© Metropolitan Museum of Art
FEATURE
Four angels: enamel, 16th century
Angels among us! Father David Gornall on the reality and importance of the spirit world
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hristmas without angels is hard to imagine! But what about now – in our Christmas, and in our lives? Where are they? What are they? And what do they do? Should we have a relationship to them? And is there one especially for me? Where do we learn about them? So many questions about these fascinating creatures! Let’s begin: where do we find out about them? Most definitely in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. The choir of angels heralding the birth of Christ is familiar to us (Lk 2:9-14), but we can start our investigation with the Old Testament: at the very beginning, in Gen 3:24, when Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, God posted special angels, Cherubs, to guard the way to the Tree of Life. We begin to realise that angels are strong and powerful spiritual creatures, doing God’s will. Also, in Genesis (18:1-15) we see the three visitors to Abraham – almost certainly angels – who foretell the birth of his son Isaac, despite his wife Sarah’s being barren and in old age. Similarly, an angel announces to the barren mother of Samson that she is to bear a son who will save Israel from the Philistines (Judg 13:3-5). The angels are God’s messengers, and appear often in bodily form in the Old Testament, which at times refers to them simply as ‘God’, for they bear God’s
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message. An interesting and amusing story is that of the pagan seer Balaam, who was on his way to curse Israel, and his donkey; they meet an angel with a drawn sword, and it ends with Balaam’s giving Israel a splendid blessing (Num 22:22-35). Angels are also our helpers in times of need. Twice an angel comes to the help of Hagar, the Egyptian servant of Abraham’s wife, when she is in distress in the desert (Gen 16:7-12; 21:15-19). God’s people were at times guided by an angel on their journeys. So, the people of Israel were guided by an angel on their journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land (Exod 14:19; 23:23). But the most colourful story is that of Tobias: the angel Raphael became his companion, though he did not realise that he was an angel (Tob 5:4). The Patriarch Jacob had an extraordinary dream where he saw a ladder between earth and heaven, and angels ascending and descending on it (Gen 28:10-17). Later, when alone in the wilderness, Jacob wrestled with a mysterious figure, who most take to be an angel, through the night until daybreak; there, he was given the name ‘Israel’ (Gen 32:24-30). In the New Testament, too, angels abound. However, their relationship with us is somewhat different than in the
Old Testament, where they are definitely superior to us. In the New Testament they are more like our brothers, for God’s Son has become man for us, and they serve and glorify Christ as they do God in heaven. At the Annunciation, the Archangel Gabriel comes to the Virgin Mary, and greets her with great respect, seeks her consent, and announces the forthcoming birth of the Saviour (Lk 1:26-33). St Joseph, too, receives a vison of an angel, to reassure him and explain the situation of Mary to him (Mt 1:18-21). At the birth of Jesus, a great throng of angels sang praises to God: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and peace to men who enjoy his favour’ (Lk 1: 9-14). When Herod plotted to kill the infant Jesus, an angel warned Joseph to flee into Egypt with his wife and the child. After some time, an angel appeared to him again, to tell him it was safe to return to Palestine. (Mt 2:13-21) At times, during his ministry, Jesus himself referred to the angels; especially speaking of the final judgement he says the angels will separate the evil from the good, casting the evil into hell’s flames (Mt 13:40-42). When Christ returns at the end of time, it will be in the company of the angels (Mk 8:38). And Jesus promised the apostle Nathanael he, ‘will see heaven opened, and the angels of
WINTER 2021
