guardian angel for his 24/7 attention. When you have a close call on the road, when you meet a friend "by coincidence" when you need someone to talk to, when you take a serious fall but are spared any serious injury? Was it, perhaps, the protective action of your angel always on watch?
The angels are powerful and eager to help us -- but only in things that bring us closer to God. Don't ask your guardian angel to give you the numbers for the big lottery win. How many people's lives have been ruined by quick riches? Too many to count. But praying before studying that you might be well prepared for a test or praying before taking up the Scripture asking for guidance in understanding God's word....
The angels will happily respond to those kinds of prayer.
Today's meditation in Benedictus is well worth quoting in part:
The angels, says St. Augustine, enter and go forth with us -- they have their eyes ever fixed on us, and on what we do. If we remain at home, they stay with us; if we walk out, they accompany us; let us go where we will, on land or at sea, they are always with us; they are no less present with the merchant in his countinghouse, or the matron in the cares of her houselhold, than with the recluse in th desert, or the relgious in his cell....even while we sleep, they watch over us -- they are always at our side -- though we are sinners, and consequently their enemies -- though our interior deformity is so great, that if we saw it we could not support the sight -- though we spend our lives in sin, or in such frivolous occupations as certainly excite the pity of these blessed spirits -- though we corrupt our best actions by numberless defects, they are never weary of our company. Even after death, they visit us in purgatory, and render us in its flames very great consolations. Is not this to be our slaves? Where would we be able to find persons who could sacrifice their liberty so perfectly in the service of kings? O bounty of our God! the princes of paradise, our slaves and servants!
Henri-Marie Boudon (d.1702)
Padre Pio had tremendous devotion to his guardian angel. We would be well advised to foster a relationship because, really, our guardian angel is a closer friend than any human relationsip.
Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day be at my side to light, to guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
When one of my sons was a new driver, he was in a hurry to be somewhere. He realized that he had forgotten his wallet and had to come back into the house to get it, and he was upset over the delay. I reminded him to ask his guardian angel to help him drive safely (and I asked his angel as well), and told him his angel might be delaying him for a reason. When he returned home, he told me that while driving on the highway, he was the second driver to come upon a fatal car accident, before the emergency people arrived. He said that all he could think of was that those 30 seconds he was delayed kept him from being the driver who crashed into the woman who was killed.
ReplyDeleteThis type of example doesn't happen often in my life, but often enough to have instilled in me frequent prayers to my guardian angel, and those of my children and grandchildren.