Angels and Saints

Did you know that we each have our very own guardian angel? How wonderful is that? God cares so much for each of us that He sends His “messengers” to look after us. We are never alone.

And in addition to angels, heaven is filled with saints who are delighted to intercede for us in prayer. Each of them lived a life that witnessed to God’s light and love--the love that He longs to share with us.

Praises be to God! That means we have FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES!

Let's see what the Bible has to say about this:

Angels:

According to Acts 12:1-12, Peter was miraculously released from prison by an angel. He thought it was all a dream until the angel “suddenly left him” and scripture states, he then “recovered his senses” and went quickly to Mary’s house (mother of Mark) where a group was gathered together praying for him…

“When he knocked on the gateway door, a maid named Rhoda came to answer it. She was so overjoyed when she recognized Peter’s voice that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. They told her, “You are out of your mind,” but she insisted that it was so. But they kept saying, ‘It is his angel.’”Acts 12: 13-15

So even the first century Christians believed that each one of us has an angel and, apparently, they might even look and sound like us!

In Matthew 18:10, Christ states, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

We learn here that each of us starting as little children have at least one angel looking out for us and constantly beholding the face of God.

For more info on angels and what the Church teaches:

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p5.htm

Saints:

According to the Apostles’ Creed we state, “I believe in... the communion of saints”.

That means that we are all incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ and whether we are alive here or experiencing eternal life with Christ in heaven, we are all a part of One Body. Therefore, just as I can ask someone here on earth to intercede in prayer for me as a member of His Body, I can also ask the saints in heaven to do the same.

Hebrews 12:1 states, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…”

The writer has been speaking of the Old Testament saints and martyrs that have gone before us into their heavenly reward, and are in some way “witnessing” what we are doing here on earth. We can only surmise they are praying for us and cheering us on to victory in life’s race!

And in Revelation 5:8 we read, “When he opened the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having stringed instruments, as well as golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”

We believe that those prayers are the ones they are praying for us!

For more information on what the Church teaches on Saints:

http://www.luigiguanella.com/cate.html

Even as early as 233 AD we read: