The Liturgy of the Faithful

"For an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask of the Lord"

   With this petition we ask God to send an angel to guard our souls and bodies. An angel? Unbelievers hearing this would ridicule Christians, who, in the twentieth century, believe in the existence of angels. An astronaut of an atheistic state once said, that when he flew in space, he did not see any angels not even a wing! What foolishness! He was expecting to see an angel.... The area in which the atheist astronaut flew was very small, indeed, the smallest part of the endless universe. And even if he were able to fly through the entire universe in his rocket, he would not find an angel's wing. This is because an angel is not a material creature, to be seen by mortal eyes.
   As to whether angels exist or not depends on an answer to a more basic question: Does God exist? Yes or no? If God does not exist, then neither do angels. The one who denies the existence of God, the Supreme Spirit, naturally denies the existence of lower spirits, the angels. Such a person accepts only material things and nothing else.
Human thought is immaterial, something spiritual, which we cannot grasp or weigh on a scale. Where does it come from? From matter? A handful of dirt, a piece of metal does not have mind. Matter does not possess reason.
   The materialist, who does not accept the creed "I believe in one God, the Father almighty...", is forced to believe in another dogma which presents much greater difficulties than those of the Christian doctrine. The unbeliever says: "I believe in omnipotent matter..." How illogical is the Creed of materialists!
   The highest of all creatures is man. Man is composite. He is body and soul. As a body, he belongs to the material world; as a soul, he belongs to the unseen spiritual world. As certain as we are that man is a body, so sure we are that he is soul. Man is a compound of matter and spirit.
   The question is raised: Could not God, Who created man as a link between the visible and invisible worlds also create beings having no body, but only spirit? He certainly could, and He did create such beings. These are the angels.
   The existence of angels, which reason does not reject, is confirmed in the word of God, the Holy Scripture. Anyone who reads the Bible can see that angels and archangels are mentioned there many times. We will mention two Scriptural passages: "When the stars were made, all my angels praised me with a loud voice" (Job 38:7). In this passage, not only the existence of angels is affirmed but also the time of their creation. The angels and archangels existed before the heavens and the stars were made. Such a spectacle the heavens and shining stars presented, that the angels and archangels, seeing such a marvelous thing rise out of chaos, could not stand indifferent and apathetic, but were filled with admiration, and began praising and glorifying the omnipotent and all-wise God. Truly, one of the most convincing proofs of God's existence and His grandeur is the sight of the heavens at night.
   The material world has stars, but the spiritual world has its stars as well. In the spiritual world, the angels shine like stars; and above the spiritual lights of the angels is the eternal and inaccessible light of the triune Deity, the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
   Another biblical passage which affirms the existence of the angelic world was spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He who created both material and spiritual worlds and who knows with all detail all the beings, Christ Himself said that everyone, even a person the world considers small and unimportant, is protected by the Father. The same angels who, by the command of our heavenly Father guard and protect the lowliest people of the earth, also surround God's throne and pray for those to whom they are assigned as guardians. "See that you do not despise any of these little ones. Their angels in heaven, I tell you, are always in the presence of my Father in heaven" (Mt. 18:10).
   What a comfort there is in the fact that we have someone next to us ready to protect and guard us! In order to keep this angel by our side as our guardian and protector, we have to be careful not to sin. It is because of this that the angel leaves us and laments. Yes! We sin and laugh, while angels cry and lament in heaven because we have fallen. Lord, have mercy on us!