Reading
John 1:47-51
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
Comment
The angels, heavenly "messengers" (Gr. Anghelos; Heb. Malak), are present in several pages of the Old Testament and we also find them in some crucial moments in the life of Jesus; in particular, in the desert, after he had overcome the temptations of the devil - "angels attended him" (Mk 1:13) - and before his passion, during the prayer in the garden of olives - "An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him"(Lk 22:43). Subsequently, they act as custodians of his tomb, announcing his resurrection to the women of Jesus' entourage.
In the Gospel passage in which John reports the dialogue between Jesus and Nathanael, is recalled the vision of Jacob's ladder (Gen 28:10-22). The patriarch was fleeing from his brother Esau, to go and take refuge with his uncle Laban; Jacob dreamed of a ladder that extended from the earth to heaven and the angels ascended and descended upon it; God spoke to him, promising him the land on which he was sleeping, an offspring as numerous as the sand of the sea, the blessing in him of all the families of the earth. This blessing is realized in Christ, who is the true mediator between God and men, himself "ladder" through which the angels descend to administer the grace of God on earth and go back to God, carrying the petitions of the Church.
Far from representing the remnant of mythological beliefs, angels in the Scriptures are spiritual beings created by God, placed in his service and in the service of man. Their action as messengers is attested in the New Testament in the account of the Annunciation to Mary, in the invitation to the shepherds to go and worship the newborn Messiah in Bethlehem, in the dream warning to Joseph to flee to Egypt to save the baby Jesus from Herod. In the Acts of the Apostles, we witness Peter's release from prison by an angel.
The Jewish and Christian worship of the early church does not provide for the adoration of angels, as we read in the book of Revelation: "I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”" (Rev 22:8-9). But at the moment in which we entrust ourselves to God, we are confident that he assists us through intelligent and spiritual powers, which serve him and give him praise in heaven and help and defend us on earth, in the name of Jesus Christ. For this reason, with the psalmist, we raise our praise to him: "Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts" (Ps 148:2).
Prayer
Almighty God, you have ordained and established the service of angels and men in a wonderful order; graciously grant that just as the angels always serve you in Heaven, they may, by your assignment, help us and defend us on earth. For Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
