20241002 GUARDIAN ANGELS TO THE WEAK AND VULNERABLE
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.’
02 October 2024, Wednesday, The Holy Guardian Angels
GUARDIAN ANGELS TO THE WEAK AND VULNERABLE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [EXODUS 23:20-23; MATTHEW 18:1-5,10]
How do we celebrate this feast of the Guardian Angels meaningfully? The truth is that very few of us have seen an angel in our lives with our own eyes. The identity of the angel is not clear in the scriptures. In faith, the Church professed our belief in the existence of pure spirits, which would include the angels and the devils who are the fallen angels. In the creed, we profess that God created all things visible and invisible. Theologians have speculated on the numbers and kinds of angels in the history of angelology. Some have even speculated on the hierarchy of the angels and spirits. They are pure spiritual beings but often manifested in bodily form so that we can see them. They have intelligence and will. They have a character of their own. They are intelligent beings.
What is the role of angels in the history of salvation? They are intermediaries of God in His relationship with men. Since the bible says that no man can see God and live (cf Ex 3:20) because of His majesty and splendour, it was necessary for God to communicate with men through the angels. They were signs of His presence among His people, guarding and protecting them. “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.” We read how the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Ex 3:2) The angel also guided the Hebrew people through the desert acting as a personal guide both by day in the form of a cloud and by night in the form of a pillar of fire. (cf Ex 14:19) God also instructed Moses to make two cherubim and place them over the mercy seat. “There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the covenant, I will deliver to you all my commands for the Israelites.” (Ex 25:19-22) So the angels are instruments of His presence and assurance of His protection.
Often, they act as messengers, bringing the message of God to the people. Hence, the Lord orders us to “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.” In the gospel, the Angel announced the birth of John the Baptist, the forerunner to the Messiah. (Lk 1:8-20) The angel Gabriel announced to Mary her election to divine motherhood of the Saviour. (Lk 1:26-38) A choir of angels announced the birth of our Lord to the shepherds. (Lk 2:8-14) Then when Jesus “was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.” (Mk 1:13)
On this feast of the Guardian angels, we are called to be angels to each other, especially the weak and the vulnerable. In the gospel, the Lord said, “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.” A child is not simply one who is young in age but also weak, vulnerable and dependent on others. So, when the Lord invites us to welcome little children in His name, we are called to pay special attention to this particular group of people because they need our guidance, protection and assistance. After all, this is what an angel does, to light, guide and guard. There is this beautiful prayer to the Guardian Angel which tradition has given to us. “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, rule and guide. Amen.”
Consequently, our first duty as guardian angels to the children of God entrusted to us is to be their light. Teaching and instructing our children, including spiritual children who are growing in faith is the first task of a guardian angel. We must teach them the right values in life, values that are taught in the scriptures and by the Church. Instructing them in the faith is an important task of a guardian angel. We must announce to the Word of God and His message for us like the angels who guided the Hebrew people and in the New Testament. For children and those who are spiritually immature, we must guide them so that they can come to the Lord. Parents and teachers have a grave responsibility to ensure that they are instructed in the Word of God and be led by good teachers. Being children, they are receptive to what we teach them. This means that before we can be their teachers, we must ourselves be connected with God, like the angels. The scriptures tell us that the angels sing praises and glory to God and they receive His word to communicate to us.
Secondly, we must guide them by our good examples in life. Often, we forget that how we conduct ourselves have serious implications on those under our charge. If as elders and superiors we abuse our authority or live a selfish and self-centred life, we will influence our children to imitate our bad examples. Indeed, children imitate us and learn from us how to cheat, steal and shout at each other, lose their temper, use vulgar words and fight with others. Sometimes they follow our example of laziness, especially when we do not help out in the house or involve ourselves in the service of the community. It is important that our children learn good examples of Christian life and conduct from us. Of course, this is not just for children but for all those under our care, especially those of us who are subordinates in our workplace. How we treat our colleagues will be the way they will learn to treat each other.
Thirdly, as guardian angels, we must protect them. We must protect them from harm and from the evil influence of the world. We must help them to protect themselves from bad company teaching them wrong values and cultivating bad habits, such as smoking, excessive drinking and gambling. Teaching them the truth and showing them the way is the best way we can help them to protect themselves from the deceptions of the Evil One who comes in the form of social media, internet giving them distorted information and contaminating their minds, tempting them to cheat, steal and even kill. Today, our young people are exposed early to pornography and sex. Most of all, we need to protect them from molesters and rapists and gangsters.
Indeed, we are called to light, guide and guard these little ones, either in age, in faith, or in intelligence. The Lord reminds us that “their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.” In other words, they are called to be in the presence of God. Everyone is important to God. Consequently, when we work against them, or lead them in the wrong direction in life, we will be held accountable to God. The Lord has a very severe warning for those who abuse their position as the guardian angels of those entrusted to their care. Indeed, He described such irresponsibility and abuses in no uncertain terms.
It would be good for us, therefore, to read the text on leading others to sin that was omitted between the two pericopes selected for the gospel reading today. It concerns those who cause the little ones to sin. The Lord said, “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!” (Mt 18:6f) At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord warned us, “Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:19)
If we want to be great in the Kingdom of heaven, let us at all cost protect the lives of innocent, vulnerable and susceptible people. To cheat or abuse the young or the elderly is a grave sin because they are “children” of God whom the Father loves. Alas, this is happening too often in today’s world where children are being abused sexually, forced into child labour, even killed innocently in wars, and the elderly being abandoned and scammed of their life savings. The Lord said, if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must remove these temptations to hurt others. (cf Mt 18:8f)
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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