A Nun's Life » angel

Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels

Sister Julie — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:03:09 +0000

Happy Feast of the Archangels! Michael, Gabriel, Raphael be blessed! I must confess I’m not one for run-of-the-mill angels (especially the little baby-faced ones which kind of scare me) but archangels? That’s my kind of angel! So who are these three that we celebrate today?

Well first, by way of information, an archangel is a chief angel. There are typically 3 archangels that we honor by name in the Christian tradition — Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. There may be up to 7 archangels in total (including Uriel who is honored in the Eastern Christian tradition) but this area seems to be a bit fuzzy in our tradition. The 3 archangels are honored in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

19th century Russian Orthodox icon of the Archangels. Michael is in the center, behind the circular mandorla of Christ. Gabriel and Raphael stand in front to the left and right respectively. Tempera and gold leaf on wood

Michael is considered the leader of the heavenly host, “one of the chief princes”. He is a patron of soldiers. His name in Hebrew means “Who is like God?” He is mentioned by name in three books of the Bible: Daniel, Jude, and Revelations. He is patron saint of many including soldiers, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and sailors.

Gabriel appears in the book of Daniel where he helped by explaining the prophet’s visions. Gabriel is probably best know as the angel of the Annunciation who appeared to Mary announcing that she would give birth to the Savior. He also announced John the Baptist’s birth to Zachariah. His name means “God is my strength”. Gabriel is patron saint of broadcasters (radio, TV, etc.) among others.

Raphael appears in the Book of Tobit where he heals Tobit of his blindness and helps Tobiah and Sarah. His name means “God heals”. Raphael is the patron of people who are blind, of healers, and of happy meetings.

We honor the archangels along with saints and other angels by remembering them and praying with them. Just like we might ask a friend to pray for us, or turn to someone who has “been there, done that” in some particular situation we are facing, we look to the archangels for support and for their presence. In early Jewish literature archangels are called “angels of the presence” which I think well describes how they are in our life.

How have you encountered these “angels of presence” in your life?

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Wrapping up with Joan Wester Anderson

Sister Julie — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:48:31 +0000

Joan Wester Anderson has signed off for the day. It has been a pleasure to host her here at A Nun’s Life and to ponder questions with you. Thank you, Joan, for your presence here and for your ministry.

I encourage you to read Joan’s newest book, Angels and Wonders: True Stories of Heaven on Earth and to visit her website.

Everyone who has commented up to now on the conversation with Joan will be entered in a raffle for an autographed copy of Angels and Wonders. I will contact the winner by email tomorrow.

If you’d like to purchase a copy of Angels and Wonders, the publisher Loyola Press is offering you a 30% discount on the book. You can order at www.loyolabooks.com or by calling Loyola Press toll-free at 800-621-1008. Please use the code 2765 to save 30% on Angels and Wonders. This offer is good through October 5, 2008.

Below are links to all the posts related to our conversation with Joan Wester Anderson. Enjoy!

Beginning the conversation with Joan:

Angels and Wonders – Introducing a day with Joan Wester Anderson
Angel Talk – Preparing for Joan’s visit to A Nun’s Life
Conversation with Joan Wester Anderson – Joan’s opening message

Questions to which Joan responded:

Does the presence of angels diminish the significance of the Holy Spirit?

Sister Julie — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:41:19 +0000

Chloe: Hi Joan, Thanks for being here today. How does the idea of angels fit with the idea of the Holy Spirit as God’s abiding presence among us? Does the presence of angels diminish the significance of the Holy Spirit in any way? I appreciate having a place to ask this question! Thanks again.

Joan: Hi Chloe, No, the Blessed Trinity really doesn’t conflict at all with angels. Angels aren’t God, and don’t have God’s power. We could get along without them, but try getting along without God! People often wonder why God made angels, and I really don’t know. I guess, just as there are millions of varieties of plants, for example, God is an abundant God. We could have gotten along with two or three varieties, but He gives us tons. And the same with angels. Life is so much richer knowing that angels are around.

More than one person has suggested that to some, God may seem too exalted to relate to, so angels are a good substitute. I don’t think anything can be substituted for God, however I do see what these people mean. Perhaps an angel is more approachable.

Angels and “Coincidence”

Sister Julie — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:39:12 +0000

Mary Ann:

Dear Joan,

The “coincidences” that God throws my way always make me smile. My 10-year-old son, Gareth, came home from school today and told me that his friend was “very lucky”. This boy had a bad fall on the playground and staff members were afraid that he’d given himself a concussion and broken his thumb, but he was fine. I told Gareth that his friend’s guardian angel was at work.

Gareth was one of those quiet, destructive toddlers,who caused several hundred pounds’ worth of damage to our property and had many, many scary falls. By rights, by his third birthday Gareth should have had at least three concussions, two dozen stitches in his head and a handful of broken bones. As it happens Gareth has never had a trip to the hospital, though I have spent a few sleepless nights sitting up next to him making sure that he wasn’t concussed. I often joke that I owe Gareth’s guardian angel a keg of single malt whisky, but the simple truth is that, if I hadn’t believed in guardian angels before I had Gareth, I certainly would now. We worked in conjuction with his guardian angel, of course, by keeping matches and sharp objects out of Gareth’s reach! It’s probably a mother thing, but I feel closer to Gareth’s angel than he does. His angel has never revealed his name to us, and I won’t go out of my way looking for it if he doesn’t want us to know.

While my 11-year-old daugher has not had as much need for her angel (yet!) my 8-year-old son, who has Autistic Spectrum Disorder, must have a special angel just for children like him.

I also find it interesting how supposedly athiest friends begin to doubt their disbelief in, if not God, at least in angels, when they walk away unscathed from what should have been a nasty accident.

I look forward to reading your posts this week.

Cheers,

Mary Ann in the UK

Joan: Mary Ann, I laughed when you described your little boy. I have four sons, born close together and one of them was a real imp. I wish I had been wise enough to entrust each of them to the angels. I have noticed that small children seem to see angels frequently. Any of you? I think it may be because they are so pure of heart, and they haven’t any preconceived notions of whether they should be able to see the spirit world.

How does one recognize and nurture a connection with an angel?

Sister Julie — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:41:39 +0000

Kazimer: Hi Joan ~

1) How does a person distinguish between a coincidence event and the interaction of an angel (and/or their guardian angel) ?

2) It seems that it would be un-nerving to “realize” a communication/connection with an angel, so:

a) Is there a time ( and if so how) when a person feels at ease with this interaction ?

b) How does a person distinguish between a good angel vs an evil angel especially if/when an evil angel may communicate/portray themselves as a good angel?

3) If someone feels they have made contact with an angel/their guardian angel, is this something to be shared with others?

Specifically, some people ( including priests/sisters/religious ) may tend to view a person stating such an interaction as having an over-active imagination.

4) Once someone has in their heart of hearts knows they have a connection with an angel, how does this person develop the relationship and what is involved with it ? i.e. I would assume the interaction would be more than a “what can you do for me ” type of relationship

Thank you for your insights.

Kazimer – “Kaz”

Joan: Hi, Kazimer. You’ve thought about this topic—I can tell. I think first we should agree that angels are always with us. It is the Catholic belief that each human being is given an angel at the moment of one’s existence, to watch over them, protect them from sin whenever possible, and to bring messages. The angel’s behavior doesn’t depend on anything we do. They are God’s gift to us. If we wish to become closer to them, this is all well and good with God. However, we are not in control of angels, as I have said before.

So what we’re really discussing here is what happens when that veil between heaven and each is slightly lifted, and angels become visible to us, just for a moment. We see that they are engaged in some activity, much of the time getting us out of a difficult situation or bringing us a message of some kind. For reasons sometimes known only to God, we are allowed to see this going on. The vast majority of “angel experiences” I think, are done in secret. Angel don’t want or need attention; they are not the Message, only the messengers, and so their tendency is to get in, get it done and get out. It is during this little break in time when we are permitted to see what is always going on. And we can not always be sure that it was an angel who helped us. As we look back on the experience, there are usually some puzzling aspects to it, but nothing really concrete (unless someone has had a vision). It is normal to doubt, as many questions arise after such an experience, and people react in different ways.

The main way to respond is to test the spirits. If the fruit is good, it was probably an angel. The Holy Spirit gives us gifts to discern goodness vs evil, and we should stay close to God, receive the sacraments regularly and, of course, mention Jesus’ name whenever you are in doubt. Sometimes if someone is going through something odd in their homes, experts recommend that you bless your home, or have a mass said for the people that used to live there, because sin has a tendency to hang around. It does sound odd, I know, but we have to be careful what we let into our homes today.

Angels are aware of all this, and can prompt us towards the right action. This is one of their best gifts to us.

Angels and Nuns

Sister Julie — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:17:29 +0000

Sister Julie: Have you ever experienced or heard an angel and nun story?

Joan: Julie, you asked if I know any angel stories about nuns? When I was still in the bewildered stage, looking for stories but not quite sure what I was going to do with them, my mother told me about a sister she had met while volunteering at a nearby hospital. Mom had told Sister Mary Dolores Kazmierczak about my quest and Sister got one of those knowing looks on her face. The upshot was, Sister gave me the first REAL story I felt I could include, and to this day she is on my angel story mailing list (sign up at www.joanwanderson.com pretty sneaky huh?) and a firm angel fan:

Sister loved traveling, and had planned a trip to Italy and Poland with a few friends, and her elderly parents. Unexpectedly a few months before departure, her mother died and her father developed a form of shakiness. Sister was worried that he wouldn’t be able to handle the physical challenges on the trip, and what if he injured himself in a foreign country? She prayed for guidance but no answer seemed to come. Reluctantly, Sister decided to leave Dad at home. He was hurt but understanding. Sister felt terrible.

A few days before bon voyage, Sister and her dad visited her mother’s grave. On the way home, they saw a fruit stand ahead, and turned in to pick up some produce. There were two Mexican men working there, and no other customers. One of the men, wearing a blue shirt, was manning the cash register. The other, in a brown hat, was arranging displays. Mr. Kazmierczak wandered around; Sister kept an eye on him in case he fell. No one spoke, and eventually Sister went to the man at the cash register, rang up her purchases and walked toward her father. Just then the man in the brown hat approached her. “That trip you’re going on?” he said to Sister. “I just spoke with your mother. She says it’s okay to take your father along. Nothing bad will happen to him.”

Sister was astonished. “My mother is dead,” she told him.

“Yes.” He nodded. “I know.”

Sister’s reaction was to Get Out Of There right away. Quickly she got her dad in the car and off they went. Then it occurred to her. Had her father been talking to the man in the brown hat, complaining about being left behind? Why would he tell a perfect stranger? And yet she hadn’t heard any conversations at the fruitstand. She asked her dad if he had spoken to either of the men. “There was just one man there,” her father answered. “The one at the cash register. I didn’t talk to him.”

“I’m talking about the other man, the one in the brown hat. You were right there. You must have seen him.”

Her father looked confused. “But I didn’t. There wasn’t anyone else there.”

Sister stopped. She was starting to get a funny little feeling. Hadn’t she asked for an answer?

During subsequent summers, Sister took her father on several trips. He never had a mishap and thrived on the changes of scene. Sister never worried about him after the episode at the fruit stand. She new her mom was watching over both of them.

Can we give names to our angels?

Sister Julie — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:53:35 +0000

Tom Cloutier, SFO: I was watching a Catholic program last evening and the subject was angels. An audience member asked about the rightness of naming your angel and the moderator said it was disrespectful toward the angel. I have always taught my students (I’m a junior high theology teacher for the last 19 years) that naming your angel was a good idea since we want to develop a loving relationship with this being that has been with us since our conception and will be with us into eternity. As human beings, it is easier to have a relationship with someone whose name we know, so to ask your angel to reveal their name to you, or give them a name that you feel comfortable with, will help you be more aware of them and more open to their guidance.

After all that…what are your views on this?

Peace,
Tom Cloutier, SFO

Joan: I’m as surprised as you are (about naming one’s angel being a sign of disrespect). I have heard this opinion recently, and I believe it may have its roots in Opus Angelorum, a group of Catholics who focus mainly on angels. They are very knowledgeable and I have just begun to get their bulletin so I can continue to educate myself. I have heard that they do not believe in naming one’s angel. (My apologies to them if I am misinterpreting this.)

I never thought about naming my angel until the first time I was a guest on Mother Angelica’s show (how I miss that lady!). She stated firmly that, just as you said, naming your angel was a great way of increasing one’s love and devotion. She also felt that the closer we were to our angel, the more easily it would be to recognize his promptings. Shortly after that, I met a woman who was very hesitant about telling me something….sometimes people are being prompted to say something to someone else but are afraid of being labeled as a kook; I’ve been in that position myself and certainly want to do God’s will if He is indeed prompting me, so I understood how she felt. Hesitantly she told me that she was being asked to tell me that my guardian angel was a warrior (due to my travels, etc) and that his name was Dominic. Honestly, I was thrilled. I have called him Dominic ever since. Can I prove this was the “real thing?” No, but we are told to look at the fruits, and I certainly have a closer relationship with Dominic than I did before learning what his name might be.

If it were up to me, Tom, I would continue to suggest that your students name their angels. They need all the help they can get in today’s world.

What exactly are Angels?

Sister Julie — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:19:30 +0000

Joan: It’s probably easier to explain what they aren’t. Angels are NOT the spirits of people who have died, nor are they “earning their wings….” Often you will hear people saying, “My dad is in heaven and now he’s our family’s guardian angel.” It’s a beautiful thought. However, angels have never been human, and human beings do not turn into angels when we die. The Bible says we will become “LIKE angels,” which usually is interpreted that we will become spirits.

Angels were the very first creation God ever made. They are pure spirits, although they can take on human form (our towtruck driver) when necessary to carry out God’s plan. They predate humans by however many years old the world is. In the Book of Job it says that angels sang and celebrated when they saw what God had made. And of course when the Garden of Eden was closed, God posted an angel at the entrance. In Revelations it explains that there was an enormous fight in heaven, long before anything else existed, and fully 1/3 of all the angels God had created were driven out of Paradise. These are the demons that “roam the world, seeking the ruin of souls.”

But… (there’s always a but) this does not mean that your loved ones in heaven can’t watch over you, and do beautiful things for you. The same God who made the angels made humans, and when we get to heaven, we are simply a different group than angels, and we are usually referred to as saints. I have tons of stories about little hugs from heaven and other comforting events that people have experienced from their loved ones in heaven. It’s just important to define our terms so we are all talking about the same thing.

Conversation with Joan Wester Anderson

Sister Julie — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:38:24 +0000

Welcome Joan Wester Anderson to A Nun’s Life blog. Joan is a best-selling author and lecturer. According to her website, Joan “began her writing career in 1973 with a series of family humor articles for local newspapers and Catholic publications, and was a monthly columnist for two national magazines during the 1980s. She has published more than one thousand articles and short stories in a variety of publications.” Joan has been interviewed far and wide including by Oprah, Good Morning America, 20/20, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, and Mother Angelica.

Joan is here at A Nun’s Life to chat with you about “angels and wonders” (also the title of her new book). I and a few others already have few questions for Joan to begin. Remember, this conversation is for you, so ask away!

Here’s how this works …

1) Ask your question(s) for Joan by writing a comment in the comment box below this post or any post today (all of the posts today will be part of the conversation with Joan).

2) Joan will be scanning all of these posts and comments and will respond to people’s questions. She’ll send me an email so that I can re-post the questions along with her responses in a new post. The most recent questions with responses will appear at the top of the blog. Joan’s responses will be in blue text.

3) If the questioner, Joan, or anyone else would like to further a particular conversation, they can click on that post and comment there.

4) Loyola Press, the publisher of Joan’s books (there are many), is raffling off a free autographed copy of her book Angels and Wonders – you are automatically entered in this drawing when you post a comment or question for Joan.

5) If you’d like to purchase a copy of Angels and Wonders, the publisher Loyola Press is offering you a 30% discount on the book. You can order at www.loyolabooks.com or by calling Loyola Press toll-free at 800-621-1008. Please use the code 2765 to save 30% on Angels and Wonders. This offer is good through October 5, 2008.

My gratitude goes to Joan Wester Anderson for joining us, to Loyola Press for sponsoring this, and to you readers and guests of A Nun’s Life for joining in!

Welcome, Joan Wester Anderson!

Joan: Hi, everyone! I hope this is the place where I write my comments (not too blog-savvy as yet!). I thought I would perhaps explain why and how I got interested in angels, and began writing books about them. It might help you get to know me, and vice versa.

I had five children and a handyman special house when I began writing for magazines. It was a way to add a second income and stay home with the kids at the same time. The “second income” was very modest and at times I wondered what a nice girl like me was doing in a place like this. I also wrote seven books through the years, on various topics, kids, humor etc. I never gave a thought to angels; in fact, I never even taught my kids the guardian angel prayer. Angels just weren’t on my radar. If you had Jesus, what else did you need?

Then to make a very awesome story short, my son Tim graduated from college and took a job in CT. (We live in suburban Chicago). That first Christmas he planned to drive home along with a couple friends. As Christmas approached, the weather became extremely dangerous, way below zero, storms etc. The boys broke down in the middle of the night in an Indiana cornfield, no lights, no people and the temperature 35 degrees below zero.

Suddenly there were lights streaming into the car. Headlights resting on their back bumper. It was a tow truck. They hadn’t seen it coming. It wasn’t there—and then it was. The driver was all bundled up; they couldn’t see his face, but he hitched them up, took them back to a house in Fort Wayne where they had previously dropped one of the boys, and when they got out of the car, the truck was gone and there were no tire tracks leading away from where they stood.

My son is an engineer, picky about details. His friend saw everything (or nothing) too. The story was so unbelievable that I didn’t know what to do with it. (This is a common reaction when an angel touches you). Finally, after some years of pondering, I started telling the story and people started telling me THEIR stories! I realized with my writer’s sense that this was the best untold story I’d ever heard. So I started interviewing etc, and a small publisher took a chance on the book, Where Angels Walk, it was published in 1992 as what I considered to be my last book, and it became a New York Times bestseller and has sold over a million copies. It is still in print some sixteen years later, along with many sequels. Little did I know that during the years when I struggled at home, God was training me for this job.

Angel Talk: Preparing for Joan Wester Anderson’s Visit

Sister Julie — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:31:50 +0000

Angels are a popular subject. Just check out any “Inspiration” section of a bookstore. In preparation for Joan Wester Anderson’s visit tomorrow, I thought I’d surf around and see what other A Nun’s Life friends have said about angels.

Lisa Hendey, the tech-savvy mom behind CatholicMom.com, did an interview with J.D. Kamps, author of The Foxhole Angel.

Sister Susan Rose Francois, CSJP, writes about jail-busting angels on her blog Musings of a Discerning Woman.

Bill Howdle of Dying Man’s Daily Journal reprises one of his awesome posts on angels.

Sister Rose Hoover, RC, “cybernun”, writes about wrestling with the angel of God. Sister Rose blogs for Cenacle Sisters at Caught Up in God.

Julie D. of Happy Catholic blog recently hosted Joan Wester Anderson as well. But back in 2005 she wrote about her own guardian angel story.

Think about your own angel experiences and angel questions for Joan. Look forward to our conversation tomorrow in honor of the Feast of the Guardian Angels!

Angels and Wonders

Sister Julie — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:37:46 +0000

I am pleased to announce that I will be hosting author and speaker
Joan Wester Anderson for a day-long visit at ANunsLife.org!

This Thursday, October 2 — which happens to be the Feast of the Guardian Angels in the Catholic tradition – Joan will visit this blog and discuss her new book Angels and Wonders: True Stories of Heaven on Earth. Joan is the author of numerous books on angels. You can learn more at her website JoanWAnderson.com.

How this works is that Joan will be checking in at my blog from around 8 a.m. Central Time to about 8 p.m. in the evening. Both she and I will be in and out but will try to get to all your questions and comments throughout the day. I’ll create a special post for that day and start the conversation off with Joan by asking a few questions. She’ll respond via the comment section which is open for anyone to write in any questions/comments for Joan. She’s here to engage with you so please come and visit throughout the day. I am so looking forward to getting to know Joan and coming to a deeper understanding of “heaven on earth”.

Read the Introduction of Angels and Wonders courtesy of Loyola Press.

Loyola Press is also raffling an autographed copy of Angels and Wonders. Everyone who joins the Thursday online discussion by writing in (via the comments section) is automatically entered into the raffle. Readers of ANunsLife.org will also be given a special discount code to order the book. Thanks, Loyola Press!

Please join the conversation this Thursday, October 2, and bring your questions and ideas for Joan Wester Anderson.

The Heavenly, the Fallen, and the Holy Ones

Sister Julie — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 12:22:26 +0000

Vinita Hampton Wright has just published her latest book, A Catalogue of Angels: The Heavenly, the Fallen, and the Holy Ones Among Us (Paraclete Press, 2006). I got to know Vinita when I attended her writing workshop “The Soul Tells a Story” (she now has a book by that title which I highly recommend). I have a deep appreciation for Vinita’s writing and the deeply spiritual and human themes she speaks to in her novels and non-fiction.

Admittedly, I was never in to angels very much, though I have had occasion to call upon the big three — Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael — at times. I never liked the angel genre of inspirational stories. But this book is way different.

A Catalogue of Angels is about “the origin and nature of angels, where they dwell, what they do, and how they relate to humanity” (back cover). Vinita bases her exploration on stories and writings from the three Abrahamic faiths — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. James Martin, author of My Life with the Saints, writes: “This is the best book available on angels — a wildly popular topic that has long deserved the attention of a thoughtful and talented writier like Vinita Hampton Wright. She brings a poet’s skill, a scholar’s care, and a believer’s heart to the heavenly companions whose presence we might sense, but many know little about” (back cover). It is inspiring indeed.