Guardian Angels

On this first Friday in October, Roman Catholics throughout the world observe the Memorial of the Guardian Angels. Yes, the Church teaches that we have a Guardian Angel. As an adult convert, I cherish the Prayer to My Guardian Angel. Most Catholics learn this prayer as children:

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.

In the Creed we profess that God is the "maker... of all things visible and invisible." Angels, of course, belong to the invisible order of God's creation.

Guardian Angel. by Pietro de Cortona, 1656

In one of his sermons, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, preached:

He has given his angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways. These words should fill you with respect, inspire devotion and instil confidence; respect for the presence of angels, devotion because of their loving service, and confidence because of their protection. And so the angels are here; they are at your side, they are with you, present on your behalf. They are here to protect you and to serve you. But even if it is God who has given them this charge, we must nonetheless be grateful to them for the great love with which they obey and come to help us in our great need

It's easy to be silly about such beliefs and we often are. But all one needs to do take the invisible order of creation more seriously is to read Saint Paul. In both the 7 seven authentic Pauline letters and in the several of the deutero-Pauline letters repeated reference is made to powers, dominions, etc.

I remain of the opinion of Shakespeare's Hamlet, who, while communicating with the ghost of his murdered father, says, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy (Hamlet, Act I Scene 5, 167-168).

Our Friday traditio for today is Amy Grant singing "Angels Watching Over Me." What else?