One day a student walked into class and announced to her teacher, "Guess what? I learned that we don't actually have to believe in angels!" The teacher while considering for a moment that the information reported was, in fact, accurate (since *technically* angels are not an article of faith) but before responding to the excited child, she maintained a look of consternation long enough for the student to recognize an element of confusion. After a brief pause the teacher replied, "But why wouldn't you want to believe in angels?" To which the student had no reply.
It is true that we are not obliged to believe in the presence of these heavenly messengers who assist us daily and protect us; it is also true, however, that Jesus was assisted by an angel in the garden during a time of great suffering. Why would we not want to believe that these divine beings would assist us, too? Today the Church gives us a memorial of our Guardian Angels, the divine guide whom we believe was given to us at our birth. These quiet and unseen helpers protect us and guide us in ways that we will never fully understand on this side of eternity. Let us be mindful of and grateful for the many ways in which the Lord provides for our needs. And today, let us spend a moment giving thanks for our Guardian Angel and for the many trials we have been spared or the many temptations that were averted because of such loving assistance!
"Give yourself up to your guardian angel, that he may be your guide, and gird up your courage!"
St. Francis de Sales
No comments:
Post a Comment