Angels' Wings - September 29

Today’s Readings: St. Michael & All Angels: AM Psalm 8, 148; Job 38:1-7; Hebrews 1:1-14; PM Psalm 14, 150; Daniel 12:1-3; Mark 13:21-27

“Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:11)

My mom read lots of books to me when I was little. One that I remember clearly was called “The Littlest Angel” about the young, curly headed blonde angel-boy who kept dropping his halo and disrupting order around heaven. My mom could not make it through that book without her voice cracking and tears streaming down her cheeks. I would giggle when she cried, for I did not understand the tenderness.

As the story goes, Heaven became a place of great excitement as the news spread of the impending birth of Jesus, Son of God - a child to be born of Mary. As Charles Tazewell writes it, “all the angels rejoiced and their voices were lifted to herald the Miracle of Miracles, the coming of the Christ Child.” The usual hustle and bustle of Paradise shifted, as angels, archangels, seraphim and cherubim prepared their gifts for the blessed baby. But, the littlest angel was stuck. He could not come up with an idea for a gift. He tried and tried – but nothing. At the last moment, he gathered some items into a rustic, worn box, feeling insignificant seeing it in comparison with the other glowing, heavenly gifts. The gift from the Littlest Angel is opened by the Hand of God, holding precious items from when the boy had lived prior to coming to the heavenly gates: a golden-winged butterfly, a tiny bird’s egg shell in hues of heavenly blue, smooth white rocks from the river where he played, and a leather collar worn by his dog who he had dearly loved. Gifts of tenderness and memory, wonder and potential. He gave those gifts of himself freely, uncertain if they would be valued and appreciated. (Surely other angels standing nearby raised their eyebrows or held their breath in trepidation about what was next.) The tension broke and the gifts from the littlest angel were the most fitting, the most pleasing, the most cherished – for these gifts would be the things that would bring the Son of God joy as a child.

Today is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. It is a day in which we revisit passages of Holy Scripture that tells of brushes with the protective angels’ wings and their messages brought to us from Heaven. In modern American culture, conversations of angels point to images of cute, snuggly cherubs, or in the realm of baseball, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, perennial heartbreakers who just cannot get to the World Series. Biblical descriptions of these heavenly hosts are less sanitized. In Mark, we read about the forecasting of the last and dark days, when the Son of Man is coming in the clouds. Jesus will send the angels to do his bidding, gathering the chosen ones from all around the world (7:24-27). Angels are described as huge and imposing; when people encounter them, the angels’ first words are often, “Be not afraid!” I imagine the booming sounds created by angels when I read in Revelation 5 where John of Patmos writes about his apocalyptic vision in which “a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’”

During the Eucharistic Prayer, the priest invites the congregation to join “with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of God’s name”…or something along those lines. We boldly join our voices with the Heavenly Host in speaking the truth. The messages delivered by angels are unsettling, in that God’s words to humans are often about a change to come. They are words of warning or direction or hard truth we need to hear.

So, while we sing of the tender brush of angels’ wings in the song “Sanctuary”, today is a day we remember that the brush of angels’ wings means that there is movement about. God is moving us. God is present with us. Let us be bold and join our voices with that of angels, as we listen deeply for God.

--Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

What images of angels are inspirational to you? Who have been angels in your life? How might your understanding of angels expand?

Daily Challenge

Sit in silence for 15 minutes. Listen for angels' wings. Listen for how God is calling you to move or change in new ways. Ask God to be with you in stillness, emboldening you to move into the rest of your day.