Today’s Gospel story leads us in a clear and straightforward way into the mystery of the Nativity. 

There’s no doubt that people have many kinds of questions about heaven or resurrection and what it will be like. The Gospel this Sunday confronts us with the theme of resurrection and life after death.

I did not keep my trust in angels, and their gifts of love and help, as often as I should've - until I came across one in my real life.

It was October 18, 2016, as I was on my return journey to Mumbai after a brisk home visit before I flew to Australia, that, through the providence of God, I found this angel in the form of a family friend, to whom I was introduced a couple of months previously by another priest-friend who I also met by chance.

Each time we celebrate Mass, and on other occasions when we use formal prayers, we sometimes say words like, "......together with the angels...". Recently I have found myself wondering about those "angels"... I wonder what they are. Are they humanoid creatures with wings that fly around the place? Do they really look like those sad-faced white beings that are often depicted in pious European paintings? And what about Satan and the other "fallen angels"? What are we thinking about when we picture them?