My dear Parishioners,
Peace! The first article of the Apostle’s Creed is: I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of Heaven and Earth. There are forty “in brief” statements in The Catechism of the Catholic Church which treat this article of our saving faith. What follows is a reflection on article 352.
When we are taught that the Church ‘venerates’ the angels it is an important distinction. Worship full-blown, latria is the technical term, belongs to God alone. The holy angels and the saints receive honor, devotion, veneration which is technically called dulia, while the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Queen of the holy angels and saints receives honor, devotion and veneration proper to her which is called hyper-dulia. We honor the holy angels and saints because they are the friends of God. By honoring them we honor God whom they have and still serve. There are different manifestations of our veneration of the holy angels: prayer to them (e.g. Saint Michael the Archangel…; Angel of God my guardian dear… The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary…); depictions of these spiritual beings in various mediums (Blessed Fra Angelico’s famous depiction of the Annunciation like the window of the southern transept come to mind); incensation of images of these spiritual beings; vigil lights lit before these same images…
Part of the service the holy angels render God is to safeguard us. This was fittingly captured in an advertizement for tires some years ago which depicted a group of guardian angels around a car which was traveling down a rough road full of pot-holes. These angels were depicted getting splashed and muddy as they accompanied the family in the car to their destination safely. While the advertizement is an artistic rendering, the truth of the angels’ existence and their care for us are on the mark.
That the angels aid us in our earthly pilgrimage is to remind us that ‘here we have no lasting city’ (Hebrews 13:14). Our eternity, however, depends in part how we spend our time here and now on our way to our heavenly homeland.
The protection which the holy angels afford us is mysterious. Our dear Lord Himself had a guardian angel yet He still suffered His saving Passion for our salvation. We are faced here with the mystery of suffering which we will treat in greater depth when treating that part of the Creed. Perhaps the protection which the holy angles give is a moral and spiritual assurance, comfort when otherwise seemingly alone, this aspect of our Faith assures us that not only is Almighty God omnipresent but He likewise sends His holy angels to look after us.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr