Yesterday I finished my last library book, so between ending that book and starting the book that my book club will select tomorrow night, I picked up another one of my beloved Mitford books. I selected a bookmark from my bookshelf and began to read. A little later, I stopped and set the bookmark to hold my place in the book. As I did so, I glanced down on the bookmark itself, and saw this prayer:
Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently in spirit; for without being seen, they are present with you.
St. Francis de Sales
I began to think about angels, something I hadn’t really given a lot of thought to since our three-month European trip last summer. More about that later.
It seems to me that among many young people, the idea of God has gotten harder and harder for them to grasp. I don’t know why. Maybe it makes them too accountable. Maybe they have just become lazy. Maybe they just don’t like all the “rules” that seem to come with being a believer in God.
Still, it seems like more and more young people have taken to the idea of angels. Again, I’m not sure why. Maybe they are drawn to the idea of having someone take care of them, but don’t want that someone to be God. Plus, angels (at least the human drawings of angels) are really pretty.
As a very small child, I was taught the prayer familiar to all cradle Catholics: Angel of God, my guardian dear to whom God’s love entrusts me here. Ever this day (night) be at my side to light, to guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
I LOVE that prayer. But I must admit, I don’t often think about my guardian angel.
The Bible, of course, talks plenty about angels. For example, you’ve got the Angel Gabriel, Michael the Archangel, and Raphael, the angel from one of my favorite Bible stories, the Book of Tobit (part of the deuterocanonicals in the Catholic Bible). In that book, God sends Raphael to lead and take care of Tobit’s son Tobiah in his adventures. At the end of the adventures, as Raphael reveals himself to Tobiah, he tells him “….it was I who presented and read the record of your prayer before the Glory of the Lord….” I love the idea of angels being assigned to each of us. Raphael goes on to say, “As for me, when I came to you it was not out of any favor on my part, but because it was God’s will. So continue to thank him every day; praise him with song,”
So in the end, we know who’s boss.
Back to our European trip. Over and over as we traveled, Bill and I would give thanks to what we called our “travel angel.” I can’t even begin to tell you how many times we were saved from getting lost, or we would glance down to see that we had dropped our credit card, or we would find a place to stay overnight when it appeared there was none available. It became clear to us that there was someone (thing) watching over us. Our travel angel, we decided.
So, as I go through Lent, I’m going to give more thought to my guardian angel, who takes care of me here on earth and will pray for me when I need special help.
My guardian dear.
Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently in spirit; for without being seen, they are present with you.
St. Francis de Sales
I began to think about angels, something I hadn’t really given a lot of thought to since our three-month European trip last summer. More about that later.
It seems to me that among many young people, the idea of God has gotten harder and harder for them to grasp. I don’t know why. Maybe it makes them too accountable. Maybe they have just become lazy. Maybe they just don’t like all the “rules” that seem to come with being a believer in God.
Still, it seems like more and more young people have taken to the idea of angels. Again, I’m not sure why. Maybe they are drawn to the idea of having someone take care of them, but don’t want that someone to be God. Plus, angels (at least the human drawings of angels) are really pretty.
As a very small child, I was taught the prayer familiar to all cradle Catholics: Angel of God, my guardian dear to whom God’s love entrusts me here. Ever this day (night) be at my side to light, to guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
I LOVE that prayer. But I must admit, I don’t often think about my guardian angel.
The Bible, of course, talks plenty about angels. For example, you’ve got the Angel Gabriel, Michael the Archangel, and Raphael, the angel from one of my favorite Bible stories, the Book of Tobit (part of the deuterocanonicals in the Catholic Bible). In that book, God sends Raphael to lead and take care of Tobit’s son Tobiah in his adventures. At the end of the adventures, as Raphael reveals himself to Tobiah, he tells him “….it was I who presented and read the record of your prayer before the Glory of the Lord….” I love the idea of angels being assigned to each of us. Raphael goes on to say, “As for me, when I came to you it was not out of any favor on my part, but because it was God’s will. So continue to thank him every day; praise him with song,”
So in the end, we know who’s boss.
Back to our European trip. Over and over as we traveled, Bill and I would give thanks to what we called our “travel angel.” I can’t even begin to tell you how many times we were saved from getting lost, or we would glance down to see that we had dropped our credit card, or we would find a place to stay overnight when it appeared there was none available. It became clear to us that there was someone (thing) watching over us. Our travel angel, we decided.
So, as I go through Lent, I’m going to give more thought to my guardian angel, who takes care of me here on earth and will pray for me when I need special help.
My guardian dear.
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