Holy Guardian Angels
Obligatory Memorial
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
As people constantly struggling to grow up to attain Christ’s maturity, we are before God like children, relying on his help more than on ours; for we have experienced that our own forces are not always trustworthy. We know that God protects us, sends us angels to guide us, especially in the person of Jesus Christ, and in those who come closest to Christ. Jesus guides us with his Spirit to work out our project in life. We in our turn are called to be guides, “angels,” to others on the way to God. Guardian angels… or do you prefer horseshoes, amulets, horoscopes, mascots?
Opening Prayer
God, our loving and caring Lord,
as we celebrate our guardian angels,
we profess our deep faith
in your ever-present protection.
Let the guardian angel be the voice in us
that warns us against the evil we might do
and prompts us to be the good person
each if us should be and remain.
Let this angel remind us
that you know and love each of us personally
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
First Reading
See, I am sending an angel before you to keep you safe on the way and bring you to the place I have made ready.
Be on your guard in his presence and listen to him; do not resist him, for he will not pardon your wrongdoing, for my name is in him.
If you listen to him and do what I say, I will be the enemy of your enemies and the opponent of your opponents.
My angel will go before you and bring you to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; all these I will destroy.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 91:1-2, 3-4ab, 4c-6, 10-11
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
Say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
For he will rescue you from the snare of the fowler,
from the destroying pestilence.
With his pinions he will cover you,
and under his wings you shall take refuge.
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
His faithfulness is a buckler and a shield.
You shall not fear the terror of the night
nor the arrow that flies by day;
Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness,
nor the devastating plague at noon.
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
No evil shall befall you,
nor shall affliction come near your tent,
For to his angels he has given command about you,
that they guard you in all your ways.
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Bless the LORD, all you angels,
you ministers, who do his will.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Prayers of the Faithful
– For those who are the greatest in the Church, that they may serve with great dedication and without looking down the weakest, the poorest, those wounded in life, we pray:
– For the mighty of this earth, that they may care about the rights, the dignity and the well-being of the lowliest under their charge, we pray:
– For those who work in lowly jobs shunned by others, for those who have unhealthy and dangerous tasks, for those who care for the old and the handicapped, that we may appreciate them and that the Lord may reward them, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
in this bread and this wine
we want to express with faith
that however little and powerless
we may feel in our impersonal world,
we know that for you we count
and that you, Creator and mighty God,
care for each of us
with a love stronger than that of any mother.
For you hold us dear in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Our loving God,
your Son Jesus said about children
that their angels always see the face
of you, their Father in heaven.
Let this eucharist too
strengthen us in the certainty
that you surround children
and also us if we don’t think
that we are too great and important for it,
with your protection and tender love.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
The Guardian Angels Obligatory Memorial
A children’s game
Today's gospel offers a new twist on the quest for personal conversion that we often find in the Gospels. He provides his disciples with an example to follow when considering power by presenting a child as an example they can follow. This scene sticks in our minds as a very lovable one, but children in ancient societies were not valued in the same way as they are today.
By the time you were able to walk, you were given tasks to contribute to family life. These tasks increasingly became more difficult as you grew older, and by the time you were 14-15, you were already considered an adult in economic terms.
It was most common for young children to welcome guests upon arrival, set the slippers, clean and dry the feet of visitors... they simply obey their parents' wishes. I believe this is the power-service that the Lord desires among the disciples; not the imperial power that controls the lives and death of multitudes, but the power to serve, even the most basic of needs. We will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven unless we are converted like children... these are tough words to hear.
It is interesting how this text hasn't retained its strength as an "image of conversion" as strongly as other texts; as adults born in the post-enlightenment modern era, decision power is what defines our humanity and is most probably one part of ourselves that we are adamant to give up.
As a nation, Israel experienced a challenging start, a challenging life, and a challenging end under the Roman Empire. Despite their difficult situation, they believed that the Lord cared and they trusted him to bring them back to Jerusalem from the various lands where they had been stranded over the course of history.
We should be like children awaiting the moment to return to the Father's house who truly cares for us and wants us to feel at home in a city filled with boys and girls playing in the streets.
As people constantly struggling to grow up to attain Christ's maturity, we are before God like children, relying on his help more than on ours; for we have experienced that our own forces are not always trustworthy. We know that God protects us, sends us angels to guide us, especially in the person of Jesus Christ, and in those who come closest to Christ. Jesus guides us with his Spirit to work out our project in life. We in our turn are called to be guides, "angels," to others on the way to God- Guardian angels for the people of God.