Deepening our
belief in angels
By Fr.
ROY CIMAGALA,
roycimagala@gmail.com
September 27, 2022
WE might wonder why on the
Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, celebrated on
September 29, the gospel reading used is about the vocation of
Nathanael as one of Christ’s apostles. (cfr. Jn 1,47-51)
As that gospel narrates,
Nathanael who was praised by Christ as a man with no guile since he
said that famous line, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
referring to Christ, finally came to believe in Christ when Christ
told him that Christ saw him under the fig tree. That was when
Nathanael recognized Christ as the “Son of God, the King of Israel.”
The only reference to
angels in that gospel episode was when Christ said, “Amen, amen, I
say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending on the Son of Man,” addressing these words
to the bewildered Nathanael.
So, the thought can come
to us that the reason Nathanael came to recognize Christ was because
he must have seen some extraordinary things while he was under the
fig tree. And the possibility of angels ministering to the Son of
God who is also the Son of Man must have taken place there.
Whatever may be the case,
we cannot deny that there must be some relation between being
transparent and simple like Nathanael, even to the point of being
childishly impertinent, and the capacity or the privilege to see
some extraordinary events.
It’s always worthwhile to
remain simple and humble like children because, as Christ himself
said, the things of God are hidden from the wise the learned and are
revealed instead to the little children. (cfr. Mt 11,25)
In any event, it is also
important that our belief in angels and archangels grows strong and
abiding. In fact, we have to popularize their devotion. The
archangels, for example, are great allies that we can count on
especially during our difficult moments. They are so close and so
identified with God that we can refer to them as God’s organic or
vital extensions of his own self, if we may describe them that.
Remember what Christ said
about angels in general? It was when he talked about the angels of
little children whom the disciples wanted to shoo away from Christ
for being a disturbance. “See that you do not despise one of these
little ones,” he said. “For I tell you that their angels in heaven
always see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Mt 18,10)
Angels, to be sure, are
real beings. They are not fictional, figments of our imagination,
projections of what we like to have. They are pure spirits who have
entirely identified themselves with God. They are not God
themselves, but creatures of God who upon their creation have chosen
to be with God for all eternity.
And among them are the
archangels. They are especially chosen by God to undertake some
special tasks. They help us in our constant struggle against
temptations and sin, in receiving some special messages from God and
in healing some difficult sicknesses.
It’s important that we be
aware of the existence of these very powerful archangels who, for
sure, would be most willing and most happy to help us in their own
way. We just have to enliven our faith in them and develop the
appropriate devotion.