ANGELS

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The concept of angels can be vaguely uncomfortable for some Anglicans, even though a 2003 Fox News/Opinion Dynamic poll found that 78% of Americans believe in them.  Roman Catholics have given far more thought and study to them than we, and the literature reflects that.  The syrupy presentations sometimes seen on greeting cards or television has not helped the situation, and often the representations are completely unsupported by Scripture or reason.  There is, for example, no Littlest Angel, and there never will be.

We don't know a whole lot about angels, but what we do know comes from the Bible, mostly through St. Thomas Aquinas.  He gave a great deal of study to angels and is sometimes called the Angelic Doctor.

Angels are God's messengers and our companions in the way.  Your guardian angel will incline your heart.  If you learn how to listen, your life will be easier and richer.

Some quick facts:
 

You don’t need to know anything about angels for salvation.	All you need is the knowledge and love of God through Jesus Christ.  Like the saints, angels are there to help that process along and will do so whether you acknowledge them or not.
Everybody has a guardian angel.	This comes from Jesus himself, in Matthew 18:10.  It is also something that the Church has always taught.  Silently acknowledging the presence of each person's guardian angel can change the way you look at the world and other people.
Angels are not cute and cuddly.	They’re immensely powerful, and fearsome when they allow themselves to be seen.  Notice when they appear in the Bible, they usually say “Fear not.”  Still, the good ones are full of boundless love and kindness.
Angels don’t have wings.	They have no bodies, so have no more need of wings than they do of a bicycle.  Wings are merely an artistic convention to denote their ethereal nature, but if it helps you to think about them with wings, that’s okay.
We don't become angels when we die.	People and angels are two different species.  You will never be an angel, but, mercifully, you will never be a cockroach either.
Some angels are good, some are bad.	In the end, the bad angels (demons) will lose, but that won’t stop them from winning some battles along the way.   Make sure you know which angel is inspiring your actions; it can be hard world out there.
There are more angels than people.	Every person has a guardian angel.  Add to that the legions of cherubim, seraphim, thrones, and other orders, and evil angels (demons).  Humans are a minority in God's world.
Angels have the power of bilocation.	Wherever they are sent by God, they also remain simultaneously in His presence, face-to-face.  If you ever find yourself  touched by an angel, just think how close to God you are at that time.

St. Paul's Library has the following books on angels.  Full reviews are on a separate page.

Book	Grade	Comments
Angels and Demons: What do We Really Know about Them?, Peter Kreeft, 1995, 154p.	B+	A brilliant and highly informative exposition marred only by occasional knee-jerk Romanism.  With a little editing, this could have been A+, and a classic of angelology.
My angel will go before you, Georges Huber, Christian Classics, 1995, 128 p.	C+	Has tiresome Romanisms, and a sententious style, but also a few amazing insights.  A good supplement to Angels and Demons.
Angels: God’s Secret Agents,  Billy Graham, Guideposts,  1975, 175p.	C	The scholarship may be a bit weak, but Graham has a gift for conveying his enthusiasm and love for God and angels.
What You Should Know about Angels, Charlene Atemose,  Liguori, 1996, 85 p.	F	Tepid personal and sentimental speculations about angels.  Neither inspiring nor authoritative.  If our rector were not so tender-hearted toward books, this would be weeded from the library.