Christmas Journey: It's Over... Or Maybe Not

Another year has come and gone. The older I get, the less the years seem to last. I feel like I was just ringing in 2015 yesterday and here we are welcoming 2016.

I always feel sad on the last day of the year. In part is because I know the Christmas holidays are almost over and I don't look forward to putting away the decorations. I also enjoy having a full house and once Christmas is over, everyone returns to their routines, the out-of-towners go back home and both the house and my heart feel empty. But this year, on Christmas mass, the church played a video that made me put it into perspective. The video shows a sad old man carrying the dry Christmas tree to the dumpster. It talks about the feelings of sadness we all experience once Christmas is over. As the old man is ready to go back home, he finds a Nativity ornament laying on the back of his pickup truck, where he had just removed the Christmas tree. He takes the ornament and hangs it from the rearview mirror. The message is that Christmas doesn't end. Jesus remains in our hearts and in our homes. It's up to us to make room for Him all year round. It doesn't need to be a once a year occurrence.

If we enjoy having the family over for Christmas, why wait a year to have them over again? Who says we can only roast a pig on Christmas Eve? And it doesn't even have to be a pig. We can invite our family and friends over any day. We can cook whatever we want or we can order take out. The point is to get together and celebrate life for no other reason than the joy we feel when we are together. And who says that those that live out of town can only come to visit on Christmas or Thanksgiving? And if they can't come, maybe we can go and visit them. And if we enjoy Christmas movies and Christmas music, we don't need to wait until next December to watch those movies or listen to the music. Nowadays when we can record all our favorite TV shows, we can also record a few Hallmark channel Christmas movies and watch them whenever we feel nostalgic. And "Jingle Bells" sound just as pretty in July as it does in December.

The Nativity doesn't need to be put away. We can display it year-round if we feel like it. I see houses that don't remove their Christmas lights at all. I think they do it mostly because they don't want to go through the trouble of taking them down, but if you are in the mood to light up your house in February, go ahead. Who cares what the neighbors think?

And the most important thing of all, is that we received a special gift of love on Christmas. We can return the gift, the same way we are returning many unwanted gifts to the stores. We can put the gift away in a closet and forget about it until next Christmas. Or we can embrace the gift and let the Love light up our hearts all year long. Let's not to send Jesus in exile the way that Herod did 2,015 years ago. Let's make room in our hearts and in our homes so He can remain with us all year. Love doesn't have to be part of our homes only on Christmas. Love was born on Christmas but it remains forever.

May 2016 be filled with peace, love, angels and Jesus. God bless you all.

Christmas Journey: Glory to God in the Highest

"And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:13-14

On this Christmas morning, close your eyes and imagine the scene. In a little town called Bethlehem, inside a cave on a hillside, a little boy is born today. The shepherds are out and about with their sheep, completely clueless as to the magnitude of the event taking place just a few feet from where they are. And all of a sudden, they hear music, the sky turns on with lights and they are surrounded by a host of angels singing. They were terrified but the main angel talks to them: "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" (Luke 2:10-12).

The shepherds waste no time and they go in search of the baby, their savior, their Messiah, their Lord. They find him just like the angels said, "wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." His young mom is in awe at all the commotion her little boy is causing. The shepherds kneel in front of baby Jesus and they adore him. And the angels continue singing His praises.

This little boy came into the world to turn it upside down. He came to transform the world and He comes every year on Christmas to transform our lives. But many times we get so caught up on the outer preparations (the decorations, the gifts, the food, the parties...) that we forget to prepare our hearts for His birth. We need to surrender our hearts to Him so that we can be transformed by His birth, just like the shepherds were transformed. 

Twenty-one years ago, my third child was born on Christmas Eve. I remember the joy that I felt that night, alone in the hospital, while the rest of the family was celebrating and eating the pork with all the trimmings. God had given me the greatest gift, a miracle that has brought me incredible joy. I remember holding him, looking into his chubby little face and thinking, this is what Mama Mary must have felt like 2,000 years before me. She must have loved him unconditionally from that first moment and she must have promised him to do everything in her power to take care of him.

Today, Mama Mary is giving us a gift. She is giving us her biggest treasure. She is handing baby Jesus to us. We are supposed to love him and give him a place within the confines of our hearts. Will we make room in our hearts for him? Or will we be like the innkeeper that had no room at the inn for him?

This baby brings us hope that no matter what is going on in our lives, we can feel joy. No matter what difficulty we are dealing with, this baby promises to make it better. We just need to concentrate on our blessings instead of constantly counting our heartaches.

We may receive many gifts this Christmas, but none can compare to the gift that Mama Mary is giving us. He is the reason why we celebrate today in the first place. Just like the shepherds did not allow their vision of the angels to obscure the birth of baby Jesus, let us not allow the many gifts under our Christmas trees to hide the manger scene.

May your Christmas be filled with His love, may you be visited by angels and may the birth of baby Jesus be the central focus of your life.

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmas Journey: The Chosen Angel

"The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1: 26-33

St. Gabriel was the angel chosen by God to announce the Good News. We find him in the Gospel of St. Luke visiting Zechariah, the husband of Elizabeth. He appears to Zechariah and announces to him: "Your prayer has been answered." We may think that Zechariah's prayer was for an heir but in reality, his prayer was for atonement. The gift of a son is only a sign and a preparation for what is to come. His son, John the Baptist, will call God's people to the way of God and will prepare them for the coming of Jesus. The real answer to Zechariah's prayer for atonement is Jesus Christ, and, as with all of God's works, this blessing reaches far beyond anything that he had ever imagined.

St. Gabriel is the messenger of the Most High, and is bearer of the Good News, the message of Salvation. After Zechariah, the Archangel St. Gabriel brings the Good News to Mary, the mother of Our Lord and Savior. "Hail, Full of Grace. The Lord is with you." The angel reveals to Mary the mission for which She had been chosen by God. And Mary answers: "Behold, I am the handmaid of The Lord. Be it done unto Me, according to Your word" (Luke 1:38). At that moment She becomes the Ark of The New Covenant, the Bearer of God's love, and St. Gabriel falls on his knees in front of Her to adore God Made Man. 

St. Gabriel is not only the first announcer of the Good News of Salvation, when he speaks to Zechariah, but now he becomes the first adorer of Christ, God made Man. And "Mary is blessed because she believed. By faith she accepted the Word of the Lord and conceived His Incarnate Word. Her faith has shown her that the thrones of the powerful of this world are temporary, while God's throne is the only rock that does not change or fall." Pope Benedict XVI

Gabriel means "the Power of God." St. Gabriel is the angel chosen by God to reveal to us God's power who turns darkness into light, sin into righteousness, sorrow into joy, and death into life. God can become small so that nothing is insignificant to him.

As we prepare our hearts to receive baby Jesus this Christmas, let us pray to St. Gabriel to reveal to us the Good News. Let us pray for his intercession so that our hearts are open to receive God's message of Good News to us.

"O Blessed Archangel Gabriel, we ask you to intercede for us at the throne of God in our present necessities. We pray that just like you announced to Mary the mystery of the Incarnation, that you open our hearts to receive God's message to us. Help us to sing the praises of God forever in the land of the living. Amen."

Sources: 

1-The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible

2-Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)

3-"Entertaining Angels" by Mike Aquilina (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)

4-"Angels and Saints" by Scott Hahn 2014

5-"Angels Throughout the Ages" by Dr. Richard Bulzacchelli (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)

Christmas Journey: The Healing Angel

"I am the Angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the throne of God." Tobit 12:15

In our last meditation, we met the Archangel St. Michael. Today, we are joined by the Archangel St. Raphael. He is one of the seven Archangels who stand before the throne of the Lord, and one of the only three mentioned by name in the Bible. He appears, by name, only in the Book of Tobit. Raphael's name means "God heals" or "healing from God." This identity came about because of the biblical story that claims he "healed" the earth when it was defiled by the sins of the fallen angels in the apocryphal book of Enoch.

Disguised as a human in the Book of Tobit, Raphael travels alongside Tobit's son, Tobiah. Once Raphael returns from his journey with Tobiah, he declares to Tobit that he was sent by the Lord to heal his blindness and deliver Sarah, Tobiah's future wife, from the demon Asmodeus. It is then that his true healing powers are revealed and he makes himself known as "the Angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord" Tobit 12:15.

The demon Asmodeus killed every man Sarah married on the night of the wedding, before the marriage could be consummated. Raphael guided Tobiah and taught him how to safely enter the marriage with Sarah. Raphael is credited with driving the evil spirit from Sarah and restoring Tobit's vision, allowing him to see the light of Heaven and for receiving all good things through his intercession.

Although only the archangels Gabriel and Michael are mentioned by name in the New Testament, the Gospel of John speaks of the pool at Bethesda, where many ill people rested, awaiting the moving of the water. "An angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond; and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under" John 5:1-4. Because of the healing powers often linked to Raphael, the angel spoken of is generally associated with St. Raphael, the Archangel.

Even though St. Raphael is best known as the patron saint of the blind and bodily ills, he is also the patron saint of marriage, travelers, happy meetings, nurses, physicians and medical workers.

St. Raphael is a protector of marriages. In a sacramental marriage, two are bound up together so completely that they live as if a single organism in two persons. I remember when Rafael and I got married, Father Jose Luis Menendez told us: "when you walked into St. Dominic today, you walked in as two separate persons. When you walk out, you will walk out as one." I didn't understand this very well back then, but now, thirty-one years later, I get it. In a sacramental marriage, we are bound together in a relationship of reciprocal self denial and self offering. It is a perfect blending of sexual love and love of friendship (eros and agapei). When these two are separated, we encounter all the problems that we see in marriages and relationships today. Friendship and sexual love become opposing forces, such that husbands and wives may "want" one another without liking one another, they may want to "have" one another but not want to "live for" one another, they may want to be with one another in the bedroom but not around each other at the kitchen table or in the living room. The opposite may also be true when the friendship overshadows the "sexual love." They may live together but may not share a bedroom, they may share a bed but sleep on separate corners, they may pretend to the world that they are in a happy marriage when what they are in is a happy friendship.

During this year alone, three couples that I know have filed for divorce. One of them is in their first decade of marriage but the other two have over thirty years together. When I mentioned to my daughter about one such couple, she told me: "I thought that after a certain number of years, a marriage was safe from falling apart." Unfortunately, there are no guarantees. We have to renew our vows each and every day.

St. Raphael Archangel, "the healing of God," guide us into the deepest and most profound healing of all: the healing of the inner heart. Guard our marriages and allow us to see in our spouses the face of Christ. Guard our lives together so a spirit of friendship always reigns within our homes. Guard the marriage bed so our love is always pure.

This week, as we approach Christmas and the birth of baby Jesus, let's follow the example of Joseph and Mary, who put the needs of each other before their own. And let's ask St. Raphael, the healing angel, to heal those areas in our lives that need healing.

Sources: 

1-The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible

2-Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)

3-"Entertaining Angels" by Mike Aquilina (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)

4-"Angels and Saints" by Scott Hahn 2014

5-"Angels Throughout the Ages" by Dr. Richard Bulzacchelli (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)

Christmas Journey: The Warrior Angel

"St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil." Pope Leo XIII

When our first child was born, Rafael and I decided to name him Rafael after his dad. We chose the name Gabriel for his middle name because we liked it. When we took him to the Church to be baptized, Father Jose Luis Menendez decided to add the third archangel to his name. He told us that we couldn't leave out Miguel because he was the warrior angel and he would protect our son wherever he went. How right he was. Our son has needed the protection of the three archangels for whom he is named more times than I can remember. The most recent one happened a couple of months ago in Germany when by mistake him and his girlfriend got off on the wrong train station. They found themselves at midnight in the middle of nowhere. He called me from Germany to see if I knew anyone who spoke German that could call the hotel for him to see if they could send a taxi to the train station, which was on a town about an hour from the hotel. My first prayer was to St. Michael the Archangel to protect them. And he did. The hotel sent a taxi and a couple hours later they arrived safely.

St. Michael, the Archangel, has been invoked as patron and protector by the Church from the time of the Apostles. The Eastern Rite and many others place him over all the angels, as Prince of the Seraphim. He is described as the "chief of princes" and as the leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over Satan and his followers.

The name Michael means "like God," and stands as a kind of rhetorical question intended to remind us who we are and what we believe. "Who is like the Lord, our God?" (Ps 113:5). Only by receiving the authority of this God can we be truly free to live in the blessings of love. There is no safety anywhere else, for anywhere else is alienation and exile.

Pope Leo XIII had a horrible vision of the world in the twentieth century. It was from this vision that he came up with the prayer to St. Michael. He died before World War I so he did not witness the Nazi takeover and the slaughter of Jews. But he had seen in his vision that the twentieth century would be a very wicked century and he was right. Three hundred million people were killed in the twentieth century between wars, communism and genocide.

Many of these powers that ruled in the twentieth century have been defeated, but the fight continues as new evil powers emerge, so we must continually ask St. Michael to "defend us in battle and to be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the Divine Power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls."

Sources: 

1-The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible

2-Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)

3-"Entertaining Angels" by Mike Aquilina (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)

4-"Angels and Saints" by Scott Hahn 2014

5-"Angels Throughout the Ages" by Dr. Richard Bulzacchelli (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)

Christmas Journey: Our Queen defeats the enemy

"The Inmaculate alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. She seeks souls that will consecrate themselves entirely to her, that will become in her hands forceful instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spread of God's kingdom." 

St. Maximillian Kolbe

Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Most people know the story of a man named Juan Diego who encountered the Virgin Mary in Mexico City, between December 9 and December 12, 1531. Mary told Juan Diego to ask the bishop to build a church on Tepeyac Hill. However, the bishop needed proof of Juan Diego’s encounter and asked for a miracle. Juan Diego returned to the hill to see roses in a spot where there were previously cacti. When Juan Diego returned, he showed the roses to the archbishop which he was carrying in his cloak. When he opened up his cloak, the roses cascaded to the floor and an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared miraculously in its place. The bishop was convinced of the miracle and built a church in honor of the event. The cloak is kept in this church and millions of pilgrims visit every year to pray to Our Lady.

Most people, however, don't know the story behind the story. In the year when the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego, the Aztec culture was a dominant force in Mexico. The Aztec religion was one of the most brutal the world has ever seen. Human sacrifice was a regular event in their liturgical cycle. The consecration of a new temple would include the sacrifice of thousands upon thousands of human victims. They lived in what St. John Paul II would have called a "culture of death."

Among the chief gods of the Aztecs was the feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl. This was the god of the moon who would enter the abode of the dead to retrieve the life-energy of the departed. According to Aztec legend, this god produced human beings from his own blood.

Prior to the miraculous appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe, all attempts to evangelize the Aztec people had failed. For about fifty years, the Spanish missionaries attempted to exercise the demons of the Aztecs and make room for the God of love, but to no avail. And then, to one pious Indian convert who had taken the name Juan Diego, appears a woman enveloped by the sun, the moon under her feet, wearing a mantle, the color of the night sky, pierced-through with glimmering stars. Beneath the mantle, she wore a rose-colored garment marked with a four-petaled flower and tied with a black ribbon above her waist. Her own gaze was averted as she stood, head bowed, with her hands held gently against one another at her breast. And the color of her skin made her to look as one of them, a native to their own land.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, which means "the one who crushes the serpent," defeated the enemy without speaking a word. Here appeared a simple woman of their own race, whose own glory outshone the sun, and who had totally vanquished the plumed serpent god of the moon who lay beneath her delicate feet. The darkness of the night sky that lay about her shoulders was the color of the kingdom of death but its darkness had been dispelled by the glimmering stars that shone through from within. The black ribbon tied above her waist was a sign of her pregnancy, and, in spite of her lowly disposition, she was a Queen. The child she carried in her womb was the very essence of divinity itself, for her garment was marked with a four-petaled flower, which signified the power of the divine realm over the whole of the world. This child in her womb made her greater than all the gods of the Aztec religion, and promised freedom in life for those who would receive her reign as Queen over heaven and earth.

All at once, the battle had been won, and the Aztec religion began to collapse. By the thousands came the converts seeking Baptism at the hands of the missionaries. They could finally believe that the demons who had held them captive had been defeated by a far greater power and that life was stronger than death, because love was the foundation of all reality. She changed the whole worldview of the Aztec people, replacing a culture of death with the Gospel of life, crushing the head of the serpent by giving birth to our Redemption, the baby Jesus who came to give us abundant life and peace.

If we are being tempted by the enemy, we can turn to Our Lady who will send him away. We can ask for her shield and protection under the mantle of her love. Our Queen has defeated the enemy. We have nothing to fear.

"Holy Virgin of Guadalupe, Queen of Peace! Save the nations and peoples of this continent. Teach everyone, political leaders and citizens, to live in true freedom and to act according to the requirements of justice and respect for human rights, so that peace may thus be established once and for all." Pope St. John Paul II, Homily for the Mass at the Basilica of Guadalupe, January 23, 1998

Christmas Journey: The Queen of the Angels

"O most pure Virgin Mary conceived without sin, from the very first instant, you were entirely immaculate. O glorious Mary full of grace, you are the mother of my God – the Queen of Angels and of men. I humbly venerate you as the chosen mother of my Savior, Jesus Christ."

When I was living in Spain, the feast of the Immaculate Conception was one of my favorite holidays for two reasons: we didn't have school and it was the day when my mom decorated the Christmas tree. At the age of nine or ten, I was more interested in getting a free day from school than the meaning behind the celebration. It didn't matter that Immaculate Conception was the name of my school. I had never stopped to ponder the meaning behind the title.

The Immaculate Conception means that Mary was conceived without original sin or its stain—that’s what "immaculate" means: without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God’s grace; from the first instant of her existence she was in the state of sanctifying grace and was free from the corrupt nature original sin brings.

During the past nine days, I have been praying a novena in preparation for this solemn celebration. I began this meditation with one of the prayers from the novena. It struck me that Mary, aside from being the mother of God, is the Queen of angels and of men. She is the Mother of Christ, who created the angels, "for in Him," says St. Paul, "were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominations, or principalities or powers: all things were created by Him and in Him" (1 Col 16). 

The title of "Queen" is very appropiate for our Blessed Mother. She is our Queen and their Queen. "Mary was made the Queen of all creatures, because she was made the Mother of the Creator" says St. John of Damascus. She is their Queen, because, as she is elevated far above them in dignity and glory, they look up to her with reverence. She is Queen because her son Jesus Christ proclaimed her Queen of earth and of heaven. He loved her beyond angels and saints, and hence adorned her soul with greater grace than that of all other creatures. Mary, then, is indeed the “Queen of Angels.” Her grace and supernatural blessedness lift her far above the most excellent of the elect, to an amazing height of glory at the right hand of her Divine Son. The angels bow low before her, as the Angel Gabriel did at Nazareth. It is a privilege for them to minister to her, whom with that bright spirit they recognize as full of grace, and they are thrilled with delight as forever they proclaim her “blessed among women.”

The angels find in Mary, the most excellent of all of God's creatures. If the faithful servants of Mary on earth have felt their hearts inflamed by the beauty of their celestial Queen; what must be the feelings of those blessed spirits, who see her, as she is, and whose superior nature renders them more capable of appreciating the wonders of God's grace in her than we can possibly be. It is not, then, without reason, that the church says that the angels of God rejoiced at the assumption of this heavenly Queen. "Mary is assumed into heaven: the angels rejoice."

Mary's title as "Queen of angels" should remind us, that we also are destined to enjoy the society of angels, and with them admire the wonders of God's power in this heavenly Queen. We should remember that God has assigned some of these heavenly spirits to be the guardians of men on earth. Each one has one of these guardian spirits, to protect him in dangers and assist him in difficulties. When we invoke Mary as Queen of angels, the thought of our future companionship with them for eternity should make us strive to lead lives of angelic innocence. Gratitude for the care they take of us, and for the desire they have for our salvation, should produce in our souls a desire of attending to all the holy inspirations, which they communicate to our souls; that thus we may prove ourselves faithful servants of the Queen of angels, and prepare for the high destiny, that awaits us, of enjoying God in their company for an endless eternity.

The close connection between the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Angels is one we see throughout her life on Earth: at the Annunciation, the Nativity of her Divine Son, her Assumption into heaven, and finally her Coronation as Queen of Angels and Men.

Thus, on this day that we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Mother, we bow to our Queen and with all the angels, we proclaim: "Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen."

Christmas Journey: The angel who wears many masks

"Your guardian angel is powerful against Satan and his evil satellites... He can never fail to defend you. Make a habit of thinking of him continually." St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

In our last meditations, we discovered that Satan disguises himself in many ways and in many forms. The two most common ways we discovered in the Bible are when he disguises himself as a serpent or as a dragon. But unfortunately, those are not his only masks. He hides behind other names and other creatures. Some other names that have been related to the devil are: Leviathan, Beelzebul, Lucifer, Moloch Hamashhit and Asmodai.

Leviathan is the name of a mythical beast capable of swallowing the ocean. He is mentioned various times in the Bible. We find him in the book of Job: “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down its tongue with a cord?" (Job 41:1). He is described as an unconquerable sea monster, totally immune to any assault from human beings. He is also mentioned in Isaiah, "the Lord with his cruel and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea" (Is 27:1), and in Psalms, "You crushed the heads of Leviathan" (Ps 74:14). The great sea monster in the Book of Jonah is another image of Leviathan. The figure of Leviathan is the personification of that "twisting-away" from the divine love. When we sin, we twist away from God's love and towards evil. "If we do not live in the world of love, we live in the world of death" (5-Lesson 6). Leviathan is "king over all that are proud" (Job 41:34). This means that his defeat comes in a great act of self-offering, humility, and love. When Jesus chose to become Incarnate, joining himself with humanity, he beat Leviathan because Leviathan is helpless in the face of humility and love.

The name "Beelzebul" means literally "Lord of the flies." By the time of Christ, the name "Beelzebul" had become a derogatory name for the devil. In Jesus' world, it was believed that the lepers suffered because they were dominated by some external tormenter-the demons. The demons, not the lepers themselves, were unclean and alienated from God. This is the context in which we find Beelzebul in the New Testament. “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons” (Mk 3:22). The same reference is mentioned in Luke 11 and Matthew 12. Jesus was being accused of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul when in reality, what Jesus was doing was exercising His power over evil. He was demonstrating that His power is greater than the power of darkness and death. In calling the devil, "Lord of the flies," we are reminded that we live in a world of decay, destruction and dissolution. The world without God is a garbage dump swarmed about with flies and infested with the stench of death. If we allow Beelzebul to be our lord, he will make a mess of our lives. It is our choice to turn away from evil and turn in faith to God. If we allow God to live within us, our world is swept clean and organized, thus life and love become triumphant.

The name "Lucifer" was not applied to the devil until the Middle Ages. Fallen angels were thought of as "lucifers," which means "light-bearers," so eventually they began to refer to the devil as Lucifer. The reason being is that prior to their fall from grace, these evil angels would have existed in the most splendid glory any creature had yet enjoyed. They were, after all, heavenly hosts, who basked in the presence of God. "The demons were seen to know the truth of things divine and so to be most culpable for their sin and to be most radically evil among creatures as a consequence of it. Chief among these fallen angels stood one in particular who led the others into sin by his side. Because that figure was seen to be the ancient Satan, the prince of darkness was understood to have been, at a time before time began, a glorious cherub in the courts of God, who shined with the light of the divine power and whose proper and fitting name was Lucifer" (5-Lesson 9). Be careful of the evil one who disguises himself as the angel of light.

The figure of Moloch Hamashhit appears symbolically in the Book of Exodus as the angel of death when God strikes down the first-born son in every household in Egypt. This was a Canaanite god who was associated with child sacrifice. I always wondered why God would do something so extreme for the Egyptians. After all, the children were innocent. But after digging deeper into the story, I learned that the Egyptian Pharaoh ordered that the Jewish population be culled through the murdering of all male children under the age of two (a pre-figurement of the slaughtering of the Holy Innocents during the reign of Herod in Jesus' time). That is why God allows Hamashhit, the "Destroyer," to consume the lives of the first-born Egyptian sons. The punishment fit the crime. Moloch continues to influence our culture today through practices such as abortion, child abuse, child rape and other horrific acts against the innocent. God loves children and will condemn anyone that hurts those little ones. Anyone who embraces a culture of death will be destroyed, just like God destroyed the evil Moloch Hamashhit.

The book of Tobit introduces us to a demon by the name of Asmodai which means "wrath." He appears as "the worst of demons" and may be seen as an image of the devil himself. He is a jealous "lover" of the young Sarah, who finds herself tormented by the demon's ruthless and murderous presence in her life (Tobit 3:7-17). Sarah has been married seven times to a series of unfortunate men who never again see the light of day because Asmodai kills them. The eighth husband is Tobias, Tobit's son. Asmodai represents the demon of lust or sexual impurity. Such is the story of Sarah and her first seven husbands. Each man marries her simply because she's a beautiful woman and therefore they walk headlong into Asmodai's trap. They are driven by their opportunistic impulses in the face of their sexual desires. Tobias' experience is different. He does not fall victim to Asmodai because he does not pursue Sarah out of lust. He pursues her in purity of heart. This reminds us that our own impurity is the devil's greatest weapon. Our protection is found in a world defined by love which is ruled under the counsel of good angels and saints.

Even though the devil is quite a scary creature that hides himself behind many masks and many names, we do not need to be afraid as long as we remain with God. We have an army of good angels protecting us, starting with our guardian angels. The fearsome powers of the underworld cannot defeat us in the end because Jesus already won the battle for us. He has unmasked the evil one. Jesus is the King of kings.

Sources:
1-The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible
2-Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
3-"Entertaining Angels" by Mike Aquilina (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)
4-"Angels and Saints" by Scott Hahn 2014
5-"Angels Throughout the Ages" by Dr. Richard Bulzacchelli (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)

Christmas Journey: Let the High Beam Light the Way

"It is the will of God that the command of the ship be entrusted to a master who, with his light and knowledge, can guide us to a safe port." St. Jose Maria Escriva

I have been in Connecticut for the past couple of days and this morning, after a restless night, I decided to climb out of bed by 4:30 am (even though my flight was not until 8:30). By 5:45, I was on the road. It was foggy, dark and raining, not the best driving conditions. To say that I was nervous is an understatement. I had to drive for one hour to the airport and I was literally shaking. So I did what I always do when I feel afraid. I prayed. 

I prayed before I left my hotel room for the angels to protect me on the drive. I asked Mama Mary to be my co-pilot. I prayed to Jesus to take the wheel. And on my drive, I prayed the rosary. It took me the entire hour to get through the rosary so I'm pretty sure that I prayed more than the five required "Hail Mary's" in some of the mysteries.

The first twenty minutes of my drive were the worst because I had to drive on a pretty dark two-lane road through the forest. I kept my high beams on for most of the ride. I couldn't help but think that the high beam represented Jesus. He lights our path on our journey through life. When He lights the way, we have a clear vision of where we are going.

Once in a while, I had to turn down the high beams because a car was approaching on the opposite direction. I compared these cars to the world. The obstacles of our daily life that are constantly distracting us and making us lose sight of Jesus. The allures that blind us with its lights and make us lose sight of the path that God intends for us to follow.

Even though I still had the lights on, I couldn't see the road as clear as when the high beams were on. I compared my low beams to the angels. The angels guard us and protect us, they light the way for us and even though they are not as bright as Jesus, they still help us stay on the right path. Without these low lights that illuminate our way, we would be surrounded by complete darkness.

Once in a while, there was a lighted tree with Christmas lights. Yes, in the middle of the forest. I took this as holy signs that I was not alone. These lighted trees were marking the way and giving me hope that I would reach my destination without any trouble. I compared these lighted trees to the weapons that our Church offers us to give us hope: Holy Water, rosaries, images of the saints, paintings of our blessed Mother and Jesus, the cross... We don't worship these holy signs but they help us light our path.

 

There were also road signs. The ones that called my attention were the signs that had a deer painted on them with the word "crossing" underneath. Even though I love these "Rudolph" relatives, I was praying that they would stay away from the road at this early hour. The last thing I needed was a deer deciding to cross in front of me in top of everything else. And when they cross the road, they usually don't waltz across it. My hubby and I were witnesses to two deer crossing the road once in New Jersey. They crossed in front of us at the speed of lightning. It took us a few seconds to realize they were deer. I related these road signs to the Bible and other Christian books that are available to us. They warn us of possible dangers and they also point us in the right direction.

  

Finally, I made it to the highway and I breathed a sigh of relief. But then I realized that the highway was not much better than the country road because the highway was crowded. It was full of cars and trucks in a hurry to get to their destination. And as they zoomed past me, they splattered my car with the water from the puddles on the road. I compared this part of the journey to the people that we encounter on our path. Some are walking at the same pace as we are, some are going very slow and others are going very fast. At one point, I looked through my rearview mirror and I saw the lights of the car behind me in top of me. What was this person thinking? And on a wet road? It's the same in life. Some people are going to push us, crowd our space, drive us out of control or try to get us off the road. But if we keep our eyes on our destination and we keep going at our same pace, they will eventually give up on us and drive right past us.

And I cannot leave out the fog and drizzling rain that accompanied me the entire hour. This reminded me of those fallen angels that we have met on our last few meditations. The fog was so thick in some parts that it was blinding. It surrounded the car giving me the impression that I was going to be swallowed by the fog, car and all. And the pounding rain threatened to make me slip right off the road. That is exactly what the enemy does. It wants to blind us. It surrounds us until it suffocates us. We feel like we are going to be swallowed by its false promises and if we allow him, he will succeed in making us fall through the precipice that borders our path.

The enemy wears many masks so we need to keep our high beams on all the time in order to recognize him. In our next meditation, we will unmask the enemy. We will meet him face to face by removing some of the many masks that he likes to wear. But we do not need to fear because with our High Beam lighting the way, the enemy has no power over us. And just like I made it safely to the airport, the High Beam will guide us safely to our final port in heaven.

Christmas Journey: The angel who crawls

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God say, "You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?" ' The woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, "You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die." ' But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' " Genesis 3:1-5

In the Book of Genesis, we see that "God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being" (Gen 2:7). Christian theologians refer to this as "original justice" or "original righteousness." It is the condition of existing in grace, which means "living through the divine life in intimacy with God, from the first moment of existence" (5-Lesson 5). 

When we hear that our Blessed Virgin Mary was "immaculately conceived," we are claiming that she existed in this state of grace from the moment of her conception. On the other hand, all other human beings born after the fall of man are born with "original sin," which means we lack God's grace. "Living without grace means living in a state unfit for God's true intentions for us" (5-Lesson 5). It means that we are slaves to the material world and that is not what God wants for us. But without grace, we are limited to living within the boundaries of a merely material existence.

This is what the two trees in the Garden of Eden represent. The Tree of Life represents life in grace or in complete covenant with God. We can live in this world which was founded on love, or we can live in a different world. That different world is represented by the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It is a world of materialism and paganism which promotes a culture of death and consumerism. And the serpent is its primary spokesperson.

Another image that represents the devil in the Bible is the serpent. "Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy. Scripture and the Church's Tradition see in this being a fallen angel, called 'Satan' or the 'devil'" (CCC 391).

The serpent in the Garden suggests to Adam and Eve that God doesn't have humanity's best interests at heart. He claims that God is self-centered and wants to control human beings for His own purposes. And so, the cunning serpent, seduces them into sin, with devastating consequences for all of us.

Thanks to that "original sin," we now live in a world where power struggles are the norm, where selfishness is the order of the day and where most people have turned their backs away from God. The serpent persuaded humanity to reject the world of Love and Life and to choose instead a culture of death. This is the "pagan" view and the struggle against paganism has become the primordial struggle for humanity since the beginning of time. The serpent "crawls on his belly and eats dust" which is the very stuff out of which humanity was created. Like the dragon we met on our last meditation, the serpent seeks to destroy us from the moment of our birth. 

The world created by the first sin is a broken world, imprisoned by death. And it is the world the serpent tempts us to accept, just like it tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden. But we have a choice. We do not need to accept this world of consumerism and materialism as our reason for living. We can choose a world of love, which emerges entirely out of the goodness of God. As we enter into Advent, let's think about ways where we can make this Christmas different from previous ones. Let's not get distracted by all the external lights that blind us and let's make room in our hearts for God's light to truly shine from within. And as we do that, we will crush the serpent and God will once again reign in our world.

  

Sources: 

1-The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible

2-Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)

3-"Entertaining Angels" by Mike Aquilina (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)

4-"Angels and Saints" by Scott Hahn 2014

5-"Angels Throughout the Ages" by Dr. Richard Bulzacchelli (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)

Christmas Journey: The angel who devours

"The dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne." Revelation 12:4-5

My favorite Disney movie as a little girl was "Sleeping Beauty." It was the first time I recall going to the movies and I was obsessed with the three fairy godmothers. I was also terrified of Maleficent and the scene when she turns into a dragon was vividly imprinted in my mind. Since then, I always associate dragons with evil.

In the Book of Revelation, Satan is represented by a dragon: "The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world" (Rev 12:9). In our last meditation, we learned how much Satan hates us and how he will do everything possible to keep us from loving and obeying God. This primordial enemy of God and humanity is the personality behind all the darkness and evil to which human beings find themselves bound. He seeks to destroy us from the very beginning of time and in the very first moments of our individual lives.

He hates us so much because he realizes that humans were created by God with the potential to be higher than he was (Hebrews 2:6-8). Because of his sick, twisted and unsound thinking, Satan has taken on the role of being an adversary against those seeking to love and obey their Father in heaven. Writing to the people of God, Peter cautioned, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Just as God has ministers of righteousness, Satan has “ministers" who influence humans to sin. Jude describes these fallen angels or demons as “angels who did not keep their proper domain” and who are now “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6).

As much as Satan hates us, he hates Jesus even more. "The dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born" (Rev 12:4). This appears to be a historical reference to King Herod’s effort to destroy Jesus as a young child by ordering the deaths of all male children from two years old and under who lived in and around Bethlehem (Mat 2:13-18). But an angel had warned Joseph to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus to keep the Child from being destroyed (Mat 2:13).

Even though Satan’s attempt to destroy Jesus when He was a child failed, the devil did not give up. Prior to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Mat 4:1). During this temptation, Satan tried to get Jesus to worship him instead of God. The devil offered Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory” (Mat 4:8) if Jesus would worship him. But Jesus did not do so.

When Jesus’ ministry was fulfilled and it was time for Him to give His life as payment for humanity’s sins, Satan was there once again. On this occasion, Satan was the one who “put it into the heart of Judas to betray Jesus” (John 13:2). Although Satan was clearly involved in the crucifixion of Jesus, this was actually part of God’s plan for the redemption of mankind.

"Victory over the 'prince of this world' was won once for all at the Hour when Jesus freely gave himself up to death to give us his life. This is the judgment of this world, and the prince of this world is 'cast out.' 'He pursued the woman' but had no hold on her: the new Eve, 'full of grace' of the Holy Spirit, is preserved from sin and the corruption of death. 'Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring.' Therefore the Spirit and the Church pray: 'Come, Lord Jesus,' since his coming will deliver us from the Evil One" (CCC 2853).

The reason why Satan put so much effort in his attempts to destroy Jesus was because if there had not been a perfect Savior to pay the penalty for humanity’s sins, God’s plan would have been thwarted. Without a Savior, humans could not be forgiven of their sins nor could they live forever in God’s eternal family. The devil's main desire is to stop our journey into heaven. Satan does not want us to reach heaven, so he uses any form of deception to stop us. But we are sustained by the light and strength of God who nourishes us as we complete our journey here on earth. If we hold on to God, we will be victorious.

Sources: 

1-The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible

2-Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)

3-"Entertaining Angels" by Mike Aquilina (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)

4-"Angels and Saints" by Scott Hahn 2014

5-"Angels Throughout the Ages" by Dr. Richard Bulzacchelli (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)

Christmas Journey: The angel who opposes God

"Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous. He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning." 1 John 3:7-8

In our last meditation, we learned that we are in the midst of a spiritual war. Somewhere within our inner person, deep within our heart, the devil is constantly taunting us to fall prey of our disordered desires. He waits patiently for us to turn away from God. He preys on our moral weakness and is always tempting us to sin.

One of the places in the Bible where we meet the devil is in the book of Job. In this book, the devil is referred to as Satan. Satan means the adversary or the accuser. "Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God" (CCC 2851). His role in the book of Job is to destroy Job. Here, Satan seems to be a member of the heavenly court. But we know that, even though at some point he may have been part of the heavenly court, when he stood in fierce opposition to the designs of God, he was thrown out of heaven and is no longer part of God's kingdom.

When we first meet Satan in the book of Job, he is expressing concern over God's interests in human beings. He insists that human beings are all unfaithful to God in the end and would condemn God if given an excuse to do so. He claims that humans are ungrateful for God's concern for them.

John Calvin and Martin Luther, two of the early Protestant reformers, advocated for a similar view called "total depravity." It meant that no human action is ever devoid of sin because everything we will comes from a tainted heart, and not even grace changes that fact. The Catholic Church found a sort of middle ground, one that allows for the possibility of genuine righteousness, but also acknowledges human imperfection and fallenness.

Moral conscience, present at the heart of the person, enjoins him at the appropriate moment to do good and to avoid evil. It also judges particular choices, approving those that are good and denouncing those that are evil. It bears witness to the authority of truth in reference to the supreme Good to which the human person is drawn, and it welcomes the commandments. When he listens to his conscience, the prudent man can hear God speaking (CCC 1777).

God insists that Satan is wrong. Job is a righteous man, and he proves that it's possible, in principle, for human beings to be truly faithful and righteous. Satan is so persistent that he asks God to give him reign to destroy Job. He argues that if God lifts his protection from Job and allows him to suffer, then he will turn against God and curse Him when things do not go His way.

God agrees because He was completely confident in Job's righteousness. Satan begins to torment Job with all kinds of maladies. Eventually, Job loses his whole family and all his wealth. His friends advise him to curse God, but Job stands firm in his righteousness. Job does ask God for an explanation, but he never turns away. God shows Satan that there is moral hope for the human race.

How do we react when we encounter suffering? If we are good people, who follow God and try to live a holy life, why do we have to go through struggles? Do we blame God every time something bad happens to us or our loved ones? Do we turn away from Him and begin to sin against Him? Or do we carry our cross, following the example of Jesus, uniting our pain to God?

When we are going through a difficult time in our lives, we need to grab on to God with all our strength. Otherwise, we are in a lot of danger to fall prey to Satan. The accuser uses our moments of weakness to lead us into temptation. The good news is that within our conscience, lives a delightful guest, known as the Holy Spirit. He is the opposite of Satan. While Satan accuses us and prosecutes us, the Holy Spirit defends us. The Holy Spirit is known as the "paraclete" which means the defendor.

When our inner voice is accusing us, we have to be careful because it could be the voice of Satan. Satan will make an accusation based on our unworthiness. For example, if we feel that we have sinned, we may think: "I'm not worthy to go to mass or communion because of my sin." This is Satan. Yes, we are all unworthy but God is merciful. We need to differentiate between the voice of the Holy Spirit that leads us to God and the voice of Satan that leads us away. Our ultimate decision should be to believe the Holy Spirit and not Satan, so as we walk on this journey, we move closer to the Father.

We cannot understand the mystery of suffering, but we should not allow suffering to open the door to sin. Sin is an explicit act, not merely a disordered desire that we cannot control. God is greater than the inner heart and therefore greater than that tempting voice speaking through our conscience. God knows the real truth about each one of us even better than we know ourselves. If we stay faithful to God in our conduct, follow His commands and do what is pleasing in His sight, then it doesn't matter what our weaknesses are. The evil one will have no power over us.

Holy Spirit, intercede for us and have mercy on us. Keep us away from the angel who opposes God.

Sources: 

1-The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible

2-Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)

3-"Entertaining Angels" by Mike Aquilina (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)

4-"Angels and Saints" by Scott Hahn 2014

5-"Angels Throughout the Ages" by Dr. Richard Bulzacchelli (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)

Christmas Journey: Fallen Angels

“I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning." Luke 10:18

God created all angels in a state of goodness. All angels were created with the power to love but love requires freedom. "We are not free to love unless we are free to refuse love" (3-Lesson 9).

Just like humans, the angels underwent a test of some sort, in which they chose to act for God or against Him. The Bible does not mention the nature of their trial, but in Genesis we read of God separating the light from the darkness, even before He created physical light (Gen 1:4). This is recounting the rebellion of Satan and the demons (Rev 12:4) who chose everlasting darkness for themselves. In the Book of Revelation, St. John speaks of the heavenly spirits as stars: "the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches" (Rev 1:20). In his telling of the great heavenly battle, he says that "a third of the stars of heaven" were expelled when they chose against God (Rev 12:4). Their light became darkness and they were cast out, very similar to Adam and Eve being cast out from the Garden of Eden.

We do not know the reason why some angels chose not to love God but many saints believe that the main reason was pride. They refused to serve another. The consequence of their decision was hell, the state of separation from God. Whatever their first sin was, it led them to many others. These evil angels envied the status of human beings, for whom God had created the physical world as a habitation. Determined to bring these creatures down, the prince of the fallen angels took the form of a serpent. He tempted the first couple and led them to sin against God.

Since that day, humanity has been beset by evil spiritual forces and defended by good spiritual forces. Our troubles and our struggles in this world are not simply anxieties over material discomforts. They are also—and primarily—spiritual struggles, spiritual combat and spiritual warfare. This spiritual war will rage on until the final consummation of history because the fallen angels wish for us to fall along with them. It is against their influence that we must struggle every day for the rest of our lives.

The fallen angels, like all angels, were created by God with prodigious powers and strength. Now they turn all those powers against us. Every single day they plot our demise. And we have to struggle mightily to overcome such opposition. According to St. Paul: "We are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph 6:12).

"The angelic will is powerful. Once it is turned away from God it is mighty and destructive force. The angelic intellect is vast. When it is turned away from truth, it perpetrates the most gigantic of lies, but always with a resemblance to truth" (3-Lesson 2). The fallen angel sets his course for the way of death and he will not take a detour. Jesus identifies the prince of the fallen angels as "the devil" (John 8:44) and as "Satan" (Mark 3:23). "He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth" (John 8:44). Opposed to life and truth, the devil is at war with God and will take down as many humans as he can.

We can see the power of the evil one causing chaos in our world today. All these fanatics that claim to be acting in the name of God are truly acting in the name of Satan. He has taken a hold of them and through them is causing destruction, chaos and fear in the hearts of many. Our God is a God of love, not a God of hatred. He would never cause death and destruction. It is Satan, who is a murderer, that is rejoicing in the destruction and fall of all humanity.

Even though that sounds quite scary, we do not need to be afraid. "If God is for us, who is against us?" (Rom 8:31). God created the angels. Yes, they are powerful. But they have no power over God. "He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in Christ" (Col 2:15). "Our best defense against the devil is a good offense. When we live our life entirely for Christ, we are most powerful against the enemy" (3-Lesson 9).

"The power of Satan is not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot prevent the building up of God's reign. Although Satan may act in the world out of hatred for God and his kingdom in Christ Jesus, and although his action may cause grave injuries - of a spiritual nature and, indirectly, even of a physical nature- to each man and to society, the action is permitted by divine providence which with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history. It is a great mystery that providence should permit diabolical activity, but 'we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him'" (CCC 395).

Unfortunately, the closer we are to Christ, the more fiercely the evil will attack us. Temptations will be a huge part of his attack. But we need to think more about what we are fighting for rather than what we are fighting against. We need to keep Christ at the center. And through His Church, Christ has left us an arsenal of powerful weaponry against the evil one. "The saints testify that the devil is terrified by the cross, repelled by the sacraments, turned away by holy water" (3-Lesson 9). He cannot withstand anything that carries the blessing of Jesus Christ.

We cannot allow the evil one to take hold of our hearts through fear, lies and destruction. We need to continue fighting in joyful hope as we hold on to the cross. God has already won the battle. We need to trust that He has a purpose for all that is happening around us and that we will reign with Him one day in heaven while the devil will burn in hell forever.

Sources: 
1-The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible
2-Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
3-"Entertaining Angels" by Mike Aquilina (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)
4-"Angels and Saints" by Scott Hahn 2014

Christmas Journey: Getting Personal with the Angels

"I have visions of angels frequently, yet... their names they never tell me..." St. Theresa of Avila

A few years ago, I received an e-mail about angels. It said that if I wanted to know the name of my guardian angel, all I had to do was pray about it and the name would be revealed to me. I wanted to know the name of my guardian angel badly. I prayed about it and the name "Luke" was the one that popped into my mind. So I started calling my guardian angel, Luke.

But then I began to wonder why only some of the angels in the Bible had names. In the Old Testament, the word "angel" refers only to a manifestation of God's presence as He communicates with human beings. The presence of God in the burning bush is referred to as "angel" (Exodus 3). But as time went on, the Hebrews began to realize that their world was inhabited by distinct spiritual creatures who were not a part of the corporeal world but who had different personalities much like their own. These beings were increasingly seen to play an active role in human affairs. They began to call them "angels" and some of these angels gained such prominence in their culture that a name was often applied to them. The Hebrews were aware that angels belonged to a different plane of reality than humans, yet they are willed into being by God just like us.

There are three angels specifically named in the Bible, and unfortunately, there is a fourth angel that has gotten more attention than he deserves. He has muscled his way into our lives since the dawn of time. Even though I would prefer to exclude him from our journey, the reality is that we need to be familiar with the enemy if we are going to beat him. If you don't believe there is an enemy out there trying to destroy us, all you need to do is turn on the news. This angel goes by many names, but the one that we are most familiar with is Satan.

As I learned more about angels and their names, I found out that the Church does not recommend that we name our guardian angels. "The practice of assigning names to the Holy Angels should be discouraged." (5) It is rather presumptuous of us to name a creature that even though is assigned to us, it belongs only to God, therefore only God can name the angels. Yes, even though I prayed about the name of my guardian angel to be revealed to me, just because the name Luke was the first name that popped into my mind does not mean that is my angel's name. I guess I will find out if I make it to heaven and I meet him face to face. For now, I will continue to refer to my angel simply as "my guardian angel."

As we continue on our journey to Christmas, we will meet the three good angels that are named in the Bible and we will meet Satan in all his names. We have to be prepared spiritually to be able to recognize him, since Satan usually comes disguised as "the angel of light."

Sources:
1-The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible
2-Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
3-"Entertaining Angels" by Mike Aquilina (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)
4-"Angels and Saints" by Scott Hahn 2014

5-Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy (published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Vatican City, Dec. 2001)

 

Christmas Journey: The Primary Purpose of the Guardian Angels

"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone." Psalms 91:11-12

Our guardian angels may protect us from harm once in a while but that is not their primary purpose. Accidents still happen and guardian angels don't have the power to prevent everything. They can protect us but we still have free will. Sometimes we place ourselves in very dangerous situations and I'm sure that the guardian angels cry when they are helpless to keep us from pain. It would be unfair to blame the guardian angels for every bad thing that happens to us or to our loved ones. Accidents and suffering came into the world when Adam and Eve sinned. It was not the angel's fault. We also need to remember that our time here on earth is only for a little while and we have to experience hardship in order to purify ourselves. We will all suffer on the way to heaven. In fact, suffering is an important part of our growth toward heaven (Rom 5:3, 8:17-18). In the end, we will all die, some sooner than later but that is the great equalizer. Death is our path to heaven. We all want to get to heaven but nobody wants to die. The angels' job is not to spare us from suffering and death. They know that we will not be tested beyond our strength (1 Cor 10:13). And our angels will be present to fortify us through all our trials.

The angels act as older siblings to us. They represent the interests of God, accommodated to the needs and understanding of a lower intelligence. They are trying to lead us to maturity as children of God: fuller knowledge, fuller responsibility, and greater love. If they lead us to solutions, we learn. If they do everything for us, we don't.

Guardian angels also have the power to help our imagination during meditation. If we ask for their assistance, they can actually place holy images in our minds to move us towards acts of love and virtue. Likewise, guardian angels can guard our minds from impure images. All we have to do is pray to them to guard us spiritually as well as physically.

"The Church venerates the angels who help her on her earthly pilgrimage and protect every human being" (CCC 352). The Church has, since its earliest days, encouraged a lively devotion to the guardian angels, not just for little children but also for adults. Remember that prayer most of us learned as children? "Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love entrusts me here; ever this day be at my side to light, to guard, to rule and guide. Amen." It would be a good idea if we make it part of our daily prayers.

Or we can address our guardian angels more conversationally in our own words. We may address not only our own angel, but also those of our loved ones. We can conspire with them as actively as possible. I conspire with my children's guardian angels all the time. "Please protect them. Please keep them out of trouble. Please help them be strong against peer pressure. I think that friend is a bad influence, please remove him/her from their path. Please help Alex with the exam he has today. Please protect Chabeli as she drives to and from work. Please be with Rafi as he travels." Sometimes I even conspire with my guardian angel to go give messages to their guardian angels. Remember, angels are messengers. They are masters of communication. They like it when our homes, families, workplaces, schools and neighborhoods are at peace.

But in the end, the primary purpose of our guardian angel is our salvation at the hour of death. They procure a peaceful death and ward off the demons from any final assault. Our angels will try to keep us from sin, so that suffering and death will always work to our advantage rather than our detriment. Their main job is to get us to heaven. This is a great conspiracy between God and His angels. The conversion of a sinner gives great joy to their guardian angel and to all the angels in heaven. "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Lk 15:10).

After death, the guardian angel's work of guarding is over. Their next assignment, if their charge is in purgatory, would be "intercessory work." They carry the prayers of the souls in purgatory to heaven and they continue to act as an advocate. They give comfort and solace to the souls in purgatory.

It is only after the soul that was entrusted to them reaches heaven that the work of the guardian angel is over. A guardian angel does not get reassigned to another human being. They belong to only one human being for all eternity. The guardian angel then rests in the joy of the Lord, and they have a special joy if the soul they guarded is in heaven with them.

If their trust is not saved, it doesn't mean that the guardian angel failed. All guardian angels do a good job but because humans have free will, sometimes no matter what the angel does, some humans won't cooperate and are lost forever. Even if their trust is lost, the angels rejoice in the justice of God. Angels are spirits, they have no emotions. They don't feel sorrow or shame for the final fall of their charge.

Jesus himself taught us to go to the angels. In the Garden of Gethsemane, when he was in agony, he was comforted and assisted by an angel (Luke 22: 43). Our lives will be much easier if we allow the angels to guide us, to comfort us and to lead us to heaven.

Sources:

1-The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible
2-Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
3-"Entertaining Angels" by Mike Aquilina (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)
4-"Angels and Saints" by Scott Hahn 2014
5-"City of God" by St. Augustine 426 AD
6-"Catholicism.org: Q's and A's on the Guardian Angels

Christmas Journey: We Each Have a Guardian Angel

"How great is the dignity of the soul, since each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it." St. Jerome

The biblical authors take the doctrine of guardian angels for granted. They assume that everyone already knows what they are talking about. The one and only time that Jesus approaches the subject, He approaches it taking for granted that everyone knows they have a guardian angel: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven 'their angels' always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven" (Mat 18:10).

When Jesus says "their angels" it could imply that each person has more than one angel. But in various passages in Scripture it mentions that "each individual person has a guardian angel," so we must assume that we only have one assigned to us. Of course, some clumsy people like me may need more than one once in a while. And I like to believe that when we are in trouble, our guardian angel calls for back up and we may be surrounded by an army of angels.

"Their angels" also speaks of the relationship between humans and angels. "It's not the angels who have humans. It's humans who have angels!" (3-Lesson 4). Powerful, brilliant angels of light somehow belong to us, mere humans. How awesome is that. Many don't believe this but think about it. Of course a loving God would provide such provident care for his children on earth. "From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession" (CCC 336).

A few of the early fathers believed that only the baptized were given a guardian angel. But most of the saints and doctors of the Church, like St. Thomas for example, affirmed that every man receives a guardian angel upon birth. It rather makes sense that every man would receive a guardian angel from God because God wants the salvation of all men. And all men need to receive sufficient grace to be saved. The guardian angel, working with God, acts as a channel of actual grace. "Through the work of the guardian angels, God accomplishes great things in the lives of Christians" (3-Lesson 4).

St. Peter does not seem surprised that an angel has appeared to him to set him free. The angel wakes Peter up, lights his way, and makes sure that Peter was dressed properly to guard the night chill. The angel doesn't carry Peter, rather he guides him. He acts almost like a parent or an old sibling. And Peter follows instructions rather calmly. It is presumed that a visitation to Peter of his guardian angel was a common occurrence to him, otherwise he would have been afraid. Even when the maid, Rhoda, tells the congregation that Peter is standing at the gate, the congregation assumes that it couldn't be Peter but "his angel" (Acts 12:7-15). The fact that they say "his angel" speaks of guardian angels in terms of belonging.

Moses did not feel up to the task of leading Israel but God assured him: "Lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you" (Ex 32:34). The angel appears to Philip and tells him where to go (Acts 8:26) and even sometimes takes him there (Acts 8:39-40). An angel reveals to Paul the course of his future life and apostolate (Acts 27:23-24). Angels were present in the lives of the prophets, in the lives of the apostles and they are present in our lives today. They are here to light and guard, to rule and guide.

God has placed powerful angels at our disposal so that we will have the spiritual resources that we need in order to make it to heaven. Everything else is secondary to that final purpose. Once in a while, they may do certain things for us in order to gain our trust in them for the times that matter most: the times of temptation and the hour of death. They are building a relationship with us.

One of those minor things they may do for us in order to gain our trust is to find us a parking space when we ask them to. In my office building, unless I arrive around 9 am, I have to park way in the back. I don't mind the walking but especially in tax season, when I leave in the darkness, I don't like to walk to the back of the parking lot which is pitch black all by myself. Even though I know my angel is guarding me, I'm still a "scary cat." So when I'm running late, I ask my guardian angel to find me a space. I have a rather funny conversation with my guardian-parking angel: "Please, parking angel, find me a space in the front, near the entrance. Make sure you time it well so that if someone has to leave, they leave at precisely the exact moment that I'm entering the parking lot. But if there is a "viejito" or a handicapped person that needs it more than me, then I'll resign myself to parking in the back." I can honestly say that nine times out of ten, as I'm entering the parking lot, someone is backing out. There was one time that I thought I had to go to the back because I didn't see any brake lights on and there were no empty spaces. As I resigned myself and began to speed towards the back, a car almost hit me because it started backing out just as I was passing it. And there was another time when a car took the space that I was certain my angel had reserved for me. I parked all the way in the back and as I was walking to the front, grumbling to my angel, I saw an elderly lady with a cane getting out from the car that had parked in "my space." I knew then why my angel had given the space to her and not to me. I had to humbly apologize to my angel. Our angels can certainly find us parking spaces as long as we don't abuse their kindness. Try it one day and prepare yourself to be blown away.

Sources:
1-The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible
2-Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
3-"Entertaining Angels" by Mike Aquilina (Catholic Scripture Study International 2013)
4-"Angels and Saints" by Scott Hahn 2014
5-"City of God" by St. Augustine 426 AD
6-"Catholicism.org: Q's and A's on the Guardian Angels