Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels
Angel of God, My guardian dear,
To whom God’s love, Commits me here.
Ever this day, Be at my side
To light & guard, To rule & guide, Amen.
This prayer holds many dear and powerful memories for me. Perhaps it is because it was taught to me at such a young age; or the beautiful rhythm of the words; maybe it is the powerful feeling of comfort and protection in reciting it. Honestly, it is all of the above. It was part of the nightly prayers my parents said with me as a child and we have continued it with our children.
I have come to know many things about the role of guardian angels in our lives; we can look to scriptures, sacred art, and the wisdom of saints and theologians throughout history. Guardian angels protect us from harm, strengthen us against temptation, embolden us against fear, bring our needs before God, influence our wills, and are always with us.
Prior to writing this reflection, I spent some time discussing and describing some of these very things with our boys (ages 5 and 3). I then asked them for their thoughts about angels. What specifically do you think guardian angels protect us from? How does that make you feel? To summarize, they talked about everything from dragons, sharks, and spiders to bad dreams, villains, and getting hit on the head. And as with all things in their world, the conversation eventually led to a comparison with superheroes. The boys described their guardian angels with the usual characteristics of being “super-strong” and “speedy-fast”, but also kind, brave, and helpful.
In addition to our gospel today, my conversation with the boys reinforces my spiritual attraction to the guardian angels. Jesus tells his disciples to “turn and become like children” (MT 18:3) if they want to be a part of the kingdom of heaven. Humility and total reliance on and focus toward God is the ultimate ticket to glory in the Lord. Our idea of greatness and our competitive drive to be “the best” tends to cloud our understanding of this. When we think of worldly greatness, the descriptions typically involve fame, fortune, and other methods of self-satisfaction--things that are all inward facing, all about me.
However, Christ’s calling is for the exact opposite; greatness defined through faithful love, humility, and care of others and a tenacity to fulfill the will of God. Guardian angels are magnificent creatures fixated on loving and serving God with the totality of their very existence. They provide the ultimate protection and guidance. May we too “always look upon the face of [our] heavenly Father” (MT 18:10b).
May God Bless You,
Brandon Meyer