Messengers From Heaven: Angels in Evangelization

The story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The word “angel” means “messenger”—we see it many times throughout Sacred Scripture and Tradition when an angel brings an important message to humans. Angels prepared prophets and patriarchs, and gave instructions to many saints. But are angels important to our work of evangelization? I believe that being more aware of the role of the holy angels will only help our mission.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 332, states “Angels have been present since creation and throughout the history of salvation, announcing this salvation from afar or near and serving the accomplishment of the divine plan.” The holy angels have always been present and cooperating with the will of God. Likewise, CCC 334 states “the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.” I repeat: the entire Church, which most certainly includes evangelists, benefits from the help of angels.

Let’s recall the work of the angels in the Bible, and Church history.

Angels in the Old Testament

Exodus 14:19 tells of an angel that guided the Israelites through the desert. Isaiah 6:5-10 tells of a seraph that cleansed the lips of the prophet Isaiah and prepared him for his ministry. In Judges 13, an angel announces the conception of Samson and gives instructions to his parents.

The Annunciation and Nativity of Our Lord

The evangelistic mission of angels is most prominent in the first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel. Here, we see the Annunciation of the Lord’s coming to the Virgin Mary, as well as the birth of Christ announced to the shepherds:

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
Luke 1:26-31 RSVCE

Notice how, much like Archangel Gabriel, this angel told the shepherds not to fear. This angel also brought good news—the Gospel, the ultimate Good News—and told them to look for a sign.

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:8-12 RSVCE

An Angel Appears to Joseph

In the first two chapters of the Gospel of Matthew, there were three times when an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and gave him instructions. In the first apparition, in Matthew 1:18-25, an unidentified angel appeared to Joseph, telling him about Mary’s virgin pregnancy. The angel told Joseph to take Mary as his wife and, subsequently, her unborn child as his own. Shortly after the birth of Jesus, in Matthew 2:13-15, an angel told Joseph to take the Holy Family and flee to Egypt. Shortly thereafter, in verses 19-23, an angel again appeared to Joseph and told him to return to Nazareth.

Angels in the Acts of Apostles

In the Acts of the Apostles, there were two times when angels protected and directed the apostles. In Acts 5:17-21, an angel liberated apostles from prison and commanded them to preach in the temple. Later, chapter 8, verse 26 recounts that an angel appeared to St. Philip the Apostle and told him to go to a certain road. It was here that the apostle evangelized and soon baptized the Ethiopian eunuch. Lastly, in Acts 12, an angel liberates St. Peter from prison the night before he would go to trial.

The Angel of Fatima

Before the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, an angel appeared to the Fatima visionaries—Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia—three times throughout 1916. In each apparition, the angel instructed the children to pray and offer sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. In the first apparition, this angel was identified as the Angel of Peace, in the second apparition, the Angel of Portugal. During the second apparition, in the summer 1916, the angel told the children: “Offer God a sacrifice of anything you can as an act of reparation for the sins with which He is offended and as a supplication for the conversion of sinners.” 1

Devotion to the Holy Angels in Evangelization

The truth is, as in the Bible and Church history, angels still remain active in our lives. We must not forget this! Surely, angels are with us as we evangelize.

I urge you to utilize our holy cards and medals dedicated to St. Michael and the guardian angels. Encourage the people you evangelize to foster a devotion to the holy angels. In my experience, devotion to the guardian angels is very helpful when evangelizing children and their families. I evangelized at a parish festival two years ago and nearly every family that passed my table was eager to receive a guardian angel medal. I was happy to oblige and included the accompanying holy card. Naturally, parents want to protect their children so it’s sensible that they would invoke a guardian angel to protect them. That day, I gave away far more guardian angel devotionals than Miraculous Medals, Rosaries, etc.

Before an outing, some evangelists invoke their own guardian angels as well as the guardian angels of the people they will evangelize. You can pray and ask your own guardian angel to protect you from spiritual warfare during the outing. Likewise, ask others’ guardian angels to direct lost souls to you, to prepare them for the encounter. More specifically, many evangelists recommend St. Michael for spiritual warfare and protecting law enforcement officers. I have seen dozens of evangelists approach uniformed police officers, offer them St. Michael medals and holy cards, and offer to pray for their safety.

We see countless examples of angels acting as messengers of God, bringing good news (and bad news) to mankind. Surely, they can help us in our work of evangelization as well. Like the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, let us listen to the holy angels when they speak about the coming of the Messiah. Like the apostles, may we be confident, bold and direct in our evangelization.