The Angel of the Green Line

Yesterday, my wife and I were waiting on an outside platform for the T's Green Line to show up. It was a coldish day, gray, with a few stray flakes in the air. We were carrying DD ice teas -- incongruous in chilly weather, even for we hardy New Englanders. A middle-aged black woman approached the stop and after a few moments, piped up to commend us on our bravery -- drinking cold drinks outside in February. After a little small talk, she misunderstood something innocuous I made, hearing is as a sardonic commentary on the state of the world. She became inquisitive -- "What is your religion?" she asked. "We're Catholics," we answered, though she was looking just for the generic -- "Christian" would have been fine. For the next half hour -- as the T arrived, we three boarded and she was dropped at her stop -- we chatted delightedly about the sorry state of religion and politics. We were all horrified at the way that our putatively Christian candidates were outdoing themselves to brutalize the poor, in utter opposition to the gospel we all supposedly shared.


Ah, birds of a feather -- or was she an angel is disguise? Or were we all angels to one another?


Angels -- Greek ἄγγελος,or "aggelos" -- are God's messengers or delegates. They need not have wings and can come in human form. From time to time, we may all be angels of God's love, healing and grace.

Our angel came unexpectedly and unbidden with a message that we are not alone -- that God's good news really is one of forgiveness, healing and unity -- not judgment, dimishment and division. It was a welcome message, and warmed us for the rest of the day.

God knows what message we might have carried for the woman we met. I hope we delivered it!