HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS
For this reflection, I could go into the theology of angels and how they fit into Catholic doctrine. Instead, I want to suggest that we reflect on the security and comfort that this heavenly gift gives to each of us.
I was in a kindergarten classroom recently. September just ended and these little ones are adjusting to new routines and new social expectations. At the beginning of the day, the teacher led them through the My Guardian Angel prayer. I was so happy to see this. What a gift to their developing faith! What will this mean to them as they go through life? What has your guardian angel meant to you in your life?
St. Basil the Great is quoted as saying:“Beside each believer stands an angel as protector.” This is one of several quotes of saints through the centuries who reinforces the fact that angels are all around us. They are mentioned several times in Hebrew scripture and guardian angels are also acknowledged in many faiths. The three Abrahamic traditions all recognize the presence of angels as guides to the faithful.
On this feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, I am grateful for a prayer that has framed my entire life and for the angels that have been watching over me. Perhaps this is a part of our faith that we take for granted. In conversations with friends about prayer, several have shared that they still pray the Guardian Angel prayer each night. My daughter shared with me that my mother (her grandmother) was always giving her angel pins and statues reminding her of these heavenly companions. As I was growing up, I was often made aware of the blue cross on top of the Guardian Angels Catholic Church in Orillia, Ontario. The story goes that my grandmother claimed the cross lit up on the day my uncle was born. The glow of the angel light beside us as we face the many hurts and challenges of life is a wonderful image. My path is lit and a strong, guiding presence walks with me.
There is comfort in knowing that God has provided us with a guardian to be our defender and watch over us throughout our lives. But, this doesn’t come out of nowhere or just from mere films and stories. This is part of our liturgy. Before we join in the Sanctus, we hear the words that we are joining with the angels in heavenly praise. An angel came to Mary and gave her the message that she would become the mother of God. And we are also familiar with Psalm 91: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”
In 2018, Pope Francis spoke of the powerful presence of our guardian angels. He describes the angels as a “daily door to transcendence.” He reminds us that we should listen to our guardian angels as they are “inspirations, always from the Holy Spirit.”
We cannot see our guardian angel, but we can know that this presence is with us. Think of the blue light, think of being surrounded and protected by a divine source of love. As you lay down your head to sleep tonight, speak to your guardian angel and ask for continued guidance. In this troubled and divided world, may we continue to call on the wisdom of our guardian angels.
Jan Bentham is a retired Religion Coordinator with the Ottawa Catholic School Board. She is a musician, serving in music ministry at St. Ignatius Parish in Ottawa. She currently works at St. Paul’s University with the Catholic Women’s Leadership Program.
