I was delighted to hear Mother Jessica Schaap’s sermon in church on Sunday. Here’s a link to it. Delighted, because, although Christianity includes angels in its doctrine, there’s seldom a discussion about them.
Many world religions refer to angels: Judaism, Christianity, Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam, Bahá’í Faith, Mormonism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism. Icons and paintings are everywhere, but these days it seems that angels have moved into the secular realm.
I used to love singing this gorgeous duet about angels with my friend Danièle Walker. It’s from the operetta Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck (whose name was co-opted in the mid-1960s by a pop singer).
When at night I go to sleep
Fourteen angels watch do keep
Two my head are guarding
Two my feet are guiding
Two are on my right hand
Two are on my left hand
Two who warmly cover
Two who o’er me hover
Two to whom ’tis given
To guide my steps to Heaven.