Due to an obsessive happy-ending mentality, modern optimism is very apt to see no struggle, difficulty or danger in anything. But the Church, on the contrary, teaches us that this life is a combat sown with physical and spiritual risks. For this reason, Divine Providence has appointed an Angel to watch over each one of us. And in His munificence, He has also placed a heavenly guardian over every city and nation, in addition to the one who oversees the Holy Catholic Church itself, St. Michael the Archangel. It is not unreasonable to conjecture that there are also Guardian Angels for groups, families of souls, and societies, in such a way that every being is supported by an angelic spirit. From these considerations comes an initial lesson of a supernatural character that helps us to understand how erroneous is the attitude, condemned by Dom Chautard,¹ of those who say: “I am so capable, intelligent, resourceful and clever that as long as no huge obstacle presents itself to me, I do not need God’s help in either my spiritual or material life. I can manage on my own to do what I need to do.” Now, if the Most High has entrusted a heavenly being to accompany and protect each one of us, it is because we do need His help at every moment and for everything we do.

 Distortions of a false piety

On the other hand, as a result of a misconceived piety, paintings representing the action of the Guardian Angel always depict a small child, vaguely implying that such support is intended only for children. Therefore, only the latter believe in Angels, while an “emancipated”, more “evolved” spirit does not believe in them or need their help. I recall seeing a picture of a beautiful stream, with pretty little plants along the banks, and a chubby child, with a pinkish complexion, with the air of one who had just gotten out of bed and had been washed, combed and daintily frocked. The child is passing over a bridge and is about to place her foot on a broken board, but the Guardian Angel, close behind, protects her. One has the impression that this is the world of the little child’s imaginings, and indicates the state of mind with which she crosses the bridge. At most, one might be led to suppose that Guardian Angels do the same for adults. So it is good to have recourse to them in order to avoid car accidents, sicknesses, and other mishaps. In short, they serve for physical needs; as for spiritual necessities, there is no mention of angelic protection. That is why many ask their Angel for the cure of some illness, others, that he might facilitate a reconciliation or the like. Few are aware that our Guardian Angels have been given to us above all for that which is most important: to watch over our soul, to fight and act with us to overcome our spiritual problems.

 We are never alone

And yet what comfort it would bring us in times of tribulation and temptation, when we feel alone, to have the certainty that an Angel is with us! Although we do not feel or see him, he does not abandon us for even a minute, and is waiting for our prayers so as to take action for us. He often acts without our asking, but he will do so all the more if we implore his assistance. While we reflect upon these things, this room in which we are gathered is filled with Guardian Angels who watch over us, as well as the Angel destined to support our movement as a whole, if what we conjectured earlier regarding families of souls and societies be true. We can thus grasp the great joy we would experience if we kept this idea always present in our soul! As we do our apostolate, as we undergo interior trials, annoyances and setbacks of every kind, we feel alone. This aloneness is an illusion: our Guardian Angel is beside each of us. Although we imagine that between us there is a distance like that between Heaven and earth, he is in fact very close: praying, watching over and protecting the man whose guardianship has been entrusted to him by God.

Mont Saint-Michel (France)

 Our personal intercessor

Being convinced of this truth encourages us in our spiritual life, because we feel the hand of God accompanying us at every step. And it illustrates the affirmations of Our Lord in the Gospel: neither a hair of our head nor the leaf of a tree falls, nor does a little bird die without the Creator’s permission. In other words, the connection between the mission of the Guardian Angel and the Catholic doctrine on Divine Providence is admirable, and fosters in us the virtue of confidence. For our confidence grows when we always bear in mind that our Guardian Angel was given to us not only for times of danger and trial, but also to pray and intercede for us at every moment. The Guardian Angel is our mediator and advocate before the throne of the Most High and prays continually for us. Therefore, it is only fitting that we ask him to obtain graces for us and to drive away dangers.

Holy Guardian Angel -
Stained glass of the Cathedral of Palencia (Spain)

 “Encouragement and consolation for our souls”

The ancients had a deep sense of the presence and intercession of the Guardian Angels, and so they built churches in their honour, and some places where they appeared became pilgrim sites. For example: Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey in Normandy. St. Michael the Archangel is the patron saint of the French nation, as well as of Rome, after he appeared atop of the former mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian, and where today stands the castle called Sant’Angelo. On other occasions, Angels were seen assisting Catholics in their clashes against heretics and adversaries of Christian orthodoxy. There would be a thousand things to consider regarding the role of Angels, based on the Bible and the history of Christianity. Unfortunately, all of this is barely, if at all, remembered. That is why it is extremely beautiful to recall these truths and to have them always in mind for the encouragement and consolation of our souls.

 Model of sanctity for their protégé

I would like to express one last thought, which I submit to the judgement of the Church because it is a personal opinion, which seems fitting and reasonable to me. Everything God does is counted, weighed and measured in an orderly manner, and the appointment of a Guardian Angel to care for a person is not likely to happen in an automatic fashion. In fact, we cannot possibly imagine a kind of “taxi stand” of angelic spirits in Heaven, waiting for someone to be born and, at a signal from the Creator, Angel A or X heads to earth and begins to protect that new human being... Such a method does not ring true with the infinite wisdom of God. I am more inclined to believe that God delegates to each person a Guardian Angel whose sanctity is related to the primordial light² of their souls, so that the Angel is a heavenly model of the virtues that they must practise throughout their earthly life. If we could see our Angel, we would probably contemplate the personification of our primordial light, that is, something that would be in some way similar to us, but in an unimaginable degree of ontological and supernatural beauty.

 Each man’s “alter ego”

We can thus understand the affection, affinity and desire to serve that we would feel for him and, reciprocally, his special bond with us. Our Guardian Angel is a heavenly alter ego, another “myself” of each protégé. This is a particular aspect which, anthropomorphically speaking, makes it even easier to grasp how he helps us. Let us imagine that we were to happen upon someone with a striking resemblance to ourselves, who was in need of help. Is it not true that we would hasten to the aid of this person, urged on by that likeness? This is what happens between our Guardian Angel and each one of us. ◊

Taken, with slight adaptations, from: Dr. Plinio. São Paulo. Year X. N.115 (Oct., 2007); p.24-29

 

Notes

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¹ Author of the work The Soul of the Apostolate, highly recommended by Dr. Plinio

² According to the thought of Dr. Plinio, given that each person is created to praise God, He grants to each one a primordial light, which is an aspiration to contemplate the divine truths, virtues and perfections in a unique and specific way, so as to render one’s individual glory to the Creator.