We cannot see them, but they are always present – our guardian angels. From the moment of our birth, God assigned an angel to each person to accompany us at every moment of our lives.
Because they are invisible, it might be easy to take them for granted, or worse, forget they are present.
When was the last time you said thank you to your guardian angel?
I am guilty of often taking my guardian angel for granted. Some say I often stress mine out in the course of my day-to-day doings.
On Oct. 2, the Memorial of the Guardian Angels, the universal Church celebrates the gift of the spiritual realm present before us, a gift the Lord provides to help us on our faith journey. A few days prior on Sept. 29, we celebrated the feast of the Archangel Michael. On both days we recognize that God created “all things visible and invisible.” As St. Bernard of Clairvaux said in a sermon about the guardian angels, “Remember that the presence of something is not proved only by the sight of things.”
The angels – billions of them in the world, uncountable actually, are God’s messengers, the unseen of our faith. They are ever at our side to help us in countless ways. They help us to pray, to grow in understanding in our faith, to repentance for our sins, and from falling prey to sin or negative thoughts; they protect us from physical and spiritual harm.
We should keep in mind when a loved one dies they do not become angels who watch over us from heaven. Rather, they join the communion of saints. As noted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their angels’ watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.” 336
Remember the old cartoons where a winged angel was depicted standing on the right shoulder encouraging his human to do good, while a demon character stood on the left shoulder pushing for the opposite? Everywhere we go, our invisible companion goes with us, helping us make the best choices, those which will be pleasing to God. It is up to us how involved our angel is in our lives.
Father Chad Ripperger, a priest of the Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother, the Doloran Fathers in the Archdiocese of Denver, said in a lecture a few years ago, the angels are more active in our lives than we realize. How active they are is determined by two factors: The first, by God, and the second by us, by how actively we involve them.
From an early age, St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina was acutely aware of his angel. There are countless stories of how he could also listen to others’ guardian angels who brought him prayers on their human’s behalf. St. Pio said these celestial beings traveled faster than planes, thus they could deliver messages more quickly.
In a letter to his spiritual daughter, Raffaelina Cerase, he writes, “What a consolation it is to know one is always in the care of a celestial spirit, who does not abandon us (how admirable) even when we disgust God! How sweet is this great truth for the believer!”
It should give us great comfort to know we are never alone. Think of the moments when you felt certain your guardian angel helped you in some way. I can certainly think of several, particularly during one of my travels when walking alone on an isolated street. But, given our free will, we sometimes don’t listen to our angels. I am sad to confess there were times I ignored my angel, times when I made him cringe and look away by the decisions I made.
To get our guardian angels more involved in our lives, Father Ripperger said we need to foster a relationship with them and ask them to help us. Also, show them acts of devotion. Pray to your guardian angel, and be sure to thank him regularly, he said.
You can ask them to guide your dreams, help you remember things, help you to pray. There is much more that can be written about the angels as “the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.” (CCC 334).
While we are not supernatural beings, we can learn from the angels. We can try to imitate them by our day-to-day responses to others in need. By being present for another to listen or offer assistance, we can be God’s helpers here on earth, making him present in world.
Let us continue learning from our angels, these “spiritual creatures who glorify God without ceasing”(CCC350) engaging them daily, and showing our gratitude to God for the gift of his celestial helpers.
(Originally published in October 2019 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)
No comments:
Post a Comment