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| Falling Leaves |
Presiding: Fr. Nivard
Guardian Angels
On Thursday, 2 October 2014, 10:30,
Nivard ...> wrote:
Thu Oct 2: Matthew 18:1-5,
10 (alt reading: Luke 9:51-56)
"Their angels behold the Father in heaven"
Why does Jesus warn his disciples to "not despise the little ones?"
God dwells with the lowly and regards them with compassion.
His angels watch over them as guardians.
"For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways" (Psalm 91:11).
God has not left us alone in our struggle "to refuse evil and to choose good" (Isaiah 7:15).
The angels are His "ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation" (Hebrews 1:14).
Father in heaven, you are our refuge and strength. May we always know your guiding hand and the help of your angels in protecting us from all that is evil. Give us strength of will and courage to refuse what is evil and to choose what is good, through Christ our Lord.
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Feast of the Guardian Angels
Thursday, October 2, 2014
| Feast Day: Thursday, October 2, 2014 |
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. St. Benedict gave it impetus and 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.
Comment:
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 until life's end.
Quote:
"May the angels lead you into paradise;
may the martyrs come to welcome you
and take you to the holy city,
the new and eternal Jerusalem." (Rite for Christian Burial)
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