😇The Church today celebrates the memory of the Holy Guardian Angels, pure spirits appointed by God to protect each human soul from birth to death. This devotion, rooted in a Sacred Scripture, reveals the Divine Providence that does not leave us alone in the spiritual battle. The Guardian Angels defend us from dangers of body and soul, enlighten our intelligence with good inspirations, and present our prayers to God. St. Bernard of Clairvaux exhorts us about this constant presence: "Everywhere, therefore, behave with reverence, for the sake of the Angels... Do not dare in their presence to do what you would not dare to do in mine. Or do you doubt their presence because you do not see them? What if you heard them? What if you felt them?"
📖Introit (Ps 102:20 | ibid., 1)
Bless the Lord, all you his Angels, you mighty in strength, who do his bidding, obeying his spoken word. Ps. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy Name. ℣. Glory be to the Father…
📜Epistle (Ex 23:20-23)
Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I send an Angel before you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. Give heed to him and hearken to his voice, do not provoke him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him. But if you hearken to his voice and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries, for my Angel goes before you.
✝️Gospel (Mt 18:1-10)
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their Angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven."
🤔Reflections
💡The Gospel reveals the sublime dignity of every soul, even the humblest, by affirming that "in heaven their Angels always behold the face of my Father." This beatific vision does not prevent them from fulfilling their earthly mission. St. Gregory the Great explains that the angels, when sent to us, in no way depart from divine contemplation, for even in their external mission, they remain inwardly in God's presence (Homily 34 on the Gospels). St. Jerome reinforces the greatness of this protection, stating that "great is the dignity of souls, for each one has, from its birth, an angel appointed for its guard" (Commentary on Matthew). The Epistle, in turn, echoes this mission of guide and protector, where the Angel of the Lord not only guards us on the way but leads us to the "prepared land," the heavenly homeland, demanding from us obedience and reverence for his voice, which is the voice of God (St. Augustine, Sermon 88).
📖Matthew's account is the only one that concludes the discourse on the little ones with the solemn declaration about their Angels who see the face of the Father (Mt 18:10), directly connecting humility to angelic protection. Mark details the context, specifying that the discussion about who was the greatest occurred "on the way" and that Jesus questioned them at home, in private (Mk 9:33-34); he also expands the admonition on scandal, explicitly mentioning "Gehenna, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched" (Mk 9:48). Luke, for his part, highlights Christ's omniscience by stating that He "knew the thoughts of their hearts" before presenting the child as a model (Lk 9:47).
📜St. Paul, though not detailing the specific function of the individual Guardian Angel, corroborates their ministerial mission in the Epistle to the Hebrews, describing angels as "ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation" (Heb 1:14), which aligns perfectly with the doctrine of angelic guardianship. On the need to become like a child, Paul deepens the concept, exhorting the faithful to be "infants in evil, but mature in understanding" (1 Cor 14:20), distinguishing innocent simplicity from imprudent immaturity. He also alludes to the celestial hierarchy and the order of the cosmos, where angels (principalities, powers) occupy their place in the divine plan (Eph 3:10; Col 1:16).
🏛️The Roman Catechism, promulgated by the Council of Trent, solidifies the doctrine presented in the liturgy, teaching that "not only to some men, but to each one, God has appointed an Angel for his guard." The document emphasizes that this protection covers the entire life of man, from his birth, and exhorts the faithful to great reverence, devotion, and trust towards their angel, for he is a divinely appointed guide and guardian. The Encyclical Humani Generis reaffirms the existence of pure spiritual beings, the angels, as a truth of faith, condemning attempts to reduce their existence to mere personifications or symbols, which reinforces the objective reality of the heavenly companion mentioned in the day's Gospel and Epistle.
🧐See English version of the critical articles here.
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