Happy Feast of the Guardian Angels, readers! This festive day nearly passed me by, along with the Feast of the Archangels St. Michael, St. Raphael, and St. Gabriel on September 29. (Sorry, guys!) “Angel” comes from the Greek word meaning “messenger,” and these pure spirits are often understood to have that particular calling even if they are not assigned to guard and guide a man or woman to heaven.
This commemoration was established for Catholics to give thanks to God for the angel He assigns to each of us in order to protect and lead us throughout our lives. While sightings of ghosts probably occur more often than visions of angels for most of us, that doesn’t mean our guardians are not present. Only a few of the saints saw their guardian angels frequently; the rest were as physically blind to their presence as you and I are.
But, in the immortal words of the Conductor from The Polar Express: “Sometimes, the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.” We can’t see the wind, after all. Does that mean it isn’t there? We can’t see it nor smell it – what we smell when the wind blows is borne to us by it, not the other way around. All we can do is feel it pushing against us, either at full power or with the gentlest touch of a breeze.
Our angels have a similar presence. We may never see them this side of eternity, but that does not mean they are not beside us, whispering in our ear or pulling us back from danger. Their invisibility does not negate their existence in the slightest. It just means we have to trust and rely on them more.
You can learn more about Guardian Angels here, readers. And, since I missed mentioning him his feast day, check out this video where the prayer to St. Michael is set to music:
May God’s angels guide and guard you all the days of your lives, readers!
A Song of Joy by Caroline Furlong 