as a catholic, i was raised to believe in angels and their importance in adding to the faith of those who practice christianity.. now, i dont know.. i wont say angels do or do not exist, i just want to understand their role in my faith.. in learning about angels, they were pictured as spirits who would look out for those who were in danger or some other exigent situation.. they would edge a child away from playing in the street or too close to a construction site.. how does this concept work today, if at all? one could say angels work as the motivating initiative within those people whose safety for children is a primary concern (policemen, teachers, school crossing guards, etc.).. i dont know the answer-- im not really sure of the question, im thinking the historical view of angels doesn't work today, at least not in what i've seen so far..

children are exposed to thousands of more threats than 40 years ago, and the threats are more serious.. children alone at home; using the internet without supervision; drugs and alcohol on schoolgrounds; teachers/staff having sex with students, etc.. where are the angels? many books have been written about how someone's angel uplifted them in a time of crisis during an illness or depression.. many have written about "near-death" experiences where they met someone who told them they would be returned to to their lives, but the reason for this return was not made clear..

so, my question is: where are the angels? thousands of children are abused, tortured and murdered every year in the u.s.. thousands of children are forcibly posed for "kiddie porn" tapes.. in asia, untold numbers of 12-year old children are sold into prostitution.. along africa's gold coast, children are commonly sold as slaves..

where are tha angels? if "angels" are a metaphor for the adults who are supposed to watch out for children, i would rather we use the phrase "adults looking out for children".. if we are to disabuse ourselves of the notion that angels are a force which actively involve themselves in our lives when and wherever people need help, then maybe it's time to dispense with the term "angels".. we can face the issue realistically or we can continue with the "warm, fuzzy" feeling we get from reading and fantasizing about angels.. i really dont care which.. i just want to clear up my confusion about if and when i might expect to read about a dramatic increase of the children who are rescued from parental abuse, pedophilia, prostitution and enslavement..

are there fewer angels than in "olden times"? are there the same number of angels, but so many more people who need help? i remember reading about the seraphim and the cherubim.. the only angels i recall by name are st. michael and lucifer.. lucifer was down-sized in a mgmt. dispute; he changed his name to satan and opened his own franchise, which is doing quite well, i hear..

bottom line, what do people say who strongly believe in the existence of angels and the angels' role in the 21st century? if i shouldn't look for a dramatic event demonstrating the proof of angels after saving lives or preventing a tragedy, what should i look for angels to be doing? do angels work in daylight among regular people? do they work in isolated locations where witnesses are few, but the need for their intervention great? how does this system work? i think i remember that a person can "adopt" an angel as their guardian and pray to a particular angel for help.. do angels respond mainly when prayed to? if more children prayed when being exploited for sɛҳuąƖk purposes, would that make a difference? what about parents who lock a child in a closet for 10 years.. should they pray before expecting help? in some big cities in the u.s., people who call "911" for help hear only an aswering machine asking for their patience and to hold for the next "911" operator.. would children have to wait for the next available angel before they can expect rescue? i hope not..



DEO GRATIAS!