Can the Holy Angels Not Hear Our Prayers? An Orthodox Christian Response Rooted in Scripture and the Church Fathers

 

Introduction

Some denominations argue that holy angels, being created beings, cannot hear the prayers of the faithful because they are not omnipresent (ሁሉም ቦታ መገኘት). While this concern may be sincere, it reflects a limited understanding of the nature and role of angels as revealed in Holy Scripture and explained by the Church Fathers. Although angels are not divine in essence and do not share in God’s omnipresence, they play a distinct role in God’s divine economy—His orderly plan and action for the salvation of humanity. Empowered by God, they participate in the heavenly liturgy (Revelation 4:8–11; 5:11–13), minister to the faithful, and carry their prayers before the throne of God.

In this essay, we will demonstrate—through Scripture and the teachings of the Church Fathers—that holy angels can indeed hear and carry the prayers of the faithful. They do so not by their own nature, but through divine grace and empowerment. We will also explain how this truth aligns seamlessly with the Orthodox Christian understanding of God’s providence (God’s wise, loving, and powerful care and guidance over all creation), heavenly intercession, and the communion of saints.

1. The Angels Are Ministering Spirits

The role of angels is clearly defined in Hebrews 1:14:

“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (NKJV) “ሁሉ መዳንን ይወርሱ ዘንድ ስላላቸው ለማገዝ የሚላኩ የሚያገለግሉም መናፍስት አይደሉምን?”

This passage establishes that angels are sent by God to minister to the faithful. To minister effectively, they must be capable of observing, understanding, and responding to the needs of the faithful. It would be illogical to say that angels are our ministers and guardians yet have no awareness of our cries or prayers.

The ministry of angels is not inactive, nor are they silent observers. Rather, they are actively involved in God’s work. They are aware of human events and participate in the lives of believers, often interceding and intervening, as seen throughout both the Old and New Testaments (Genesis 24:7; Psalm 34:7; Daniel 6:22; Matthew 18:10; Luke 1:19; Acts 12:7; Revelation 8:3–4).

Thus, from the above, one can understand that angels are actively engaged servants of God who attentively watch over and assist believers. Their ministry involves awareness of and response to our needs, making them vital participants in God’s plan of salvation.

2. Angels Present Our Prayers to God

The most explicit biblical testimony that angels are aware of our prayers is found in the Book of Revelation:

Revelation 8:3-4

“ሌላም መልአክ መጣና የወርቅ ጥና ይዞ በመሰዊያው አጠገብ ቆመ፤ በዙፋኑም ፊት ባለው በወርቅ መሰዊያ ላይ ለቅዱሳን ሁሉ ጸሎት እንዲጨምረው ብዙ ዕጣን ተሰጠው። የዕጣኑም ጢስ ከቅዱሳን ጸሎት ጋር ከመልአኩ እጅ በእግዚአብሔር ፊት ወጣ።”

This passage reveals an angel actively involved in presenting the prayers of the saints before God’s throne. It clearly shows that angels are aware of the faithful’s prayers and participate in their intercession, as the text states that the prayers of the saints ascend to God from the hand of the angel. The imagery of “incense” is a powerful biblical symbol of prayer, as expressed in Psalm 141:2: “ጸሎቴን በፊትህ እንደ ዕጣን ተቀበልልኝ::”

Therefore, the claim by some denominations that holy angels cannot hear the prayers of the faithful directly contradicts these scriptural truths. Angels do indeed hear, are aware of, and engage with our prayers—not by their own power or nature, but through the grace of God and the holiness they possess, as God sends them and reveals to them the prayers of His people.

3. Angels Rejoice Over Repentant Sinners

Jesus Himself taught in Luke 15:10:

“There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” “እላችኋለሁ፥ እንዲሁ ንስሐ በሚገባ በአንድ ኃጢአተኛ በእግዚአብሔር መላእክት ፊት ደስታ ይሆናል።”

Repentance (ንስሐ ) is a deeply internal and spiritual act, one expressed to God in prayer, confession, and inner regret. For angels to rejoice, they must be aware of the inner transformation occurring in the human soul. This proves they are not ignorant of our spiritual state, and by extension, of our prayers. This means that if angels are aware of our inner repentance, then it logically follows that they are also aware of the prayers through which that repentance is expressed.

4. Guardian Angels Are Personal and Watchful

In Matthew 18:10, Christ speaks of guardian angels for each believer:

“ከነዚህ ከታናናሾቹ አንዱን እንዳትንቁ ተጠንቀቁ፤ መላእክቶቻቸው በሰማያት ዘወትር በሰማያት ያለውን የአባቴን ፊት ያያሉ እላችኋለሁና።”

This passage not only affirms the Orthodox teaching that each person is assigned a guardian angel, but also reveals that these angels are intimately involved in the believer’s life—including their prayers—and continually see the face of God. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that part of their divine service includes hearing our prayers and presenting them before God.

Psalm 34:7 – “የእግዚአብሔር መልአክ በሚፈሩት ሰዎች ዙሪያ ይሰፍራል፥ ያድናቸውማል።”

This verse illustrates the protective role of angels, showing that they encamp around those who fear God and deliver them from danger. This ministry goes beyond mere symbolism or distant watchfulness; it reflects an active and attentive presence in the lives of believers. To guard and rescue us, angels must be aware of our needs, threats, and cries for help. Their spiritual vigilance naturally includes listening to our prayers. Though they are not omnipresent by nature, the grace given to them enables their responsiveness, allowing them to hear and act on behalf of those who revere God.

5. The Patristic Witness

St. John Chrysostom (349 - 407 AD)

In his homily on Hebrews 1:14, St. John Chrysostom emphasizes that angels are very nearby:

“The angels take our prayers and carry them to heaven; they never cease ministering to our needs.”

Origen of Alexandria (185 - 253 AD)

In Contra Celsum (Book V, Chapters 4–5), Origen affirms that angels play an active role in interceding for people:

“…we indeed acknowledge that angels are ministering spirits… and that they ascend, bearing the supplications of men, to the purest of the heavenly places… and that they come down from these… conveying… something… to be conferred by them upon those who are to be the recipients of his benefits.”

This passage confirms that angels carry our prayers to God and intercede on our behalf—not by their own power but empowered by God’s grace.

6. Clarifying the Misunderstanding: Omnipresence vs. Divine Empowerment

It is indeed true that angels are not omnipresent by nature. They are created beings with distinct spiritual limits. However, the Orthodox Church teaches that angels can hear and present the prayers of the faithful to God—not by their own nature, but by the grace and illumination granted to them by God. When we ask for their help, they do not rely on their own presence everywhere, but rather they become aware of our prayers through the spiritual communion they have with God, and by the grace-filled knowledge He imparts to them.

This is no different from the way prophets spoke—not from their own understanding, but by revelation from the Holy Spirit  “ትንቢት ከቶ በሰው ፈቃድ አልመጣምና፥ ዳሩ ግን በእግዚአብሔር ተልከው ቅዱሳን ሰዎች በመንፈስ ቅዱስ ተነድተው ተናገሩ።” (2 Peter 1:21). Likewise, the apostles performed miracles not by their own strength, but by the power of God (Acts 3:6; 14:3). In the same way, angels are made aware of the faithful’s prayers through divine revelation and spiritual understanding, and act in accordance with God’s will.

In Daniel 9:21–23, it is written:

“ገናም በጸሎት ስናገር አስቀድሜ በራእይ አይቼው የነበረው ሰው ገብርኤል እነሆ እየበረረ መጣ፤ በማታም መሥዋዕት ጊዜ ዳሰሰኝ። አስተማረኝም፥ ተናገረኝም እንዲህም አለ፦ ዳንኤል ሆይ፥ ጥበብንና ማስተዋልን እሰጥህ ዘንድ አሁን መጥቻለሁ። …”

This passage demonstrates that the holy angel Gabriel was made aware of Daniel’s prayer and sent by God in direct response to it. It affirms that angels are not distant or unaware, but rather responsive to the prayers of the faithful through divine revelation. See also: Luke 1:19 and Hebrews 1:14, which further highlight the angelic role in ministering to God's people.

Their ministry is not limited to moments when God directly sends them on a mission. As spiritual beings full of light and holiness, they are constantly attentive to the Church, to the liturgy, and to the prayers of the faithful offered in sincerity. Their ability to “hear” is not like us, physical hearing—but spiritual perception, granted and sustained by divine grace.

Thus, to say that angels cannot hear our requests because they are not omnipresent is to misunderstand how the spiritual world operates. They hear because God makes them capable of doing so, in service of His people and His glory.

Similarly, although not omnipresent, angels can swiftly attend to many of the faithful across different places—hearing their prayers, offering protection, and ministering to them (Hebrews 1:14). Their ability to do so is not from themselves, but by the grace and power of God who reveals to them what is needed.

7. Angles Can Hear the Prayers of the Faithful

In Acts 8 :21, we read that St. Peter understood the hidden thoughts of Simon the sorcerer, saying, “ልብህ በእግዚአብሔር ፊት የቀና አይደለምና ከዚህ ነገር ዕድል ወይም ፈንታ የለህም።” (Acts 8:21). This spiritual insight was not by Peter’s human nature, but by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, the saints—being filled with divine grace—can perceive hidden realities and hear prayers of the faithful and present them to God not by natural omniscience (ሁሉን ማወቅ), but through God’s revelation (grace).

The same truth applies to holy angels. Though they are created and not omniscient, they are granted knowledge and awareness through divine illumination. For example, in Matthew 2:13, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said:

“እነርሱም ከሄዱ በኋላ እነሆ፥ የጌታ መልአክ በሕልም ለዮሴፍ ታይቶ፦ ሄሮድስ ሕፃኑን ሊገድለው ይፈልገዋልና ተነሣ፥ ሕፃኑንና እናቱንም ይዘህ ወደ ግብፅ ሽሽ፥ እስክነግርህም ድረስ በዚያ ተቀመጥ አለው።” This knowledge did not originate from the angel's own nature, but from God’s revelation, making the angel aware of Herod’s evil plan.

Therefore, both angels and saints act not by their own power or nature, but by grace and divine gift granted to them. Their awareness of our request and prayers is part of their God-given ministry, not a claim of omnipresence.

In the tradition of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, when holy men and women reach the spiritual stage known as “Huset" ሑሰት”—the stage of observing hidden things (ሑሰት/ሁሉን በአንድ ቦታ ሆኖ ማየት መቻል)—they are granted an extraordinary grace: the ability to perceive and understand events happening throughout the world, regardless of their physical location. This mysterious awareness transcends space and distance. In a similar manner, the holy angels, though not omnipresent by nature, become aware of the prayers of the faithful through the grace of God granted to them.

Conclusion

The Orthodox Church does not teach that angels are omnipresent or divine. Rather, it affirms that they are servants of God, filled with light and empowered by His will to minister to the faithful, including hearing their prayers and presenting them before God. Scripture attests that angels carry our prayers once they hear them, rejoice in our repentance, guide our steps, and protect our lives. This teaching is consistently upheld by the Church Fathers.

To reject the role of angels in the life of the believer—including their awareness of our prayers—on the basis that they are not omnipresent, is to misunderstand both their ministry and God’s saving plan. The fact that angels are not omnipresent does not limit what God can accomplish through them.

Let us, then, with reverence and understanding, ask for the guidance and intercession of the holy angels, who dwell ever in the presence of God and minister to those who are recipients of salvation.

P.S. To learn more about the intercession of the holy angels, feel free to visit this link: https://tewahedoperspective.blogspot.com/2024/12/angelology-intercession-of-holy-angels.html

#EOTC #Holy #Angles #Ethiopian #Orthodox #Tewahedo #Church #ቅዱሳን #መላእክት #ጸሎታችንን #አይሰሙም?

Angelology (ነገረ መላእክት): Prostration to the Holy Angels (ስግደት ለቅዱሳን መላእክት) in the EOTC Tradition – Part IV

In the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, prostration of respect (የአክብሮት/ የጸጋ ስግደት) is a sacred practice, symbolizing humility and reverence. While prostration of worship is reserved solely for God, the prostration of respect, or grace, is offered to holy beings such as saints and angels, acknowledging the honor God has bestowed upon them. This essay explores the significance of offering prostration of respect to the holy angels in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church tradition, drawing on biblical teachings and the example of the Church Fathers to demonstrate the deep reverence and respect owed to holy angels.

The word "prostration" (መስገድ), as defined by the renowned Ethiopian scholar Aleka Kidine Wold Kifle, refers to humbling oneself—bowing, kneeling, falling face down, touching the forehead to the ground, and rising again. In the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, prostration is of two types: the prostration of worship, reserved exclusively for God, and the prostration of respect (grace/ ጸጋ), offered to saints and angels honored by God. The prostration offered to the holy angels signifies respect, acknowledging the honor conferred upon them by God. The word grace (ጸጋ) literally means wealth, good gifts, opportunities, education, honor, glory, favor, and acts of kindness given freely. When we offer prostration of grace to holy people and angels, we kneel in recognition of the honor and favor God has granted them.

The Holy Bible provides several references showing that holy angels deserve prostration of respect (grace).

In Genesis 19:1, it is written: “ሁለቱም መላእክት በመሸ ጊዜ ወደ ሰዶም ገቡ፤ ሎጥም በሰዶም በር ተቀምጦ ነበር። ሎጥም ባያቸው ጊዜ ሊቀበላቸው ተነሣ፤ ፊቱንም ደፍቶ ወደ ምድር ሰገደ.”

Similarly, Joshua 5:13-14 states: “እንዲህም ሆነ፤ ኢያሱ በኢያሪኮ አጠገብ ሳለ ዓይኑን አንሥቶ ተመለከተ፥ እነሆም፥ የተመዘዘ ሰይፍ በእጁ የያዘ ሰው በፊቱ ቆሞ ነበር፤ ኢያሱም ወደ እርሱ ቀርቦ፦ ከእኛ ወገን ወይስ ከጠላቶቻችን ወገን ነህን? አለው። እርሱም፦ አይደለሁም፤ እኔ የእግዚአብሔር ሠራዊት አለቃ ሆኜ አሁን መጥቼአለሁ አለ። ኢያሱም ወደ ምድር በግምባሩ ተደፍቶ ሰገደና፦ ጌታዬ ለባሪያው የሚነግረው ምንድር ነው? አለው ።”

In 1 Chronicles 21:16, it is recorded: “ዳዊትም ዓይኖቹን አነሣ፤ የእግዚአብሔር መልአክ በምድርና በሰማይ መካከል ቆሞ፥ የተመዘዘም ሰይፍ በእጁ ሆኖ ወደ ኢየሩሳሌም ተዘርግቶ አየ። ዳዊትም ሽማግሌዎችም ማቅ ለብሰው በግምባራቸው ተደፉ።”

Daniel 8:15-17 further confirms: “እኔም ዳንኤል ራእዩን ባየሁ ጊዜ ማስተዋሉን ፈለግሁ፤ እነሆም፥ የሰው ምስያ በፊቴ ቆሞ ነበር። በኡባልም ወንዝ መካከል፦ ገብርኤል ሆይ፥ ራእዩን ለዚህ ሰው አስታውቀው ብሎ የሚጮኸውን የሰውን ድምፅ ሰማሁ። እኔም ወደ ቆምሁበት ቀረበ፤ በመጣም ጊዜ ፈርቼ በግምባሬ ተደፋሁ፤ እርሱም፦ የሰው ልጅ ሆይ፥ ራእዩ ለፍጻሜ ዘመን እንደ ሆነ አስተውል አለኝ። ሲናገረኝም ደንግጬ በምድር ላይ በግምባሬ ተደፋሁ፤ እርሱም ዳሰሰኝ ቀጥ አድርጎም አቆመኝ” These biblical verses clearly show that angels deserve prostration of respect (grace).

The prostration of respect offered by the holy fathers to the holy angels, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, serves as a model for us. Saint Paul encourages us to follow their example: “የእግዚአብሔርን ቃል የተናገሩአቸሁን ዋኖቻችሁን አስቡ የኑሮአቸውንም ፍሬ እየተመለከታችሁ በእምነታቸው ምሰሉአቸው::” (Hebrew 13: 7) We imitate their actions and the benefits they received. Just as they showed their love and respect for the holy angels through prostration of respect, we express our love and respect for the angels, whom God has honored, by kneeling before their images and offering prostration of respect. As discussed in another essay, all prostrations are not prostration of worship—there is also prostration of respect, which you can explore in my blog under the title Prostration of Grace for Saints: An Orthodox Christian Perspective.

Some opponents attempt to mislead others by claiming that prostration of respect for angels is only mentioned in the Bible when they become visible. However, whether angels are visible or not, their existence is certain, and their glory (ክብር) remains unchanged. We also believe that angels are always with us, as the Holy Scriptures teach us: “በመንገድህ ሁሉ ይጠብቁህ ዘንድ መላእክቱን ስለ አንተ ያዝዛቸዋልና፤ እግርህም በድንጋይ እንዳትሰናከል በእጆቻቸው ያነሡሃል።” (Psalms 91:11-12). Additionally, in Matthew 18:10, it is written: “ከነዚህ ከታናናሾቹ አንዱን እንዳትንቁ ተጠንቀቁ፤ መላእክቶቻቸው በሰማያት ዘወትር በሰማያት ያለውን የአባቴን ፊት ያያሉ እላችኋለሁና።”

The prostration Ethiopian Orthodox Christians offer to the holy angels is a prostration of respect. Whether they appear or not does not affect their glory (ክብር) in God's sight; their glory remains unaffected. It is naive to view appearance as a prerequisite for honoring and offering prostration of respect to the holy angels. Thus, the argument of whether they "appear" or "do not appear" is irrelevant. Just as we offer prostration of worship to God in the spirit of worship (John 4:24), we offer prostration of respect to the holy angels in the spirit of respect, following the example set by our fathers in the holy Bible.

Some skeptics cite Revelation 19:10 (“Do not bow for me” “አትስገድልኝ”) to argue that angels are not worthy of any form of prostration, whether they appear or not. However, this verse does not deny offering the prostration of respect to angels. Rather, its message emphasizes that we should offer prostration of respect. The identity and life of the evangelist Saint John show that the prostration he offered to an angel was done knowingly and with understanding. To claim that John the theologian, filled with the Holy Spirit (Revelation 1:10, 4:2), performed a prostration of worship to angels is blaspheming the Holy Spirit, who grants wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.

A person filled with the Holy Spirit knows exactly what he or she does and for whom he or she offers prostration of worship. Saint John, a great man who revealed and spoke of the divine mysteries (ምሥጢረ መለኮት), and who taught, “ልጆች ሆይ፥ ከጣዖታት ራሳችሁን ጠብቁ።” (1 John 5:21), would never have offered a prostration of worship to an angel. To believe otherwise is not only thoughtless but also an insult to the work of the Holy Spirit. The Bible clearly states that those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not have their sin forgiven: “ስለዚህ እላችኋለሁ፥ ኃጢአትና ስድብ ሁሉ ለሰዎች ይሰረይላቸዋል፥ ነገር ግን መንፈስ ቅዱስን ለሰደበ አይሰረይለትም።” (Matthew 12:31-32).

What is the proper interpretation of the angel's statement, "Do not bow for me" (አትስገድልኝ) in Revelation 19:10? The angel told Saint John, "Do not bow to me" (አትስገድልኝ) for two reasons.

1.     For Humility: The devil was cast down and humbled due to his pride (Isaiah 14:12-15, Luke 10:18, Revelation 12:7-9). In contrast, the holy angels, having made humility their treasure, do not say, "Bow to us." However, as it is God's will that they are respected, He enabled His people to honor them (Daniel 12:1, 8:15). When Saint John bowed to the angel, the angel responded, "Do not bow to me," not because John was worshiping the angel, which God forbids, but because the angel humbled himself before John. It is like someone standing to honor a guest, who then says, “ኸረ አይገባም…”

What confirms that the angel’s reply was for humility is that he repeated the phrase “Do not bow to me” that he said in Revelation 19:10 again in Revelation 22:9. If it were not for humility, the angel would have told Saint John once, and Saint John would not have repeated the prostration. Similarly, the angel would not have repeated the phrase "Do not bow to me." John understood that he should honor the angel and offer a prostration of respect. When the angel appeared to him again, he bowed once more, and the angel responded with a similar phrase, emphasizing humility.

Therefore, the angel said, "Do not bow to me," not because offering prostration of respect to holy angels is a sin, but because it reflects humility. Concerning humility, our Lord Jesus Christ said: “ቀንበሬን በላያችሁ ተሸከሙ ከእኔም ተማሩ፥ እኔ የዋህ በልቤም ትሑት ነኝና፥ ለነፍሳችሁም ዕረፍት ታገኛላችሁ።” (Mathiew 11:29)

2.     To reveal the authority of the priesthood: Saint Paul wrote about the authority of priests in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3: “ቅዱሳን በዓለም ላይ እንዲፈርዱ አታውቁምን? በዓለምስ ላይ ብትፈርዱ ከሁሉ ይልቅ ትንሽ ስለሚሆን ነገር ልትፈርዱ አትበቁምን? የትዳር ጉዳይ ይቅርና በመላእክት እንኳ እንድንፈርድ አታውቁምን?” According to the interpretation by the Fathers of our Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the “saints” (ቅዱሳን) mentioned here refer to priests and ministers, and priests even possess the authority to judge angels. In the story of the angel and Saint John on the island of Patmos, the angel instructed John the Evangelist, “Do not bow for me,” highlighting the authority of the priesthood besides humility, since John the Theologian was also a priest (Revelation 1:6). Therefore, Ethiopian Orthodox Church believers, as revealed in the Holy Bible, offer prostration of respect to the holy angels.

In conclusion, prostration to the holy angels, as practiced in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, serves as an act of respect and acknowledgment of their honor. The Bible and the teachings of the Church Fathers consistently affirm the importance of showing respect to the angels, regardless of their visible presence. By following these examples, Ethiopian Orthodox Christians continue to honor the holy angels with reverence, recognizing their role in God's divine plan and their steadfast glory (ክብር) in His sight.