Ignatius Insight has carried today a short extract from Peter Kreeft's Angels And Demons. What Do We Really Know about Them? including "The Twelve Most Important Things to Know About Them". I often remind people that angels are not fairies - Peter Kreeft gives some excellent further short points.Happy feast day for today - and for Friday's feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, which is also the anniversary of the dedication of the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen. Last year, on a Sunday in October, I gave a sermon on The Archangels and our families.
9 comments:
A Very Happy Feast to you, Fr Tim. Excellent Post on the Angels. Thank you. Questions: One hears of Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. In Hebrew, Michael means (I think)"Who is like God". What are the meanings of Gabriel and Raphael ? Also, was there not a fourth Archangel, named Uriel (Oriel) ? If so, what is the meaning of that name ? In Domino.
Couple of good quotes on angels
Man must not be allowed to believe that he is equal either to animals or to angels, nor to be unaware of either, but he must know both.” (Pensees 121).
“Man is neither angel nor beast, and it is unfortunately the case that anyone trying to act the angel acts the beast.” (Pensees 678).
The second reading in The Office of Readings for the Feast was, as I'm sure you will know, from Pope St. Gregory the Great, in which he says that the term "Angel" is an Office not a Nature and that Archangels are so called because their Office was much greater.
I think that this is all so confusing especially since we also hear of Cherubim, Seraphim, Thrones, Dominations and Powers.
I think that most people are quite happy with the term Angel being used to denote the Nature of these Spirits.
What do others think?
JARay
Zephyrinus - Uriel/Oriel is disputed, sometimes being used in a new-age kind of way, sometimes being taken up in reference to some ancient sources.
Fr. Tim,
The following remark is attributed to Pope Pius XI:
"In speaking with someone who is closed to your argument, go to your guardian angel and recommend the matter to him. Ask him to take it up with the guardian angel of the person you have to see. Once the two angels establish an understanding, the conversation with the visitor will be much easier."
This is one of my techniques for dealing with awkward interpersonal situations. I find it makes a big difference. It seems to pacify awkward individuals.
It may also be a key to dealing with the increasing number of active atheists and anti-Catholic antagonists that we are coming across.
Our Lady of Angels Erith pray for Friday's feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, which is also the anniversary of the dedication of the RC Dean of Bexley's Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen too!
Thank you Father, for the link to your sermon, I have downloaded it and printed it. I find that when I want to reflect on something I need to read from paper. The screen just does not work for me.
'In any relationship, we can find that our faults deepen and little arguments become bitter. How the devil rejoices to see this! If this is happening in your marriage or in your relationships with your children (it can happen sometimes with parents and teenagers) then ask St Raphael to heal and restore those relationships once again'.
How true are your words, we realise how the devil tries to destroy our family, but at the time of conflict we are often blinded to this. We have been saying the short prayer to St Michael after the family Rosary (with our children) for a number of years but now as a couple we say the full length prayer to St Michael every night. It reads like an exorcism and it is amazingly powerful. I encourage every married couple to say it. It only takes a few minutes and includes the use of Holy Water.
Is there a prayer to St Raphael that you could recommend?.
Father is it alright to have your house blessed more than once. Almost a spiritual recharge?
Elizabeth - here is a link to a selection of prayers to St Raphael.
And yes, it is perfectly proper to have your house blessed more than once. It is an old tradition to have house blessings every Eastertide but with fewer priest around this is not always possible. A house blessing is a good occasion for a priest to visit families.
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