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March 1

The Angel’s Violin

One night, Saint Francis of Assisi prayed that God would grant him a small taste of the joys of eternal life. Then an angel appeared holding a violin and bow. While Francis was still amazed at the sight, the angel placed the violin to his chin and drew the bow across the strings a single time. Francis heard a melody so sweet that it filled his soul with immeasurable joy, as if he no longer had a body, and could know no sorrow. Francis told the Brothers afterward that if the angel had drawn the bow back across the strings of the violin a second time, his soul would have left his body from uncontainable happiness.⁵⁸

Lord, fill me with a desire for the joys of eternal life. Let me find just a small taste of that joy in a peaceful moment, in a sweet musical note, in a new opportunity, in an ordinary day — in the gift and receipt of your grace.

March 2

Angels of Mercy

President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed that the Catholic Sisters who nursed the wounded soldiers during the Civil War (1861–1865) were Angels of Mercy. “Of all the forms of charity and benevolence seen in the crowded wards of the hospitals, those of some Catholic Sisters were among the most efficient.… As they went from cot to cot, distributing the medicines prescribed, or administering the cooling, strengthening draughts as directed, they were veritable angels of mercy. Their words were suited to every sufferer. One they encouraged, another they calmed and soothed … by their presence and their words!… How often has a soldier been refreshed, encouraged and assisted along the road to convalescence by the home memories with which these unpaid nurses filled his heart.”⁵⁹

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

(Matthew 5:7–9)

March 3

Saint Katharine Drexel (1858–1955)

Saints and Angels Work Together

Jan Judge believes that angels and saints are working together on our behalf. “Six years ago,” she wrote, “I developed a rare chronic disease. Not long after, I visited the National Shrine of Saint Katharine Drexel near Philadelphia. I prayed at Saint Katharine’s casket and then I went to fill out some prayer request forms. As I was writing, a distinguished black woman approached me and said she was sent there that day to find me. I immediately felt very nervous. We talked and she told me that I would never be rid of my illness unless I lost my anger. Together we prayed Psalm 102 (Prayer in Time of Distress) and Psalm 103 (Praise of Divine Goodness). We hugged and then she was gone. I was not cured, but I am at peace. I truly believe that she was an angel sent to me from Saint Katharine.”⁶⁰

Bless the Lord, all you angels,

mighty in strength, acting at his behest,

obedient to his command.

Bless the Lord, all you hosts,

his ministers who carry out his will.

Bless the Lord, all his creatures,

everywhere in his domain.

Bless the Lord, my soul!

(Psalm 103:20–22)

March 4

Like an Angel

On June 18, 2015, gang members in Guatemala City threw twelve-year-old Ángel Ariel Escalante Pérez off a bridge because he refused their order to murder a bus driver. Although the branches of the trees and the underbrush in the area cushioned Ángel’s fall, rescuers found him with two fractured legs. After fifteen days in intensive care, Ángel died at Saint John of God General Hospital. Ángel was in the sixth grade and liked drawing, music, and soccer. Angel’s courageous decision to stand up to gang pressure left his grieving family and friends convinced that his guardian angel took Ángel directly to heaven.⁶¹

You see or hear about bullying and gangs every day, but what can you do about it? You can be sure that your guardian angel would tell you to stand up to evil and injustice. There really is no other right choice, is there?

March 5

Angels Ministered to Jesus

In the sixth century, on the First Sunday of Lent, Pope Gregory the Great gave a sermon on the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Gregory said that we can recognize ourselves in this Gospel because Jesus was tempted as a man. After the devil left Jesus, angels ministered to him. In this we see the two natures of the One Person. “For it is a man the devil tempts; and the same Person is God to whom angels minister. We recognize then our own nature in Him; for unless the devil saw Him as man he would not have tempted Him. We venerate in Him His own divinity; for unless He was God of all, angels would not have come and ministered to Him.”⁶²

Temptation is a rallying place for angels. We can count on their help twenty-four hours a day. Morning, noon, and night. Weekends and holidays. Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil. Amen.

March 6

Do Angels Really Sing?

Do angels really sing? It seems they do in monasteries! One night, in the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Riquier in northern France, the abbot and a number of monks heard angels chanting harmoniously in their midst. They also reported that the entire sanctuary was filled with a sweet fragrance along with the celestial voices. Saint John Gualbert, founder of the Vallombrosan order of monks, was surrounded by angels who continuously sang songs of praise to God for three days before his death. And, for six months before he died, Saint Nicolas of Tolentino was blessed every night with the joyous sound of angels singing. This strengthened his desire for heaven and his anticipation of seeing God as the angels do.⁶³

In the liturgy of the Church it is always the whole cosmos which takes part in the worship of God. The angelic hymn is never absent from our earth-bound worship. Human existence is transcended in it and joins with the praise offered by the angels. We must also remember that one of the essential characteristics of a monk — in the original sense of the word — was his imitation of the existence of angels, and his practice of an “Angelic liturgy.” ⁶⁴

March 7

Saint Perpetua and Saint Felicitas (died 202)

Borne by Four Angels

Perpetua and Felicitas were young Christian mothers who gave their lives for their faith in Carthage, North Africa. During their imprisonment Perpetua kept a diary that provides an authentic record of their suffering and martyrdom. She wrote that one of their companions, Saturus, related a vision he had. “We were gone forth from the flesh,” he said, “and were borne by four angels into the east; and their hands touched us not. We floated upwards, as if ascending a gentle slope, until we saw boundless light; and I said, ‘Perpetua, this is what the Lord promised to us.’ Then even brighter angels appeared who cried out with admiration, ‘Here they are! Here they are!’ And the angels said to us, ‘Come, enter and greet your Lord.’”⁶⁵

When Perpetua was awaiting the gladiator’s sword, she said to her brother, “Stand fast in the faith and love one another; and do not be discouraged by our sufferings.” She would say the same to us today. Our faith and love and, yes, our sufferings will someday be met with the words, “Come, enter, and greet your Lord.”

March 8

Saint John of God (1495–1550)

Raphael to the Rescue

John was already past middle age when he dedicated his life to helping the destitute and defenseless people living on the streets of Granada, Spain. He was especially devoted to those suffering from mental illness. What John had lost in years he made up with immense passion. He set up a house where he tended the sick, and at night he went out to beg for money and medical supplies. It is said that the Archangel Raphael (the name means “God Heals”) visited him with advice and encouragement in this ministry. In time, he received human help as well. Twenty years after John’s death, his followers formed the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God. It is now a worldwide religious order. To this day, many of their facilities are called “Raphael Centers” in honor of the angel who aided their founder.

The Archangel’s message to John of God — and us — is this: “I am Raphael, sent by God to assist you in your works of charity. The Lord has given me custody of your person and along with you all who will serve the Lord.” ⁶⁶

March 9

Saint Frances of Rome (1384–1440)

The Angel Beckons Me

After the death of her young son, an archangel who became her guardian and spiritual guide accompanied Frances for twenty-four years. The angel was, she said, about the size of an eight-year-old child. The brilliant light that emanated from the angel guided Frances at all times, keeping her safe from hazards. It was so bright that Frances reported that she could never look directly at the angel’s face. Four years before her death, Frances received an even more beautiful and majestic angel companion. This one exerted great power over the evil around her and helped her to advance in virtue and holiness. Her last words were, “The angel has finished his task — he beckons me to follow him.”

“An angel can illume the thought and mind of man by strengthening the power of vision, and by bringing within his reach some truth that the angel himself contemplates.”

— Saint Thomas Aquinas

March 10

Angels of Martyrs

In 316, forty new Christians gave their lives for Christ. The martyrs were Roman soldiers in Sebaste, Armenia. Their conversion to Christianity had embarrassed Rome, and they were condemned to death. On a bitterly cold night, they were stripped naked and forced onto a frozen lake. Onshore, a tub of warm water was set up to entice them to change their minds. One soldier did weaken and hurried to the heated tub. A guard witnessing the agonies of the remaining soldiers then saw angels descending from the sky to bring them comfort and “crowns of martyrdom.” Instantly converted, he stripped off his own clothing and joined the thirty-nine.⁶⁷

Giving up one’s life for any reason takes courage. Angels must rush to strengthen those who give up their lives for the love of God or for the sake of others.

March 11

Converted through an Angel

The Acts of the Apostles portray Cornelius the Centurion as God-fearing and generous (Acts 10:1–33). Nonetheless, he was also a Roman soldier charged with keeping the peace in a conquered land — a difficult assignment. A courageous veteran of many battles, Cornelius was nevertheless terrified when an angel appeared one day. The heavenly visitor told Cornelius to send for Peter, who was in Joppa. Meanwhile, Peter also received a message from heaven. He was told to teach the Gentile Cornelius about Jesus. Cornelius and his family heard Peter’s testimony, received the Holy Spirit, and were baptized. According to tradition, Cornelius the Centurion later became a bishop of Caesarea.

When an angel visits, life is going to change. Romanian-born Jewish writer Elie Wiesel said, “Whenever an angel says ‘Be not afraid!’ you’d better start worrying. A big assignment is on the way.” ⁶⁸

March 12

Angels of Judgment

Angels do more than guide and protect human beings. Scripture reminds us that these heavenly creatures can be instruments of God’s judgment. In Genesis 19, two angels visited Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Lot was living in Sodom, a city that was already very displeasing to God. Upon seeing the young visitors, men from Sodom told Lot to hand them over. But Lot protected his guests, risking his own life. The Lord became angrier than ever with Sodom and Gomorrah and determined to destroy the cities. The angels warned Lot to take his family and escape from the coming devastation. After they left, sulfurous fire rained down upon the cities, killing the inhabitants and leaving the cities in ashes.

Angels will accompany Christ when he comes for the Last Judgment. “And he will send out his angels with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other” (Matthew 24:31).

March 13

Saint Michael on the Cathedral Wall

Religious art can draw us closer to God. It may do the same for the artists who create it. In 1957, renowned Jewish sculptor Jacob Epstein was at the end of his career. The American-born British sculptor was asked to depict Saint Michael the Archangel for Coventry Cathedral, which was almost destroyed by German bombing in World War II. By the time his breath-taking, nineteen-foot-high bronze sculpture of Saint Michael and the Devil was completed in 1960, the artist had died. Each year, transfixed visitors stop to view the cathedral’s imposing exterior piece. A triumphant Michael stands, massive wings gloriously outstretched, holding a spear, with Satan eternally bound and defeated at his feet.⁶⁹

The great Michelangelo knew that creating art was holy work. “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free,” he said.

March 14

Saved from a Tiger’s Teeth

In Billy Graham’s popular book Angels: God’s Secret Agents, he shared an angel story from his wife Ruth who was born in China to Christian missionaries. Ruth told about a peasant woman who was making her way one day through the foothills with her baby and toddler. Suddenly, she heard a terrifying growl as a snarling female tiger attacked her. “She had never seen a Bible,” Graham wrote. “But a year or two earlier, a missionary had told her about Jesus, ‘who is able to help you when you are in trouble.’” The woman shrieked as the tiger clawed her, but she also managed to shout “O Jesus, help me!” Instantly, the tiger ran. Jesus, she later insisted, had sent her help.⁷⁰

“If we had open, spiritual eyes, we would see not only a world filled with evil spirits and powers — but also powerful angels with drawn swords, set for our defense.”

— Billy Graham

March 15

Cities Named after Angels

Receiving someone’s name sends honor in both directions. The one being named is honored to receive the name of someone wonderful. The one who gives or shares a name is honored too. Something of the giver’s gifts and qualities may be reborn and live in another person. Catholic explorers who visited and later settled in different regions around the world often named communities after the angels. Los Angeles (The Angels), settled by Spanish settlers in California in 1781, was originally named for Our Lady of the Angels. Among the many other cities named for the angels are: Angeles City, Philippines, Bangkok, Thailand, Kiryat Malakhi, Israel, Torun, Poland, and Tilburg, the Netherlands.

Through the blessing of the upright, the city is exalted. (Proverbs 11:11)

Lord, please bless all the cities of the world with upright and loving people and protect them through your angels.

March 16

Angels Never Force Us

Many people fondly remember a teacher or coach who brought out the best in them — without pushing, pulling, threatening, or promising huge rewards. The best mentors let us act freely. They understand that real love means giving others real freedom. That’s the approach of our guardian angels. Theologians say that angels don’t know our secret thoughts but can suggest things to our imagination. Their influence on our minds and hearts is subtle and gentle. Sometimes, people are spontaneously inspired to act in a generous way or to say something that needs to be said. Did the idea come “out of nowhere?” A guardian angel may have pitched that great idea.

Thank you, God, for blessing me with such great freedom and for an angel you sent who inspires and guides me so gently, so respectfully.

March 17

Saint Patrick (387–461)

Patrick’s Angel Came in Dreams

Saint Patrick, born in Britain, was kidnapped and taken as a boy to Ireland. He worked for six lonely years as a slave, herding cattle and sheep. But, on Ireland’s windy hills, he also met God. According to his autobiography, Patrick escaped slavery through the assistance of his angel, whom he called “Victoricus.” In a dream, the angel told Patrick to walk to the coast where he was to board a ship. Years later, in another dream, Victoricus shared a message from the Irish. “We beg you, holy youth,” it said, “that you shall come and walk again among us.” Patrick responded. He became a priest and bishop and returned to bring Christ to Ireland.⁷¹

The Breastplate of Saint Patrick, a prayer of Ireland’s great patron saint, poetically lists many ways to ask for God’s protection. Patrick prayed, “May the angels of God guard us — against the snares of the evil ones, against the temptations of the world.” ⁷²

March 18

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 315–387)

The Angels’ Hymn of Praise

As the bishop of Jerusalem, Cyril prepared catechumens for Christian Initiation. When explaining the Eucharistic liturgy, he said, “We make mention of heaven, and earth, and sea; of sun and moon; of stars and all the creation, rational and irrational, visible and invisible; of Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Dominions, Principalities, Powers, Thrones; of the Cherubim with many faces. We make mention also of the Seraphim … standing around the throne of God, with two of their wings veiling their face, and with two their feet, while with two they did fly, crying Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts (Isaiah 6:2–3). Our reciting this confession of God … is so we may be partakers with the hosts of the world above in their hymn of praise.”⁷³

Lift up your spirit to praise the Lord of Hosts. With the great powers of God’s creation, pray: “As in the angels your will is done, O Lord, so likewise be it done on earth in me.”

March 19

Saint Joseph

Trusting an Angel

Joseph is mentioned four times in the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. Each time, Joseph either receives a message from the angel of the Lord in a dream, or carries out the angel’s instructions. Each time, the message is surprising — preposterous! The angel’s words turn his world upside down; they strain his faith to the very limit. Mary, his betrothed wife, is with child! Don’t divorce her — this is God’s plan! Herod is trying to kill the child! Flee to Egypt — tonight! Joseph, however, did not dismiss these crazy dreams. Each time, Joseph trusted the message of the angel, and he was not led astray.

When your angel is prompting you — repeatedly — to go, to do, to accept, to seek — listen! Listen in the quiet of a dream, in ten seconds of silence, in a prayer, in a sigh. Then trust! Trust that God’s will is accomplished through your response. Finally, obey. Do what your angel is telling you to do. Not as simple as it sounds. Not easy. But your angel will never lead you astray.

March 20

My Angel Is with You

When the army of Nebuchdnezzar took the people of Israel into captivity in Babylon, Jeremiah the prophet sent God’s message to them. He told them that they were taken captive for the sins they had committed before God. Jeremiah said: “When you reach Babylon you will be there many years, a long time — seven generations; after that I will bring you back from there in peace. And now in Babylon you will see gods of silver and gold and wood, carried shoulder high, to cast fear upon the nations. Take care that you yourselves do not become like these foreigners and let not such fear possess you. When you see the crowd before and behind worshiping them, say in your hearts, ‘You, Lord, are the one to be worshiped!’ For my angel is with you, and he will keep watch on you” (Baruch 6:1–6).

We are like exiles longing to return to Heaven, our true home. Our sinfulness leaves us vulnerable to the temptations of our culture. Yet our hearts call us back to the one true God. The angel of the Lord is with us, to keep watch over our hearts.

March 21

Angels in Mortal Combat

Abba Moses (330–405) was a reformed thief who went into the desert to do penance. Once, he found himself fighting an overpowering temptation. He implored Abba Isidore for help. Abba Isidore took him out onto the open plain and said, “Look toward the west.” Moses saw a horde of demons circling in the air and shrieking viciously. Then Isidore said, “Now look toward the east.” Abba Moses turned and saw a vast multitude of angels resplendent in glory. Abba Isidore said, “The Lord sends his angels to help us, while the demons fight against them. Those who are with us are greater than those who are against us.”⁷⁴

The Psalmist prayed, “Come quickly to help me; Do not let my heart incline to evil, or yield to any sin” (Psalm 141:1, 4, 8). What a consolation to know that powerful angels aid our battle against temptation.

March 22

God Will Send Us His Angels

As Lent wears on, take solace in the wisdom of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, who was a spiritual counselor for thousands. He assured people that “God, whom we desire to see and hold before us, is always ready to come to our assistance. Always faithful to his promises and seeing us fighting valiantly, he will send us his angels to sustain us in the trial.”⁷⁵ So take heart. Persevere in penance, in prayer, and in almsgiving. Live your Lent with faith-filled determination, knowing that you can grow in strength and holiness. Trust in the angels to lead you closer to God.

“The angels rejoice and celebrate with Christ over the return of the Lord’s sheep. He sought us on earth; let us seek Him in heaven.”

— Saint Peter Chrysologus

March 23

Saint Toribio of Mogrovejo (1538–1606)

Between Heaven and Earth

In a courtyard of the Museum of Salamanca, Spain, a stone carving by the Spanish sculptor Luis Salvador Carmona depicts The Miracle of Saint Toribio of Mogrovejo. As a young man, Toribio felt called to join the strictly cloistered Cistercian community. The statue shows the Virgin Mary and Saint Bernard, the founder of the Cistercians, appearing to Toribio. An angel, serving as the intermediary between heaven and earth, hands Toribio a college scholarship, a sign that he should serve God in the world rather than in the monastery. Toribio became a professor of law and a judge. Then, the king appointed him Archbishop of Lima, Peru. There, Toribio tirelessly defended the rights of the native people who were oppressed by the ruling Spanish upper class and largely ignored by the Church. Toribio was where God wanted him to be.

“Saints rise up from time to time in the Catholic Church like angels in disguise, and shed around them a light, as they walk on their way heavenward.”

— Blessed John Henry Newman⁷⁶

March 24

Blessed Archbishop Oscar Romero (1942–1980)

Saint Michael the Archangel and El Salvador

On this date in 1980, Blessed Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot to death while saying Mass in El Salvador during his country’s civil war. To everyone’s surprise, including the priests of his archdiocese, Romero had become an outspoken critic of the right-wing, militarist government. He spoke out for his people who were poor and powerless. The government supported assassinations and terrorist attacks against the people. To Romero’s shock and grief, his country was receiving no help. Not even the United States would intervene. In a homily, the archbishop promised his people that heaven would not forget El Salvador. Saint Michael the Archangel, he said, would help the powerless and the persecuted.

“Michael serves only God and bends to Jesus Christ and all who serve him. He has fought and stays with those who struggle to be faithful until once again all things will be subject to Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God whose blood is testimony to our life.”

— Blessed Archbishop Oscar Romero⁷⁷

March 25

The Annunciation of the Lord

An Angel’s Reverence

We should look at the Annunciation from an angel’s point of view, suggests Catholic author Mike Aquilina. The Archangel Gabriel, he wrote, “showed Mary deference, as though he, the angel — archangel, in fact — was in awe of a humble Jewish woman who was hardly more than a girl.” Gabriel greeted her with reverence: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” This glorious and magnificent archangel was overwhelmed by Mary’s great holiness and beauty. She had been conceived free of sin. God had prepared her to be the mother for his only Son, Jesus. Mary agreed. The Word became flesh within her. The future of humanity shifted toward hope and heaven.⁷⁸

“In the set noon of time shall one from heaven,

An angel fresh from looking upon God,

Descend before a woman, blessing her

With perfect benediction of pure love.”

— Elizabeth Barrett Browning

March 26

Angels in the Desert

In Anne Rice’s novel Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana, angels comfort Jesus when he falls from a desert cliff during a sandstorm. Rice’s depiction of the Savior’s forty desert days moves beyond the Gospels. “I heard the flapping, the fluttering, the muffled beating of wings,” Jesus says of the angelic visit. “All over me came the soft touch as if of hands, countless gentle hands, the even softer brush of lips — lips against my cheeks, my forehead, my parched eyelids.” Jesus resisted Satan’s temptations, but he was surely hot, tired, hungry, exhausted, thirsty and sun-burnt. Both the Gospels of Matthew and Mark say that angels ministered to him.⁷⁹

Scripture assures us that the life of Jesus was filled with angels — from his birth until his Death and Resurrection. Angels surround you, as well!

March 27

The Priest Mistaken for an Angel

In the summer of 2013, Father Patrick Dowling of the Diocese of Jefferson City stopped on an eastern Missouri highway to see if he could help car accident victims. Dowling learned that nineteen-year-old Katie Lentz was conscious, but trapped inside her virtually demolished car. Though not a Catholic, Lentz asked the priest to pray for her and her rescuers. Despite previous failed attempts, rescuers soon cut through the mangled car to free Katie. Later, two rescuers insisted that they heard a man’s voice urging calm and giving directions. Since Father Dowling seemed to disappear unnoticed and unidentified, early accident reports referred to the priest as an angel.⁸⁰

Father James Martin, S.J., a well-known national media consultant and author said, “There are angels, of course, but we tend to ascribe to angels anonymous acts that we find incredibly loving — when in fact human beings do incredibly loving things in hidden ways every day.” Ask God to show you where to do loving things in hidden ways.⁸¹

March 28

C. S. Lewis and the Angels

The author of The Chronicles of Narnia and other books on Christianity never doubted the existence of angels — or devils. During World War II, C. S. Lewis (1898–1963), a Cambridge University professor, wanted to lift the spirits of his war-weary countrymen. So, Lewis wrote The Screwtape Letters, a hilarious series of letters from a senior devil named Screwtape. Screwtape instructs his bumbling nephew, Wormwood, on strategies to tempt a man and lead him to hell. Wormwood learns to encourage his client’s vices, murmuring little words of discouragement and promoting his selfishness. English readers chuckled, but they got Lewis’s point. The battle between good and evil is real, relentless, and all around us.⁸²

“I believe in angels, and I believe that some of these, by the abuse of their free will, have become enemies to God, and as a corollary, to us. These, we may call devils. They do not differ in nature from good angels, but their nature is depraved.”

— C. S. Lewis, Preface, The Screwtape Letters

March 29

Angels Shadowing Us

Saint Augustine taught that angels are always nearby. They’re a bit like our shadows, connected to us on the ground. Whether we are in a sunny place in our lives or a cloudy one, they never leave us. Augustine said, “The angels go in and out with us, having their eyes always fixed upon us and upon all that we are doing. If we stop anywhere, they stop also; if we go forth to walk, they bear us company; if we journey into another country, they follow us; go where we will, by land or by sea, they are ever with us all day long and all night long, and during every moment of our life.”⁸³

“Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight, and give your Angels and Saints charge over those who sleep.”

— Night Prayer of Saint Augustine (see the complete prayer in the appendix, page 378)

March 30

Bodyguard in the Forest

One winter evening in the 1940s, a German minister was walking back to his village alone. When he reached a forested area in Bavaria, an unexplainable dread filled him. He prayed and a deep peace quickly replaced his fear. That night, in a dream, he saw his battered body on the forest floor. A voice said, “That’s what you would look like if I hadn’t protected you.” Months later, the minister learned that some young men had planned to kill him that night. They hated him because his Bible classes were influencing their girlfriends. The men insisted that a bodyguard suddenly appeared and walked on the minister’s right all through the forest. Then, the protector vanished.⁸⁴

Psalm 34:8 assures us, “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he saves them.” Pray for an angel at your shoulder when fear of any kind fills you with dread.

March 31

Angels Spreading the Gospel

After the first Pentecost, the Church received angelic help to spread the Gospel. One instance of angels on the job is about an Apostle and an Ethiopian Jew. On his way home from Jerusalem, the Ethiopian was puzzling over a reading from Isaiah. At the same moment, an angel spoke to the Apostle Philip who was nearby. The angel told Philip, “Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.” So, Philip set out and caught up with the Ethiopian’s carriage (Acts 8:26–27). Riding along in the carriage, Philip talked about Jesus. The prophecies of Isaiah, he said, were about Jesus. Convinced, the Ethiopian stopped the carriage when they came to some water and was baptized.

Then I saw another angel flying high overhead, with everlasting good news to announce to those who dwell on earth, to every nation, tribe, and people. (Revelation 14:6)

Like Philip and the angels, you too can carry the Gospel’s Good News to the world around you.