"He hath given his angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways." Psalm 90
St Ambrose tells us, "Every soul at the moment it is infused into the body, is entrusted into the keeping of an Angel."
"That there is an angel for each one of the faithful no one will contradict." St Basil
"Their angels always see the face of the Father," Mt 18:10
We have been told of the angels watching over us from the writers of the Old Testament up to the present day. It is piously believed that countries, cities, churches and families have heavenly guardians as well. Despite the heartwarming depiction of Clarence in It's a Wonderful Life, angels are not wonderfully good people who go to heaven and get their wings. Believers who go to heaven are referred to as saints - and not just the famous ones. Angels were created ahead of us and are entirely different creatures of God. And though they are also often depicted as chubby babies that isn't the best visual for creatures who have been seen defending us with flaming swords and on the front lines of battlefields. (more here) Given how many accounts we have of angelic activity it ought to challenge any ideas we may have of the heavenly host lolling about on their own clouds.
St Bernard admonishes us to continually bring to mind our indebtedness for this protection. "Never forget your life companion. Show him reverence for his presence, for his loyalty, and for his good will, and have great confidence in his protection."
Pius XI refers to St Bernard's instructions and adds to them:
"We wish to stress in particular as an act of gratitude that We have always experienced the wonderful help of Our Guardian Angel. We have often felt his very presence.
The same can be said of the Guardian Angels of all little children, that they are always present, led by their tender love to be ever watchful.
The conviction that we are protected by a prince of the heavenly army by one of those chosen spirits of whom Christ said that they always see the face of God, this conviction fills us with reverence, devotion, and a firm confidence.
Such a confidence is necessary and must give evidence of itself when a great duty must be fulfilled or a good resolution carried out. At these times we must avail ourselves of the help and protection of our Guardian Angel.
Our prayers for his help are the clearest and best expression of our confidence. This salutary thought of St. Bernard was impressed on our mind early in life by our mother, as soon as we were able to understand it.
This conviction supported us in all the things we have accomplished in our life with the help of God's grace, and it will certainly be our support in the remaining part of our life, which God will grant us."
We have a convicting example in St Francis de Sales. Fr. Lasance relates:
St. Francis of Sales had a particular devotion to his Guardian Angel; he celebrated the Feast with special care and piety; in spirit he received his blessing in the most important actions of his life; and not only was he devout to his good Angel, but also to the Angels of his friends. He had even a devotion to those of the heretics, his enemies; for he said that in disputing with the Huguenots he exorcised the demons who possessed and obsessed them, and afterward invoked their Angels. When he was absent from his diocese, he recommended it in an especial manner to the care of his holy Angel. He never failed to salute the Angels of the kingdoms, provinces, or parishes which he entered. In the confessional he frequently invoked the Guardian Angel of his penitent, and we may read in his letters how much be recommended to his pious friends devotion to their Guardian Angel. He said that in this world the Angels attend to almost everything, as they are the messengers of God, and invisible; and that to accomplish much for His Divine service and not wish to appear was to serve God in an angelic manner.
Lest we think devotion to the angels is child's play, Father Husslein, S.J. says, "Never let us imagine we can outgrow in stature or in years, our need for the daily and more frequent recital of that perfect little prayer to the Guardian Angel which we learned at our mother's knee:
"Angel of God, my Guardian dear,
To whom His love commits me here,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light and guard, to rule and guide."
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