FINDING FAITH AND BELIEVING IN THE REALITY OF ANGELS IN A SCIENTIFIC AGE

20151002 FINDING FAITH AND BELIEVING IN THE REALITY OF ANGELS IN A SCIENTIFIC AGE

Reading 1, Exodus 23:20-23

 'Look, I am sending an angel to precede you, to guard you as you go and bring you to the place that I have prepared.

Revere him and obey what he says. Do not defy him: he will not forgive any wrong-doing on your part, for my name is in him.

If, however, you obey what he says and do whatever I order, I shall be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

My angel will precede you and lead you to the home of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, whom I shall exterminate.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 91:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 10-11

You who live in the secret place of Elyon, spend your nights in the shelter of Shaddai,

saying to Yahweh, 'My refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust!'

He rescues you from the snare of the fowler set on destruction;

he covers you with his pinions, you find shelter under his wings. His constancy is shield and protection.

You need not fear the terrors of night, the arrow that flies in the daytime,

the plague that stalks in the darkness, the scourge that wreaks havoc at high noon.

No disaster can overtake you, no plague come near your tent;

he has given his angels orders about you to guard you wherever you go.

Gospel

Matthew 18:1-5,10

The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

  ‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.’

FINDING FAITH AND BELIEVING IN THE REALITY OF ANGELS IN A SCIENTIFIC AGE

SCRIPTURE READINGS: EX 23:20-23; MT 18:1-5, 10

In a world of science it is difficult to speak of the existence of angels.  The premise of science is based on empirical evidence and observation.  Science does not deal with spirits as they are non-corporeal.  Hence, we Christians who believe in angels appear to non-believers to be rather childish and mythological.  We cannot see angels.  We do not even feel them, so how can we verify our claims that angels exist?  Indeed, how many of our Catholics really pray to their angels every day?  In the past, Catholics were taught at least to pray the prayer to the Guardian Angel, especially to Archangel Michael, for protection from the Evil One.  But today, such prayer to angels might sound superstitious.

Yet the Church’s official teaching is clear with respect to the existence, work and intercessory role of angels.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “in the meantime, the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.”  (CCC 334)  “In her liturgy, the Church joins with the angels to adore the thrice-holy God. She invokes their assistance (in the funeral liturgy In Paradisum deducant te angeli… “May the angels lead you into Paradise…”). Moreover, in the “Cherubic Hymn” of the Byzantine Liturgy, she celebrates the memory of certain angels more particularly (St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and the guardian angels).   (CCC 335)  “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.”  Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.”  (CC 336)  Consequently, today’s commemoration of the Guardian Angels can help to strengthen our faith in God.

In the first place, the rejection of this celebration is very much connected with the secularized world that denies the reality of the spirit world.  This over emphasis on the material has reduced human beings to no more than a material animal.  This would result in the rejection that a human person is constituted of body and soul.  As a consequence, it means there is no need to believe in a world beyond death, since a human person disappears into nothingness at death.  He has “no soul” that lives on.  In other words, the human person is not immortal.  That being the case, committing suicide or practicing euthanasia would be the best way to end a meaningless life on earth, since with death, suffering ends.

Secondly, the rejection of angels is also an attempt to undermine the reality of evil spirits.  Belief in angels is a counterpart to the recognition of a spirits world. One cannot believe in the existence of evil spirits whilst at the same time reject the reality of angels, since Satan and his fallen angels were really angels.   Conversely, the rejection of evil spirits will also lead to a rejection of angels.  Perhaps, the lack of devotion and exposition of the reality of angels is the cause of skepticism in today’s world over the reality of evil spirits.  Many no longer believe in the work of Satan and evil spirits.  Some Catholics even think it is a farfetched reality and very rare.  Pope Paul VI warns us that the double smokescreen the Devil is using today is to deceive us into believing that he does not exist and to be ignorant of him.  In this way, we are no longer alert to the temptations and oppression of the Evil One.  This allows him to work in our lives unnoticed and thereby destroy us.  In truth, St Paul speaks of the different hierarchy of beings. He speaks of Christ as the head of all creation, “for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth; everything visible and everything invisible, Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers” (Col 1:16)  And in his letter to the Ephesians, he warns us to “Put God’s armour on so as to be able to resist the devil’s tactics.  For it is not against human enemies that we have to struggle, but against the Sovereignties and the Powers who orginate the darkness in this world; the spiritual army of evil in the heavens.” (Eph 6:10-12)

Faith therefore is required to believe in the angels.  The Gospel speaks of a child-like faith that is required of us.  Jesus said, “I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Most of all, Jesus warns us to “never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.” It is therefore of a dogma of faith to believe in the existence of spirits, namely, angels and the devil.  Not having faith in angels will lead us to a denial of other truths of faith, namely, that God is pure Spirit; the existence of devils; our spiritual nature; and the truth about the bible as the inspired Word of God.  So a rejection of angels puts all other truths of faith in question.

In the light of such explicit and clear declaration of the existence of angels, both in scripture, Tradition and in the teaching of the magisterium, what kind of devotion is expected of us to our Guardian Angels?  In the first reading, we are told that they are God’s messengers sent to guard and lead us.   They are the ministering spirits of God who guide us in our daily life.  The Lord instructed Moses to tell the people thus, “I myself will send an angel before you to guard you as you go and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.”

Secondly, our Guardian Angels relay God’s message to us so that we can walk in the truth.  For this reason, we are called to be docile to the Word of God that is relayed through the angels.  The Lord said, “Give him reverence and listen to all that he says. Offer him no defiance; he would not pardon such a fault, for my name is in him. If you listen carefully to his voice and do all that I say, I shall be enemy to your enemies, foe to your foes. My angel will go before you and lead you to where the Amorites are and the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, the Jebusites; I shall exterminate these.”  It behooves us especially in this scientific, technological and materialistic age to have a greater sensitivity to the world of spirits.  It is bad enough not to be conscious of the presence of the angels in our lives, but to be ignorant of the work of the evil spirits as if they are no longer a menace in the world is to think that the world is already completely redeemed and evil overcome.  Ignorance of the work of evil spirit causes us to fall into Satan’s snares without even knowing it.

Thirdly, since Angels are pure intellectual spirits, they can think, choose, and feel like us.  This means that we can communicate with the angels as we communicate with the saints.  For this reason, the Church invites us to pray to our Guardian Angels and seek the protection and help of the Archangels in our battle against the forces of evil.  Cultivating a devotion to the angels certainly can be a great help in our spiritual life as in the case of our devotion to Mary and the saints.  We should seek their help; ask for their prayers, protection and guidance.  Of course, we should also imitate their good examples of guarding and guiding people under our care; being messengers of the Good News to others and be healers and reconcilers in the world.  Like the angels, we are called to enlighten and inspire others by speaking God’s words and be the mouth piece of God.

Finally, we are called in a special way to protect the little ones just as Jesus exhorts us.  “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.  See that you never despise any of these little ones.”  Let us protect our babies from being aborted; take care of our children well, nurture them with love and guide them in the right values; and most of all, do not scandalize them or abuse their trust in us, making them lose faith in God’s love and in humanity.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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