My angel, resting.
Today is the feast of St. Michael the archangel, that powerful spirit who fought Satan and cast him out of the celestial heights. Angels are everywhere
Lately, with some urgency because of my advanced age, I have felt moved to call on my guardian angel to hover over me and hide me from the evil one. The evil one is a renegade angel and my guardian angel knows how that rascal can connive to deflect me from angelic ways. I pray that he keeps me from being deceived by that fallen angel who may murmur hurtful things to me.
I call him by name, my angel. Since he only has me to worry about, it won’t matter to him if I give him a familiar name. But you don’t have to know it. Let’s just say that his name is a shortened form of the word used to identify a meat-cutter.
I like to think of the being assigned to me at my birth as a kind of attentive protector large enough to shade me (I’m a big guy) from evil. “Hide me under the shadow of your wings!”
In religious art, angel feathers are everywhere. And, artists have used all the colors of the palette to anoint angel’s wings: white wings, red wings, even green and blue feathers adorn angels flying through the sky with divine messages. Bold artists have come up with angels bearing rainbow wings in the wonderful colors of the spectrum. You can think of your angel as winged in whatever colors you want, just remember that you have one, your personal angel. He hasn’t left as you’ve aged.
Besides protecting us, angels carry important, revelations. Among these news-bearers is Gabriel who spoke to Mary of the divine choice of her as the mother of the Messiah, the same Gabriel who will, according to the Book of Revelation, blow his horn to announce the Last Day.
Think, too, of Gabriel announcing God’s will for Joseph and how he revealed Mary’s pregnancy to him. It’s clear that Joseph heard the message of his role in salvation while he was sleeping! He is given detailed plans to flee his homeland and find security for his family in Egypt.
“Your young men shall see visions and your old men dream dreams.” (Joel 2:29). I believe God has his angels whispering news, even plans, in the hearts of those who are listening. Young people may awake to a sharp vision that God has given them. Older people nodding in their recliners may dream of heaven more than earth, but the revelation is just as clear.
Don’t forget to honor and pray with your guardian angel. Consider praying each day the following classic prayer:
“Angel of God, my guardian near, to whom God’s love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side to light, to guard to rule and guide. Amen.”
And, if you are young and are graced with an angelic vision, don’t ignore its message, whenever it comes. If you are old, there is still time to follow your dream as angels whisper God’s message to you each morning at dawn.