believe in such a way. I must admit, it is cute to see the antics of little Pasquale's angel in the comic "Rose is Rose" and to see him turn into a massive grey warrior angel when he has to go into protection mode.
There are a couple of concerns I DO have about such a belief. One has to do with the discernment of spirits. Paul wrote, "test all things; hold fast that which is good." He also warned the Christians in Corinth that Satan is able to masquerade as an angel of light. Since an angel is a messenger, and presumably a guardian angel has its own message, what is the message? If the message contradicts what we already know of God and His ways through the Bible, it is a false message. Do those claiming to have guardian angels and profess to be Christians check their message against the scriptures? I would only trust such beings as far as their message is valid.
I've lived that principle; during the days surrounding my son's death 8 years ago, I had a spiritual experience that is comparable to what I've heard of others having; it was like the normally opaque barrier between us and the larger world of the Spirit became translucent. And it did seem like I was getting messages from "the other side"; more as impressions than specific words. At one point, where I was crying my eyes out, I had a sense that my son was there, saying "It's OK, Dad." At first I didn't know what to make of the experience. I concluded that if what I was experiencing passed the "test all things" review and honored Christ (or at least didn't dishonor him), I'd receive it as a good thing. I don't regret doing that, and feel more confident that it was God's ministering angels at work because I tested the spirits as things went along.
The other concern I have (which is also a concern I have about the excessive veneration of Mary and the veneration of certain Christians who have gone before--"prayers to the saints" and such) is that it seems to detract from the very real and personal attention that God Himself pays to our world and each person in it. The idea seems to be that God is somewhat unapproachable (like a too-full-of-himself human father) and that we need lesser beings between us and God. God, unapproachable? God, unconcerned? Jesus said that God's concern for us is so intimate that the hairs on our heads are numbered. He said that a sparrow doesn't die without God being aware, and that we are of more concern to God than many sparrows. The Incarnation itself is further evidence of God's intimate concern for each of us. God became one of us, walking the path we walk so that He could be our Great High Priest, understanding and supporting us when we stumble (cf. the last paragraphs of Hebrews 2 and 4, respectively). A personally assigned guardian angel is a good thing, I guess, though knowing that the eternal God who created all is personally interested in ME, a fellow mostly overlooked by other people living on a podunk planet on the edge of an insignificant galaxy is a much more awesome reality for me to live in.
In the Catechesis mentioned above, John Paul also affirms that "in the key moments [the angels] surround Christ and accompany him in the fulfilment of his salvific mission in regard to mankind". This is a logical consequence of the aforementioned text.
Angels, created by God according to the importance and necessity of each situation, therefore "accompany" and "surround" the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. In this way the mission is complete, embracing the whole Christ, Head and Body.
This dynamic refers not only to the Ecclesial Community as such, but also individual Church members. But as part of the historical and ecclesiological profile it must also be mentioned that angels journey together with the Church in her mission of salvation and at the same time travel side-by-side with her members; all human beings have their own guardian angel to guard, protect and enlighten them.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church proclaims that "from infancy to death human life is surrounded by their [angels'] watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God" (CCC, n. 336).
Such protection will benefit those who respond to the Holy Spirit's direction and for those who willingly collaborate. In her liturgy, the Church prays to the angels for herself and others, calling upon their protection and intercession: it is sufficient to follow the liturgy of the Mass to be convinced.
The same Church makes the special prayer to the guardian angel available to the faithful and to all who wish to recite it. As a result, praying it at least twice a day, morning and evening, should not be "an option". From www.ewtn.com
I personally believe in angels I can't say that I have seen an angel but I know I was protected by them .
There is so many books today on angels . We have to remember that Satan has a host of angels that fool people . They are the angels that disobeyed and where ejected from heaven .
In Ephesians 6:10-13 (JB) it is written :
Finally , grow strong in the Lord , with the strenght of his power ."Put God's armor on so as to be able to resist the devil's tactics .'For it is not against huMAN ENEMIES THAT We have to struggle , but against the sovereignties and the Powers ho originate the darkness in this world , the spiritual army of evil in the heavens. ....
Leave it to me to be the skeptic. Angelology is pretty much superfluous to my theology. God alone is sufficient.
Angels don't appear in Hebrew writings until AFTER the exile, I believe. They were pretty much pagan demigods or semi-divine creatures appropriated by the Hebrews at a point where God's transcendence was stressed to the degree that God felt to them absent. A belief in angels helped to fill the gap.
Also, there is so much New Age hype and horse stuff about angels that the whole thing just turns me off.
Besides, if there were such things, given the frequency of people who suffer tragically at the expense of others' stupidity, greed, and other vices, there must be a whole lot of guardian angels sleeping on the job. What are they guarding if they are not guarding against harm?
They are guardians, they don't force us to do what they want. They also don't necessarily prevent us from having to face the consequences of our own choices.
That would make sense. But, I wasn't talking about consequences of our own decisions and actions. I was clear in speaking of those who were innocent victims. I can comfortably go so far as to accept randomness and state my belief in terms of "Shit happens, and yet God is happening in the midst of it. Bad things happen to good people, to perfectly innocent people as well as to those whose actions have brought on bad consequences.
I am fine with the idea of angels as divine messengers. But they are not, in my opinion, supernatural beings. They are flesh-and-blood people--you and me--who embody God's love and grace in our relations and encounters with others.
Am I an angel? I'm sure I've been one at times for people who needed that unconditional acceptance and felt God's presence. And at times, I have been quite the opposite, in those circumstances when my own flaws got in the way and God wasn't visible in the encounter. Hopefully, in those cases, God found someone else to fill the bill when I failed.
I'm not trying to argue anyone out of their belief in angels. I'm not interested in debating the existence of angels, let alone how many can dance on the head of a pin. I am simply sharing where I'm coming from and explaining why. At the same time, I am supportive and accepting of someone else's belief in angels, seraphim, cherubim, or even unicorns. So, I hope no one takes offense or thinks I am trying to burst their theological bubbles. If so, I apologize. That's hardly my intent.
Bob, have you ever read the Book of Tobit . Raphael is an angel sent by God to protect Tobias on his journey . Maybe its not in your Bible ? It's in my Catholic Bible
Am I an angel? I'm sure I've been one at times for people who needed that unconditional acceptance and felt God's presence. And at times, I have been quite the opposite, in those circumstances when my own flaws got in the way and God wasn't visible in the encounter. Hopefully, in those cases, God found someone else to fill the bill when I failed.
I have seen you be an angel to many members, here. You don't need to question that. Many of us can vouch for you! :)
Therese, thanks. I try to be aware, but I know there are way too many lost opportunities due as much to my lack of awareness, both here and IRL.
Marie, Tobit and the other so-called 'apocryphal' books are found in Catholic Bibles and not typically in Protestant Bibles. However, you can buy so-called Protestant editions, such as the NRSV with the apocrypha. My Bible has it.
