Читать книгу Angels of the Lord - Catherine Odell - Страница 6

Introduction

In Angels of the Lord: 365 Reflections on Our Heavenly Guardians you will discover many of the ways God has sent his glorious angels into our world. Every day for a year, you will find a Scripture passage, Church teaching, quote, or story about an angelic encounter. Also included in this book are readings that share the wonderful way that angels have inspired the world’s greatest writers, painters, sculptors, and musicians.

In recent years, many Christians have either forgotten about the reality and role of angels, or have reduced them to sweet and harmless imitations of human beings. In fact, angels are so much more! They are the greatest of God’s creatures. They are powerful heavenly beings who were made by God before he created the world. Their intelligence is second only to God’s, and each angel has a unique personality. Angels serve God in all things, and in doing so, they reflect the glory of God — light from Light. They adore, praise, and honor God completely and eternally.

The angels were made through and for Christ. They are his angels even as they are charged with the mission to assist, protect, and guide human beings and all of God’s creation. The word “angel” (Latin angelus; Greek aggelos) is from the Hebrew for “one going” or “one sent”; a messenger). “Angel” refers not to their nature, which is pure spirit, but to their ministry of being a messenger. The phrase “the angel of the Lord” was used as a way of describing how God sometimes came to people in human form.

One role of the angels is to be sent into our world with a message for mankind, and sometimes to individuals with a message for all of us. Though the angels in the Bible and the lives of the saints appear as human beings in order to communicate with us, angels do not have, and never had, bodies. A creature made of only will and intellect is hard for us to imagine. Yet angels have been depicted in art for thousands of years — sometimes as ethereal beings far beyond the reach of humans, sometimes as ordinary persons to emphasize their closeness to us. But angels are pure spirits — no bodies, no wings, no halos.

Throughout the Old Testament and New Testament, from Genesis to Revelation, there are two hundred and twenty-seven references to angels. Saint Gregory the Great (540–604) said, “Nearly every page of Scripture testifies to the fact that there are angels and archangels.” A pope, Scripture scholar, and one of the Doctors of the Church, Gregory would also point out that his belief in the angels didn’t come only from his studies and from the testimony of the Bible. You will learn about one of his personal experiences with angels in the reading for his feast day, September 3.

You will also read the stories of early martyrs who received courage and consolation from angels. These stories inspired other Christians to be steadfast in their faith. You will hear from the great Fathers and Doctors of the Church who shaped what the Church believes and teaches about angels. (By the way, Doctor of the Church is an official title given by the pope for the outstanding contribution a person has made to the Church in the understanding and/or development of Scripture, theology, and doctrine. There are presently thirty-five Doctors of the Church — four are women.) You will smile at the anecdotes about Saint (Padre) Pio of Pietrelcina (1887–1968), who saw and spoke to angels as old friends and received prayer requests from guardian angels on behalf of others. You will be amazed at the accounts of ordinary people who had encounters with angels.

You will also recognize throughout the weeks and months ahead that angels can inspire your reflections and prayers. Thinking about their constancy, their orientation to God above everything else, can impact the way you see your life and your journey to God. The Church assures us that angels definitely do exist and that every person has an angel guardian “to light and guard, to rule and guide” as the Guardian Angel Prayer says. “Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently in spirit; for, without being seen, they are present with you,” wrote Saint Francis de Sales, a seventeenth-century bishop.

On October 2, 2014, on the Feast of the Guardian Angels, Pope Francis reminded us that guardian angels are primarily concerned with helping us reach heaven, their home and our true home, where we will join them in eternally praising God. Warning us not to ignore the angels among us, Pope Francis said, “Guardian angels are not the stuff of fantasy. They are really present as wise travel companions. Nobody walks alone, and none of us can believe we are alone. All of us have an angel who watches over us and lets us hear — deep inside — wise words meant to help us make the right choices…. It’s the voice of your travel companion helping you to navigate life’s journey. Be confident that this advice will take you through to the end of your life.” The Lord said, “See, I am sending my angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. Be attentive to him” (Exodus 23:20–21).

May your year of encounters with Angels of the Lord be full of blessings and new knowledge of God’s amazing love.