Expert: Padraig Caughey - 10/14/2008

Question
I am writing something about Angels (a script)
Can you tell me the best way to get in touch with those that believe they have had an encounter with an angel, where they actually saw one.  I am very interested in such stories.

What do you believe and Angel looks like?

Answer
Hi Gordon .

Many people claim to have encountered angels ,as to whether or not they have actually done so, for the most part I doubt it. As to how to find the authentic from the inauthentic, I would look to peoples lives. If they are good people who follow God I would believe.

Recently New Agers have taken to belief in angels as a fad and everybody and her friend is now an 'expert' with things like angel cards. However I do not think you can separate faith in angels with faith in God, they have to be seen as part of the grand design.

Probably the best writer on angels was the medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas.

As to what form they take , they are spirits and can take whatever form they fancy. There are nice reports from France from the 19th century from a priest called Pere Lamy who gives interesting descriptions of traditional angels, others have described them as coming in animal form such as guard dogs or cats, or whatever..

As to getting in touch , I think folks who genuinely see angels are as rare as chicken on teeth. You'd be very, very lucky and blessed to meet such a one, they would naturally be humble enough to be forthcoming. But if you do want genuine accounts look to lives of the saints such as Padre Pio and Saint Frances of Rome and the great mystics... I'd be very careful of anyone who went round openly proclaiming themselves a seer pf angels and would suspect neurosis, delusion and general nut and fraud  stuff.

Its kind of a paradox. there are angels and the there are people who see the. But the people who see them are not the people who talk about seeing them and the people who have no more seen an angel than I've seen a talking spoon, loudly go round posing as 'experts'.

Go figure.