Thursday, September 29, 2011

Angels among us, messengers from heaven

In honor of the Feast of the Archangels (Sept. 29) and the Feast of the Guardian Angels (Oct. 2), I thought I'd post my recent OSV story on angels and their role in our spiritual lives. I'll start you off here and send you there.

The photos at left and below were taken last year when I was crossing Ponte Sant'Angelo in Rome on my way to St. Peter's Basilica.

By Mary DeTurris Poust

Human beings over the centuries and across cultures have long been fascinated with and captivated by angels. We seek their protection and pray for their guidance. We both fear and crave their presence. We put them on necklaces, coffee mugs, mouse pads and more. When it comes to angels, our expressions of love run from the ridiculous to the sublime, inspiring everything from the wildly inappropriate Victoria’s Secret ad campaign to the strikingly beautiful film Wings of Desire.

Although Catholics often begin their prayer connection to angels in childhood, with the sing-song words of the Angel of God prayer --- “Ever this night, be at my side to light and guard, to rule and guide” – angels are by no means child’s play. They are complex spiritual beings, often misunderstood by us humans who try to give them features and attributes that are more akin to existence on earth than heaven. Chubby little baby-like cherubs sporting wings and harps cannot begin to do justice to the reality of angels in our midst.

So what exactly are we dealing with here, and what role do angels play in our personal prayer lives?....Continue reading HERE.

2 comments:

Daily Grace said...

Very interesting article. I enjoyed it. I am currently reading a book " The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life", by Fr. Charles Arminijon. This is a book the St. Therese of Lisieux read at the age of 14. She says it influenced her greatly. Anyway, Fr. talks a lot about the end times, Revelations, ect. So, of course there is talk of the fallen angels.

So, reflecting on your piece here, and thinking of the power of angels, I would say that if we called upon and trusted our guardian angels, with all their power and grace, we would be in good hands. For if one bad angel could do so much damage, a heavenly host of angels could only do tremendous good.

This might sound simplistic, but I think in terms of God's love and mercy for us all.

LOVED your article, sorry I went on so long!

Mary DeTurris Poust said...

Daily Grace,
Thank you for your comment -- and for visiting NSS. I'm so glad you enjoyed the article.
Peace, Mary