Celebration of the Feast of Our Guardian Angels
Image: Archbishop Jose Gomez
(Franciscan Media) ‘For He will command His Angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.’ –Psalm 91:11 — Perhaps no aspect of Christian devotion is as comforting to parents as the faith that an Angel is watching over their children from dangers both real and imagined. Yet ‘Guardian Angels’ are not only for children, their role is to represent individuals before God, to watch over them always, to aid their prayers and to present their souls to God at death.
The concept of an Angel assigned to guide and nurture each human being is a development of Catholic doctrine and faith based on Scripture but not directly drawn from it.
Jesus words in Matthew 18:10 “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you, in Heaven their Angels continually see the face of My Father in Heaven,” best supports that belief.
Devotion to ‘Our Guardian Angels’ began to develop with the birth of the Monastic tradition. St. Benedict gave it impetus at St. Bernard of Clairvaux (Feast Day: 20 August) the great Christian reformer, was such an eloquent spokesman for the ‘Guardian Angels’ that Angelic devotion assumed its current form in his day.
A ‘Feast in Honor of the Guardian Angels’ was first observed in the 16th century. In 1615 Pope Paul V, added it to the Roman calendar.
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Related: For Today’s Holy Scripture Readings for the Memorial of Our Holy Guardian Angels, Visit: -USCCB