On Monday, the Church celebrated the great feast of Michael and All Angels; Tomorrow, the 2nd of October, our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters will observe the Feast of the Guardian Angels. So clearly, this is the time of year to think about the ministry of the Angels.
Now, if ever there is a word to make Christians roll their eyes, it’s that word ‘Angel’.
It conjures an image of flighty and floaty celestial beings. After all, this is how they are so often depicted in Art and presented on the Mind, Body and Spirit bookshelves.
As it happens, the scriptural witness could not be further from that idea. The Angels may be the heavenly servants of God… but they are absolutely as hard as nails.
So we have Michael, the Warrior; who in the Book of Revelation leads the heavenly host to do battle against the forces of darkness.
We have Gabriel, the Messenger; who in Luke’s Gospel speaks to the Virgin Mary and proclaims to her the mystery of the incarnation of Jesus.
We have Raphael, the Healer; who appears to Tobit and shares the healing ministry of God in word and action.
We have Uriel, the Guide; whose name means ‘God is my Light’ and whose task is to interpret visions with wisdom.
In these, we see four Angelic Tasks; tasks which are to be done on Earth, as in Heaven.
When Jesus says ‘follow me’… perhaps it is to one of these that tasks that we are being called to?
So…
Will you be a Warrior, battling for truth and justice? For in this unjust world, we need those who will stand up and speak up for the marginalised or rejected.
Will you be a Messenger, proclaiming the Good News of God? For in this cruel world, we need those who are truly mindful of how they use their words, to build up and not tear down.
Will you be a Healer, bringing a measure of hope and peace? For in this broken world, we need those whose very presence and prayer breathes kindness and compassion.
Or will you be a Guide, shining light in the darkness of despair? For in this confusing world, we need those who are wise listeners and careful counsellors.
Jesus says ‘follow me’. And we follow Him as Warriors, Messengers, Healers and Guides.
May we do so in the trust, both that we have a Guardian Angel and that we can be a Guardian Angel too.