Our readings today talk about angels on the feast of the guardian angels. In the Exodus, Moses and the Israelites are told by the Lord that he will send the Angel of the Lord before them, to guide them and show them the way. Our psalm response sends us a similar message, that the Lord has put the angels in charge of us, to guard us in our ways.
In our Catholic faith, we believe in angels. We see angels as spiritual being who were created by God. Our English word “angel” comes from the Greek word “angelos”, which means “messenger”. God sends out angels to carry special messages for him. Today, we celebrate the feast of the holy Guardian Angels. We see the role of the guardian angel as to guide us to good thoughts, good works, and good words, to keep us from evil. Since the 17th century, we have celebrated a feast honoring the Guardian Angels in October. Indeed, our American society is becoming more secular, but I was looking at an article from Time Magazine that quoted statistics from a study on religious belief in American conducted by Baylor University, which stated that 55% of respondants agreed with the statement: “I was protected from harm by a guardian angel.” Very interesting.
I love the prayer to the Guardian Angels. It is a favorite prayer of many Catholic children, and many Catholic adults remember this prayer from their childhood: Angel of God, My Guardian Dear, to whom God's love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side, to light and guard and rule and guide. Amen.
In our prayers, we communicate with God and we develop and grow in our faith. May the angels and saints hear our prayers and pray for us as members of the Kingdom of God.
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