On this feast of the archangels, I simply want to share some
facts about our spiritual guardians.
Much of what I am about to share comes from our patron—St. Thomas
Aquinas—who was dubbed the Angelic Doctor
based on his writings about angels.
First,
angels are real. Aquinas made sense of the existence of
angels by looking to nature. He
saw a hierarchy of being and life, culminating with embodied spirits—us. He recognized that we share both in the
animal world and spiritual world.
Those creatures without rational capabilities remain only in the animal
world. Angels—pure
spirits—highlight the other end of the spectrum of life.
Second,
angels are not cute! Hallmark and
cartoons have emasculated angels as these adorable winged creatures that sit on
one’s shoulder. Yet Scripture
attests to something very different.
Almost without exception, every time Scripture records an angelic visit,
the person is terrified and often begins to fall down in worship. Angels are powerful—much more than we
are—and capable of protecting us from danger both spiritual and physical.
Third,
there are a multitude of angels.
We each have a guardian angel appointed to protect us in life. Yet despite this multiplicity, every
angel is more different than each other than I am to a dog! Since an angel has no body, their
categories of “species” is unique to each one!
The
archangels, one of the choirs of the angelic realm, were given great duties in
salvation history. Raphael, Michael
and Gabriel had special tasks given to them, and for this reason we ask for
their prayers today on their feast day.
These angels are three of many that really exist in power, in multitude
and in a unique relationship to God.
May they keep us safe and ever pray for us!
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