Angels

This image from the Shrine is of the scene in the Gospel of Matthew where an angel appears to Joseph and tells him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, even though she was pregnant with a child that was not biologically his.  There is so much that can be taken from this short, yet very important scene in Matthew's infancy narrative.  I am sure there will be opportunities to do so in future posts.
For now, I want to just briefly discuss angels.  

Life today is devoid of mystery for many. There is no transcendent dimension.  Things beyond what can be seen or felt are rendered non-exist at worst, or non-important at best.   However, just because something is invisible does not mean it is not real.  Catholics say in the Creed every Sunday, "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen."
God created not just us humans, animals, and nature, but He created other things, as well, that are not seen.  The most notable things He created that are not seen are angels. 
Now, there are exceptions to this general reality that angels are not seen.  Numerous times in Scripture angels appear, but they are not seen regularly, as are people and things.  Even in the secular world, one hears people sometime report "angelic experiences".   However, for the most part, angels and their work, while important, remain invisible to men and women.

What are angels?  Angels are servants and messengers of God.  They are pure spirit. They have intelligence and will.   The Church teaches each of us has a guardian angel.
In previous, less materialistic, less man-focused times, more people believed in angels.  I think the lack of belief in angels is a result of our culture that has reduced the transcendent to almost nothing.  Yet, the human cry for the transcendent continues, whether it is acknowledged or not.
So, I say, why not believe in angels?  If you believe in God,  it makes sense, I think.  If He is all powerful, why could He not create perfect spiritual beings?  If He is all good, why not believe He could create perfect spiritual beings who, in serving God, serve us, and sometimes, like in the case with Joseph, speak to us?

Saints like Joseph give us so much good example to live by, and still intercede for us today.  If angels were a part of their life, and they believed in, listened to, and were protected by them, should we not acknowledge them, and allow them to play a greater role in our life, too?  We should pray to our guardian angel often to keep us straight on the narrow path that leads to heaven.   The angel will definitely hear our prayer, and who knows, it just maybe will speak to us?

In future posts, I will discuss more why despite angels, having perfection that surpasses all visible creatures, are not God's crowing achievement of creation.  Man is.   (Wow, we must be a good thing if we surpass angels, more to come to that.)  I will also try to discuss at a certain point the different types of angels that the Tradition of the Church has discerned exist. 
For now, let us rejoice in the creation and gift of God that are His angels.

Joseph, terror of demons, pray for us.