On the day of my depature to Europe for World Youth Day the international trailer for the new Disney film “Moana” was released.  This teaser trailer shows the titular character Moana as a toddler playing on the beach when the water suddenly comes to life.  The ocean parts, surrounding her in walls of water.  At one point the ocean wave descends to her and actually interacts with her as if it [the wave] were a person.  The wave reaches down at her slowly.  When it sees that she is friendly and innocent, it fiddles with her hair and then safely carries her back to shore before returning to its natural state.

I had the trailer playing on my tablet as I made sure I had everything I would need for the pilgrimage to Krakow.  As the trailer was playing, I happened to glance up at a framed picture on my bedroom wall that shows a guardian angel watching over a little girl in the forest.

Ever since I was a kid I’ve always had a special place in my heart for angels. My mother even said, “You were always talking to angels.”  I would say the Guardian Angel Prayer every night before I went to bed.  I would draw pictures of angels, and I do remember at one point saying, “Dear God, can I see an angel one day?”
No, I have never seen an angel with my bodily eyes, but I don’t need to see one to know that they are here.

Watching the Moana international trailer and looking closely at how the ocean wave interacts with toddler Moana, I couldn’t help but wonder what do angels see when they look at us humans?   Do they scratch their head at the choices we make?  Are they curious about how we need food and rest to get through the day while they as celestial beings can go an eternity without ever needing those things?

Maybe, just maybe, when angels look at us they see us as children who have much to learn, much to discover, and whenever we lose our way, they are always ready to scoop us up and carry us back to shore.

“The whole air about us is filled with angels.”
–Saint John Chrysostom