by Joseph Stoutzenberger
In a book that sets out to provide an introductory overview of Catholicism, certain topics invariably are left out. For instance, in my recent book, I don’t discuss the topic of angels. I do discuss the devil, mostly to point out the central teaching of Catholicism that Jesus the Good triumphs over the powers of evil—Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again. Angels perhaps figure more prominently in the popular imagination of Catholics and non-Catholics than in official teaching. The Catechism of the Catholic Church devotes eight paragraphs specifically to them, #328-334, although there are some references to angelic appearances elsewhere. The Glossary of the Catechism says an angel is: “A spiritual, personal, and immortal creature, with intelligence and free will, who glorifies God without ceasing and who serves God as a messenger of his saving plan.” In his book of Christmas poems, Seeing Haloes, John Shea adds another common characteristic of angels: they “show up in more ways than you can imagine and when you least expect.” Shea has an angel that says, “I am the winged reminder to open your myopia into mystery.” His description reflects the Bible’s three common threads about angels: they appear in human form, do good, and disappear.
Angels are messengers from God who serve as protectors and heralds of good news. In the Old Testament, they tend to appear as human beings, often unexpectedly. Abraham welcomed three strangers who gave him the good news that his ninety-year-old wife Sarah was to bear a son. Abraham’s grandson Jacob encountered a stranger. Then and perhaps even now, you never know when a stranger is an angel in disguise, so Jacob asked the stranger for his blessing.
The stranger refuses, but Jacob will not take no for an answer. He wrestles with the stranger through the entire night to get his blessing. The experience is so transforming that henceforth Jacob has another name—Israel, which means “one who wrestles with God,” in this case, a messenger from God, an angel. In the New Testament, Mary is visited by an angel and told she is to become the mother of the Son of God. Twice angels appear to Joseph in a dream, once to tell him to marry Mary despite her being pregnant and, after the child’s birth, to go to Egypt to avoid the wrath of Herod intent on killing the newborn king. The birth of Christ is heralded by an entire choir of angels who alert shepherds of the wonderful event that signals glad tidings for all.
Popular culture has made good use of angels. What would the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” be without the angel Clarence? Beat poets of the nineteen-fifties and more contemporary songwriters refer to angels. Bob Dylan’s 1979 song “Precious Angel” pleads: “Shine your light, shine your light on me/Ya know I just couldn’t make it by myself/I’m a little too blind to see.” Bruce Springsteen and folk singer John Prine mention angels in their songs. There has been more than one angel-themed television show. The list of popular references could go on forever.
I am old enough to remember when Catholic children were told that they had their own personal guardian angel. That was always reassuring for a Catholic child to hear. True to my Catholic background, as an adult, I had an encounter that I can only describe as the intervention of an angel. Perhaps you have been aided by an angel sometime in your life as well. I was driving an old Subaru from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, when in a desolate stretch along I-95, I heard a loud “ping” from my motor, and the car lost power. Fortunately, I was near an exit and made my way, going at most ten miles an hour to a mini-mart just off the highway. I was totally baffled about what to do, so I called my wife from a phone inside the store (this was before everyone had cell phones) and described to her what happened.
A man was standing next to me fixing his coffee, and when I got off the phone, he said: “Excuse me, but I couldn’t help but hear what you said. I used to be a truck driver, and I know what it’s like to break down on the road. I know an auto repair shop a mile from here that is reputable. If your car runs, you can follow me to it, and then I’d be happy to drive you wherever you’d like to go.” I dropped off the car at the repair shop, and the man again offered to drive me home. I said, “Thank you, but I live in Philly, and that’s too far for you.” He replied, “I’m free for the afternoon and would be glad to do it.” I said, “Thanks for the offer, but is there a town nearby that has a train or bus that can take me to Philly? I would appreciate a ride there.” He took me to the train station in New Castle, Delaware. I thanked him, and he drove off. I never thought to ask him his name. I was so flustered and distracted by my situation that I couldn’t even picture what he looked like after he left. On the train ride home, it struck me: I was just visited by an angel! This is how angels operate. Abraham knew it. Jacob knew it. Mary and Joseph knew it. And now I had a first-hand experience of it myself.
Joseph Stoutzenberger 