October 2 2020 - Guardian Angels - Ever this day be at my side...

It is part of the deposit of faith that God has assigned a Guardian Angel to each human person, who do everything in their power to protect us against evil and to help us grow in virtue and holiness.

Many of us learned in our youth the prayer to our Guardian Angels: “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.” Unfortunately many Catholics go throughout their day oblivious to the presence and assistance of their Guardian Angel.

So, today’s liturgical feast of the guardian angels remind us to honor our heavenly helpers, as we should—to develop our friendship with them and our devotion to them.

The more mindful we are of our guardian angels the more we will benefit from their assistance. Our guardian angels help us to be in the right place at the right time because they are always in the right place at the right time, right at our side, just as God has commanded them. We will discover in eternity just how many car accidents, terrible falls, or imminent dangers they have helped us avoid. 

But we aren’t supposed to be just be oblivious to them, taking their assistance for granted. The more we cultivated that friendship with our guardian angels, the more assistance they can grant us 

In times of temptation, when the enemy is attempting to cloud our minds and weaken our wills, our angels help us to remember the sinfulness of a particular action and embolden us to choose what is right. They can really help us break out of many of our sinful habits that we commit so mindlessly. 

They can also help us to be open to the inspirations of the holy spirit, because as we develop our friendship with them, our ears become open to the sound of their voice directing us to accomplish holy things for God, just like they do.

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 and committed us to their care.

Again, calling upon the assistance of the holy angels, should be a common occurrence in our daily lives…it is certainly to our advantage to do so.

May we know their protection, their enlightenment, and be open to the guidance of these great guardians of ours for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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In gratitude to God for our Guardian Angels, may we be attentive to their inspirations, and through them be kept safe from sin, and faithful to the works of mercy.

May we, like the angels, practice purity in both mind and body, and be guarded from every temptation to sin.

For special angelic protection for our police and fire fighters, first responders, and military who keep us safe from threats to our lives and freedoms.

May the sick know the assistance of the angels in their illness and suffering.

May the angels who stand ever before the face of God, help us increase in that never-failing hope of coming at last into God’s presence.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for those who have fought and died for our benefit, and for N. for whom this mass is offered.

Heavenly Father, may our prayers rise like a pleasant fragrance before you and be brought to your altar on high through the hands of your holy angels. Through Christ Our Lord.

September 29 2017 - Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels - Protectors of the Human Race and the Church

When we started using the new translation of the missal in 2011, one of my favorite changes was the mention of the different choirs of angels in the Eucharistic prefaces: “with angels and archangels, with throne and dominions and with the hosts and powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory.”  Angels, archangels, thrones, dominions and powers are among the different choirs of angels, along with the cherubim, seraphim, principalities, and virtues.

The number of angels is nearly countless. Each human being ever having lived has been given a guardian angel to watch over them. We do not know the names of even our own guardian angels who watch over our every breath, but we do know the names of three of the archangels from the holy scriptures:

Archangel Michael, who is revealed to be the special protector of the people of Israel in the book of Daniel, and who is named as a sort of general of the angelic host in its warfare against the devil in the book of Revelation.

Archangel Gabriel also appears in Daniel’s vision, announcing God’s plan to lay-low the works of the Devil. On behalf of God, Gabriel sought the consent of the Blessed Virgin of Nazareth in bearing the Messiah who would bring the definitive defeat of Enemy of God through the cross.

Archangel Raphael accompanies, in the Old Testament book of Tobit, Tobit’s son Tobias on a very hazardous journey. Along the way, Raphael cures Tobit of blindness and drives away the demon Azazel who had been tormenting Tobias’ bride-to-be, Sarah. He also helps to restore the family fortune.

In the Eucharistic Preface for today’s Mass we hear how “the honor we pay the angelic creatures in whom God delights redounds to God’s own surpassing glory.” When we honor the angels, we honor God.   And since God has placed the angels as helpers of the human race, we ought to make use of their help, by invoking them, and by imitating their virtues.

Pope Leo XIII encouraged us to invoke particularly, Archangel Michael as a protector of Holy Mother Church and whenever the action of the Devil is suspected, spiritually or physically harming someone, causing violent temptations, storms or other calamities.

Pope Leo XIII lived in a time when Masonic, godless, anti-clerical, anti-church forces were congregating in Europe which were not only spreading error, but raising arms against Catholic populations. It is well known that Pope Leo was granted a vision of the supernatural and demonic forces which spurned this hatred for Catholicism, a vision in which the devil was given great sway over the earth during the 20^th century. And so he composed the St. Michael prayer, which was to be invoked for the protection of the Church. We will pray this prayer together at the conclusion of Mass, as was done for decades following Pope Leo’s vision.

We invoke the archangels and we seek to imitate their virtues, so that we may always know their protection, that we may be found like them to be cooperators with the holy will of God, that we may be found, like them, blameless in His sight, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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For Pope Francis, Bishop Perez, and all Church leaders, that they may guide the Church to be strong in faith and generous in offering works of mercy to those in need. We pray to the Lord.

Through the intercession of St. Raphael may all who suffer from loneliness or sickness know the healing graces of our loving God.  We pray to the Lord.

Through the intercession of St. Gabriel, may God’s strength be with all those who work for the Spread of the Gospel.  We pray to the Lord.

Through the intercession of St. Michael, may all who are persecuted for the faith be protected against the wickedness and snares of the devil.  We pray to the Lord.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish and all the poor souls in purgatory, for deceased clergy  and religious, and for those who have fought and died for our freedom. We pray.

Heavenly Father, may our prayers rise like a pleasant fragrance before you and be brought to your altar on high through the hands of your holy angels. Through Christ Our Lord.