Today we are celebrating the Feast Day of Guardian Angels. Sometimes we may forget that God has sent us special guardians in this world to watch over us. At the beginning of Chapter 18 in Matthew’s gospel, the disciples questioned Jesus about “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He responded by explaining that they must adopt a heart like that of a child, that unless they humble themselves as children do in the face of God, they will not be able to receive Christ. Jesus says that there are “angels in heaven always looking upon the face of my heavenly father” (Mt 18:10). He means that we are all under the care of angels and by following the example of children we can come to know God better in our hearts. Saints relied on their guardian angels to help them in everything, including resisting temptation.
Saint Pio, one of my favorite saints, had a particularly interesting relationship with his guardian angel. He was able to see his angel and talk to him. He especially saw his angel when he went through numerous trials in life. During one of these trials, he complained to his guardian angel about his difficulties and asked why didn’t his angel help him while he was persecuted. His angel responded, telling Pio to thank Jesus for those trials and that many lost souls were won because of those trials. Saint Pio said that those words of encouragement helped him to persevere through those trials.
Our guardian angels are gifts from God to assist us in reaching our heavenly homeland. They are here to help us from the cradle to the grave. Know that they are fighting for us. Ask for their help today. Let’s thank Jesus for assigning and them to us and pray to our angel for guiding and guarding us, and most of all leading us to receive Jesus’ Most Precious Body and Blood in the Eucharist.