No 1 • 2010 € 2,50 $ 4,99 £ 1,90 ISSN 2081-5077 Witnesses of the passion Angels’ names My personal experience of the Divine Mercy Saint Faustina and angels History of St Michael's prayers DEAR READERS TheAngels Messengers from a Loving God A Quarterly Magazine on Holy Angels It is a pleasure to welcome you Publisher: The Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel to read this first quarterly edition Marki of “The Angels” Messengers from Chief Editor: Father Piotr Prusakiewicz (CSMA) a Loving God magazine. Distribution coordinators: • In USA and Canada: y name is Fr Piotr (Peter) There are many, many angels, more Rose Balayan Prusakiewicz from The than there are human beings. They P.O. Box 37 803 Congregation of St. Michael stand before the throne of God and Honolulu, Hawaii 96837-0803, USA The Archangel in Warsaw, Poland. praise Him. At the same time, they Phone: +001 808-389-5764 M Email: [email protected] Our main charism is on the Holy are among us, with us”. Email: [email protected] Angels. As a religious order we run In the different English speak- a publishing house, orphanages, ing countries I have visited over the • In the rest of the world: Noreen Bavister and Alison Boyes schools, and youth centres. We work years giving retreats, many people P.O. Box 4332 with underprivileged, handicapped, have shown a desire to know more Harlington Dunstable Beds LU6 9DG, abandoned and poor children includ- about Holy Angels. Due to the inter- United Kingdom ing missionary work in 13 countries. est shown we have decided to pub- Phone Noreen: +44 (0)779 531 8605 By God’s providence from 1993 lish a quarterly magazine in English Phone Alison: +44 (0)780 137 2166 Email Noreen: [email protected] to 1996, I served as a chaplain to the on The Angels covering many topics Email Alison: [email protected] Congregation of the Sisters of Our including, angelic prayers, good & Associate Editor: Herbert Oleschko Lady of Mercy in Warsaw where Saint bad angels, stories of how the saints Graphics & Layout: Jacek Kawa Faustina started her religious life. For have been helped by angels, testimo- English translations: Agata Pawłowska nearly 10 years I have travelled to nies, interviews and more. We hope to Editorial Staff:Ewelina Faszczewska, Agnieszka Kosińska many countries proclaiming and ex- give some understanding and knowl- e-mail: [email protected] plaining The Divine Mercy Devotion. edge from a catholic point of view. Website in Polish: www.ktozjakbog.religia.net Since 2004 I have been the Chief I look forward to any ques- Editorial inquiries to be adressed to: editor of “Who is Like God”, a Polish tions and feedback. I would be in- Redakcja „Któż jak Bóg” magazine on the topic of Holy Angels. terested to hear by letter or email ul. Piłsudskiego 248/252, 05-261 Marki The angels are servants and mes- [email protected] any tes- Poland sengers of God. Christ is the center timonies on how the angels have Alternatively please contact one of our co-coordinators whose details can be found on this page and on of the angelic world. They belong helped you in your life. Alternatively www.divinemercyangels.org to Him because they were created please contact one of our co-coordi- © 2010 CSMA through and for Him: “for all things nator’s whose details can be found All rights reserved were created in heaven and on earth.” on www.divinemercyangels.org ISSN 2081-5077 CONTENTS 3 Extraterrestrial 11 Conversion in the Grotto 22 Angels’ names rational beings of St Michael 24 The Mystery of Divine Sight 4 Witnesses of the passion, 13 Do you know…? death, resurrection and 26 Angels in St Joseph’s Dreams ascension of Jesus Christ 14 Angels – servants of Merciful God 27 Questions about angels 7 Legends about (good 124 years of St Michael and fallen) angels in the 16 28 Saint Faustina and angels saints’ lives Exorcism by His Holiness Pope Leo XIII How Catholics view 8 My personal experience 30 of the Divine Mercy 19 Towards spiritual the celestial hierarchy 2 | The Angels | No 1 | 2010 IN THE LIGHT OF THE TRUTH DIVINELY-REVEALED Extraterrestrial rational beings Do extraterrestrial civilisations exist? What does the Church say about it? It is widely known that many countries spend a lot of money on scientific research and attempts to establish contact with aliens. There are as many interpretations of the research as research themselves. owever, taking hugeness of However, they sometimes appear cosmos into consideration, in a visible form (e.g. in the pres- it seems rather obvious that ence of shepards in Bethlehem); like Hwe are not alone in the universe. If Christ, who after the Resurrection, rational beings really exist, we should had a genuine body and could dis- not consider ourselves perfect mas- appear like a ghost. ters of the globe. From the theoreti- In spite of a mysterious subject, cal point of view, it is possible that there is one thing we can be sure of. extraterrestrial rational beings are Following the Revelation, the uni- far more intellectually and cuturally verse is like a multi-storey building, developed than we are. in which people live in one of the The Roman-Catholic Church lowest floor. On the one hand, there has not commented on the subject are many primitive beings below us; yet. Nevertheless, Christians may on the other hand, there are lots of approach the issue in the context rational beings over us who are much of dogma of angels. Unfortunately, more perfect in God’s creations than in the arts angels are illustrated as we are. Since the dawn of time people chubby cupids or creatures, whose cannot resist the temptation of ‘being sex is rather nondesript, that watch like gods’. That is why a construction over kids playing near a chasm. These of the universal building has been two images of angels have nothing destroyed; mankind craves for living in common with biblical data about on the highest floors. God’s servants. The dogma of angels seems un- In the New Testament Christ According to the Bible an angel derestimated nowadays although it mentions the heavenly host when is a wise and powerful ‘man’ who may help in shaping a proper view on talking about the Final Judgement. does not belong to the material people’s place in the universe. If an- It will be a crucial moment as man- world. He usually announces the gels’ existence is accepted, fauna and kind eventually knows the truth important news from God. That is flora will be respected. Awareness about themselves and divine grace all as far as the Bible is concerned. of the fact that people have angelic thanks to which God loved and ap- Although there is not much infor- friends (good angels) and enemies preciated imperfect rational man. mation, the Church teaches that an- (fallen angels) makes them stop treat- gels are spirits without human body. ing nature like their property. Fr. Edward Staniek The Angels | No 1 | 2010 | 3 ANGELS IN MYSTERIES OF FAITH Witnesses of the passion death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ Easter mystery is the most important event in Christianity. An an- gel, who sits down on the rock covering Christ’s tomb, is the only witness of His resurrection. Soldiers fall asleep, Christ’s disciples arrive too late; even nature seems drowsy and indifferent to God’s resurrection whereas a few days earlier Mother Nature lamented over His death via earthquakes and complete darkness. et’s focus on the role of divine when Peter cuts off one of the sol- after Christ’s resurrection: "After the servants in crucial events in sal- diers’ ear Jesus says: "Put your sword Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the vation of mankind. The first -an back in its place, for all who draw the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Lgelic appearance takes place in the sword will die by the sword. Do you Mary went to look at the tomb. There Garden of Gethsemane. According think I cannot call on my Father, and was a violent earthquake, for an angel to the Bible, Christ experiences spir- He will at once put at my disposal of the Lord came down from heaven itual agony in the garden before cru- more than twelve legions of angels? and, going to the tomb, rolled back cifixion. As a doctor Luke appears But how then would the Scriptures be the stone and sat on it. His appear- the most precise in describing bloody fulfilled that say it must happen in this ance was like lightning, and his clothes sweat on Jesus’ forehead which em- way?" (Matthew 26, 52:54) Christ is were white as snow. The guards were phasises His deep spiritual pain and certain of angelic defence as well as so afraid of him that they shook and intense fear: "Father, if You are will- He knows about Peter’s forthcom- became like dead men". (Matthew ing, take this cup from Me; yet not ing act of cowardice. Attempts to in- 28, 1:4) The angel is like God’s seal of my will, but yours be done" (Luke terpret the phrase "legions of angels" truth, his words are the Lord’s notarial 22,42). Then, "an Angel from heaven seems futile. Although there are many deed: "Do not be afraid, for I know appeared to Him and strengthened hypotheses concerning a number of that you are looking for Jesus, who Him. And being in anguish, he prayed angels (according to one of them, a le- was crucified.