Our Lady of the Angels

By Fr. Conor Donnelly

(Proofread)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me. I adore you with profound reverence. I ask your pardon for my sins and grace to make this time of prayer fruitful. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

We're told in the Gospel of St. John, “I say to you, you shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man” (John 1:51).

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels. It's a particularly beautiful Feast of Our Lady, and one that can be very close to our heart, because little children love angels, and we're all called to be like little children.

“Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt.18:3).

The Mass of the Angels says: “In the sight of the angels, I will sing your praises, my God” (Ps. 138:1). Today our gaze is lifted higher than the angels to the Queen of the Angels, to this great role that Our Lady plays in being the queen and the guide and the promoter of the angels and of their mission.

We think of all the great things that the angels do—the mission of the archangels, and the mission of every guardian angel of your child, of your baby, of your grandparents, of your neighbors or your friends, of your office mates, all the angels that we're surrounded with every day, all the angels that are present in every Mass.

If we think for a moment that Our Lady is the Queen of all of these angels, it means that Our Lady has a particular power over the angels, and helps them and encourages them to continually fulfill their role 24/7.

Every time that you or I or your children say the Prayer to the Guardian Angel, somehow it is heard also by the Queen of the Angels. They transport that prayer to her.

The angels are continually praising God. According to the plan established by Divine Providence, they play a part in the Almighty's dominion over creation as “mighty doers of his word,” says the Psalms (Ps. 103:20).

We know that the Creator entrusts special care and concern for each person to a guardian angel in particular. Every time that God infuses a soul into a body at the moment of conception, He entrusts an angel to take care of that new being.

Just as that soul is destined to live forever and forever, to give God glory all through his life in this world, and to give Him glory forever and forever, there's an angel there to help that child fulfill that role and that purpose.

In a special way, the guardian angels influence those who play a special role in our salvation. Some of those people may be priests. They might be bishops, might be a teacher, might be a mentor, or a tutor, or a good friend.

St. John Paul says the angels “present our petitions and our prayers to God and Our Lady for our benefit” (John Paul II, Address, July 30, 1986).

Probably, all those prayers that we address through the angels get presented to the Blessed Trinity through the mediation of Our Lady.

The Queen of the Angels is a very beautiful title, a very rich one, and a good one for us to invoke Our Lady today.

The angels have a great mission as ambassadors of God—and their custodial role extends to houses, to nations, to all sorts of enterprises.

Men and women call on the angels and the archangels every day and at every hour, also within the Mass, to praise the glory of God throughout the entire world. Our Lady is at the helm of all of this.

The letter to the Hebrews says, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent for service for the sake of those who shall inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14).

Every little favor that we might ask the angels to get for us—to find a parking space, to get through this green light, to help this little professional task to go well—somehow the Queen of the Angels has a hand in all of this.

The Opening Prayer of the Mass of the Angels says: “O God, Our Father, in a wonderful way you guide the work of angels of men. May those who serve you constantly in heaven keep our lives safe from all harm on earth.”

We receive countless deeds of assistance from the archangels St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and also from our guardian angels.

We're also told in Scripture that Our Lady “will crush the head of the serpent” (Gen. 3:15). When we feel the onslaught of temptation, we sense the devil around us in thoughts, in imaginations, in ideas, we can invoke the Queen of the Angels to bruise his head “with her heel.”

The existence of the angels is often a tangible proof of God Our Father's loving concern for us, His children.

We could be reminded today to seek their intercession in our daily work, to find a new peace and serenity in all the things we do every day, especially in the midst of tribulation, or when we might be about to lose the serenity and peace proper to the children of God, or if on some occasion we might feel alone. It might not be the reality, but it might feel that way.

We know that our guardian angel is very close, and the Queen of the Angels is not far away. It was an angel that announced to Our Lady about her task in the world, which was to be the key to her whole existence (Luke 1:26-38).

The Queen of the Angels is very much tied up in our Christian vocation.

The Annunciation was for her a most perfect light that filled the whole of her life and made her fully aware of her exceptional role in the history of mankind.

St. John Paul II says, “Mary was definitively introduced into the mystery of Christ through this event” (John Paul II, Encyclical, Redemptoris Mater, March 25, 1987).

At the center of this event, we find an angel. Our Lady goes from being the recipient of the message of an angel to being the Queen of that very angel.

Each day that we say the Angelus, a word derived from that very word “angel”, we remind our Mother of that very moment, the importance of which neither she nor the whole of mankind could ever describe in words.

We remind her of it too, when we consider the First Joyful Mystery of the Rosary.

If you watch out for the presence of the angels as you read through Scripture, you might be surprised at the frequency with which angels are mentioned. They're all over the place.

The angel appeared to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid, for I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all the people” (Luke 2:10).

Angels are nearly always associated with joy. With great benefit for our soul, we can enter into these scenes and contemplate this future Queen of the Angels as she embraces God's holy will.

In the Furrow we're told, “The scene of the Annunciation is a very lovely one. How often have we meditated on this! Mary is recollected in prayer. She is using all her senses and her faculties to speak to God. It is in prayer that she comes to know the divine Will. And with prayer she makes it the life of her life. Do not forget the example of the Virgin Mary” (Josemaría Escrivá, Furrow, Point 481).

The liturgy also says in Latin, Assumpta est Maria in coelum: gaudent angeli! Our Lady is assumed into Heaven and the angels rejoice.

The angels have been looking forward to this moment from all eternity, for their Queen to come to take her rightful place as a consequence of her Assumption into heaven. The angels rejoice and the whole Church rejoices.

The Solemnity of the Assumption is like a special moment for the Queen of the Angels. John Paul II says it's at the same time a sign and source of hope for eternal life and for our future resurrection.

St. Josemaría adds, “If you and I had been able, we too would have made her Queen and Lady of all creation.”

We're told in Holy Rosary, “‘A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman with a crown of twelve stars upon her head, adorned with the sun and with the moon at her feet’ (Rev. 12:1). Mary, conceived without sin, has made up for the fall of Eve; and she has crushed the head of hell’s serpent with her immaculate heel. Daughter of God, Mother of God, Spouse of God.

“The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit crown her as the rightful Empress of the Universe. And the angels pay her homage as her subjects…and the patriarchs and prophets and Apostles…and the martyrs and confessors and virgins and all the saints…and all sinners, and you and I” (J. Escrivá, Holy Rosary, Fifth Glorious Mystery).

“The angels pay her homage as her subjects,” delighted to have their Queen reigning over them. She's also the Queen of Peace, the cause of our joy and their joy.

With all the little petitions that our angels may bring before her every day, Our Lady watches over all her children with motherly affection, so that we may be rescued from all dangers and anxiety.

The Preface of the Mass says, “The angels set us free from the chains of oppression so that we can attain to perfect liberty of body and soul.”

Our Lady of the Angels keeps many graces in store for us and showers them down upon each one of our children.

Our first instinct should be to seek the help of Our Mother in heaven whenever we are in trouble or in need. Or to ask her to keep a special watchful eye over some particular being about whom we're particularly concerned: a baby, a child, a relative, our mother, our grandmother, our grandfather…so that she might watch over them and help all things to “turn out for the good” (Rom. 8:28).

This is particularly important if the devil introduces a complication into our soul or the souls of those very people around us.

When he creates an obstacle in our or their path to God or separates us from others, the Queen of the Angels can be there for us.

She's our rescue and our haven in the midst of all the adverse winds and gales that can arise in the long voyage of life.

We can seek her intercession in a thousand and one different ways. We visit her shrines, we say her Rosary, we turn to her while we're out on the street or while driving, we seek her protection in the face of temptation, or converse with her intimately while meditating on the mysteries.

Often we say that prayer at the end of other prayers, “We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our petitions in our necessities, but in your mercy hear us and answer us. Save us from all dangers, O ever glorious and blessed Virgin.”

The Queen of the Angels has never failed to hear us.

We can also be mindful that the presence of Our Lady is always a motherly presence. She makes the way easier.

She prevents our straying from the right path in great and small matters alike, as our short-sightedness might sometimes incline us to do. Where would we be without the motherly vigilance of the Queen of the Angels?

Our Lady is always vigilant whenever her children are concerned.

We can ask her also to watch over and guide the Holy Father, and to watch over and guide the Holy Church and all the intentions of the Holy Father and the local bishop, and all the things that may be happening in our parish, in our seminaries, in our schools, in our universities, so that she can send her angels to help us to change society—every little nook and cranny, every idea that's passing through Parliament or the Senate, every little influence that comes through the media.

Queen of the Angels, may you send all your angels to rule over the world. Gain for us the fortitude to do apostolate in favor of life, of marriage, of the family, of generosity, and of joy.

Like St. Gabriel, may we too be bearers of good news for the family and the world from our place in society. Many are bent on spreading evil. May we put even more effort into radiating goodness, beginning with our own family.”

“In national life,” St. Josemaría says, “there are two things which are really essential: the laws concerning marriage and the laws having to do with education. In these areas, God's children have to stand firm and fight with toughness and fairness, for the sake of all mankind” (J. Escrivá, The Forge, Point 104).

Queen of the Angels, open our eyes to see our possibilities so that we seize the opportunities to have an influence. May you carry our words and our efforts to the ends of the earth, shaping the future of society for our children and grandchildren.

Life is a long journey that ends in God. To reach the end of the road safely, we need help and protection and advice, because there are many possibilities of straying or getting perilously detained on the road.

We want to avoid losing precious time. God has pointed out to each one of us the personal vocation that leads to Him.

On the 2nd of October 1928, when St. Josemaría was doing a retreat in the House of the Vincentians in Madrid, when he suddenly saw Opus Dei in his mind, he immediately heard the bells of the local church ringing. Those were the bells of the Church of Our Lady of the Angels.

He said all through his life, he has never ceased to hear those bells ringing, because of the beautiful seed that God had planted in his heart and soul and mind. The mission that He had given him was to spread the spirit of Opus Dei all over the earth.

Later, he was to name the Shrine of Our Lady of Torreciudad, the church there, Our Lady of the Angels. And also the Chapel of Cavabianca in Rome, Our Lady of the Angels.

That's a particular expression of his devotion and gratitude to Our Lady of the Angels, of how she helped him to spread that seed all over the world.

He asked her to send her angels and to carry that seed in and through human instruments to so many families, to so many institutions, so many countries. There are many we still have to reach.

It’s very important that we continue to ask Our Lady of the Angels to carry on with that great spreading of seed through her angels. She will help us not to go astray, to know and to follow the Will of God.

For some people, following their vocation, it'll be a road of matrimony. We can ask the Queen of the Angels to watch over the vocations of our children in a special way: their professional vocation, their marriage vocation, perhaps their vocation to a supernatural family in the Church.

Help us to cooperate with the plans of God in bringing children into the world. Help us in our role of procreation and of education, which never ends.

“Do you laugh,” says St. Josemaría in The Way, “because I tell you that you have a ‘vocation to marriage’? Well, you have just that: a vocation. Commend yourself to St. Raphael, that he may keep you pure as he did Tobias, until the end of the way” (J. Escrivá, The Way, Point 27).

With the vocation of apostolates that we have to do, you can ask the Queen of the Angels to help us to see the pathway very clearly, to see the courageous initiatives that God wants us to have along that pathway.

We're told in The Forge, “The Lord uses us as torches to make that light shine out. Much depends on us. If we respond, many people will remain in darkness no longer, but will walk instead along paths that lead to eternal life” (J. Escrivá, The Forge, Point 1).

August 2, the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels, is a special day in the history of the Franciscans. It's one of the most important days of the year because it's the anniversary of the dedication of the birthplace of the Franciscan Order.

It's also a day of a special indulgence, the Portiuncula Indulgence. St. Francis had a vision. He went into this little place, this little chapel, that before had belonged to the Benedictines, and there he underwent a major conversion.

Shortly afterwards, he gave up his worldly life and began to live for God. He came upon a ruined chapel in that district around Assisi which had the name of Our Lady of the Angels.

Entering into the little tumble-down church, which was almost hidden under a tangle of flowering vines, he thought, in the half-light of the late afternoon, that he saw a vision of the Queen of Heaven.

But it turned out to be an old painting, an old fresco, which some long-dead artist had painted on the wall above the main altar.

The subject was Our Lady being assumed into heaven accompanied by a court of angels. That picture was to coincide with the name of the chapel. Possibly that chapel was in existence before the Benedictines came, but it may have been built by them.

They also owned a small plot of ground around that area called “the little portion” or, in Italian, Portiuncula. That's why the indulgence has that name.

The Benedictines had been there for several hundred years. Probably that fresco of the Assumption was on the wall of that tiny chapel and had been the work of those dedicated and talented monks.

God used it to plant a tiny seed in the soul of St. Francis. When he came upon that chapel, it was just a charming ruin in the midst of all that undergrowth. But Our Lord was to speak to St. Francis through that place.

There was an old crucifix there. It became a place of inspiration for him. He began to see all the sins of men and the anguish that that had caused God.

He burst into tears, and he had a vision when he was praying before that image of Our Lady, so that he seemed to behold men and women from every corner of the world coming upon this obscure little chapel in this Italian forest.

He had been praying for the forgiveness of the sins of mankind and suddenly the dark interior of that chapel seemed to be lit by the light of a million candles.

Our Lady appeared there in the midst of a dazzling cloud of angels, and he heard a voice that fell like music on his soul: “What do you wish me to do to help poor sinners?”

He hardly knew how to answer, but words came tumbling out and he asked for a full pardon for all who came to visit this church of the Portiuncula and made a good Confession.

Eventually, he was to go to the Pope and ask him for permission for that indulgence. But he was not very favorably received. Francis had to keep pushing. He was not to be refused.

The Pope finally yielded and gave permission for that indulgence. The date set for receiving that indulgence was from the 1st of August to the 2nd. It had a particular significance.

As Francis took his leave of the Holy Father after obtaining the indulgence, the Pope was said to have asked if he wanted some document to prove that his request had been officially granted.

With traditional Franciscan light-heartedness, he said, “I need nothing more than your word. Our Lady is the parchment, Christ the notary, and the angels our witnesses!”

Later that indulgence was extended to all Franciscan churches all over the world (Diana Serra Cary, Our Lady, Queen of Angels). The Feast of Our Lady of the Angels has a profound history.

In The Forge, we're told, “Dear Lady, Mother of God and my Mother, not in the remotest way do I wish that you may ever be anything less than Mistress and Empress of the whole of creation” (J. Escrivá, The Forge, Point 376).

“It is indeed just that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit should crown the Blessed Virgin as Queen and Lady of all creative things. —You have to make use of her power! With the daring of a child join in this celebration in Heaven. —For myself, since I have no precious stones or virtues to offer, I crown the Mother of God and my Mother with my feelings, once they have been purified” (J. Escrivá, The Forge, Point 285).

She is expecting something from you too.

Mary, Queen of the Angels, may you help us to have greater devotion to you and to the angels and to ask you for special favors on this day, just as St. Josemaría must have done on so many occasions.

I thank you, my God, for the good resolutions, affections, and inspirations that you have communicated to me during this meditation. I ask your help to put them into practice. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

GD