by Brent Kostyniuk
Angel of God
My guardian dear
By whom God’s love entrust me here
Ever this day
Be at my side
To light and guard
To rule and guide.
I do not remember a time when I did not know this prayer. Presumably either my mother or father taught it to me at a very young age, when I would kneel beside my little cot and say a nightly prayer. On the wall above my bed was a picture of a very little boy and his dog, both kneeling by their bed, invoking the simple prayer of, “Please.” Although I did not have a dog, I felt a link with the boy in that picture and, that like him, my guardian angel was listening to my prayer.
Our belief in guardian angels comes from many scriptural sources, including the word of our Lord Jesus, and has been confirmed over the centuries by Church Fathers and other theologians. St. Jerome tells us that each person is assigned a guardian angel at the moment of their conception. He bases this on Matthew 18:10 in which Jesus says, “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.” St. Anselm was an Italian Benedictine monk, philosopher, and theologian, who also served as Archbishop of Canterbury in England from 1093 to 1109. He reinforces the notion that we are linked to our guardian angel at conception, when he asserts, “…every soul is committed to an angel at the moment when it is united with a body.” Moreover, St. Augustine (354-430) tells us that guardian angels not only protect us but also move us to the good. “It is moreover manifest that as regards things to be done human knowledge and affection can vary and fail from good in many ways; so, it was a necessary that angels should be deputed for the guardianship of men, in order to regulate them and move them to good.” (Augustine Questions)
The importance of our guardian angel is emphasized during the Divine Liturgy in the Litany of Supplication. This takes place after the Consecration, meaning that Jesus is on the altar, ready to hear our most important petitions. The need for a guardian angel is the third of these requests.
Deacon: Help and save us, have mercy and protect us, O God, by Your grace.
All: Lord, have mercy.
Deacon: That this whole day may be perfect, holy, peaceful and sinless, let us ask the Lord.
All: Grant this, O Lord.
Deacon: For an angel of peace, a faithful guide, a guardian of our souls and bodies, let us ask the Lord.
All: Grant this, O Lord.
While we do not physically see or hear our guardian angel, there are numerous accounts of their presence and intercession in our lives. One time St. Pope John XXIII was asked what he would do if there was a person with whom he could not get along. The pontiff replied that he would ask his guardian angel to speak to that person’s guardian angel with the intention of having the two men become amiable.
Many years ago, students at Catholic schools in Edmonton (and probably most schools) were required to line up outside when the bell rang. Mrs. Blaine’s Grade One class was always reminded to leave space between themselves and the person in front for their guardian angel.
One day, Nicholas was walking along a busy city street, approaching a hidden alleyway. At that point, a force made him inexplicably stop. A truck crossed his path without stopping, a mere couple of feet in front of him. Guardian angels not only protect us spiritually, but they can also keep us from physical harm.
Finally, St. Augustine, also thinking of Matthew 18:10, explains our guardian angel’s role in obtained our ultimate goal of the beatific vision of God. “As, then, they see, so shall we also see; but not yet do we thus see. Wherefore the apostle uses the words cited a little ago, now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face. This vision is reserved as the reward for our faith; and of it the Apostle John also says, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). By the face of God, we are to understand His manifestation, and not a part of the body similar to that which in our bodies we call by that name” (City of God, Book 22, Chapter 29).
Guardian angels are a precious gift from God. They are our unique friend for eternity.
