Whether on earth or in heaven, we are all part of the same family in Christ, the body of Christ:

Our heavenly family loves us and while we are going through trials, tribulations and sufferings on earth, we can rest assured that they are interceding for us, especially when we ask them for help. Jesus taught us to love and pray for each other on earth:

“I desire therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men.” (1 Timothy 2:1)

This includes praying for our enemies:

“But I say to you, love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you.” (Matthew 5:44)

When we pray the Our Father prayer as our Lord Jesus taught us to pray, we say: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Jesus taught his obedient Apostles that it is the will of God for us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and since God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven, we can be certain that the angels and saints in heaven are also praying for us.

In addition to the many Biblical references of angels helping humankind throughout the ages, there is also Scriptural evidence of the saints doing the same for us. In the book of Maccabees, Judas saw the deceased Onias and Jeremias in a vision praying for the Jews who were in battle:

“Now the vision was in this manner: Onias who had been high priest, a good and virtuous man, modest in his looks, gentle in his manners, and graceful in his speech, and who from a child was exercised in virtues, holding up his hands, prayed for all the people of the Jews: After this there appeared also another man, admirable for age, and glory, and environed with great beauty and majesty: Then Onias answering, said: This is a lover of his brethren, and of the people of Israel: this is he that prays much for the people, and for all the holy city, Jeremias the prophet of God.” (2 Maccabees 15:12–14)

Indeed, for those who have had the privilege of seeing angels and saints in visions and apparitions, in particular Blessed Mother Mary, the one common thread is that they are praying to God for us. In the Book of Revelation, it is clear that the ancients, who are powerful saints in heaven, offer prayers to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, on our behalf:

“And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures, and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.” (Revelation 5:8)

And similarly, the angels in heaven also offer up prayers to God:

“And another angel came, and stood before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God. And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel.” (Revelation 8:3–4)

These Bible verses show us that angels and saints in heaven offer up prayers to the Triune God. Although God always hears all our prayers, his obedient angels and saints can no doubt help to petition our prayer requests more eloquently and persuasively than we can, just as we see on earth: obedient children tend to more easily get favours from their parents than disobedient ones. This is why all power was given to Jesus Christ from his Almighty Father God:

“And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18)

“And whereas indeed he was the Son of God, he learned obedience by the things which he suffered. And being consummated, he became, to all that obey him the cause of eternal salvation.” (Hebrews 5:8–9)

When it comes to casting out evil spirits from our surrounds, we see that St Michael and his angels were the frontrunners of this warfare when they cast out Satan and his fallen angels from heaven:

“And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels: And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduces the whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” (Revelation 12:7−9)

God could have cast out Satan in an instant, but he is an empowering God and gives those who love and obey him the graces to share in his salvation plan for us. Another example of an angel doing deliverance is in Tobit 3:1–25, where we see that God answered Sarah’s prayers and sent Archangel Raphael, in his name, to expel the wicked demon, Asmodeus, who had killed seven of her husbands.

Jesus instructed his Apostles who were the first bishops of the Catholic Church to preach salvation, do miracles and cast out demons in his name:

“But go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And going, preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils: freely have you received, freely give.” (Matthew 10:6–8)

Jesus’ Apostles were first to implement his commands. They were followed by the many thousands of canonised saints over the last 2,000 years of the Catholic Church’s history. The saints performed many miracles in Jesus’ name while on earth, as Jesus prophesied:

“Otherwise believe for the very works’ sake. Amen, amen I say to you, he that believeth in me, the works that I do, he shall also do; and greater than these shall he do.” (John 14:12)

And even more miracles have occurred as a result of the intercessions of the saints in heaven.

In exorcism rites and traditional Catholic deliverance prayers, the Triune God is invoked first and foremost, followed by our Blessed Mother Mary, the saints (by name and as a collective), as well as Archangels Gabriel, Raphael and Michael and their troops of angels − all of whom come to help in the holy name of Jesus, the name above all names.

The role of Mother Mary in God’s salvation plan for us is also evident in Scriptures, starting with God’s first prophesy in the book of Genesis, where he said he would put enmities between the serpent (Satan) and the woman (Mary) and that she would crush his head, an End of Times prophesy that will soon come to fulfilment:

“I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

And later, in the book of Revelation:

“And the temple of God was opened in heaven: and the ark of his testament was seen in his temple, and there were lightnings, and voices, and an earthquake, and great hail. And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars [2].” (Revelation 11:19–12:1)

“And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman, who brought forth the man child.” (Revelation 12:13)

“And the dragon was angry against the woman: And went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” (Revelation 12:17)

Indeed, Mother Mary, the Queen of Heaven, has appeared to visionaries with her crown of twelve stars. Scripturally, Jesus also clarified the role of the “woman” when he called her the same at the wedding feast of Cana. This was the first intercessory miracle of Mother Mary, who persuaded Jesus to turn the water into wine, even though his hour had not yet come:

“And Jesus saith to her: woman, what is that to me and to thee? My hour is not yet come.” (John 2:4).

Recall also when Jesus was on the cross, he gave her to John as his Mother and our Mother too:

“When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: woman, behold thy son.” (John 19:26)

It is no coincidence that Jesus used the word “woman” to describe his Mother: he was linking ancient Scriptures to the Gospels and to the book of Revelation. One of the reasons that Satan is so enraged with Mother Mary is because she is the only person on earth (besides Jesus Christ) that he could not get to sin. This is evident in the fact that she, together with Jesus, was the only unbaptised person in the Bible to be called “full of grace” and “blessed”, which put her above all other saints:

“And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” (Luke 1:28)

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

“And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit: And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luke 1:41–42)

Blessed Mother Mary also accurately prophesied that all generations will call her blessed:

“And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”  (Luke 1:46–48)

God made it clear in Genesis 3:15 that the spiritual war would be between Mary’s seed (Jesus Christ and his followers) and Satan’s seed (his followers): one group filled with God’s power-filled love and the other rejecting it, blindly thinking that evil will triumph over goodness. This is clearly evident in the fact that all the steps of a satanic ritual make a mockery of what the Catholic Church stands for, including the rejection of God, Mother Mary and the saints [3].

Jesus Christ explains the role of his saints through Alan Ames [4]:

“As part of this union the saints in heaven pour out their love through the spiritual world and into the physical world. This saintly love is pure love and power-filled love. It has been made pure by the saintly lives lived and by the sacrifices made in love of me and through the purity of my love which filled and lifted these holy ones to heaven. It is because of this pure love, this sacred love and this sacrificial love that the power of my Holy Spirit pours out through the saints into every realm of existence. This holy power strikes directly into the spirits of evil terrifying them and causing them to flee as they recognize the awesome and overwhelming grace they now confront. This is part of the reason evil works so hard to prevent people achieving sainthood as evil fears the power I pour out and which is magnified through the saints. Evil believes if it can destroy lives on the earthly realm the battle will be easier in the spiritual realm.

“Evil also works hard to get people to deny saints and to not call on saints for help because the holy power poured out through saints can and does confront and terrify evil on the earthly realm too. Sadly, many people are deceived into denying the saints, and in so doing, deny themselves my grace that is magnified through the saints. As with all good that is offered to mankind that grace is offered allowing people the choice to accept or deny it. Foolishly many in blind pride deny themselves the holy help that is offered by and through the saints. People should try to understand that in each saint is a holy reflection and image of me, so to deny a saint is to deny me. To deny a saint is to deny that I have chosen this vessel and that this person by my grace has agreed to be my vessel of love and has lived as that vessel. To deny a saint is to deny the assistance of these powerful friends of mine and to allow the evil ones a greater opportunity of causing harm. Imagine if someone were drowning in the sea because they did not have the strength to swim against the tide. So a lifeguard swims out to save them and is able to do so because he is a much stronger swimmer. However, when the lifeguard arrives the drowning person refuses the lifeguard’s help and instead demands to be left alone, declaring that they can save themselves and then drowns because the person was not strong enough.

“It is the same in the battle of life all face, the battle against evil. There is a sea of sin that people are drowning in. An ocean of evil that wants to pull all down into the depths of darkness. I send my lifesavers, the saints, to show how to swim through this sea, to save the drowning souls and to guard lives against the tide of evil that wants to sweep them away. The saints have the power I have given them to lift the drowning people out of the sea of sin, to lift them in my grace and by my grace to safety and to help protect them from harm. All it takes for this to happen is for the person to reach out to the saint and ask for help and then to accept the saving embrace of love each saint offers in me. It is when people do this they will find the swim against the tide of evil easier and they will find the path to heaven clearer as they follow the way my saints have walked before them. The way that leads to victory in me and leads to eternal joy in heaven where maybe one day these people can become lifesavers too.”

Jesus Christ explains the role of his angels through Alan Ames [5]:

“There is a constant spiritual battle taking place which spills into the physical world affecting the lives of all. In every moment the angels of God who are the angels sent to protect mankind fight to keep the evil angels from hurting mankind. At each person’s side good angels fight for the safety and salvation of the person’s soul while the bad angels fight to destroy the soul. My angels, God’s angels, fight untiringly placing themselves as a barrier between the person and the evil ones. In love they spread their wings around the person as a protective blanket and in love they endure and absorb the constant attacks aimed at the person.

“However, people in their weaknesses often push these wings away and in doing so open themselves to the attacks of the evil ones. Instead of working with my holy angels and welcoming their loving embrace people frequently reject, deny or ignore the ones who are there to help them. So few pray for the angels to have the strength to persevere. My angels long to hear people praying in love of them. So few pray in thanks to my Father for the guardians he has sent them in me by the power of my Holy Spirit. So few help the angels in the fight they undertake in love of the person. Many leave the angels to fight alone and then wonder why evil penetrates their lives. Each person is meant to unite with their angel in love of me presenting an impenetrable barrier to evil. Unfortunately many do not do this and allow evil into their lives where evil only sows confusion and wreaks havoc. When people turn to sin they open a passage for the evil ones. When people accept sin they accept the evil ones into their lives. When people celebrate evil they joyfully call the evil ones to them. What foolishness! Every time a commandment is broken so is broken the embrace of the holy angels. Every time God is denied, so too is the protection of the holy angel denied. Every time self is put before God the person places themselves outside the holy angels’ loving barrier against evil.

“In more and more lives the battle is being lost, not because of the holy angels failing but because of mankind’s failings and attraction to sin. My angels fight hard for souls but they can only win the fight if people freely join them in the fight. My Father gave each person the opportunity through me and by the grace of my Holy Spirit to be part of the victory over evil, the victory that has already been won. To be part of that victory and to unite in the battle with my holy angels against the soul destroyers, people only need to live as I ask. It is in and through this life, the life of love, the Sacramental life, the prayerful life, the obedient life, that grace is given in abundance for the fight that all face. This grace is poured out not only into the physical world but also into the spiritual world where the battles rage unseen by man. This divine grace strikes like a sword at the evil ones and drives them back into the abyss from whence they came. By this divine grace holy angels and man join to become bastions of good that triumph over evil. By this divine grace the souls of mankind exude the power of my love throughout eternity confronting and defeating evil by my love in them and united in my holy angels’ love for them. God, man and angels united in love, this truly is victory.”

Jesus Christ clarifies the power of the archangels to Fernanda de Sequeria [6]:

“Oh, just a few hours ago we celebrated the Feast of the Archangels St Michael, St Gabriel and St Raphael. Oh, these three archangels, they are so powerful in combatting the enemy’s attacks. They are warriors of God. These archangels combat the enemy’s attacks. Many of my children don’t know these beautiful archangels in heaven. These archangels stand next to the tabernacle to adore, to praise and love me constantly with their love in Adoration. They don’t leave the tabernacle. My children must pray for their intercessions to us in heaven. St Michael the Archangel fought the dragon and all his evil spirits’ temptations. Pray as well for these powerful archangels’ intercessions.”

Jesus Christ explains through Alan Ames why he gives so much through his Blessed Mother Mary [7]:

“The Mother of Jesus is such a special mother. Sweet Mother, who devoted all her life to God, sweet Mother who gave all to God. My Mother, giving birth to the Son of God placed herself above all others. When God chose Mary he chose her before she was born, he chose her to be immaculate. He chose her to be the new Eve, he chose her because she was pure.

“Mary who was free from sin unlike any of mankind before her and unlike any of mankind since. Mary, my Mother, so innocent, so pure, so free from sin. The act of giving birth to the Son of God lifts my Mother above all others. The act of nurturing, caring for and giving herself completely to me as I grew lifts Mary, my Mother, above all others. The act of walking the way of the cross with me without begging for my freedom, without complaining and without blaming God for my suffering, lifts my mother above all others. The act of laying my body in the tomb and trusting in God that I would return lifts my mother above all others. The act of comforting and strengthening my disciples as they waited uncertain of their future after I ascended into heaven lifted my mother above all others.

“When I assumed my Mother into heaven, this lifted my Mother above all others. When my Mother is ignored it hurts me as it would hurt man if his mother is ignored. Imagine a friend was visiting and your mother welcomed him into your house but he totally ignored her and came straight to you, wouldn't you be offended? Imagine if your friends came to your house injured and your mother offered them care and comfort but they ignored her and only asked for your help, wouldn't you be offended?

“It is the same with my Mother; when she is ignored I am offended. When she is turned away, I am offended. When she is spurned, I am offended. My Mother was chosen by God and my Mother favoured by God, so show her the respect she deserves; the respect the Mother of God deserves. When you pray through my mother you pray to ask for her help, her intercession, her asking God to help you. God, who asked so much from Mary longs to give so much through her. Mary, a favoured human, not God, but oh so special!”

In the words of Jesus Christ to Fernanda [8]:

“My children must pray with their hearts, asking all the saints for help for their needs. The saints are powerful intercessors to us, the Holy Trinity, and to my Blessed Mother.”

And our Blessed Mother Mary further explains to Fernanda [9]:

“Oh, many, many of my children come to me crying, pleading to intercede to my Son for many miracles. Oh, the saints and angels as well! They also ask me to ask my Son Jesus to help them on my children’s petitions and prayer requests.”

No doubt, the family that prays together stays together – on earth as it is in heaven!

In Conclusion, if we truly love Jesus Christ, we must not deny the help of his heavenly angels and saints who have done and continue to do so much for him and us. If Jesus’ saints did not carry on doing his work in his name after he resurrected, we would have no Holy Bible, no living Word of God, no Holy Church, no Sacraments, no example to follow and no true love on this earth.

For more information on the role of the angels and saints in heaven, visit the Schools [10] and Rosary sections on www.alpha-omega.org.za.