ANGELS
Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, archangels
My dear encountered couples:
Is there life on other planets? Intelligent life? Though not proved without a shadow of a doubt as yet, intelligent beings on other planets is accepted by many people as a fact of reality. How about intelligent life in the world of the invisible? Intelligent beings that are not physical or material, but purely spiritual? The Church says, “Yes!” The Bible calls them “Angels”.
During his papacy, Pope Francis has affirmed the existence of guardian angels and has said that these are companions, guardians, and guides that the Lord sends us to help us on our journey of life. He says that they are gateways that open the way to God. The word “angel” comes from the Latin angelus and the Greek angelos both meaning literally “messenger.” An angel is therefore God’s messenger.
Today, we celebrate the feast of saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, who are not just called angels but archangels. Archangels are leaders among the angels who are entrusted by God with special duties. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael who are the three named archangels in scripture each has a particular mission: Michael protects, Gabriel announces, and Raphael guides.
They are archangels and spoken of in the Bible by name. They not only possess intelligence as we do, there is not a person on this planet or any planet in any galaxy who possesses intelligence as great as the angels God has created. If any of us ever gets overly puffed up about how smart we are, all we need to bring us back down to earth is to remember that there is an angel named Lucifer, whom we call the Devil, who far exceeds the most intelligent among us. Einstein was of kindergarten level compared to Lucifer, or even compared to the intelligence of the least of Lucifer’s helpers.
Angels have been getting a lot of press the last several years. Not only has television been touched by angles but also Wall Street. Much money has been made selling books and pictures and jewelry, even drinking glasses and tee shirts with angels on them. People of finance, whether they believe in intelligent life anywhere except in their own heads, never miss the opportunity to make a buck. We are not to use angels for selfish purposes. We are to be aware of them, appreciate them, praise God with them; we are to work with them to bring greater honor and glory to God.
Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, pray for us.
