The Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels, also known as Michaelmas, falls annually on September 29. Angels appear throughout the pages of Holy Scripture. Sometimes, as in the case of Michael, they are named in obscure passages (Daniel 10:12:1, Thessalonians 4:16). In other cases, angels are referred to in a general sense (Job 38:7, Revelation 14:6). In other places, angels act as God’s messengers, such as when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary (Luke 1:26-38).
Michael’s importance is tied to Revelation 12:7-9: “And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
It is for this reason that Saint Michael is portrayed in Christian art and iconography as a warrior. Our English word for angel comes from the Greek word “angelos” meaning messenger. For thousands of years, across cultures, human beings have reported angelic encounters. Within the Christian faith and the Western artistic tradition, angels have often been depicted as beautiful human like creature with wings and halos. These are symbolic portrayals. In Christian understanding angels are genderless; they are spiritual beings, not physical ones.
Angels aren't chubby babies with wings (I know they are so cute!) but are super-human intelligences that serve God; usually, behind the curtain of ordinary human perception. But, are they real? Traditional Christian belief and experience suggests, yes! With all that the natural sciences are revealing to us today about the “seen and unseen” it shouldn’t surprise us that there is more to this world that meets the naked eye. But what do you think about angels? Are they a mysterious reality or a medieval supersition? Please share in the comment sections below.
Angels are real. I pray to St. Michael and Gabriel everyday for safety while driving. I know they are with me when I fly as well.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing about your own faith and experience.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can tell, angels didn't appear in the great narriative until after the Exile (an idea brought back from Babylon); prior to that Prophets had the role of being God's messengers. I don't doubt that people have visions that they label "angel", but I don't know if these apparitions are separate intelligent beings or direct manifestations, a visual communication if you will, of God; which would then make the people reporting them the Prophet. I also don't doubt that people have perceived that their prayers were answered when prayed to angels (although, the Church's position would be that the prayer is still to God, through the intersession of the angel); God hears our prayers before we utter them. We can't do double-blinded studies to see if a prayer is answered when addressed to/through and angel when it wouldn't be if asked directly to God, or through Christ for that matter. On the other hand, to take an Apocalyptic writing such as Revelation, and single out an Angel, and place that angel into current History due to their presence as a character in the narrative, is a bit of a stretch from a biblical scholarly perspective.
ReplyDeleteDoug, thanks for your comments. Angels appear early in the Biblical narrative in Genesis. You have the cherubim placed at the Garden of Eden after the Fall (Genesis 3:24). Abraham entertaining angels (Genesis 18). You also have the two angels sent to rescue Lot (Genesis 19). However, from a textual and literary perspective you could argue that the idea of angels was part of the larger cultural context (as you've suggested). Even so, this doesn't require dismissing their reality. Interestingly, angels appear to precede the prophetic tradition, at least in the canonical timeline of the great sweep of Scripture. None the less, as you point out, whether using a human messenger or a celestial one, it is ultimately God communicating with His people. A double blind study would be interesting, but has various issues as you indicate. To your last comment, it is true that the Biblical record of angels is more sparse than many would like. Much of what we know about Michael or Gabriel comes from reflection on Scripture within the life of the Church. Some have argued that while Scripture alone can validate the existence of angels, it can't do much more than that (e.g. provide concrete details and answer various questions we'd like answered about them). This is where the Church's Tradition, reflecting on Scripture and the experience of believers over the centuries, can offer additional insight. None the less, it must be acknowledged on this side of eternity, that angels will always remain something of a mystery to us.
ReplyDeleteScientific person tho I be (I am a physician and a member of the Society of Ordained Scientists), I have come to believe in the reality of angels. When I was much younger–and a lot smarter–I decided that, after all, “God doesn’t need angels. He can give his messages directly and act directly. The idea of angels is silly.” As I grew older, it occurred to me that God didn’t particularly need me, either, but here I am.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot weigh angels, or measure them, or determine their electric charge. If they do not choose to make themselves visible, they are invisible and incomprehensible. Alas, you cannot isolate them in the lab and study them. But many more people report observing angels than report observing quarks or dark matter.
I’ve never seen one, and don’t particularly want to. Most people who report seeing one are in a crisis situation, and I could do without that.
Speculating about the various choirs and ranks of angels is interesting, but we don’t have the data to really know about that. God seems to love creating, and sometimes seems to do it extravagantly. Maybe he just enjoyed creating angels, and wanted to see how many different kinds he could make! According to St. Thomas, each angel is perfectly satisfied with who he is, and has no desire to be promoted to a higher rank. God grant that we should be like that.
this was from Foster Eich, OP (wfeich@comcast.net)
DeleteFather (and Doctor!) Eich. Thank you for your insights and reflections. You share a great point that people who report encountering angels often do so in moments of crisis. So, desiring to see an angel, may necessitate a crisis situation, which most of us would prefer to avoid.
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