Homily: October 2 - Guardian Angels

In earlier days, many Catholics would pray on a daily basis that wonderful prayer “Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here; ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide.” Today, unfortunately many Catholic go throughout their day oblivious to the presence and assistance of their Guardian Angel.

How do our guardian Angels spend their day? First, they, like all of the angels, are in unceasing praise and adoration of God.  They give God all the honor that is His due. Secondly, they quietly, humbly, are doing everything in their power to try to secure our salvation.  What an incredible example for each of us: praying to God at all times, and doing everything they can to make sure others are safe from evil.

One of the very positive developments in our understanding of the Christian life over the past 100 years, is that in order to be a saint we don’t believe it is absolutely necessary for you to go and join a convent, that each member of the faithful has a vocation to holiness whatever your walk of life.  Now of course there are many helps to that vocation for those members of the religious life, but every Catholic is called to be a saint, and to do what our guardian angels do with every ounce of their being: to pray always, and to work tirelessly for the salvation of souls—praising, and serving, and loving God and working for the salvation of the souls in the kitchen, in the factory, in the office, in the school, at the retirement home, on the streets.

Throughout this Mass, our guardian angels worship God with us; they take this Mass more seriously than we do, more devoutly than we do.  So, when we come to Mass we ought to invoke our guardian angels to teach us to worship God as we should.  And then to go from this place, making use of the grace we received through these sacred mysteries, to serve God’s Holy Will, and to achieve the purpose for which we were made.

Whenever we have anything difficult to do, a difficult conversation with a fallen away sinner, a difficult duty in our Christian life, facing a grave temptation, we should call upon the assistance of our guardian angels, for God has committed them to assist us. 

While still on earth, now, it is to our advantage, to truly befriend our guardian angels, to call them to mind often, to pray to them, especially in moments of darkness, to guide us and enlighten our path. May we know their protection, their enlightenment, and open to their guidance of these great guardians of ours for the glory of God and salvation of souls.