“Their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” These words of Jesus reflect traditional Jewish belief. Psalm 91:11 reads: “For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” The devil tempted Jesus to trust that his guardian angel would protect him. Pope Francis said that having a guardian angel is a reminder that we are never truly alone. He posed a series of questions: “How is my relationship with my guardian angel? Do I listen to him? Do I bid him good day in the morning? Do I tell him: ‘guard me while I sleep?’ Do I speak with him? Do I ask his advice? …Each one of us can do so in order to evaluate “the relationship with this angel that the Lord has sent to guard me and to accompany me on the path, and who always beholds the face of the Father who is in heaven.” Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, famous for describing the stages of grief, said that she gave her guardian angel a name. And remember Clarence from “It’s a Wonderful Life!” Are children still taught the prayer? Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
