ANGELS:

MESSAGES AND  MESSENGERS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this feast of The Holy Guardian Angels is, “Angels: Messages and Messengers.”

This morning I would  like to preach about angels. I don’t take them lightly - in spite of G. K. Chesterton’s cute remark: “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.” [Orthodoxy (1908) Chapter 7]

I like the nuance in Alan Watts comment better: “We do not realize that, as Chesterton reminded us, angels fly because they take themselves so lightly.” [The Way of Liberation, 1983]

Our church teaching - coming out of our scriptures - and our traditions -  is that God sends his angels as messengers as well as to watch over us - to guard and guide us.

Today’s feast proclaims that God sends each of us a guardian angel to guide us.

Angels are not a topic we hear about that often. We have trouble enough - to get people to believe in God.

Once more the title of my homily is, “Angels: Messages and Messengers.”

BASIC MEANING OF ANGELS

The most basic meaning of what an angel is, is, “A Messenger.”

In the Bible, in our scriptures, angels bring messages.

The Bible has various stories about angels who show up to help people in trouble - in difficult times - people in need help to solve a problem - as well as angels who show up to give people a call - a vocation - a mission.

Angels are invisible - therefore maybe millions of them can sit on the head of pin. Angels in the Bible are given names: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael. Notice the EL at the end of those names - EL a Hebrew word for “God”.

The Bible tells us about two types of angels: good angels and bad angels. The Devil is the Prince of the Bad Angels. They are also called “Demons” at times.

EAR BUDS

This is a thing called “ear buds”. You plug it a receiver of various sorts - and one hears - messages of sorts - through these ear phones.

I was just down in Philadelphia for the past two days to see one of my sisters who is dying. I drove to my other sister and the two of us took the train Monday and then yesterday, Tuesday, to the University of Penn hospital.

I began noticing on the train - and on the stations - and in the hospital - one million people with these in their ears - or they had cell phones or their equivalents - in hand - everywhere.

It seems that everyone is reading, listening, texting messages - all day long.

The obvious message that hit me is this: the air is filled with messages and messengers.

If we look out our eyes and if tune up our ears - we still can’t see or hear the many cell phone voices and invisible inaudible sounds and messages that  are shooting through our air - could a million of these messages sit on the head of a pin? -  but stick one of these ear buds in one’s ears and one hears all kinds of sounds and songs - or open up one’s iPhones or Droid or cell phone and surprise - there are lots of messages flying through our space.

Keep that in mind - when thinking of the world and atmosphere of angels and devils, spirits and demons.

Up till Modern Times - up till the Enlightenment - people thought of the world filled with spirits - voices. They were often called, “Angels and Demons.”  Isn’t that the title of a book by Dan Brown?

When you are in college, take a course in anthropology.  Learn about the mind set of  Aborigine People - or ancient peoples. They will tell a student how some people see the world filled with voices - spirits - demons.

Has this changed? In a way yes and in a way, no.

Listen to folks and you’ll discover that people today - are unconsciously aware of positive and negative forces, energies, voices, strengths and weaknesses.

You’ve heard, I’m sure, the Native American story of the two dogs.

Every person has inside of them two dogs: the good dog and the bad dog. The good dog is a “nice dog”. Everyone loves a nice dog. Pet him or her. She or he is nice to have around. They guard us. They protect us. The bad dog is the one who growls - is a b….. - bites and annoys us. And the Native American teacher - teaches the young one about those 2 dogs. And the teacher tells the kids that they are always fighting. And a kid asks, “Which one wins?” And the teacher loves to give the moral of the story: “The one we feed.”

LISTEN TO YOUR VOICES

In this homily I’d stress take off your ear buds and listen to the voices inside your head.

What are your voices this morning.  Are you saying, “What am I doing here?” Or, “How long is this going to last?”  “What’s happening?” Or, “Will my dad find a job?” Or “What’s for lunch?” Or “Cool!”

What are your voices?

Which voices are the loudest?

Which voices are winning?

We can be perfectly quiet and drums are beating loudly into our brains - by iTunes.

Today I would stress listening to your angels. Listen to your Guardian Angel - telling you, yelling to you, voicing to you - messages of care, hope, love.

What do you sound like inside your ears - inside your brain?

I was sitting on two train platforms the last 2 days - and various trains - and I could hear people talking to other people. I could hear voices. I couldn’t see what people were texting.

A major message from this homily is to listen to your voices.

Are those voices good angels or bad angels - good messages or bad messages - good messenger or bad messengers.

CLINT HURDLE - PITTSBURGH PIRATES

I was reading in the paper about the Pittsburgh Pirates getting into the baseball playoffs. I was reading that Clint Hurdle - the manager of the Pirates - was sick and tired of the Loser Culture in the Pittsburgh Pirates mind set. Think Win. Each day Clint Hurdle voiced positive messages. He called in team leaders and urged that they voice positive leadership messages.

What are you telling yourself each day?

What have your parents - teachers - been saying of you - all these years?  If they are negative messages, if they are negative messengers, change the messages and change the messengers.

I want to thank you for the prayers for my sister Peggy - who is quite sick. She told me in the hospital that a doctor in Scranton said directly and indirectly, “Call hospice. You’re going to die.”  She screamed, “I want a second opinion.”

She got out of that system - away from that doctor - and got into a teaching hospital - down to the University of Penn Hospital and they are trying to make a profound diagnosis - so they can come up with a prognosis to giver her more life. It looks like she’s going to need to take oxygen for the rest of her life - but as for time - more - more - more life.

BACKPACKING IN  THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

I remember the first time we went backpacking in the Rocky Mountains. 4 of us drove across the country to Colorado from New York City. I was driving and one of the guys in the back seat was reading out loud stuff to keep in mind with backpacking and camping. One of the things he read out loud was this: “Keep in mind the # 1 rule for backpacking in the wilderness is: Don’t panic!”

I asked out loud, “Number 1?”

Back came the answer a second time: “Yes - # 1 rule - Don’t panic.”

Well a few days later I’m going across a tree trunk to get to the other side of a mountain stream. The water below me is flowing really loud and deep. I started to slip and I caught myself saying to myself: “Don’t panic!” It worked. I braced myself - caught my almost falling - breathed - stopped - and then slowly and calmly walked to the other side.

That voice - that message - was installed in my brain - in that car - and I called upon it - while on that tree trunk - going over that flowing mountain stream.

Angels give those kinds of voices.

Just as voices urge us to make fun of others - be nasty with a put down about others - to others, so messages - like the theme for this year, “Every Person Matters” - challenge us to hear that message and put it into practice.

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is, “Angels: Messages and Messengers”

I’ve been saying that there are positive and negative messages and messengers in the air and in the ear - listen to  - and incorporate - make flesh - make them your own - the positive messages and messengers - and dis the negative.

This is St. Mary’s Church - and the great message about Mary is that an angel came to her and said, “Hail full of grace, the Lord is with you.”

Each time to come to church - each time you start a day - hear your guardian angel say to you, “The Lord be with you!” and voice back to him or her, “And with your spirit. Amen.”