20201002 PERSONAL LOVE OF GOD FOR EACH OF US
02 October, 2020, Friday, The Holy Guardian Angels
First reading | Exodus 23:20-23 © |
I myself will send an angel before you
The Lord says this: ‘I myself will send an angel before you to guard you as you go and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Give him reverence and listen to all that he says. Offer him no defiance; he would not pardon such a fault, for my name is in him. If you listen carefully to his voice and do all that I say, I shall be enemy to your enemies, foe to your foes. My angel will go before you.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 90(91):1-6,10-11 © |
The Lord has commanded his angels to keep you in all your ways.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
and abides in the shade of the Almighty
says to the Lord: ‘My refuge,
my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!’
The Lord has commanded his angels to keep you in all your ways.
It is he who will free you from the snare
of the fowler who seeks to destroy you;
he will conceal you with his pinions
and under his wings you will find refuge.
The Lord has commanded his angels to keep you in all your ways.
You will not fear the terror of the night
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the plague that prowls in the darkness
nor the scourge that lays waste at noon.
The Lord has commanded his angels to keep you in all your ways.
Upon you no evil shall fall,
no plague approach where you dwell.
For you has he commanded his angels,
to keep you in all your ways.
The Lord has commanded his angels to keep you in all your ways.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps102:21 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts,
his servants who do his will.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 18:1-5,10 © |
Anyone who welcomes a little child in my name welcomes me
The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 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.’
PERSONAL LOVE OF GOD FOR EACH OF US
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EXODUS 23:20-23; MATTHEW 18:1-5,10 ]
It is a bit difficult to preach convincingly on the Guardian Angels because we do not see them and most of us cannot even feel their presence. For most of us, it is more a doctrine and tradition accepted by us because it has been passed down to us by the Church. This doctrine that each one of us has a Guardian Angel has never been defined by the Church as such although it is found in the scriptures. Jesus Himself taught us in the gospel, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 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.” So the Church presumes the truth of this fact based on Jesus’ teaching.
But since we never see them or even feel their presence, how can we celebrate this feast meaningfully? Whilst it is true that the Church never defines that each one of us has a Guardian Angel, the existence of angels is a dogma of faith. This is defined in the teaching of the Church and proclaimed in the Nicene Creed at mass, “I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines them as “purely spiritual creatures who have intelligence and will. They are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness.” (CCC 330)
Regardless of whether we have seen an angel or not, much less our Guardian Angel, this feast does remind us that God loves and cares for each one of us individually. This is certainly a truth that agrees with scripture and tradition. God has always watched over us by sending us His angels. In psalm 90, which we pray at every Sunday evening at Compline, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” (Ps 91:11f) Indeed, God sends His angels to protect and save us from our enemies, just as He sent the angel to release Peter from jail. Peter came to himself and said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” (Acts 12:11) God has constantly sent His angels to protect His prophets. When Daniel was thrown into the den of lions for praying to his own God told the king, “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him.” (Dn 6:22)
Angels, after all, are intermediaries of God. Before the coming of Christ, angels were the means through whom God communicated directly with the people other than through the prophets. Angels are messengers of God. This was why the encounters with the angels were more prominent before the coming of Christ. With Jesus being the incarnation of God, the presence of God in person and the new mediator, the role of angels being intermediaries became lessened. After all, Jesus told Nathanael in John’s gospel, He would be the bridge between heaven and earth. “You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (Jn 1:51)
Hence, it is very comforting to be assured by our Lord that God cares us for individually just as He cared for even the lost sheep. Everyone is unique before God. The angels are given to us so that God can look after us. The author of Hebrews wrote, “Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” (Heb 1:14) So the Guardian angels are like us all, ministers of God in different ways. The angels minister to God by looking after us and protecting us from danger.
So in celebrating the feast of the Guardian Angels, we too are reminded not to travel alone because God has given us a companion. As Christians we should never travel alone but with an angel on our side. This angel could be the invisible angel or it could be one of the messengers of God sent to us. He or she could be our friend, our colleague or a family member. We should be attentive to what they tell us, especially when it is for our good or when they challenge us in our conscience. We must discern the voice of God speaking through His angels, visible or invisible. Even the voice of God, our conscience, should be seen as the angel that God sends to remind us to be true to His word.
Indeed, we must be careful that we do not rebel against the angel of God. The Lord says this, “I myself will send an angel before you to guard you as you go and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Give him reverence and listen to all that he says. Offer him no defiance; he would not pardon such a fault, for my name is in him. If you listen carefully to his voice and do all that I say, I shall be enemy to your enemies, foe to your foes. My angel will go before you and lead you.” If we want to find success and peace in life, we should give reverence to His angels and take their advice seriously. When the pagan sorcerer Balaam wanted to curse Israel, the Lord was angry with him. He sent an angel to stop the donkey which Balaam was sitting on for going against the Lord who forbade him to curse Israel. (Num 22:22-40) Indeed, as the angel told Balaam, it was his donkey that saved him from being killed by his sword. So, too, when we acknowledge the voice of God’s angel, we will save our lives and ourselves from destruction. We must not listen to the voice of the Evil One.
Hence, we must pray to our angels. There is a beautiful prayer to the Guardian Angels that the Church has bequeathed to us. “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.” To pray to angels just like the saints does not mean that we worship them. Angels are creatures like us. So we do not worship angels, only God. But rather, we ask them to intercede for us and to bring our prayers to God. As the Lord said, “their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.” They are forever assisting and worshipping God in heaven. “All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God.” (Rev 7:11)
So today, we are called to have the faith of a child in the angels. Perhaps, they are too much for us to understand or to comprehend. Rather than being skeptical and allow science and the world to influence us, we must be like the child that Jesus spoke of in the gospel. Jesus said, “I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” It is this simple act of faith in God’s care for us through His angels that we will encounter Him and His guidance in our daily life. This requires humility and trust in Him. Using our intellect and reasoning alone will bring us nowhere. Only faith suffices.
This is the kind of faith the Lord assures us will make us great in the Kingdom of heaven. The disciples asked our Lord, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” The Lord replied by simply calling “a little child to him and set the child in front of them.” Simple, trusting faith in God’s wondrous care for us is the way to live our life in peace even when we face so many trials in life. We must live in total dependence like a child on God’s divine providence. We must never doubt God’s care for us. Although we might be children, God sees the great value in each of us. He sees the great opportunities and possibilities for each of us. He wants us to grow and make use of whatever He has blessed us with so that nothing He has given to us will be lost. It is the Lord’s desire to see us flourish to become sons and daughters of God, attaining our full maturity in the stature of Christ. (Eph 4:13) Let us protect all young people especially, so that they will not fall into sin and be led by the snares of the Evil One instead. May their Guardian Angels protect and guide them.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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