The Nicene Creed, which we sing at the Eucharist, tells us that God is the Maker of all things, seen (visible) and unseen (invisible).  That is to say, he has made everything that you can see, like the sea and the stars, and everything that you cannot see, such as electricity and air.

Now you are both seen and unseen.  Your body can be seen but your soul, which is the real you and which lives in your body, cannot be seen.

Angels

There are other persons, too, whom God has made but whom we cannot see now.  They are the angels and were the first persons that God made.  St Paul tells us that all angels are spirits in the service of God (Hebrews 1:14) and we know that the angels are glad when someone is sorry for his or her sins and turns back to God, for Jesus told us, “…there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (NRSV, Luke 15:10).

You’ll remember that the Devil was once an angel.  Angels have no bodies as you and I have because they are pure spirits, but they have minds and wills just the same so that they can think and love, and choose to do right instead of wrong.

The chief angels are called archangels.  ‘Arch-‘ means ‘chief’, as in the word archbishop or chief bishop.  We know the names of some of the archangels e.g. Gabriel, Michael and Raphael.

Worshipping God

The angels live in Heaven where they worship God.  In the Eucharist the priest sings or says,

“Therefore with angels and archangels,
and with all the company of heaven,
we proclaim your great and glorious name,
for ever praising you…” (1)

Bringing messages from God

Angels also have much to do with us.  The word angel means messenger, and one of the things they do is to bring messages from God to human beings.  You’ll remember that it was the Archangel Gabriel who was sent by God to Mary to tell her that she was to be the Mother of his Son.  Later on, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, it was an angel who brought the news to the shepherds and told them how to find him.  As soon as he had given his message, the sky was filled with a great crowd of angels who broke into a hymn of worship, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!” (NRSV, Luke 2:9-14).

Guardian angels

Besides worshipping God and bringing messages from him, the angels have also been put in charge of looking after us.  Each of us has a Guardian Angel who cares for us and is close to us.  Jesus, talking to his disciples about children, said, “…in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven” (NRSV, Matthew 18:10).  It is through these Guardian Angels that God looks after us. This does not mean that we shall never have any accidents, but it does mean that we are kept safe more times than we know.  And most importantly, our Guardian Angels are there throughout our lives to help us become more and more like Jesus and come at last to Heaven.

St Peter’s Chains

One of the most famous examples of the work of the Holy Guardian Angels is the story of St Peter’s Chains which you will find in the Acts of the Apostles (12:1-17).

Peter is made a prisoner

Twelve years after the Crucifixion of Jesus, St James was killed by King Herod, the grandson of Herod the Great.  The next to be arrested was St Peter who was put in the innermost dungeon of the palace prison in Jerusalem.  In order to make doubly sure that he could not escape he was guarded by four Roman soldiers.  Two were inside the dungeon, each one chained to him, while the other two kept watch at the doors of the inner and outer walls.  He was kept in prison for several days and during that time the Christians in Jerusalem scarcely stopped praying for his safety.

Rescue by the angel of the Lord

The night before his execution Peter was sleeping quietly between the two soldiers.  His sandals and cloak were on the floor nearby.  “Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell” (NRSV, Acts 12:7).  The angel tapped Peter on the side, woke him and told him to get up quickly.  And the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.  The angel told him to put on his belt and sandals.  Peter did this.  Then the angel said, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me” (NRSV, Acts 12:8).  Peter followed the angel but did not think what was happening was real – he thought he was seeing a vision.  They passed the first and the second guard and came to the iron gate leading into the city.  It opened for them of its own accord and they went through and walked along a lane.  At this point the angel disappeared.  “Then Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting” (NRSV, Acts 12:11).

Michaelmas Day

The great day on which we remember and honour all the angels is the Feast of St Michael and All Angels on September 29th, often known as Michaelmas Day.

Here is a prayer for morning and evening, asking your Guardian Angel to help you: “My good Guardian angel, please keep watch over me this day (or this night)”.

SUMMARY

1. The angels live in Heaven where they worship God.  They also bring messages from God to human beings and guard us from harm.  Each of us has a Guardian Angel.

2. We honour the angels on the Feast of St Michael and All Angels or Michaelmas Day on September 29th.

3. Every morning and evening we should ask our Guardian Angel to help us.  We can use words such as these: “My good Guardian angel, please keep watch over me this day (or this night)”.

Reference

1. ©The Archbishops’ Council (2000) Common Worship, Holy Communion, Order One, Eucharistic Prayer A.  Available from:
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/liturgy/commonworship/texts/hc/prayera.html  (Accessed 17 August 2010) (Internet).