Monday, September 29, 2003
Michael, Gabriel & Raphael

1st Reading: Dn 7:9-14
Gospel: Jn 1:47-51

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming, he said of him, "Here comes an Israelite, a true one; there is nothing false in him." Nathanael asked him, "How do you know me?" And Jesus said to him, "Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree and I saw you."

Nathanael answered, "Master, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" But Jesus replied, "You believe because I said: 'I saw you under the fig tree.' But you will see greater things than that.

Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Commentary

"Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man." Brother Luke, a La Sallian brother from Vietnam, told me one day why he has a special devotion to the angels. Way back, when he was still in the minor seminary, one day he had to cross a swollen river. Being a good swimmer, he thought that he could make it easily. But when he was already in the middle of the river, the current became very strong and he was carried by it. In those moments of panic, of fear, of losing strength, he called his guardian angel to help him. Again, he surfaced on the river and with a newfound strength swam using the back stroke till he reached the other side of the river to safety. Since then, he was convinced that guardian angels are there to help us. Nowadays, angels are pictured whether in painting or in sculpture as little children with cute wings. But in the biblical writings, angels are pictured as adults. And all of them are messengers. That is the meaning in Greek of the word angelos: messenger of good news, messenger of power and messenger of healing. Angels are spiritual beings but many times the angels that come to us are in flesh and blood. There are persons who come to our lives and bring to us a message from God. We too can be angels to one another, we can bring God's message of love, of light and of life.

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