{"id":30848,"date":"2023-09-15T16:40:46","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T23:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sacredheartsisters.com\/?p=30848"},"modified":"2023-11-28T13:53:14","modified_gmt":"2023-11-28T21:53:14","slug":"angels-our-faithful-friends-and-guides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sacredheartsisters.com\/2023\/09\/15\/angels-our-faithful-friends-and-guides\/","title":{"rendered":"Angels, our Faithful Friends and Guides"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Sister Diane Heiss, SDSH<\/p>\n

Photo of Angels in Our Lady of Knock Chapel by Sacred Heart Sisters<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAngel of God, my Guardian Dear, to whom God\u2019s love entrusts me here.\u00a0 Ever this day (night) be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule and guide.\u00a0 Amen.\u201d\u00a0 How many of us learned this beautiful prayer in childhood?\u00a0 How many of us still pray it in the morning and at night?\u00a0 We might unconsciously equate this with a young child\u2019s prayer, along with the traditional holy card of a guardian angel and two small children crossing a bridge (Lindberg Heilige Schutzengel) and therefore think that mature adults have no need of the prayer and perhaps no need of a guardian angel.<\/p>\n

All of us are God\u2019s beloved children and priceless treasures; created in God\u2019s own image and likeness; reflecting in our own way a dimension of God\u2019s infinite goodness; and redeemed by Jesus\u2019 life, passion, death and resurrection.\u00a0 God would no sooner think of leaving us unprotected throughout our lifetime here on earth than would someone owning the world\u2019s most priceless diamond carelessly leave it on the sidewalk to be stolen. Our true home is in heaven, and we need all the help possible to arrive there after passing through this life.<\/p>\n

Sometimes people trying to console grieving parents on the death of their small child will tell them that now their little one is an angel in heaven.\u00a0 Although a beautiful thought, when a human being dies, s\/he does not beome an angel, since angels are pure spirits without a body, and we, as human persons, are created with a body and a soul.\u00a0 All human beings who are in heaven are saints, even though the majority of saints are known only to God.\u00a0 Just a relatively small number of persons in heaven have been canonized, meaning that the Church, after having \u00a0conducted extensive reviews of their lives\u00a0 and of miracles attributed to their intercession, confirms that they are indeed in heaven and worthy role models for us, as we try to live some of their virtues.<\/p>\n

Do angels even exist?\u00a0 Who and what are they? \u00a0Should we even believe in them?<\/em> Throughout the Bible we find many references to angels.\u00a0 The Catechism of the Catholic Church states in paragraph No. 328 \u201cthe existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls \u2018angels\u2019 is a truth of faith.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 St Augustine distinguishes between the nature of angels and their office.\u00a0 They are spirits (nature) who are servants and messengers of God (office.)\u00a0 Jesus says \u201ctheir angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.\u201d (Matthew 18:10) \u00a0God created angels before creating our world, and they have been actively helping throughout salvation history.\u00a0 God gifts each of us with a guardian angel to protect and guide us, interceding for us from the beginning of our life until death and helping us on our way home to heaven.\u00a0 \u00a0So, then, the answer is a resounding YES!\u00a0 They do exist and we should believe in them,<\/em> since they are our faithful friends and guides<\/em>.\u00a0 Although the \u201cGuardian Angel\u201d prayer might not be appealing, it is good to speak to them daily, asking their help and protection, and thanking them for it.<\/p>\n

For your family:<\/strong><\/p>\n