Angels are rational beings, without bodies. They get their name because they are servants and messengers of God. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness.” (330)
Some rebelled against God, and are called bad angels or devils. Others remained faithful to God, and serve Him in heaven. Our focus in this article will be the good angels.
Angels can be found throughout Scripture, in both the Old and the New Testament. In the Book of Tobit, for example, God sends the angel Raphael to help Tobias cure his father’s blindness and help him marry a wife who had been harassed by a demon. Raphael initially appears as a man, but eventually reveals himself:
I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory and the Holy One … For I did not come as a favor on my part, but by the will of our God (Tobit 12:15,18).
An angel found Hagar, who was fleeing from Sarai (Genesis 16:7), three angels visited Abraham to tell him that his wife Sara would have a son (Genesis 18:2) and were sent to rescue Lot from the city of Sodom (Genesis 19:16). Jacob had multiple interactions with angels (Genesis 28, 31 and 32). An angel of death killed the firstborn of Egypt who did not have the lamb’s blood on their doorpost (Exodus 12). An angel brought food and drink to Elijah (1 Kings 19: 5-7), and an angel saved Daniel from being eaten in the lion’s den (Daniel 6:22).
The Old Testament, Pope St. John Paul II tells us, “emphasizes especially the special participating of the angels in the celebration of the glory which the creator receives as a tribute of praise on the part of the created world. The Psalms are in a special way the interpreters of this voice, when, for example, they proclaim ‘Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights! Praise him all his angels …’ (Psalms 148:1-2)”
In the New Testament, the angel Gabriel announces to Zechariah that he would have a son, John the Baptist, and to Mary that she would be the mother of Our Lord (Luke 1). Angels announced the birth of Christ (Luke 2), warned Joseph to flee with the Christ Child to Egypt (Matthew 2:13) and ministered to Christ after His temptation (Matthew 4:11, Mark 1:13) and during His agony in the garden (Luke 22:43). Angels appeared after the ascension of Christ (Acts 1:9-11) and to help Peter escape from prison (Acts 12). An angel led Philip to instruct and baptize the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8) and to Paul to reassure him during a storm at sea (Acts 27).
The New Testament, Pope St. John Paul II continues, “highlights the role of the angels in Christ’s Messianic mission, and first of all in the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God …”
Christ frequently spoke of angels. For example, He said,
See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 18:10).
Hence, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “… the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels” (CCC 334),
It continues,
From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God (CCC 336).
So while many people hardly give a thought about their guardian angels or how the good angels can help us, we must remember they actually play a crucial role in our spiritual lives. Pope St. John Paul II notes that while “modern man” may give little thought to angels, “…the Church believes that she renders a great service to man when she proposes sincerely the totality of the truth about God the Creator and also about the angels.”
The pontiff continues,
According to Revelation, the angels who participate in the life of the Trinity in the light of glory are also called to play their part in the history of the salvation of man, in the moments established by divine Providence ‘Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to possess salvation?’ asks the author of the Letter to the Hebrews (1:14). This is believed and taught by the Church, on the basis of Sacred Scripture, from which we learn that the task of the good angels is the protection of people and solicitude for their salvation.
The saints have frequently related interesting and unusual experiences they have had with their angels. St. John Bosco, or “Don” Bosco, tells the story of how his angel appeared in the form of a large dog whom he named Grigio. The dog had a frightening appearance, but was friendly to Don Bosco. He’d accompany the saint home, and then disappear. On multiple occasions, enemies of the Church would physically attack Don Bosco, and the dog would leap to his aid and chase off the attackers. During more than 30 years of ministry, Grigio would come and go as the saint needed him.
St. Therese of Lisieux told of angels who helped form her as a girl:
luckily, I had visible guardian angels who guided me here and chose the sort of books I needed—books which nourished my mind and heart, as well as keeping me amused.
The saints offer us much advice on making the holy angels a part of our spiritual struggles.bbSt. Francis de Sales observed that God frequently sends us inspirations through our angels, so, in turn, we ought to frequently offer our prayers to God through them. He continued, “Familiarize yourself with the thought of the holy angels, and honor especially the angel guardian of the diocese in which you live, and those of your neighbors, and above all your own. Call on them and honor them frequently, and ask their help in all your affairs, temporal as well as spiritual.”
St. John Vianney said, “Our guardian angels are our most faithful friends, because they are with us day and night, always and everywhere. We ought often to invoke them.”
He advised that we imitate their consciousness of the presence of God, and that we ask them for their helps so that “God to grant us a deep sorrow for our sins.”
Fr. William Wagner, ORC, is a priest of our time who has devoted much of his priesthood to speaking about the angels. He comments,
Those who devoutly cooperate with [angels] will benefit the most from their ministry of grace. The will to cooperate with God is implicitly an acceptance of the angel in one’s life. But in God’s plan—when we consider how the patriarchs, prophets, apostles and Blessed Mother actively cooperated with the holy angels—we are called to much more personal bond with the angels.
So, pray to your guardian angel, particularly in times of temptation. He has been assigned to you by God, and it is his job to help you in life and guide you to heaven. Ask him to help you discern truth in your life, to make good choices, for protection against the Enemy, and on how you may grow closer to the Lord. Think of him often, and don’t forget to say the Guardian Angel prayer! “Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom His love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.”
