Memorial of the Guardian Angels
There are many references to angels in the Bible: some as messengers, some as guides, others as guardians and protectors. In some cases, the person encountering the angel knows it is an angel, while in other cases the angel appears as a human being and is not recognized for what they really are. You may recall the verse from Hebrews (13:2), “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.” Or the more popular translation, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
This being the Memorial of the Guardian Angels brings to our attention that angels aren’t just the fantastical creatures as our culture identifies them, or something we may have believed in as children but have “outgrown” with maturity. God created these spiritual beings to serve as messengers and guardians for us humans if we are open to hearing, seeing, and receiving.
In today’s gospel reading (Matthew 18: 1-5, 10), Jesus tells the disciples that the little ones’ “angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” This is in the context of the disciples asking Jesus “who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” to which Jesus responds by drawing a child from the crowd and teaching that whoever becomes humble like a child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. Jesus indicates the high worth of the “little ones” by their being represented before God by angels.
We, as disciples of Jesus, are to become completely dependent on God, as a child is dependent on their parent. We are to humble ourselves and place our trust completely in God. And what a challenge that is! For me, the maturing has not so much been an “outgrowing” of my belief in angels, but a questioning and wondering why angels don’t always protect us. Why do innocent people get hurt and sometimes killed? Why do bad things happen to good people if there are guardian angels?
These are some tough questions that people have been asking for thousands of years. Today’s first reading takes us to the book of Job and his crying out and questioning the suffering that has been inflicted on him although he has been a good, just person. And yet he maintains his faith in God and expresses his longing to see God with his own eyes. With the book of Job, the Israelites began to shift their understanding of the suffering of innocent people. Whereas it had been believed that suffering was punishment for sinfulness, the understanding began to shift to it being more of a mystery. Then, with the coming of Jesus and his suffering and eventual resurrection, it was revealed that God ultimately brings good out of the suffering of the faithful, although it is still something we do not fully understand.
As Jesus hung on the cross, there were those who taunted that if he was truly the Son of God, why didn’t he save himself? Similarly, I am tempted at times to ask why God doesn’t intervene in my own suffering or in the suffering of others. Like Job, we want the answers and sometimes we’re angry about it, but God has not left us alone. And although I may not understand how or why or when, I pray that I can be open to hearing, seeing, and receiving God’s messages and guidance through the angels we are blessed to experience, whether we are aware of them or not.
Today, I am thankful for these spiritual beings, another gift of God’s presence in our lives.
- Eileen Miller