An Orthodox colleague once asked, “Why do we tell children that they didn’t see an angel at
the Liturgy?” Why indeed? Perhaps it’s because we believe that angels and everything
associated with them belong to a cosmology and worldview that are hopelessly outdated and
alien. Perhaps, if we’re honest, we are more at ease with a worldview that has drastically
narrowed the doors of perception, uncomfortable with claims to experience that cannot be
reduced to the empirical. The Church, however, continues to bring the vision of angels before
us, not only with the annual return of the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, but with its claim,
Sunday by Sunday, that we are joining our voices to that of the invisible choirs who forever sing
the praise of God.
At the least – and this is no small thing – angels as we encounter them throughout the
Scriptures bring us in touch with the rich, vibrant realities of the invisible vitalities of God. To
celebrate the angels, to meditate on them is to recall that there is another power at work in the
world than the powers we are used to, powers of aggression, coercion, and violence. The fiery,
sea-striding angels of the Book of Revelation give heart to weary Christians by showing that
earthly struggles are of a piece with a cosmic battle whose victory has already been won. When
our ranks are thin, our spirits are flagging, we may wonder whether there is any point in coming
together to sing a few faltering hymns in praise of a God who seems far off. Remember that we
join our voices with angels and archangels. However faint our praise on earth, it is still one with
the the worship of the whole company of heaven.
More often, though, we encounter angels “unaware.” When we say something like, “I didn’t
know how I would face that situation until she came alongside me,” or “He gave me a helpful
word of advice at just the right minute” we prove God’s promise: “I am going to send an angel
in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared”
(Exodus 23:20). In other words, while things can go terribly wrong in life, probably more often
than not, things do work out: catastrophe is averted; the lost is found; the car swerved in time;
the shadow on the x-ray turns out to be benign; the right meeting takes place at just the right
time.
It is certainly possible to live faithfully as a Christian — doing the works of justice, making peace,
welcoming the stranger, and all the rest – without any belief in angels. Perhaps though, the
witness of little children whose imaginations are still fresh and open to the rich and luxuriant
invisible realities, may help us all to live with yet greater delight and zeal.
Kevin+
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