Angels of September

Sep 24

When I was a child vacationing with my extended family at the Jersey shore, my older cousins, aunts, and uncles would all read books at the beach, on the porch, or around the pool. I would walk around the vacation home we shared and see all kinds of fascinating titles and covers of various paperback novels. One that caught my eye was the book Angels of September. I thought it was a book about the spiritual life. I later found out it was a mystery novel by the late priest and author, Andrew Greeley.

While I never read the book, the title has always stayed with me. Because of the feasts of St. Michael and the archangels at the end of September, and the celebration of the Guardian Angels at the beginning of October, the autumn season has always been regarded as a time to remember angels, spirits, and the afterlife. In the Celtic tradition, the fall is a time when “the veil is thin.” This is a common expression that describes the belief that the boundaries between heaven and earth are much more open during this time of year. Perhaps it is the shorter days, the longer nights, and the cycle of life and death in nature that call us to see a greater connection between the physical and spiritual world. Angels, spirits, and the afterlife all seem to fit in with the mood of autumn.

In the Christian tradition, many churches have observed this time of year as a “Season of Creation.” Ten years ago, the Vatican began to observe this period from September 1 to October 4 (the feast of St. Francis of Assisi). This is an opportunity to pray, reflect, commit, and care for all creation as we live out our relationship with God and His earth. Certainly, angels are part of God’s care for our world.

Last week, Pope Leo XIV reminded us that we are acting like angels when we care for one another. In a message to the “ALS Walk for Life” in his native Chicago, the Holy Father spoke to the caregivers among us: “As our Muslim friends share, in the Hadith, we are told that 70,000 angels are present when caretakers arrive in the morning. 70,000 other angels arrive in the evening. I believe that you, too, are angels.”

St. Francis de Sales told us to “make friends with the angels, who though invisible are always with you. Often invoke them, constantly praise them, and make good use of their help and assistance in all your temporal and spiritual affairs (Introduction to the Devout Life).”

As autumn unfolds around us, may we not only become familiar with the angels, but let us strive to be angels…in September, October, and throughout the year.