My personal encounters with angels
Do you believe in Angels? What did they seem like to you?
I’ve encountered Angels in “physical form, “one of whom resembled a Christian image of an Angel – dressed in white, with a pair of wings, taller than usual, with longish hair, and a serene face.
Another one looked like a regular person; it was a man who was busy pulling weeds while crouching by the sidewalk close to our house. He caught my attention as I was riding a tricycle home. It was already past noon, and I thought that he must not have eaten lunch. As soon as I got off the tricycle, I walked over to him and gave him my last ten pesos. He expressed his gratitude by giving me a white rosary. As I started walking back to our house, I looked back to see if the man was still there, but he was gone.
These “appearances” should be expected throughout my life. Because I recall my mother telling me that about a year before I was born (and a few months before I was conceived), she had a dream in which the Archangel Michael told her she would be having another child (She already had four children).
When my mother became pregnant, she was reminded of the dream because she had always anticipated having a boy. She therefore considered giving the child the name “Michael” (my brother’s name also begins with the letter “M,” whereas the names of my two sisters begin with the letter “A”). The practice of getting an ultrasound to determine the baby’s gender back then was uncommon. She was therefore taken by surprise when she realised I was a female.
An angel of the Blessed Mother?
An interesting incident happened many years ago when I went to a production meeting with other writers for a television commercial. A nearby group of people were gathered for bible prayer at the time.
During our meeting break, I strolled over to the gathering and sat in one of the wooden chairs to listen. Just then, an elderly lady sat beside me and, after exchanging pleasantries, showed me two photographs of a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The woman then enquired as to whether I noticed anything odd in the picture. I didn’t initially notice anything unusual. My attention then turned to the statue’s outstretched hands in the picture. Then I noticed that the palms resembled those of an actual human.
I suddenly started crying, and the elderly woman told me it was okay because I had seen everything I needed to see. She then got to her feet and left. I turned to look in her direction, but she just “disappeared” before my eyes. Nobody was really sure who the lady was or whether anyone else who looked similar to her attended the event.
The higher (Angels) are very well dressed, but these are the ones, which keep their distance, and the helpers acting as a front for them in everyday situations or with the care of people or when driving in a car or wherever help is needed, these are the ones, which are dressed in almost the same clothes they have worn on earth, actually like the recently deceased people, but as a rule somewhat neater, but they are just acting as a front for the higher ones, because they know the conditions of our life on earth and they can bear the vibrations on the earth.
– Elisabeth Vonderau, Interview with @AfterlifeExperiences
It has always been natural for me to look for the company of Angels throughout the various events in my life, whether they were happy or sad, bad or good. I attended a Catholic school where we were taught that Angels exist, so that is another factor. We can always ask our Angels to help us, comfort us, guard us, and walk with us in this life.
We can also enlist the help of our Angels when we need assistance making decisions.
How, then, do Angels assist us? This is what I’ve learned.
Free will, first
“God left man in the power of his own counsel (Sir 15:14), so that he would seek his Creator of his own accord and would freely arrive at full and blessed perfection by cleaving to God”. (38) “
Veritatis Splendor
Free will is a gift from God that shows we are co-creators of our destiny and that He trusts us enough to give us the autonomy to make decisions about our lives.
An act of freedom called free will needs to be anchored in our conscience. It conveys our ability to act morally and make moral decisions based on our best knowledge and judgment.
Of course, exercising our free will has consequences, but using it also enables us to learn and understand more about ourselves, including our strengths, weaknesses, beliefs, and convictions. Free will is our tool for exploring what-if scenarios, for making mistakes and owning up to them, or for succeeding in making the right choice.
The person, including the body, is completely entrusted to himself, and it is in the unity of body and soul that the person is the subject of his own moral acts (48) According to these theories, free will would neither be morally subjected to specific obligations nor shaped by its choices, while nonetheless still remaining responsible for its own acts and for their consequences. (75)
Veritatis Splendor
Our Angels respect our free will and will not intervene while we are navigating our choices. After all, free will serves our best interests.
However, in times of need, we can suspend our free will and ask the Angels to guide us. We can also inform God and ask Him, in His Mercy and Compassion, to take over our judgments and lead us to safety. Thus, we can say to our Almighty Father, “Thy Will Be Done.”
The Angels will come to our aid as God’s messengers of love and compassion. We only need to express our intent that we require their assistance.
Angels are our companion, guide, protector, friend and source of inspiration.
Angels within us
We are all imbued with angelic qualities – or what I call angelic light – by becoming a protector, companion, and friend to others, even strangers. We can deliver messages of hope and inspiration.
However, a lot of us opt to reject the angelic light, and worse, we even encourage others to do the same. By spreading rumors and offering unsolicited opinions, we spread hateful messages. These days, we act as the judge and jury for our fellow humans. On social media, we post pictures or videos of other people’s struggles and humiliation, creating forums for criticism and ridicule.
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Hebrews 13:2
We have forgotten to be gentle when dealing with bruises and wounds. We’ve forgotten how to listen intently and speak calmly. The worst in people is taking centre stage these days.
We’d rather clip “our wings” and fly low.
We must, like Angels, devote ourselves to the salvation of others. When people choose darkness, we can help them shine their light as well.
We have the ability to be angels for both the living and the dead. We can pray or make positive intentions for the souls of those who have died. We can also pray for the souls of the living who are befuddled, troubled, alone, afraid, sick, or bereaved.
Related: 16 powerful one–line prayer for miracle and grace
Our capacity to shine our light wherever we want it to shine is limitless. We each have the choice to be an angel or not in that respect.
Let me share with you this simple prayer that I recite every day and which I also say when I pray the rosary.
Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom God’s love commits me here,
Ever this day, be at my side,
To light and guard, Rule and guide. Amen.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Pray for us.
St Joseph, Pray for us.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us.
God the Father in Heaven, Have mercy on us.
May we do all for the love of Thee.
(Cite personal petition)
