Today is the memorial of the guardian angels and we have a choice in the first readings for mass today. The first choice is taken from the book of Exodus and is all about a guardian angel that God sent to the Israelite people, and the second choice for the first reading for mass today is not about the angels at all. That about sums up humanity’s outlook on the angels in general. Do you believe the angels are real or not? A lot of people think they are completely fictional, while others have such a devotion to the angels they have statues of little sweet cherubs sprinkled throughout their home and gardens and seem to be a little carried away with it.
We love the idea of having a guardian angel, but are they really real? They seem a little too good to be true. But, if we believe everything else that is in the bible, then we must also believe the scriptures are telling the truth about the numerous accounts of the angels that are recorded in the bible too. Today’s first reading from the book of Exodus says:
“See, I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. Be attentive to him and heed his voice. Do not rebel against him, for he will not forgive your sin. My authority resides in him.”
God cares so much about us, that He gave us our very own guardian angel too. It’s a shame we don’t think of them more often. They silently accompany us throughout our lives and yet, we mostly ignore them. Maybe that is why the church makes a special effort today to acknowledge our guardian angels. If you would like to learn more in depth, what the Catholic church believes about our guardian angels, click here. Mostly though, the angels do God’s bidding and are His messengers. They exist solely to serve God. The responsorial psalm today says, “For to his angels he has given command about you, that they guard you in all of your ways”. This psalm is also the basis for a beautiful hymn that we sing in our church called “On Eagles Wings”. This hymn was written by a Catholic priest by the way, and is often used at funeral masses.
However, the main way we know about the guardian angels existence is because of the words Jesus said to his disciples in today’s gospel. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” It is really comforting to think that an angel watches over little children. We should also pay attention to what Jesus said though, to take care “that you do not despise one of these little ones”. This part is often skimmed over and may not register with us as deeply as the picture that forms in our mind about the angels, but it is important to pay attention to. The guardian angels see everything that happens to a child, including how they are treated and since they always look upon the face of God, they no doubt relay that information to God as well. This should be enough deterrent for adults to watch how they treat their children and make sure they treat them with dignity and respect. It is really a shame that many adults in our world do not heed the warning Christ gave us to “not despise one of these little ones”, because things like child abuse would not exist if more people paid attention to this verse in scripture.
Throughout mankind’s history God has given us many different ways to know that He is with us. We do not travel through life alone. There are many stories throughout the old testament that show God’s true presence among His people. Then, Jesus showed God’s presence among His people, by the miracles he performed throughout his life. Jesus then gave us his body and blood, as true food and true drink to concretely understand that he is with us as we travel through each day of our lives. God also gave us a guardian angel to look over us, help guide and protect us, and to personally accompany us throughout our lives so will never travel through life alone. “Someone” is always with us. We really should take a moment today, to acknowledge and thank that “someone” who is our guardian angel, for accompanying us on our life’s journey, protecting us from harm, and leading us safely into the arms of Jesus in heaven one day.
Daily Mass Readings:
Neh 2: 1-8 / Ps 137: 1-6 / Mt 18: 1-5, 10
