When did you last see an Angel? Maybe you don’t believe in them?

According to the Bible, which is rich in angelic descriptions, the Angel Gabriel informed the Virgin Mary that she was going to bear a son. It was also Gabriel, under the name of Jibril, who dictated the words of the Koran to Muhammad. Much more recently, in 1830, Joseph Smith Jnr founded the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church, as a result of what he said was intervention from an angel called Moroni. Still not convinced?

Well, it seems that angels don’t only appear within the pages of scripture. In the 15th century, a young peasant girl was inspired to risk her life by taking part in battles waged by the French army against the invading English, by a voice she claimed came from Archangel Michael.

She became world-famous as Joan of Arc. Angels also featured in the Battle of Mons in August 1914. British soldiers were fearful of defeat, when several angels were said to have materialised, their arms outstretched, between the British and German lines. Soon after, the German army began to retreat, which enabled the British to do the same. These visions of angels have all made the history books; but many other encounters with what are thought to be angels are never publicised, perhaps through doubt about what has happened or fear of ridicule.

Have you encountered one lately? Do you know what to look for?

Their encounters may involve only one sense, such as hearing or vision, or sometimes all five. At times, angels seem to materialise in order to give a sense of comfort; some people have felt that angels have intervened to avert trouble. Were these really encounters with angels? It’s obviously impossible to say, but the people who experienced them found them beneficial, and in many cases life-saving.

Now that we are in Advent, we are fast approaching this wonderful time of celebrating once more the coming of Jesus afresh into our lives. Christ Jesus - who came into our world following words from Angels - came as a symbol of God’s love and for our salvation, so that both joy and peace may be in this world. So take a closer look around you, see evidence of joy and peace in your world, and who knows? It might just be because of the presence of angels!