Sunday:       Feast of the Guardian Angels
Date:         October 2, 2006
Year:         A
The readings: [Ex. 23:20-23a; Mt. 18:1-5, 10]
The message:  A spiritual gift to lead and protect.
Prepared by:  CATHOLIC DOORS MINISTRY
Total words:  771 words.

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"Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven." [Mt. 18:10] My brothers and sisters in Christ, these are the spoken Word of the Lord Jesus on which the Holy Catholic Church has relied upon throughout the centuries to affirm that we all have a Guardian Angel.

While the Church has never defined an article of faith on the matter that each individual soul has a guardian angel, this belief has always been on the "mind of the Church" as St. Jerome expressed it: "how great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it." (Comm. in Matt., xviii, lib. II).

When it is stated that every individual soul has a guardian angel, this is not a reference to only the baptized, but rather to every living being that has been and will be created by God on earth. It should be noted that St. Basil (Homily on Psalm 43) and St. Chrysostom (Homily 3 on Colossians) held that only the members of the Church were privileged to have Guardian Angels.

Throughout the Old Testament, we find numerous Biblical references in support to the fact that angels are not only executors of God's wrath, but they are protectors of individual persons. In Genesis 18-19, we read that angels protected Lot from danger. In Exodus 32:34, we read where God said to Moses, "My angel shall go in front of you." In Daniels 10, we read of angels who are entrusted to protect certain districts. One angel is called the "prince of the kingdom of the Persians." Michael, the archangel, is called "one of the chief princes." [Dan. 12:13] In the Book of Sirach, we read, "He appointed a ruler for every nation, but Israel is the Lord's own portion." [Sir. 17:17]

Based on the aforementioned and many other Bible passages, the doctrine of Guardian Angels has always been taken for granted versus being expressly written down.

In the New Testament, we find specific cases of angels coming to the help of those in need. In the Gospel of Mark, we read of the angels who ministered to Jesus when He was in the wilderness for forty days. [Mk. 1:13] In the Acts of the Apostles, we read of the angel who freed Peter from prison. [Acts. 5:19] In the Letter to the Hebrews 1:14, we read, "Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?"

In summary, the angels are sent by God to lead and protect the cooperative souls on the path of their salvation, such a path ending in the heavenly Kingdom of God.

It is no wonder in view of all these facts, that in its great wisdom, the Holy Catholic Church determined it good for the Body of Christ to allocate a special day called, the Feast of Guardian Angels." The official Feast, restricted to certain areas that had requested such a Feast, finds its origin around the end of the 1500's. It was not until September 27, 1608 that Pope Paul V placed the Feast of Guardian Angels into the Liturgical Calendar of the Catholic Church.

The aforementioned does not imply that the Guardian Angels were not remembered in the Church prior to the 1500's. In fact, in "the 'Horologium magnum' of the Greeks there is a proper Office of Guardian Angels (Roman edition, 329-334) entitled 'A supplicatory canon to man's Guardian Angel composed by John the Monk' (Nilles, II, 503), which contains a clear expression of belief in the doctrine that a guardian angel is assigned to each individual. This angel is thus addressed "Since thou the power receivest my soul to guard, cease never to cover it with thy wings" (Nilles, II, 506)." (Reference: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VII; Copyright (C) 1910 by Robert Appleton Company.)

The Feast of the Guardian Angels provides us with the opportunity to appreciate the infinite goodness of God. In His love and Divine Wisdom, the Lord has provided each and everyone of us with a special angel to attend to our physical and spiritual need to secure our salvation through faith in Jesus and the Sacrament of Baptism. Today, let us remember our Guardian Angels. Let us thank the Lord for this spiritual gift. Let us thank our individual angesl for their protection and leadership, asking them to always remind us of their presence so we may walk in harmony with them towards the Heavenly Kingdom of God.

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The readings...

[The readings were taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America.]

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First Reading...

"The Lord spoke to Moses and the people during their journey across the desert wilderness: 'I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him.

But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. My angel will go in front of you.'"[Ex. 23:20-23]

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Gospel Reading...

"The disciples came to Jesus and asked, 'Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?' Jesus called a child, whom he put among them, and said, 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.'"[Mt. 18:1-5, 10]

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