Find Out:

• Did the angels bless our union?
• Did Jesus have a guardian angel?
• What is the Feast of Archangels?

Last year my boyfriend Darryl and I held a ceremony under the stars and the full moon asking God to bless our union and consider us married under his name. We promised him and each other our faith, love, and fidelity. Afterwards, when we sat next to the fireplace inside Darryl's house, we suddenly heard voices singing. Since his house is in the middle of 40 acres with no neighbors within a mile, we started looking for the source of the music. The singing was coming from the fire. With tears in our eyes, we realized it could only be angels! We prayed together every day and felt blessed to be with each other, never believing we would find love like this in our 40s!

Fast forward a year. This summer, my boyfriend broke up with me. He accused me of doing something I did not do. I am heartsick and more confused than ever. I feel like God blessed us with the angels, and therefore we are married in his eyes. God is the only one who can heal this situation since Darryl will not listen to reason.

Am I right to stay committed to this relationship and wait for God to heal it? Does the fact that both of us heard the angels tie us together forever? My friends and family love him too, but think I need to let go.
--Angela

Your account is very unusual. How thrilling it must have been to hear the angels singing after you and Darryl pledged eternal love to each other. Through the years thousands of people have shared their angel experiences with my wife and me, but your experience is unique. I can understand why you felt a special commitment was made before God and that it is your duty to stay together. You are to be commended for taking your relationship seriously.

Although your angel experience was unusual, you question is not. Let me restate your question in a more universal way. What do two people do when they have made a serious commitment to each other before God, but differences come up that seem to be irreconcilable? The answer is to ask for God’s help to work through the problems with the support of a counselor or friends. Your e-mail indicates that you made a real effort to do this without positive results. Since God seemed to have blessed your commitment in a special way through angels, are you required to stay committed to an increasingly broken relationship? The answer is no.

Although you and your boyfriend have never married, we can find guidance in the Bible where it teaches about the marriage commitment. Clearly, when two people are joined in marriage it is intended to be “till death do you part.” When asked if there were any exceptions for adultery, Jesus himself answered, “Yes.” In this account Jesus did not say if this was the only exception. New insights into the biblical texts indicate that Jesus also believed there were legitimate grounds for divorce, such as abandonment when one person permanently leaves the marriage. For a more complete explanation of this, see the article “When to Separate What God Has Joined” in the October 2007 issue of Christianity Today.

When Jesus was on Earth, did he have a guardian angel?

The Bible does not directly say that Jesus had a guardian angel, but because he was a man, he must have. Some Catholic theologians believe that Michael the Archangel fulfilled this role.

Why would Jesus need a guardian angel? After all, when he was in human form, Jesus was still God, the creator, the all-powerful one, wasn’t he?

As God, Jesus didn’t need a guardian angel, but when Jesus came to Earth he voluntarily made a choice to live as a human. Jesus the man was tempted just like we are (Hebrews 4:15). The Gospels do not explain what role angels played behind the scenes when Jesus was vulnerable, but Matthew 4:11 does tell us that after Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, angels came and ministered to him.

The Bible also tells us that in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus faced the challenge of the cross, an angel from heaven came and strengthened him (Luke 22:43). The angel did not spare him from pain and agony, but he did strengthen Jesus to fulfill the work of God. The truth is that Jesus could have called legions of angels to rescue him from the crucifixion (Matthew 26:53-54), but the experience in Gethsemane teaches us that angels are present, most often unseen, to help us through difficult times.

Is there a Feast of the Archangels in the Catholic faith? Do the Catholics pray to the angels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel on September 29th and only the 29th?
--Delores Anderson

Yes, the Roman Catholic Church does observe the Feast of the Archangels on September 29. The feast of Saint Michael originated in the sixth century. It was known in English as “Michaelmas.” Before the reform of the general Roman calendar, the feast of Gabriel was observed on March 24 and the feast of Raphael on October 24. Today, the feast of the archangels includes Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.

And yes, Catholics do pray to Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael on September 29. But, they also pray to the angels on any other day. This marks one of the differences between Protestant and Catholic Christians. In general, Protestants only pray directly to God (1 Timothy 2:5). Catholics also pray to saints and angels. The church father Origen wrote in A.D. 233, "But not the high priest [Christ] alone prays for those who pray sincerely, but also the angels…as also the souls of the saints who have already fallen asleep" (On Prayer 11). Catholic doctrine teaches that just as we may ask friends to pray for us, we may also ask saints and angels in heaven to pray for us.