"From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by [the 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." – Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 336
The Story of the Feast of the Guardian Angels
Perhaps no aspect of Catholic piety is as comforting to parents as the belief that an angel protects their little ones from dangers real and imagined. Yet guardian angels are not only for children. Their role is to represent individuals before God, to watch over them always, to aid their prayer, and to present their souls to God at death.
The concept of an angel assigned to guide and nurture each human being is a development of Catholic doctrine and piety based on Scripture but not directly drawn from it. Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:10 best support the belief: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”
Devotion to the angels began to develop with the birth of the monastic tradition. Saint Benedict gave it impetus and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the great 12th-century reformer, was such an eloquent spokesman for the guardian angels that angelic devotion assumed its current form in his day.
A feast in honor of the guardian angels was first observed in the 16th century. In 1615, Pope Paul V added it to the Roman calendar.
Reflection
Devotion to the angels is, at base, an expression of faith in God’s enduring love and providential care extended to each person day in and day out.
taken from franciscanmedia.org
The presence and the role of the angels in our life is important because they not only help us to journey well, but also show us our destination. Let us not forget these companions along the journey and not be hesitant to ask them to watch over us.
The Role of Your Guardian Angel
One of the beautiful and consoling teachings of the Catholic Church is that God has given each one of us a guardian angel to lead us on the path to salvation.
Angels are pure spirits. They do not have physical bodies. They have an intellect and will, and operate in specific ways to guide, protect, and even to influence us for good in accordance with our free will. They respect us and never force us to do anything.
4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Name Your Angel
1. Angels in the Bible declined to give their names when asked.
God created a multitude of angels—more than we can count—yet He has given mankind the names of only three angels in Sacred Scripture: St. Gabriel, St. Michael, and St. Raphael.
In heaven, we will likely know their names—something to look forward to!
2. To name something is to claim authority over it—and we have no authority over angels.
The act of naming carries great significance. To name something is to claim authority over it.
Because angels are simple spirits, to know their name is to know their essence, the very core of their being and the purpose of their creation. This knowledge is for God alone, and those in heaven with whom He shares this knowledge.
3. Fallen angels can interfere in our attempt to learn the names of guardian angels.
When we attempt to discover the name of our guardian angel, we immediately start looking for signals that our angel is trying to answer us with a specific name.
We can mistake many things for “signals” that are nothing of the sort, and in the end, we are only deluding ourselves.
Fr. Matthew Kauth reminds us in the video below, demons are fully capable of interfering in such attempts. They are present, just as your angel is. \
4. The Church told us not to.
There is one final reason why we should not name our angels: the Church warns against this practice.
taken from goodcatholic.com
Prayer:
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,
Rule and guide.
Amen.
"Never travel faster than your Guardian Angel can fly." -Mother Teresa
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