Gathering of the Holy Angels

Yes, I believe in angels. Let me tell you why, on November 27th of 2012 I had a very severe hemorrhagic stroke.  So this is the first article I am writing on the blog since I had the stroke.I believe that God allowed it to happen so that he could save me. God sent angels and saved me.

I recall a story by Metropolitan Savvas that he told us on his Facebook about a monk who was lazy, a procrastinator.  He was always late to prayer, didn’t do his chores, but was always on time to eat.  When he was on his deathbed, he saw two angels each holding a scroll.  One about all his good deeds which was very short.  The other very long with all his sins.  The angel took the scroll with all his sins and threw it away.Why? He never judged anybody during his life, so God was not going to judge him.  He reposed and entered into paradise.

The word angel is from the Greek word “angelo” which means to announce or proclaim.  There are nine orders of angels. The angels are divided into three levels  There is the seraphim, .cherubim and thrones.  The next set is powers, dominions and principalities.  The lowest set is virtues, archangels and angels.  There are many great resources about angels and their purposes.  If you get my youth bulletin of November 8th. “Synaxis of the Holy Angels” I tell you the names of the different archangels.  I am going to tell you why I believe.

As I said earlier, I suffered a hemorrhagic stroke.I was busy working at the office 12 hours as usual, spent 2 hours every day looking for parking and commuted about 1 hour every day.  I would get home at midnight going to bed at two a.m., getting up at 6:30 a.m. to get my kids ready for school when my wife was not feeling up to it.  I wasn’t eating right and neglected myself to provide for the family struggling at minimum wage plus notary fees that I collected.  I served at any church that asked me to serve as well.  I was working over 60 hours a week.

I was sitting in my friends office when I had the stroke and asked that they call for an ambulance where I was taken and from there was awake from time to time.  I was on life support with a respirator breathing for me, my kidneys were failing and my family was told I was dying and to come say goodbye.  I had set backs.  It was serious.  Many brother priests came and prayed over me.  Archbishop Demetrios, bishop Sebastian came to see me and Metropolitan Savvas called.   A lot happened while I was heavily sedated.  They put a stent in my head and a feeding tube into my stomach and a tracheotomy to help me breathe.  I was not expected to survive.

By the grace of God, I started improving and came to my right mind again.  I have continued to improve.  They took out the wires, they have taken out the tracheotomy, they took out the tubes from the stomach, I am eating again normal foods and they told me they expect for me to make a full recovery.  I just need to enter now a rehab facility to be back to normal.

God used this as an opportunity to save me and to remind me who I serve. I am here to do his work.  He sent an angel hearing everyone’s prayers and I have recovered fully, relearning how to do everything.  This is a rebirth. Even though there is a path before me I look forward to getting back to serve Christ with fervor and zeal.  I look forward to celebrating his holy resurrection with joy and enthusiasm.  Glory be to God!