Angels Watching Over Us
The Guardian Angel prayer is one of the most beloved and well-known prayers in our Catholic faith. The short prayer reminds us of God’s love and of how He and His angels are watching over us. But what is an angel and more specifically, what is a guardian angel?
We see angels throughout the whole Bible: a cherubim is stationed at the garden of Eden, Seraphim worship God in Isaiah’s vision, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary and Joseph, and so on. From all of the Scriptural evidence what is most clear is that angels are persons like us, but unlike us, they are purely spiritual beings.
To be a person means that angels are relational beings, capable of love or hate. They have an intellect and a free will, just like us. Many of the angels have chosen to love God. Since they are purely spiritual beings they are outside of time and incapable of change. So like the saints, they are incapable of sin and will always be with God in Heaven!
Angels are so great in their holiness and power that when humans see them in Scripture they are taken with fear or fall to their knees in worship (though the angels always remind them to worship God alone and not be afraid). Okay, so angels are pretty amazing, but what are guardian angels?
The different angels have all kinds of different callings and abilities. Each one of them is made out of love by God and given special tasks. In addition to worshiping God and being His messengers, something else we see angels do in Scripture is protect us from both physical and spiritual danger.
In fact, so great is God’s love for us that each and every one of us has an angel assigned to guard us right now. The angel that is guarding you right now, is your guardian angel, and he has and will be with you your entire life.
Just as they always do in Scripture, our guardian angels do not want us to be afraid or worship them. Instead, they are calling us to put all our trust in the Lord, and their presence is just another sign of His infinite love!
“When tempted, invoke your Angel. He is more eager to help you than you are to be helped! Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him; he trembles and flees at the sight of your Guardian Angel.” – St. John Bosco