Feast of the Guardian Angels
Ex 23,20-23
‘Look, I am sending an angel to precede you, to guard you as you go and bring you to the place that I have prepared. Revere him and obey what he says. Do not defy him: he will not forgive any wrong-doing on your part, for my name is in him. If, however, you obey what he says and do whatever I order, I shall be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. My angel will precede you and lead you.
I have chosen the text that will be presented to us on the Day of Remembrance of the Guardian Angels to remind us that God provides not only the people of Israel, but every human being with a guardian angel as a brother and friend, a heavenly companion through our lives. He serves us in the love of his Lord.
Bishop Schneider writes in his book “Christus Vincit” in the chapter on angels: “Every baptised person has a guardian angel of his own, who has never before served anyone as a guardian angel. God is so extremely generous with his gifts that he has chosen an angel from eternity to be the guardian angel for a particular person only once, even if that person lives here on earth for only a moment. And he will not be the guardian angel of another person afterwards.”
The author then gives us a very beautiful thought about Guardian Angels and writes: “My guardian angel and every guardian angel has remained faithful to God in this trial and acknowledged Christ in a spirit of humility and service. That is why every angel ardently longs to one day become a humble, serving guardian angel of a human being. Every angel longs for this… to imitate Christ his Lord.”
The test which Bishop Schneider addresses was the test of the angels to see whether they accept Jesus as Lord in his human flesh. Some authors also speak of accepting Mary as their future queen and they refused. One supposes that a third of the created spirits followed Lucifer. We know them today as demons who rebel against the rule of God and try to establish their own kingdom with Lucifer as ruler.
So the guardian angel belongs to the angels who have remained faithful and who now strive for the salvation of the individual soul. If we listen to him – and this is the decisive factor – then his protection can become fully effective. Listening to him, however, does not only mean that sometimes in concrete rescue actions we attribute these to the angel, which is certainly true, but also to get to know his love for us. This requires a personal relationship. This is offered to us in any case, because this guardian angel remains an intimate confidant even in eternity. With him and the many angels and saints we worship God, on earth already especially in the Holy Mass, then in a perfect way, when we will be with God forever. Bishop Schneider mentions in his passage that the Sanctus is probably the favourite song of the angels, which has entered the liturgy.
The angels belong to the great spiritual family of which Jesus speaks when he names those who do the will of the Father (cf. Mt 12:49-50), to which we also belong when we sincerely follow the Lord. This is why we can gain a familiar intimacy with them and thus cultivate “family relationships” that go beyond the earthly dimension and last forever. Bishop Schneider recommends giving a name to this heavenly companion, just as we sometimes give names to friends or people who are very close to us.
The conscious veneration of the angels and the deepened communion with them should also be of great importance in this present struggle. It can be clearly seen that tensions and conflicts are increasing both in the world and in the Church. It seems that light and darkness are increasingly separating. This is the work of the faithful holy angels, for they are beings of pure light who carry the glory of God everywhere and serve us human beings in many ways.
In order to perceive and get to know them better, we need to deepen our relationship with God, because they love to be where their Lord is worshipped. Where there is true worship of God, where man is sincerely converted and strives for holiness, where he becomes ever more open to the presence of his Lord, there darkness has to go. That is where the angels are at home.
Therefore the church must not become too preoccupied with earthly things, and must not even slip into the naturalistic. The Lord wants a bride who prays and watches, who pursues her task of proclamation and thus the salvation of souls. In this we will receive all the support of the angels and in this way the spiritual battle must be fought. The increasing loss of transcendence in our holy Church makes the angels mourn, because then they can no longer fulfil their deepest task for us.
On the 29th of September, the day of St. Archangels, we as Harpa Dei recommended the ministry of proclaiming the Word, especially through the Holy Music, to all angels and asked them to spread the Word to the ends of the earth. We trust that this will give a new dynamism to the ministry as a “weapon of light”. Wherever truth and love manifest themselves, our heavenly friends are full of joy, because all this testifies to the love of our heavenly Father. Why should we not give joy to our beloved God and his angels and even better: be a joy and comfort to them on earth?
One more point: It is said again and again that the holy angels inspire the holy music. For us this is beyond question. So it is only logical that we ask them to help spread the word for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
And a last one thing for all “warriors of light”: Get in closer contact with your angel so that you listen to his voice. He should always admonish and warn you when you are in danger of slipping and enlighten you and help you to follow the ways of God.