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43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
He ain't heavy, he's my angelic brother, May 21, 2009
This review is from: Angels of God: The Bible, the Church and the Heavenly Hosts (Paperback)
Aquilina makes the subject easy to understand without dumbing it down. Altogether an informative and fascinating read about the angels and their relationship to us. It makes a good accompaniment to The Angels and Their Mission. There is some duplication of information but a surprising amount in both books stands as complements to each other. Some of that is due to their different foci in the authors' intentions for their books, naturally. For that matter, it also would be a good complement to The Rite. Although that book is about exorcism it is essentially about angels, albeit fallen angels. Reading Angels of God would be a good counterbalance for too much worrying that could come along with reading about a dark subject.
Although the subhead makes the book sound a bit dry, nothing could be further from the truth. With his customary clarity and thoroughness, Mike Aquilina not only enlightens us about angels but actually makes us realize that our angelic brethren are just that ... our brothers.
I also especially appreciated that the book contains entire excerpts of scripture or other works where it is referenced. Too often the reader is left to seek out another work in order to get the whole picture. In my case, I must admit, I usually skip looking up anything. Aquilina does not leave us stranded in that way and it makes a huge difference.
Highly recommended.
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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
We are the spoils of war, May 19, 2009
This review is from: Angels of God: The Bible, the Church and the Heavenly Hosts (Paperback)
Author and radio host Mike Aquilina introduces Angels of God with his own story of overcoming reluctance to fully accept angels in his spiritual life. After years of holding "remote reservations" on the topic, he saw the role of angels in the "tremendous spiritual struggle" of two friends facing imminent death from cancer. As they drifted in and out of consciousness "invocations of the angels, especially Saint Michael, came more frequently to their lips," he writes. "It became clear to me... that the angels are indeed fighting beside us in these battles." That realization led to an understanding of the role of angels in every phase of life. We are the "spoils of war" in the struggle between good and evil forces. "For us to ignore the angels would be a sign not only of disordered pride, but of colossal stupidity."
Angels of God consists of twelve chapters on angels based largely on stories from the Bible and reflections of the saints. The material covers the definition, description, and history of angels; Michael our defender; Gabriel the great communicator; Raphael friend and guide; and prayers, poems, and hymns to help deepen our relationship with angels.
Aquilina devotes a full chapter to guardian angels, explaining that their main task is to get us to heaven. He explores various aspects of this task including the holy card version of an angel pulling a child back from a precipice. "There's something to this, of course," he writes, but it is secondary. Many possible reasons exist for situations in which angels appear to fail to save their charges. First, they know the mind and will of God better than humans do, and always cooperate with God's plan. In addition, guardian angels also know when "another twenty-four hours on earth will merely get us another day older and deeper in debt." As for the belief that angels can be called upon for mundane chores like finding us a parking space, Aquilina suggests that angels sympathize with our desire and "will likely help--unless the parking space might detour us on the way to heaven.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for all who love angels or curious about them., February 1, 2010
This review is from: Angels of God: The Bible, the Church and the Heavenly Hosts (Paperback)
This is one of the best book on angels that I have read. It compares what you have heard about angels with what the Bible says.
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