Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In our second week of the series on angels we are reminded that angels seem more popular than Jesus himself. They appear non-threatening and cuddly, majestic and graceful, mysterious and new age-y. Maybe intelligent people are more likely to dismiss them as myth.
Yet angels play a key role in salvation history. There are hundreds of references to angels in the bible and the Christmas story is full of angels. And it starts with the angel that came to visit Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and an archangel that visited Mary to announce that she would be the mother of the Messiah.
When angels appear they usually inspire fear and they give us a glimpse of what God is like and show us that God’s ways are much different from ours. This is not the entire story. Even though angels show us the power of God they also remind us that God does not leave us alone. Maybe this is the best reason to get to know the angels which helps us to get to know God and to dispel some of the false ideas we have on angels.
We saw last week that angels are created beings, like us and that they will exist forever. They are not people nor are they people who have died and since they do not have bodies they will live forever. Each one is distinct and has intelligence and free will. They are pure spirits.
Today we would like to speak of what angels do. The passage from Isaiah can help us in this reflection. Isaiah wrote hundreds of years before Christ and he very directly and specifically predicted his coming (Isaiah 40: 1-11). Today we hear, “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her guilt is expiated.” So the angels comfort us and give us hope. This is what the angels did to Jesus and also the prophets.
Isaiah goes on to say to prepare the way of the Lord. And angels do in fact help us in our journey through life and to avoid obstacles that keep us from God. God gives us angels so that we grow closer to him. Finally Isaiah tells us that the glory of God will be revealed and all people shall see it together. Angels reveal the glory of God to the shepherds at Christmas and also at the time of Jesus’ rising from the dead and of his glory in his second coming. Angels are part of the way God communicates with us and helps us to see his glory, which is the point of the Christmas miracle.
So how do we speak or relate to them. Many of you were raised knowing that you have a guardian angel and you can talk to him/her. Your angel can help you when you have a difficulty in speaking to God or with a test and some trouble.
You can also start to act like an angel, not that you are one, but it can help you to be a messenger or a disciple of Christ. You can comfort and support people who are going through a hard time or who have lost a loved one. Your angel can help you to give up something that is unnecessary or a bad habit that brings you down or some thing that would help you make more room for God in your life. There will be penance next weekend after all the Masses which always gives us a new beginning, and is an excellent way to prepare the way for Jesus to enter our hearts.
Angels helps bring some light into a dark world and you can allow him to do so for you and for others. You can put aside your ego and pride and lighten up and be there for others. Service is the heart of what angels do, so perhaps you can help us this Christmas Eve or day to welcome those who might be coming for the first time in a while, even if you have never done this before. More than any other night of the year people approach the church looking for something, for that hope that God can give them, and by serving you can make that happen.