We're never alone

 

I think the first prayer my mother taught me was the prayer to my guardian angel.  Of all the prayers she taught me, the one to my guardian angel was the one I loved the most as a child.  It was simple.  It was comforting to know that I wasn’t alone.  I felt (and still do!) a true connection to “my” personal angel.  I know he’s been there for me through some rough patches in my spiritual journey, as well as my earthly one.  There was a point in my life when I felt prayers in general—and the rosary, specifically, were a nuisance or an impediment to my “busy” life.  But even in that period, I continued to say the prayer to my guardian angel just before I fell asleep at night.  In fact, it was hard to fall asleep if I didn’t say it.  I’m sure that it is my “heavenly counselor” who eventually convinced me that my mother’s devotion to prayer was the right solution for me, as well.

I saw a piece on television today that said that the pandemic has brought on an alarming increase in loneliness throughout the world.  It’s true that people are finding new ways to connect in this era of social distancing, but loneliness continues to increase.  Loneliness impacts the physical, spiritual, and emotional health of a human person.   Our feelings of loneliness could very well be where our guardian angels can assist us and advocate for us!

The faithful from most of the world’s major religions believe in angels as messengers from God.  Catholicism goes one step further saying that we’re each assigned an angel to be our guardian.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that “from its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.  Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading…to life.  Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels…united in God.” (CCC, paragraph 336)

Jesus tells us that angels in heaven “always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” (Matthew 18:1-10).  Since our guardian angels have that deep connection to God and because the word “angel” means “messenger”, we’re invited as people of faith to turn to our angelic messengers who not only care for us but who also deliver our messages and prayers to our God.  Their reassuring presence can offer great comfort and solace. 

Children like structure and need and desire enforcement. They need guidance and expect the adults around them to give it to them.  When it’s lacking, they act out.  So perhaps the humility of which Jesus speaks in this gospel is more the realization that we as adults also need guidance and welcome it. Maybe this guidance, in addition to that from our communities of faith, and our families, comes also in the form of an occasional gentle nudge from our guardian angel.  There’s one big difference, though.  As I’ve found out throughout my entire life, our guardian angel offers each of us guidance even when our own communities and families let us down.

But we mustn’t assume that our guardian angels exist to protect us from our own bad decisions; they’re not our slaves.  They exist, like all beings, to serve the Lord.  That’s the Good News: that our guardian angels serve the Lord, not us.  They’re not here to enable our bad behavior.  They’re here, like all beings, to promote the Kingdom of God, for the coming of the Kingdom.  To think that they serve us is to entirely miss the point about how God works in our world to create salvation.

We can reflect on Psalm 91 (1-11) which offers a moving image of God knitting us together in our mother’s womb.  Let’s imagine, as God knit each of us together, our guardian angel was also there to guard and love us from the onset of our creation.  While we journey through the pandemic and on this extraordinarily special Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels, our faith tradition reminds us that we’re never alone.