I believe in angels.  Many people don't recognize them at all, let alone put much stock in these tender-winged creations. I'm sad for the non-believers.  Angels help me along from time to time in ways that I notice and, therefore, must be there also even when I'm not aware of them. We're missing out on a lot if we can't have an angel or two on whom to rely along the way in good times and bad.
 
         It seems to me that angels are wonderful to develop. The Bible, of course, is full of references to them, even some bad ones. But I don't know too much about those. The good ones, on the other hand, are very appealing and provide plenty to think about. They don't harm any one and yet they come under attack from time to time, or at least a good deal of scrutiny.  Psychologists can relegate them readily to figments of our creative genius or sick imaginations and scientists have a problem because most angels don't like to be measured. Even theologians tend to pooh-pooh them as lacking substance or, at best, being on the periphery of more important doctrine.  But those are the babblings of narrow-minded skeptics who like to search for certainty where they can't find it and who could probably serve other causes much better.   If they're good enough for Jesus, that's enough for me.

        Painters and poets and mystics show much more sensitivity and respect. They depict happy helpers fluttering all around us in another dimension, protecting and guiding and nourishing, as guardians of life and keepers of faith. That's very friendly. Around that, one could easily build an attitude of belief and a tradition of behavior that are in awe of creation and that cultivate wonder; that allow mistakes and encourage learning; that respect differences and invite understanding.  Angels help us in these ways and many more. For example, they watched over my aging mother and brought her gently to heaven in her 92nd year, and they are even more alert to us in our maturing years! The Benedictines have relied on them from their beginning and made the angels their patron.

        A lot of other religious beliefs get bogged down in complicated detail that brings out the rancor in people and puts them at odds and separates loving hearts. Imagine, by contrast, what it would be like if we all had the assurance of smiling angels who keep prodding us into learning how to listen better, forgive deeper, respect equally, and love more.

        It's not useful to get into too much detail about these precious gifts.  That typically spoils things. Soon we'd want to conquer them and set up some rules to keep our thinking straight. First thing someone would come along and start arguing about their intelligence or size or race or gender or power or whether they are clothed or if their wings are feathered. The angels that are around me are just there. Another nice thing about angels is they're Catholic and Protestant and Jewish, and other religious traditions too, as well as German, Irish and Bohemian.

        I'm a bit hesitant to say that I see angels lest I be hauled away by  dumb wingless creatures in white jackets. I have some wonderful statues, though, and some fine pictures of them. My favorites are those 17th century Russian icons that whisper compassion and radiate strength. But I also like the 18th century chubby gilded baroque cherubs with rosy cheeks and soft buns and cute little wings hovering weightlessly in ornate majestic cathedrals. It seems impossible   for those wings to carry that body but then that's what they say of the bumble bee also.

        Anyway, any serious discussion about these wonderful friends should be out of reach of boring professionals and kept among the children and fresh-hearted who can make the possible by imagining it and who've figured out, as with angels, that the soul of life is play and the core of goodness is compassion and the heart of love is reverence and the protein of faith is service. And it's all hard work that requires specific decisions, conscious choices, and good example all the time and everywhere.

         In the Hebrew Scriptures, angels are important announcers of Yahweh and good to think about when we want to make special resolutions to become better. They're particularly useful at helping us stick to our word. If they can help God out and if they minister to Jesus, surely we can risk giving them a chance with us to learn from them how to help one another. They don't spoil things like we do; they're not mean or inconsiderate; they don't pout or cheat or steal or say bad things about others. They aren't disrespectful or biased. They don't do drugs or kill people with alcohol. They don't make rockets or drop bombs. They don't violate people or assault them. They're not short-sighted or ill-tempered. They're not petty or dirty, self-serving or rude; or destructive in their ambitions. They're not callous, insensitive, or ungrateful.

         Think of angels as pure prayer! They're just bundles of goodness. And they're very fine models for us. They're fun-loving and clever.  They recognize our  limitations, live with our foibles, and allow us time to grow. They also understand confusion and doubt, they appreciate love and peace, they respect privacy and shame! They can teach us to be patient, to remember, to be affectionate, and to show our love. They cherish people and honor their property. They know a lot about prayer as an expression of confidence in a relationship of love. So talk to them. They can hear you.

        Call them by name and be thankful they exist. Don't snub them. And be glad for their example when we're called an angel also. I appreciate the tradition of this short prayer I grew up with: