October 2, 2015

Guardian Angels

October 2, 2015:  Holy Guardian Angels
  • 'Angel' pin:  Guardian angels (today's celebration); these children's angels look on my Father's face (gospel)
  • 'Honey' tie:  Though the Lord led our ancestors from Egypt to the land of milk and honey...
  • 'Golden calf' tie pin:  ...we served other gods (1st reading)
  • 'Skeleton,' 'bird' tie pins:  They've given the corpses of your servants as food to the birds (psalm)
  • 'Blood drop' pin:  They've poured out their blood like water (psalm)
  • 'Children' pin:  "Unless you turn and become like children, you won't enter the Kingdom" (gospel)
  • White shirt (and socks :-) for angels' memorial
Listen

  • Angels/ Amy Grant ("angels watching over me...")
(Don't look here for Sting's "Every breath you take, I'll be watching you"; angels aren't stalkers :-)
Pope Francis homily
God has given each of us a Guardian Angel to accompany, advise, and protect us, an Angel we should listen to with meekness and respect.  He's always with us!  It’s like having God’s ambassador.  And the Lord advises us: "Respect his presence!"  When we commit a sin and believe we’re on our own, he's there.  Listen because he gives us advice.  When we hear that inspiration:  "Do this; it's better," we should.  Don't go against him.
The Angel always protects us, especially from evil.  Sometimes we think we can hide bad things, but they'll always come to light.  The Angel is here to advise us and “cover for us” as a friend would, a friend we hear but don’t see, one who will be with us in the joy of heaven.  All he asks is that we listen and respect him; it's called meekness.  Christians must be meek when it comes to the Spirit.  Meekness towards the Spirit begins with yielding to the advice given by this companion.  To be meek, we need to become like children.  Our Guardian Angel teaches us this humility; like children we should listen.
Lord, give us the meekness to listen to your ambassador, and may we be supported by his help.  Always journey forward.   Remember how good our Lord is; he didn't abandon us after we lost his friendship.
Read
Animated angel

  • Bar 1:15-22  Exiles in captivity:  "Justice is with the Lord; we're ashamed we sinned.  Since he led our ancestors out of Egypt,  we've disobeyed and disregarded him.  The curse the Lord enjoined on Moses clings to us, for we didn't heed the Lord's voice in the prophets but went off on our own, served other gods, and did evil in his sight."
  • Ps 79:1b-5, 8, 9  "For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us."  The nations defiled your temple, laid Jerusalem in ruins, fed your and servants' corpses to birds and beasts.  We've become the scorn of our neighbors.  Remember not the iniquities of the past; may your compassion come to us....
  • Mt 18:1-5, 10  Disciples:  “Who's the greatest in the Kingdom?”  Jesus placed a child in their midst:  “Unless you turn and become like children, you won't enter the Kingdom.  Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest, and whoever receives a child receives me.  Don't despise them; their angels look upon my Father's face.”
Reflect
  • Creighton:  “Papa, papa, papa”:  When my 2-year-old sees me coming, he calls, “papa, papa, papa” and looks for me.  Jesus tells his disciples the greatest in the Kingdom is the one who humbly becomes like a child.  Do I really want to be like children?  No; he won't keep his hands off things, he throws tantrums, and he cries for no reason.  But he loves and trusts his papa and is happy to see him.  Jesus says we shouldn't despise them because their angels see the Father’s face.  Guardian angels show God's love for his children....
    More angel memes
  • One Bread One Body:  "The international guard":  The Lord warned us not to rebel against our guardian angel and not to despise other Christians because their angels will make us wish we hadn't.  Gabriel didn't take flak from Zechariah: "You'll be mute till these things take place, because you didn't trust my words." I wouldn't classify them as sweet cherubs; they're guards.  Angels are God's gift; respect and obey them.
  • DailyScripture.net:  Scripture is full of examples of how the angels serve as messengers and protectors; recall Peter's and Daniel's.  St. John Chrysostom compared guardian angels to troops defending the borders.  St. Basil said, "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life." Angels ministered to Jesus after his temptations and in his agony in the garden.  At Christ's return angels will announce and serve at his judgment.  Angels show us creation is more than material.  Scripture describes fallen angels as evil spirits or devils seeking our destruction; God gives us angelic help and spiritual weapons to resist them.  Through the Spirit we join the angels in singing God's praise.
  • Passionist:  Baptism must have been a challenge for the early Christians.  As the sacraments were unfolding in the Church, some must have wondered whether infants/children should be baptized given that Jesus spoke of the mature commitment needed to follow him.  Yes, because the sacrament is the work of the Spirit through the Church, not the action of the child.  Out of this sense of baptism as conferred on the individual by the Church came the baptismal understanding of the expression “Unless you turn and become like children, you won't enter the Kingdom.”  Jesus didn't tell us to be naïve, irresponsible, infantile followers but to live under God's provident love and the Church's care....
  • Universalis:  The doctrine that every individual has a guardian angel is present in both Old and New Testaments.  All angels used to be celebrated on the feast of St. Michael, but a separate Guardian Angel celebration was introduced locally in 1411 and upgraded to worldwide in 1608; it reminds us God cares for each of us individually.
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