Fr. Dwight Longenecker on Encounters with Angels

3/22/2011

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gospel account. The two-fold task is expressed in the phrase, 'Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to his people on earth.' in the first phrase we praise. In the second we proclaim peace to his people on earth. Proclaiming the gospel with our words and in our lives is the second way we work with the angels.

The third way we work with the angels is to ask for their protection, guidance and help. This is where Christian practice sounds a bit similar to New Age practice. But there are some important differences. We do not ask the angels to help us 'affirm the God that is within us' like New Age religion does. Neither do we summon the angels and open our lives to them. The Holy Spirit may dwell within our hearts, but angels don't. They guide and guard us by walking beside and before us. In this respect it is especially good to invoke St.Michael and our guardian angel. When we are in a time of danger or temptation we can ask their help as we would ask the help of an experienced guide while climbing a mountain. They are there to lend us a hand, point out the way and to help keep us from falling.

Praise and Proclamation and Protection may not seem quite as exciting as 'listening to the light within' or summoning up dark spirits, but our faith is incarnational. The child in the manger reminds us that Christianity is real and practical not esoteric and otherworldly. We have real bodies and live in a real physical world, and our religion does not help us to escape this, but to enter into it more fully. The angels respect and admire our physical bodies. They love our physical-ness because their Lord took on human flesh and was born of a woman.

Angels do not wish for us to go above the physical and ordinary things of life. They know that it is in flesh and blood and sweat and tears that we find God. As the poet Henry Vaughn has written, 'Here in dust and dirt, Oh here! the lilies of His love appear.' And it is in this dust and dirt of ordinary prayer, and pleas for protection that we co-operate most powerfully with the angels in heaven and make the simple story of Christmas and Easter come alive in our lives.

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Fr Dwight Longenecker is parish priest of Our Lady of the Rosary parish and Chaplain to St Joseph's Catholic School in Greenville, South Carolina. Visit his website and blog at www.dwightlongenecker.com

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: angels, cherubim, seraphim, archanges, angelogy, angelic, communion of saints, Incarnation, Fr. Dwight Longenecker

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1 - 10 of 15 Comments

Rita Hill
1 year ago
I first heard my Gurdian Angel while attending a retreat at St. Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside, California. During the Mass, we were praising God in song, I had my eyes closed and my arms raised, when I heard a young man singing next to me. I was in a pew by myself, and I thought, "that's strange I didn't see or hear anyone come and sit next to me." I opened my eyes and looked on my left where I heard the young man singing next to me. There was no one there. I closed my eyes and continued praising God in song, and once again I heard the voice of the young man singing next to me. Again I opened my eyes and looked next to me, no one there, I looked behind me, all around me and around the chapel, no young man anywhere. Mostly older people like me. When I looked up at the altar, the priest was looking all around the chapel and smiling. After the Mass ended, and we were outside, I shared with some of the people I'd met at the retreat, what I heard during the Mass. About that time, the priest came by, stopped and patted my hand and nodded his head, smiling.

Later he told us that when we began to praise God, the chapel had filled with angels and they joined us in praising God. He probably thought I had seen them, as I was looking all around the chapel, trying to find the young man that I heard singing next to me.

Months later, I was having a health problem, and one night just as I was falling asleep, I heard the voice of a young man say to me, "You already have the power within you to speak to the organs in your body, in the Name of Jesus, and command them to begin to function properly." I thought, "I don't believe what I'm hearing." Then the voice said to me, "You don't believe me. Presently you are having difficulty breathing. Command the mucus membranes in your nose, in the name of Jesus, to open up so you can breathe properly." I was having difficulty breathing through my nose, so I followed the instructions, and I was able to breathe properly through my nose, and immediately fell asleep and slept all night.

The following morning, I thought about what I'd heard during the night. I spoke to Jesus, "I need to know who was speaking to me last night, if it was from you." Immediately recognition came, it ws the same voice I'd heard singing next to me during Mass at St. Luis Rey Misssion.

I still wasn't sure, so at the next Scripture Class I was attending, I told the priest what had happend. All he said was "Praise God!" So, as instructed by my Guardian Angel, I began to speak to the organs in my body and commanded them, "In the Name of Jesus to function properly." In about 12 days, the health problem I was having, was gone." PRAISE GOD!
jh
2 years ago
Enlightening, Father, and a good reminder to pray to St. Michael and our Guardian Angel throughout the day. Thank you.
Dan Sullivan
2 years ago
Jim respectfully whenever i read comments like your it is clear it is directed at catholics. Unfortunaltly your argument that angels cannot do anything without God commanding it would suggests that lucifier fell at Gods command, I do not think so. St. Michael cried out "Who is like unto God and a great battle ensued and a third of the angels fell from Heaven", Revelation. To suggest that i cannot ask an angel, saint or the Blessed Mother of God (Who am i that the mother of my LORD should come to visit me) would make us all robotic. Angels have free will, lucifers fall is proof of it. Please pray for me Jim, Jesus and Christ alone makes it possible for you, anyone else including the angels and saints to intercede on my behalf before our Father in Heaven. That my friend is the bond of the one true Holy Catholic faith which is Universal.
Medjugorje
2 years ago
opusangelorum dot org
Jim
2 years ago
What is the Biblical basis of praying to angels??? Where is there an example in Holy Scripture of praying to angels? Are we not to make our requests known to God? If God chooses to use angels as the means of fulfilling His Will - fine. Angels are strictly under the control of God. They can not do anything He does not command them to do. So what is the point of praying to them. Focus your prayers on Jesus.
John
2 years ago
Excellent article, Father Longenecker. But I'm a bit confused about one of your statements: "We do not ask the angels to help us 'affirm the God that is within us' like New Age religion does". As you know, we believe that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, does not GOD dwell within us? I usually explain the difference between new age and Christian philosophy as such: Christians believe that GOD is a part of us while New Agers believe that we are a part of GOD. Is that a correct way to simply explain the difference?
prazim
2 years ago
Another excellent teaching by Fr. Longenecker.

On a technological note, may I ask that you make it possible to view an entire article on a single page? Most news sources enable that feature and it would be immensely helpful.

Thanks so very much in advance.
Tina in Ashburn
2 years ago
Great article Father - succinct and to the point, your usual style.
Movies and TV shows about angels also contribute to the confusion of the true nature of angels - popular media generates junk, making angels something they are not.
I have been devoted to angels most of my life and have studied them in many writings and in prayer. My confirmation name is Angela - I couldn't pick just one of them, I wanted to honor all of them!
Angels are very helpful: help in distress, distractions in prayer, finding lost articles, reminding, finding parking places - you name it. Always be aware of the angels and the help they want to offer. They love us so much!
JanMarie
2 years ago
What edifying messages. It's only in later life that I have become personally aware of the treasury of resource we have in the Holy angels. In battling spiritual warfare, I had far too often left for battle alone. I always call upon them now. Pablo, peace to you. Your experiences are understandable. Many times I have been awakened in the nite (with a physical tapping on my shoulder) and hear a voice at the 3am hour saying "it is time to pray" There often follows an inspiration to say the Divine Mercy chaplet. Or, "it is time to kneel" Sadly, early on this was dismissed as nonsense because I had no understanding of the Holy angels. Sadly, I used to roll over and go back to sleep. Thankyou and Praise to God the Father for His Holy Angels.
Joel
2 years ago
Although some discourage us to name our guardian angel, we have a closer relationship with someone we call by name. I pray to "Peter" everyday.

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