“Surround us with your Holy Angels, so that, guided and guarded in their camp, we
may reach the Oneness of faith” (Prayer form the little hours). It would do us well
to be mindful of the protection and guidance afforded to us by the Holy Angels of
God as we journey toward our celebration of the mystery of the Incarnation. The
infancy narratives are peppered with references to the angels. The Archangel
Gabriel appeared to Mary (Lk 1:26) and like-wise an angel of the Lord appeared to
Joseph (Mtt) and Zacharias (Matt). The Heavenly Host proclaimed to the
Sheapards the birth of the Christ-child (Lk 2:9-14).
The reference to Host and camps can sometimes be lost on us. Host (Hewbrew;
Sabaoth) means army. We are guarded in the camp of this army, warriors of the
angelic armies. Essentially we are inside an army camp and they are guiding us
while doing battle with Satan and his demons. In these last days our culture is so
immersed in the darkness of the world that our horizon is often limited to the
temporal and the material, confined within the time space reality of our 2x4 world.
This often limits our ability to penetrate into or be sensitive to the eternal, the
mystical and the invisible. But the reality is, we are surrounded by an invisible angelic army doing battle with
the demons and the prayers of the liturgy extol us to beseech the protection of these fighters.
The devil will always seek to attack God’s work and those seeking to do His Will. The attacks of the demons
and the darts of Satan is something which Catholic Workers experience on a regular basis. Because of
sacrifices made by living lives of poverty and service we are all the more susceptible to these attacks with
the demons presenting us with self-righteous delusions tempting to divide us and lure us away from the
vulnerability, mercy and peace of the Christ-child. We need the guidance and protection of the angelic
armies to attain the Oneness of Faith, revealed to us in the Cave by the Incarnate King.
The Christ-child is a warrior, the fulfillment of the Davidic line of warriors that was promised of old and God
summons His armies, His Heavenly Host to proclaim Peace to the World. Let us journey toward the
Incarnation as the Holy Family did, ‘guided and guarded in their camp’.
Needs List
Coffee, Creamer, Pepper Cooking Oils
Gift Cards/Gas Cards
The Alliance Catholic Worker is always in need of Financial
Donations to fund things like our community Garden Projects and
for paying utility bills.
Please make checks payable to The Alliance Catholic Worker
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