FEAST OF OUR HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS
Psalm
91,
verse 5-6
5 You shall not fear the terror of the night nor
the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor
the pestilence that roams in darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon.
In the military, units of archers are men who are
expert at hitting a mark or target.
Sin is the act of
violating God's will. Sin can also be viewed as anything that violates the
ideal relationship between an individual and God; or as any diversion from the
ideal order for human living. To sin has been defined as "to miss the
mark" to have a hardened heart, a loss of love for God, a disposition of
the heart to depart from God because of inordinate self-love
We need to live the Shema Israel. Every day, every
action of ours should be metaphorically speaking target practice aiming to love
God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength. We should exemplify this
with the proper attitude toward wealth and be completely occupied with good
deeds and almsgiving.
He that hesitates is lost. Yet, to act
to quickly is also to be rash. Paul wrote to bring order to a church in chaos.
Like our modern world churches can be in chaos when there is no leadership. The
Corinthian’s were abusing their gifts and calling attention to themselves
rather than to Christ. Paul therefore suggests for them to do everything
“decently and in order.” John Maxwell submits that there is a leadership lesson
that can bring peace to chaos.
- Identify and pursue your top priorities (v.1).
- Seek to practice what will benefit the most people
(v.2-12).
- Communicate clearly (v. 7-8).
- See things through the eyes of an outsider (v. 23-25).
- Order activities simply for the purpose of adding value to
others (v. 26-33).
- Make sure everything is done in an appropriate manner (v.
40).
THIS
feast was instituted:
1. To
thank God that to each one of us He has given a guardian angel to conduct him
unharmed through the dangers of this world.
2. To
inspire us with gratitude to the angels who do us such great good, and to
incite us to efforts to render ourselves worthy of their guardianship.
What
is the office of a guardian angel? To guard men against dangers of soul and
body. The Psalmist says: He hath given His angels charge over thee to keep thee
in all thy ways; in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest thou dash thy
foot against a stone (Ps. xc. 11); that is, that thou mayest neither fall into
sin nor misfortune. Oh, what great regard for us, hereupon exclaims St.
Bernard, what wonderful love!
Who
is it that has given charge? God.
To
whom has He given charge? The angels, those noble spirits of His own household.
What
charge has He given them? To guard and defend us, poor men. O Lord, what is man,
that Thou art mindful of him? St. Paul calls the angels ministering spirits
sent to minister to them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation (Heb.
i. 14). In innumerable other places in the Bible they are represented as
friends of children, guides of youth, defenders of innocence, promoters of good
deeds, monitors against evil, guardians of the pious, protectors against
misfortune, comforters in need, deliverers in danger, helpers in combat,
companions of the souls in everlasting joy.
What
should we do every day, but particularly this day? We should thank
God for having given us guardians so holy and powerful, and our guardian angel
himself for the help he has rendered us; should think of and call upon him
often, especially in the hour of temptation; finally, we should promise
fidelity and obedience to his admonitions. Whatever in this regard is at any
time binding upon us should especially be done today.
Prayer
O God, who
by an unspeakable providence dost vouchsafe to send Thy angels to guard us,
grant to Thy suppliants to be ever defended by their protection, and to rejoice
eternally in their society. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE. Exodus xxiii. 20-23.
Thus,
saith the Lord: Behold I will send My angel, who shall go before thee, and keep
thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the place that I have prepared. Take
notice of him, and hear his voice, and do not think him one to be contemned;
for he will not forgive when thou hast sinned, and My name is in him. But if
thou wilt hear his voice, and do all that I speak, I will be an enemy to thy
enemies, and will afflict them that afflict thee. And My angel shall go before
thee.
Prayer
to the Guardian Angel
Angel
of God, my guardian dear,
To whom
His love commits me here,
Ever
this day be at my side,
To
light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
(100
days indulgence each time).
Things
to do[3]
- Memorize and
pray the Angel of God prayer.
- Bake an angel
food cake, serve angel hair pasta, and/or make angel kisses (meringue
cookies).
- Read from the
Catholic Culture Library:
- Our Guardian Angels by Fr. Joseph Ventura, C.P.
- Sermon on the Holy Guardian Angels by St. Bernard of
Clairvaux.
- Guardian Angels
- Meditation for the Feast of the Guardian Angels by Pope
John XXIII.
- Role of Guardian Angels in our Lives by George Huber.
- Paschal Parente's chapters on Angels.
- Read the
section on angels in the Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy. The
document examines the doctrine and devotions of the angels. Devotion to
angels is good, but also can have deviations:
“Devotion to the Holy Angels gives rise to a certain
form of the Christian life which is characterized by:
- devout
gratitude to God for having placed these heavenly spirits of great
sanctity and dignity at the service of man;
- an
attitude of devotion deriving from the knowledge of living constantly in
the presence of the Holy Angels of God — serenity and confidence in
facing difficult situations, since the Lord guides and protects the
faithful in the way of justice through the ministry of His Holy Angels.
Among the prayers to the Guardian Angels the Angele Dei is
especially popular, and is often recited by families at morning and
evening prayers, or at the recitation of the Angelus.
“217.
Popular devotion to the Holy Angels [which is legitimate and good] can,
however, also give rise to possible deviations:
- when,
as sometimes can happen, the faithful are taken by the idea that the
world is subject to demiurgical struggles, or an incessant battle between
good and evil spirits, or Angels and daemons, in which man is left at the
mercy of superior forces and over which he is helpless; such cosmologies
bear little relation to the true Gospel vision of the struggle to
overcome the Devil, which requires moral commitment, a fundamental option
for the Gospel, humility and prayer;
- when
the daily events of life, which have nothing or little to do with our
progressive maturing on the journey towards Christ are read schematically
or simplistically, indeed childishly, so as to ascribe all setbacks to
the Devil and all success to the Guardian Angels. The practice of
assigning names to the Holy Angels should be discouraged, except in the
cases of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael whose names are contained in Holy
Scripture.”
- Also read All About the Angels.
- Read about
saints and others who had a great devotion to their guardian angel (St. Josemaria Escriva; St. Padre Pio; Blessed John XXIII).
- Think about
how you can develop a greater devotion and depend on your guardian angel
everyday.
Redwood National Park Establish 1968
Think
of the giant Redwoods they are the largest trees in the world. These trees
survive by intertwining their roots because the ground is so hard the Redwood
cannot strike a taproot to hold itself up but by supporting each other they
become the largest trees in the world.
Farm animals are cute, and they also play
an important role in modern society. Take some time to appreciate them this
World Farm Animals Day. Created in memory of Ghandi, who believed in treating
all living beings with respect, World
Farm Animals Day was founded to highlight the poor conditions suffered
by some farm animals and promote awareness in the hope something may be done to
improve their lives.
While World Farm Animals Day has an
important, and sad, origin, in the sense it was created to raise awareness of
suffering, it can be celebrated in different ways with children. Taking
children for a visit to a farm is a great way to teach them about farm animals,
and it’s a good chance to instil in them the message of treating animals with
respect. Another great way to celebrate is by donating to an animal protection
charity of your choice
“I am the
resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will
live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe
this?”
– John 11:25-26
– John 11:25-26
Daily Devotions
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