By Judi McLeod ——Bio and Archives--October 2, 2014
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“Dear angel! Ever at my side. How loving must thou be To leave thy home in heaven to guard A guilty wretch like me.”There are innumerable references to angels in the Holy Bible. As Fr. Z posts on his popular blog today:
“Yes, there are angels. Open your Bible and, within a few pages, you’ll find angels. “Our angel guardians can be from the anywhere in the myriads and myriads of ranks of the angels. They could be from the highest of the high or even from the lowliest little angel at the bottom of the hierarchy. But even the lowliest of the angels is beyond any human conception of mightiness. The least of the angels, were God to will or permit, could mash the cosmos into a little pea and flash the Big Bang again. “Provided that it falls within God’s will, from which it is impossible for them to stray, the material universe presents no obstacles to them. They know the essences of things directly, without having to figure them out.”Surely the most powerful proof of Guardian Angels comes from Jesus Christ: “Jesus speaks of guardian angels in the Gospel according to Matthew when he says, “See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.” “Those who live in the world without someone to lead them to safety are akin to a herd of cattle that Laura Ingalls Wilder described after an early fall blizzard in the Dakota Territory. (Catholic Education Resource Center)
“Range cattle had drifted before the storm for a hundred miles. Blinded and confused they had gone over a high bank of the Cottonwood River, the later ones falling on top of the first, breaking through the ice of the river and floundering in the water and loose snow until they had smothered and frozen to death. [12] “Angels have been depicted. [13] as hovering over a terrified sheep and preparing to free the animal from entanglement from brambles. In much this way, guardian angels can help to serve as guides in this world. It is much easier, however, if we cooperate with the guardian angel. We often struggle in our sin, only to be further trapped and have its barbs dig deeper.”The world is full of the kind of woes that sadden human hearts and shall forever be. Yesteryear it was the Black Plague. Today it’s the dread of Ebola and other mysterious viruses that strike innocent little children. It’s understandable that parents in Texas are pulling their children from school during the Ebola threat, but when they have their children safe at home, they should kneel with them at their bed sides at night to send up this age old prayer:
“Angel of God, my Guardian Dear, To Whom God’s love commits me here, Ever this night be at my side, To light and guard, To rule and guide.”No virus, no act of terrorism, no politician posing as president is as powerful as the protectors sent by the Almighty whose Feast Day is today.
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