Welcome to my new page of Mary and the Angels. This beauty is the backdrop mural in Our Lady's Chapel at St. Ignatius,
Our Lady of the Angels

Matthew 18:10 Angels of little ones:
"See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven."
"...because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of the resurrection they are children of God" (Luke 24:23).
For a short while you have made him less than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor" (Hebrews 2:7).
"I thank you, Yahweh, with all my heart, for you have listened to the cry I uttered. In the presence of angels I sing to you" (Psalms 138:1).
"And then he added, `In all truth I tell you, you will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending over the Son of man" (John 1:51).
"No disaster can overtake you, no plague come near your tent; :he has given his angels orders about you to guard you wherever you go" (Psalms 91:10-11).
"This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the upright" (Matthew 13:49 ).
"For at the resurrection men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven" (Matthew 22:30).
"For the Son of man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his behavior" (Matthew 16:27).
"So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name. To which of the angels, then, has God ever said: You are my Son, today I have fathered you, or: I shall be a father to him and he a son to me? Again, when he brings the First-born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God pay him homage" (Hebrews 1:4 -6).
"Anyone who proves victorious will be dressed, like these, in white robes; I shall not blot that name out of the book of life, but acknowledge it in the presence of my Father and his angels" (Revelation 3:5).

MARY AND THE ANGELS

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The existence of angels -- a truth of faith

The existence of spiritual, not-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition (328, these numbers are from the Catholic Catechism, Catholic Book Publishing CO, NY).

St. Augustine says , "Angel" is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is "spirit"; if you seek the name of their office, it is "angel"; from what they are, "spirit" from what they do, "angel." With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they "always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven" they are the mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word (Mt 18: 10, Ps. 103;20; #329).

Christ "with his angels "

Christ is the center of the angelic world. They are his angels: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him...(Mt. 25:31). They belong to him because they were created through and for him: " for in him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities or authorities -- all things were created through him and for him (Col. 1:16). They belong to him still more because he has made them messengers of his saving plan: "Are they not all manifesting spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?" (Heb. 1:14; #331).

From the Incarnation to the Ascension, the life of the Word incarnate is surrounded by the adoration and service of angels. When God "brings the firstborn into the world, he says ‘Let all God’s angels worship him’" (Heb. 1:6). Their song of praise at the birth of Chris has not ceased resounding in the Church’s praise. "Glory to God in the highness" (Lk. 2:14). They protect Jesus in his infancy, serve him in the desert, strengthen him in his agony in the garden, when he could have been saved by them from the hands of his enemies as Israel had been (Cf. Mt. 1;20; 2:13, 19; 4:11; 26:53). Again it is the angels who "evangelize" by proclaiming the good news of Christ’s Incarnation and Resurrection (Lk. 2:8-14; Mk. 16:5-7).They will be present at Christ’s return, which they will announce, to serve at his judgment (Cf. Acts 1:10-11; Mt. 13:41; 24:31; Lk.12:8-9; #333).

From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. (Cf. Mt. 18:10; Lk. 16:22; Ps.34:7, 91:10--13).Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God (236)..

The Story of Fr. Pat's Angel
Do you really believe in personal angels? Below is my angel as composed and imagined by a young woman who was among a group of parishioners making a retreat with me. Among other things she came to talk with me about this gift God had given her. She is able to "see" in part some people's angels. She has a "sense," a general imagination of the angel. In order to see the whole angel she must draw it. This was the condition of her work --she had to do it in faith. I understood this to be a form of prayer for her and at the same time a development in her faith life.

God had conveyed to her in prayer that He wanted her to do this in order to give him praise. Through her own angel He would teach her personally how to do this work; she need not go to a professional instructor. After our conversation she told me that she was getting a sense of my angel. Would it be okay if she painted it. I said she could and thought little more about it. On my birthday a couple of months later I received a large cardboard envelope. I thought someone was sending me a "funny" card. When I opened it there was my angel --very beautiful, I thought. Judge for yourself below

Her observations:
This is only the third angel of an adult she has painted which turned out to be boyish. Two others angels of adult men were youthful; one of the men was 90 years old..

My Observations:
This "seeing" is a gift from God to this young woman. The angel is the representation of her work part of which she saw in her imagination and sensed when she met me. It is important to allow God to be God in one's life and allow him to work as He pleases with the person. The discernment is whether the work and actions take the person towards God or away from him. This woman found her gift taking her to God and found it pleasing to herself and to him. It is part of her witness to God in her life