20191002
ANGELS
ARE MINISTERING SPIRITS
02 OCTOBER,
2019, Wednesday, The Holy Guardian Angels
|
irst reading
|
Exodus 23:20-23 ©
|
The Lord says this: ‘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. 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.’
|
Responsorial Psalm
|
|
Psalm 90(91):1-6,10-11 ©
|
The Lord has commanded
his angels to keep you in all your ways.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most
High
and abides in the shade of the
Almighty
says to the Lord: ‘My refuge,
my stronghold, my God in whom
I trust!’
The Lord has commanded
his angels to keep you in all your ways.
It is he who will free you from the snare
of the fowler who seeks to
destroy you;
he will conceal you with his pinions
and under his wings you will
find refuge.
The Lord has commanded
his angels to keep you in all your ways.
You will not fear the terror of the night
nor the arrow that flies by
day,
nor the plague that prowls in the darkness
nor the scourge that lays
waste at noon.
The Lord has commanded
his angels to keep you in all your ways.
Upon you no evil shall fall,
no plague approach where you
dwell.
For you has he commanded his angels,
to keep you in all your ways.
The Lord has commanded
his angels to keep you in all your ways.
|
Gospel Acclamation
|
Ps102:21
|
Alleluia, alleluia!
Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts,
his servants who do his will.
Alleluia!
|
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.’
ANGELS ARE
MINISTERING SPIRITS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ EXODUS 23:20-23; MATTHEW 18:1-5, 10 ]
Belief in angels is part
of our Catholic Faith which is based on scripture and tradition. Mentions of the work and role of
angels abound in many places in Scripture. The angels visited Abraham to
announce that Sarah would have a child. (Gen 18:1-15) They warned Abraham of the
destruction ahead for Sodom and Gomorrah. (Gen 18:16-21) The angel appeared
to Jacob in a dream to affirm him of God’s plan for him. Jacob even
wrestled with the angel. (Gen 28:10-17) Then the angel also
appeared to Gideon who was hiding from the Midianites out of fear.
(Jdg 6:11-24)
The angel guided the people in the desert through the pillar of
fire and cloud. God used the angel to stop Balaam from cursing
Israel. (Nm 22: 22-35) In the
book of psalms, the psalmist prayed, “Upon you no evil shall fall, no plaque
approach where you dwell. For you has he commanded his angels, to keep you in
all your ways.” (Ps 91:11). When
Daniel was thrown into the Den of lions, an angel protected him. (Dn 6:22)
In the time of the New
Testament, an angel appeared to
Zechariah and to Mary to announce the conception of John the Baptist and Jesus
respectively. (Lk 1:8-20; 26-38)) At the birth of our Lord, the
Angels appeared to the shepherds to announce His nativity. (Lk 2:10, 14) When Jesus was to be killed by
Herod, the angel prompted Joseph to bring the child to safety in Egypt. (Mt 2:19f) When Jesus was tempted in the
desert, the angel came to His assistance. (Mt 4:11) When He was at the agony in the
Garden, again the angel came to console Him. (Lk 22:43) At His resurrection, the angel
came to announce His resurrection to the women and the disciples. (Lk 24:1-11) At His ascension, the
Lord told the disciples to go back and wait for the Lord to return at
Pentecost. (Acts 1:10f) When Peter
was in prison, the angel released him from prison. (Acts 12:11) In the book of Revelation, St John
had visions of angels serving God and ministering to Him and praising Him.
(Rev 5) The angels will be present on the day
of judgement. (Mt 25:31). St Paul asked
us to seek the help of the heavenly host to fight against the Evil One. (Eph 6:1-11)
Hence, it is important
to affirm in the face of modernity, the modern sciences and the skeptics of
secularism, that pure spirits exist, both angels and demons. We must disavow the claims of
atheists and humanists that there only exists matter in this world and that
there is no such reality called spirits. We must insist on the reality of
the spiritual world. Without which, we cannot speak of the existence of
God who is pure spirit and the created spirits, namely the angels, the demons
who are the fallen angels, and human beings as embodied spirits. Belief
in the existence of angels affirms our identity as embodied spirits. The
denial of the existence of angels is but a step towards the denial of
God. Hence the Lord said in the gospel, “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.” Faith in the angels requires us to be
childlike and recognize our human limitations and knowledge of the spiritual
world.
Who, then, are the
angels? Perhaps, the letter to
the Hebrews sums up aptly the role of angels when the author wrote, “Are they
not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them, who shall receive the
inheritance of salvation?” (Heb 1:14) Indeed,
they are ministering spirits just like us, only that we are not merely
ministering spirits but embodied spirits. How do they act as
ministering spirits?
Firstly, they are
intermediaries of God.
They represent God and take the place of the divine. In other words, they
act on behalf of God and speak to men on God’s behalf as His messengers.
One of the most important functions they perform is be the messengers of
God. They announce the message of God to us like the angel Gabriel who
announced to Mary that she had been chosen to be the mother of the savior. (Gn 18:2; Dn 9:21; Lk 1:11, 26; Lk 2:9; Mt 1:20, 2:13, 19; Mt 28:2)
Secondly, they are our
protectors as well. They
protect us from harm and from our enemies. (Ps 91:11; Mt 18:10; Dt 10:5 ff; Rev 2, 3) That is why, when we celebrate the
Memorial of Guardian Angels, we pray that they will guide and guard us.
Indeed, sometimes they are called the angel of hosts, the army of the
Lord. (Ps 149:7; Gn 19:13; Ex 12:12 ff; 2 Kgs 19:35; Mt 13:49, 50) But as Guardian angels, they
are sent to protect each one of us individually.
Thirdly, they are our
intercessors. We do not worship
angels but we pray to them as we pray to the saints, asking for their
prayers. They are creatures like us, only that they are pure
spirits. Their prayers are efficacious because they are always in the
presence of God singing hymns and praises to Him. (Cf Isa 6:1-3). They also present our
prayers to God as in the case of Tobit. (Tobit 12:12)
The call to venerate
angels is what the Lord instructed Moses and His people to do. The Lord says this: “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. 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.” In these words, the duties and primary
functions of the angels are summarized. With a meek and docile heart,
like children, we are reminded in today’s gospel to listen to the angels and
obey them. We must not rebel against them, acting in arrogant manner like
the fallen angels. We must seek their advice and listen to their
prompting in whatever we do. But we can also ask for their help and
assistance as well. They are watching over us.
How do we best venerate
the angels if not to do the same and imitate the angels in our relations with
our fellowmen?
Like them, we are also ministering embodied spirits. We are called to be
the face of God to others. We must by our words and examples, be the face
of God to our fellowmen, especially those under our care. Like them, we
are called to be messengers, protectors and intercessors.
As messengers and
intermediaries of God, we
must be careful with our words. Our words must be positive, encouraging
and true. We must give hope to our fellowmen. So let our words be
edifying and empowering, not putting people down but lifting people up.
In other words, be messengers of the Good News.
But we must also be
protectors as well,
in the sense that we must help each other to grow in holiness and not to fall
into the snares of the Evil One. We must safeguard each other’s interests
by looking after the well-being of each other, instead of just caring for
ourselves. To protect the interests of others is to protect our
own. The only way to create a society where there is peace and love is
that we begin with ourselves. This is particularly true with respect to
the young and those who are vulnerable. The Lord said, “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.” We must
guide them and guard them from all harm and evil, especially from the influence
of the Evil One and from falsehood. Setting good examples is required of
us as angels of God.
Finally, we must be
intercessors. The best way to
help others is to pray for them. It is not enough just to protect and
guide them, it is more important that we pray for them. As we pray for
them, not only will they change but we will also be transformed as well.
Prayers always change us to become more like Christ to each other and be
identified with one another. Let us commend them to the Lord that He will
grace them with His love and divine protection.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment