1000th blog!!

Yes, it's true.
I've blogged over 1000 times.

Michael from the Hebrew Mikha'el,
meaning: Who is as God?
His name is a battle cry;
both shield and weapon
in the struggle,
and an eternal trophy of victory.

Gabriel seems to be composed

of the Hebrew words, gebher: man,
and 'el: God.
The voice of the Archangel
and the trumpet of God seem to be the same thing,
having the purpose to convey the divine command
to the dead to rise again
by the power of the Almighty God.

Raphael from the Hebrew rapha': to heal, and 'el: God,
means "God heals," or the "Divine healer."
Raphael is the protector of the young,
the wayfarer, and the pilgrim.


The Archangel Uriel has been called
"the Lord of powerful action".
Uriel personifies the Divine Fire
that comes down from the Third Aspect of Deity
-Universal Mind-
penetrating each plane until It reaches the physical,
creating worlds, universes, and life.
The Book of Enoch describes Uriel as "one of the holy angels,
who is over the world...the leader of them all."

I'm a professor of religion yet I don't know all that much about the choirs of angels.
I know the Archangels are Gabriel, Michael and Raphael with Azreal and Uriel sometimes included. If you Google "archangels" you'll come up with some beautiful Renaissance and Byzantine artwork plus loads of lore on their interactions with the human and heavenly realms.

The only way I know four of their names by heart is
from that Kate Bush song, "Lily" where she sings:
Gabriel before me
Raphael behind me
Michael to my right
Uriel on my left side
In the circle of fire...

I never really expected to ever call on them by name,
but today I needed heavy assistance.
I prayed to them.

Mid morning with thankfully no rain, I drove up to campus to teach my morning class.
I guess more people come to class when there's a bit of sunshine.
Consequently there was no place to park.
There were no handicap spots near the building.

I parked about two football fields away from where I needed to be,
an eternity in wheelchair miles.
Not only did I have to park far I had to wheel myself uphill.

I had time but no time to spare.
I looked at the building sitting higher in the distance than I'd ever seen it and began my wheeling.

The incline made my arms burn, then scream, then weaken.
I strained.
I wheeled six inches and rested, then six more inches, then rested.
Students were breezing past me on their cell phones pretending not to notice me or else noticing me and disregarding me as none-of-their-business
the same way one might hurry past a mother pushing a crying toddler in a stroller.
You notice but move away quickly.

I was tempted to ask one of them to just give me a hand pushing me up the hill.
Shame and determination kept me from asking
but it didn't stop me from praying.

God, you are great.
God is great.
I huffed and puffed for breath as I strained up the hill silently acknowledging God.

I needed help but I didn't want to pray for what I already had.
It felt wrong to ask for strength as if God had not already given me so much.
It felt wrong to ask for help since there were people around me whom I could easily have asked to help me.

Angels!
It occurred to me that angels could help me push my chair.
I prayed for angels.

First I prayed to Gabriel, then Michael then Raphael then Uriel.
Please, I prayed, let me feel the flutter of your wings behind my chair.

At that moment the gardener shouted out to me as he approached,
"I got you babe."

He had been watching me from a few yards away as he was planting seedlings next to our science building. He pushed me across campus, into the building, right up to the elevator.

His name was Danny.

Daniel

From the Hebrew name דָנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel)
meaning "God is my judge".
Daniel was a Hebrew prophet whose story is told
in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament.
He lived during the Jewish captivity in Babylon,
where he served in the court of the king,
rising to prominence by interpreting the king's dreams.

*Lisa's Video Pick of the Day*
Oh thou, who givest sustenance to the universe
From whom all things proceed
To whom all things return
Unveil to us the face of the true spiritual sun
Hidden by a disc of golden light
That we may know the truth
And do our whole duty
As we journey to thy sacred feet
click here or click below