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Q: Not so long ago archangel Raziel came to me in a dream, taking the job of a guardian angel, and repeating his name. After reading I found out Raziel is the chief of Thrones, belongs to the First Choir, is one of the Archangels of Presence, and one of the archangels most close to God. I got a book, "Getting in touch with your Guardian Angel," and began practicing. … I've tried to get more info on Raziel, but it's all repetitive, about the book he wrote and who got a hold of it. But it is not like Gabriel and the others. Can you tell me more about Raziel?
Doris
A: Dear Doris:
When we speak of our guardian angel, we are referring to an angel assigned to each of us by God, who protects us from spiritual and physical harm, and who assists us in doing God's will. The existence of angels--that is, spiritual beings without bodies, possessing intellect and free will, and acting as servants of God--has been taught by the Church down through the centuries, notably at the Fourth General Lateran Council (1215), which spoke of God creating out of nothing 'both orders of creatures...the angelic...and finally the human.'
Pope John Paul II, reflecting on the abundance of evidence from Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, issued his Catechesis on the Angels (1986), in which he declared that the "Church confesses her faith in the guardian angels, venerating them in the liturgy with an appropriate feast and recommending recourse to their protection by frequent prayer, as in the invocation 'Angel of God'." The feast referred to by the Holy Father is that of the Guardian Angels on October 2.
The word angel comes from the Greek word 'angelos', meaning messenger, and there are many examples from the Bible of angels acting as messengers. You are obviously already familiar with the angel Gabriel, who in the Old Testament explained Daniel's vision to him, and who in the New Testament brought messages to Mary, the Mother of God, and to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. Then there is the 'angel of the Lord' (followed by a great throng of the heavenly host) who appears to the shepherds at night informing them of the birth of Jesus; and later, the angel who instructs Joseph to flee to Egypt with Jesus and Mary to escape Herod. In this last example, we see the angel, not just as a messenger, but acting in the role of a protector or guardian.
There are a number of such examples in the Old Testament of angels guarding or delivering people from danger. Lot, for example, was spared the destruction of Sodom by two angels who led him out of the city (Genesis 19), and it was the angel of God 'who marched at the front of the army of Israel' (Exodus 14:19) and who escorted Moses and his flock safely across the Red Sea. The angel of the Lord, says the Psalmist, protects the faithful, and 'keeps them safe' (Ps 34:7). No disaster can overcome you as a person of faith because God 'will put you in his angels' charge to guard you wherever you go' (Ps 91:11).
Some of the most striking examples of angels as guardians come from the New Testament, such as Peter being miraculously freed from Herod's prison by 'an angel of the Lord' (Acts 12:7), and even Jesus himself was attended by an angel 'coming from heaven to give him strength' during his agony in the garden (Luke: 22:44). In fact, one of the most direct references to guardian angels comes from Jesus himself when he exhorts his disciples to welcome little children: 'See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.' (Matthew 18:10)
Throughout the centuries a number of great Church scholars, such as St. Jerome, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Basil, made references to guardian angels in their writing. There is a well- known painting (Guido Reni: circa 1635) of the great scriptural scholar St. Jerome translating the Bible into Latin under the guidance of his angel. It was St. Jerome himself who wrote: 'How great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it.' St. Basil, famed for his eloquence, scholarship and charity, wrote: 'Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life,' words quoted today in the Catechism of the Catholic Church in its section on angels in the life of the Church (334-336).
Nine types, or choirs, of angels are identified in Sacred Scripture. They are Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Archangels, Principalities, and Angels. Over the years, theologians have identified the roles played by the various choirs in God's plan. The first three choirs are believed to be engaged in adoring God directly; the second three more directly involved in governance, and the last three the most directly involved in human affairs.
There are only three angels mentioned by name in Sacred Scripture: Michael (Revelation 12:7), Raphael (Book of Tobias 12:15) and as previously cited, Gabriel. Uriel and Jeremiel are angel names that occur in Jewish apocrypha. The apocrypha are various types of literature that copy the style of the Old and New Testament, but which falsely assert divine inspiration and are not accepted by the Church.
Raziel is not mentioned in Sacred Scripture, but seems to belong to a form of Jewish mysticism known as Kabbalah. If that name is familiar to you, it may be that you have read reports of how a westernized version of Kabbalah has become popular with some celebrities. According to some Kabbalah tradition, the so-called 'angel' Raziel produced the Book of Raziel which was supposed to have been given to Adam in the Garden of Eden. Most scholars, however, regard the book as a product of the Middle Ages. The book features astrology, numerology, and a number of alleged magical spells for healing and so on.
The Catholic Church regards magical practices as offences against the First Commandment, and the Catechism describes an interest in such things as an 'unhealthy curiosity', and ultimately a mistrust in God and his Providence.
"All practices of 'magic' or 'sorcery', by which one attempts to tame occult powers so as to place them at one's service and have a supernatural power over others--even if this were for the sake of restoring their health--are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion." (Catechism 2117)
We are going to assume here that when you refer to Raziel talking to you, you are expressing yourself somewhat figuratively. In other words, we will assume you are not literally hearing a voice. Presumably Raziel's voice is not separate and distinct from your own, but consists of an inner dialogue you might be conducting with yourself, involving your thoughts and your conscious reactions to the events in your life. This dialogue has obviously been facilitated by the book you read called "Getting in Touch with your Guardian Angel." Unfortunately, the advice in such books borders on the occult, requiring you to meditate, burn incense, light candles, and so on, and should be totally rejected.
If you believe, however, that this voice you hear is real and comes from outside yourself, you would be wise to contact your Catholic priest in person for more specific advice than can be offered here. In addition, if your dreams continue to be disturbed by this voice, you might also want to contact a medical practitioner for health-related advice.
In recent years there has been a revival of interest in the idea of angels, which has resulted in the market being flooded with related books, videos and ornaments. One prominent American news magazine even featured angels on its front cover. It would be nice if such a phenomenon represented a genuine awakening of religious interest, a desire for greater closeness to God, for that indeed is the prime function of the angels: namely, to lead us all to be with God in the glory of Heaven. To the extent that the present day interest in angels contributes to our salvation, then it can be something greatly beneficial. Sadly, though, the angels of today's popular culture are more often portrayed as some kind of magical companions, unconnected to God.
For more information on this topic, it would be a worthwhile exercise to examine the section in your Catechism of the Catholic Church titled 'Heaven and Earth' (325-354). It would also be advisable to pray to an existing angel, such as St Michael, when absorbed with thoughts about Raziel. Here is the well-known prayer to St Michael:
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defence against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.Amen.
God bless,
Father Norbert