He also is a priest at my former Novus Ordo parish back in Michigan: Our Lady of Good Counsel
And... to top things off, he said the Tridentine Mass after my daughters baptism - her first Mass.
Now aside from these things, he is a very devout & orthodox theologian. He wrote a short Catechesis on Angels back in September 2008 that will help Defend ALL of Us In Battle this lent. Angels are obviously a big devotion for me and this blog, so this post is especially poigniant this time of year in terms of this blog and our mission. Pay particular attention to the end of this post explaining the importance of praying to St. Michael, and all angels in general.
With the Feast of the Holy Archangels taking place tomorrow (September 29) and the Feast of the Guardian Angels coming up on Thursday (October 2), I thought that it might be helpful to give a short catechesis on the angels. Unfortunately, most people’s understanding of the angels is not very good because they only know what they get from Hollywood or contemporary art rather than from the Church. This is unfortunate because the angels can be tremendous allies for us during our pilgrimage here in Earth.The original post can be found here:
The Church says that the angels “are purely spiritual creatures, incorporeal, invisible, immortal, and personal beings endowed with intelligence and will. They ceaselessly contemplate God face-to-face and they glorify him. They serve him and are his messengers in the accomplishment of his saving mission to all” (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 60). They really do it all for us, serving as our guides, companions, protectors, and helpers. Despite the popular practice of depicting angels as little babies with wings sitting on fluffy clouds, it’s certainly not how they are described in Scripture. Typically, they are described as those who are endowed with great power and intellect. When they took human form in Scripture, it was usually for the purpose of delivering some message from God. The word “angel” in fact comes from the Greek work meaning “messenger.” As messengers, they can reveal to us the Will of God.
Three angels in particular are named in Scripture and those are the Archangels, St. Michael, St. Raphael, and St. Gabriel. The Book of Revelation tells us of the war that broke out in Heaven and how St. Michael and his angels battled and defeated Satan (cf. Rev. 12:7). St. Raphael appeared to Tobit as his guide, servant, and mentor. St. Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary bringing to her God’s message that she would be the Mother of God (Luke 1:26-38). A guardian angel is one assigned by God to care for a human being. St. Jerome says that our belief in the guardian angels is a testimony to the great dignity of the human soul that one would be assigned to guard it from its very beginning. Now who wouldn’t want these angels on their side? Angels are mighty warriors in the fight against the devil, and we would be wise to call on them everyday especially during times of trial and temptation. Sometimes, all it takes for us to avoid falling into sin and giving into a temptation is a guardian. Certainly this is part of the mission of our guardian angels.
Our belief in angels reminds us that we are never alone. Jesus says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). They are also citizens of Heaven who perpetually see and adore the face of God. They are present with us wherever Mass is celebrated. Take this beautiful prayer from the first Eucharistic Prayer: “Almighty God, we pray that your angel may take this sacrifice to your altar in Heaven.” The preface of the Mass (the prayer immediately before the Sanctus or the “Holy, Holy, Holy”) always speaks of praising God in union with the angels. It reminds us that the Mass that we celebrate here on earth is united with the perpetual worship of Christ in Heaven where the angels continuously adore Him (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1326).
Finally, I would like to encourage everyone to make the prayer of St. Michael part of your everyday prayer. It used to be that this powerful prayer would be recited at the end of every Mass. Pope Leo XIII composed the Prayer to St. Michael for protection against the attacks of the devil against the Church. Even though this practice has been suppressed, Pope John Paul II urged the faithful to personally pray it daily. Far from mere literary devices, the angels can be mighty allies for us on our road to Heaven – a road that can be littered with many obstacles. May the Holy Angels always be for us our constant companions.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Acervo
Short Catechesis on Angels
-Posted by: Joe
No comments:
Post a Comment