“I say to you that their angels in heaven will always
look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”
These words from today’s Gospel are what the Holy Catholic Church has relied upon throughout the centuries to
affirm that we all have a Guardian Angel. It is because of this belief that I’m
sure we all remember the prayer that as children we would say to our Guardian
Angel: Angel of God, my guardian Dear, To whom God's love commits me
here, Ever this day Be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide, Amen.
It is this
childlike simplicity, humility, and trust that our Lord is talking about in
today’s Gospel. A child’s faith and trust in God is strong and simple. As we
get older, dealing with the struggles we face with family and friends, plus
with the struggle of just growing up, we tend to lose that childlike faith in
God. We become hardened and attempt to put up walls around us to protect us
from being hurt. This wall shuts everyone out, including God.
According to
tradition, everyone, starting at conception, receives a Guardian Angel to look
over us. We need not be baptized Catholic to have an angel, but God in his
mercy assigns all of us an angel to help and guide us throughout life.
Throughout the Old Testament, we find numerous Biblical references in
support of the fact that angels are not only executors of God's wrath, but they
are protectors of individual persons. In Genesis, (chapters 18-19), we read
that angels protected Lot from danger. In the book of Exodus (32:34), we read
where God said to Moses, "My angel shall go in front of you."
In the new testament, in the Gospel of Mark, we hear of the angels
ministering to the needs of Jesus during his 40 days in the desert. In the Acts of the Apostles, (chapter 5, verse 19), we read of the angel who freed Peter
from prison.
I also believe that buildings and objects that we hold dear have
Guardian Angels. Our parish has St. Michael the Archangel looking over it. And I
am sure there is a
special Guardian Angel that is before the Tabernacle that holds our Lord in the
most Holy Eucharist.
During this special day in honor of our Guardian Angels, let us be
grateful for their presence in our lives. Let us ask our Guardian Angels to
help us to develop that love and simplicity of faith that Jesus talks about in
today’s Gospel.
Angel of God,
my guardian Dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day Be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide, Amen.
Very nice reflection, Deacon Tom! "Angel of God, my guardian dear..." is the first prayer I remember my Mom teaching me & my parents praying with me when I was a little girl, both in my morning prayers & my night prayers changing "ever this day" to "ever this night" for night prayers. These days I tend to think of this prayer only on the feast of the Guardian Angels.
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