Things visible and invisible

“The world is charged with the grandeur of God!” These words of the English poet and priest Gerard Manley Hopkins find an echo in our hearts whenever we experience moments of transcendence or awe before the wonder of God’s creation. Perhaps such a moment is inspired by a magnificent Oklahoma sunset or a golden landscape of Colorado’s quaking aspens. In the Nicene Creed we profess our faith in God, “the maker of all things visible and invisible.” 

For those who have eyes to see, the visible world points beyond itself. It points to God and manifests his beauty, his truth and his goodness. God first reveals himself through his creation. Through the mystery of the Incarnation, God entered our world to redeem it from the corruption of sin and death. But what about those invisible things? There are many who refuse to accept that there is anything beyond what we can see, touch, taste or measure. Pity the person whose range of experience has been so severely restricted by their materialistic worldview! 

The Church’s liturgy and sacraments remind us that there is more going on here than meets the eye. Faith expands our horizons beyond this visible world. Our faith celebrates the invisible world as well – the supernatural world. Through liturgy and sacraments, we enter that world that exists beyond space and time, beyond what our senses can perceive. 

As this issue of the Sooner Catholic is published, the liturgy is celebrating two feasts that remind us of this teaching of our faith. On Sept. 29, we celebrated the feast of the Archangels: Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. On Oct. 2, we observe the memorial of the Guardian Angels. 

The angels are spiritual beings, created by God to minister before God and do his bidding. They are his servants, and ours. A beautiful teaching of our faith, and sign of God’s love for us, is the presence of our Guardian Angels. God has created and assigned to each of us an angel to accompany, guide and to protect us. Their mission is to assist us in the journey of life and the spiritual battles and dangers that are part of that journey. Their task is to bring us safely to heaven. 

One of the earliest prayers that I remember learning from my parents was the Guardian Angel prayer. Truth be told, I think I abandoned it for a time, thinking that it was a childish thing. Fortunately, I outgrew my adolescent sophistication and learned to recognize and appreciate what a valuable companion my Guardian Angel has been throughout my pilgrimage through life. It is an important antidote to the materialism of our age as we strive to recover a supernatural vision that honors God who creates all things “visible and invisible.” I encourage you to pray to your invisible companion, your Guardian Angel, who is God’s gift to you. 

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.