Angels

The Liturgy next week reminds us of the importance of the angels. On Monday we celebrate the feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, and a few days later on Thursday, we honour the Holy Guardian angels.

Perhaps in recent years angels have been downplayed in our devotion somewhat. This is a pity. Both Old and New Testament are full of references to these creatures (for they are ‘created’, just like us) and of the service that they give to God’s people. The lives of the saints often contain references to the angels. And we should never forget that the great ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ of the Mass is based on the song that the angels sing around the throne of God.

This last observation reminds us of the primary work of the angels - the praise of God. In fact this is our primary duty too. We are called to worship before all else. It is from our worship that we receive the strength to serve God in our fellow human beings, just as it is from their worship that the angels receive the strength to serve us. This primacy of worship is an important reminder that all our works are begun, continued, and ended only through the power of God himself. P.D.