Angels, those celestial beings who have contact with the mundane and with the most sacred things in heaven, have been present in many religions over the centuries.
And in Christianity, in the Catholic Church, the Guardian angel It has a familiar presence in us from birth. Before we learn vocabulary, our parents tell us during the long night that our guardian angel is with us and takes care of us.
This is why the Guardian Angel is the most familiar and intimate character in Catholicism when we live with that daily faith. In 2014, shortly after his inauguration, Pope Francis expressed in his homily that the Guardian Angel exists and that he is a companion that God has given to every person for life. “This is not a fanciful doctrine about angels: no, it is reality. What Jesus, what God said: ‘I send an angel before you to guard you, to accompany you on your journey, so that you do not make mistakes,’” he expressed.
According to experts, the celebration of Guardian Angel Day is very ancient. The first news, in fact, dates back to the 5th century, in Spain, where – it is said – the tradition emerged.
In England it has been celebrated since the year 800. In 1534, when Henry VIII broke with the Holy See (because he wanted Rome to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon), the celebration was already rooted and widespread in the towns Catholics.
Angels in the Scriptures
The Catholic Church has always affirmed that every person is born with a Guardian Angel who protects us in life and in heaven, once we enter eternity. And in the calendar of his celebrations, the Guardian Angel has assigned the day 2 October to remember him.
But prayers for him are said throughout the year, of course. And his apparitions, documented in writing, come to us from ancient writings, as well as those from the New Testament of the Bible.
In Exodus 23, 20For example, regarding the guardian angel, it is said: “I will send an angel before you, to protect you along the way and lead you to the place I have prepared for you.”
Saint Basil the Great, in the Adversus Eunomium (3,1: PG 29, 656B), underlines that «No one can deny that every believer has at his side an Angel as protector and shepherd who guides his life».
In both the 2000 Jubilee Bible and the New American Bible, we read the passage from Matthew 4:6: “And he said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, He will command his angels about you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will never dash your foot against a stone.
The context of this dialogue is a temptation by Satan towards Jesus, taking him to the top of the temple of the Holy City and tempting him to jump down. To which Jesus replied: “It is also written: ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test…’.
Prayer of the Guardian Angel
In an excellent Clarín investigation on the Guardian Angel published two years ago, it is noted that:
Over the centuries, many prayers to the Guardian Angel have been recited and written in the books of the Catholic Church. The best known version is, perhaps, the one below. And speaking of this, underlines Father Oscar Fabré, parish priest of the church of San Ildefonso: “This is the prayer that our grandparents and parents usually teach us when we are children, so that we can recite it before going to sleep”.
The prayer goes like this:
- Angel of my guard,
- sweet company,
- Do not leave me,
- neither at night nor during the day.
- Do not leave me alone,
- that I would have missed.
- Until dawn,
- in the arms of Jesus, / Joseph and Mary.
The newspaper Colombia weatherin a note on the subject, provides a similar version of the Guardian Angel prayer but with a second verse, which the Catholic News Agency also points to ACI Press:
- “My guardian angel, my sweet company,
- do not abandon me night or day,
- until you give me into your arms
- of Jesus, Joseph and Mary.
- With your wings I cross myself and embrace the cross,
- and in my heart I carry the sweetest Jesus.
- With God I go to bed, with God I wake up,
- with the Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit”.
Parents’ prayer for grown-up children
He Aleteia specialized site It gives us, for these days of end-of-year celebrations and prayers to our angels, a very particular point of view. He says:
“It’s easy for parents to forget that our children have guardian angels and that we can pray to them (through the mediation of our guardian angel) and we invoke his powerful protection over our children.”
In an excellent article on the Guardian Angel, Aleteia tells us that when we cannot physically be with our children to protect them, the best thing to do is pray to their guardian angels.
And he shares this beautiful prayer with us:
A mother’s prayer to the angels of her children
- I humbly greet you, faithful heavenly friends of my children!
- I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love and kindness you show them.
- On some future day,
- With a gratitude more worthy than I can give now,
- I will reward you for your care of them
- and I will acknowledge before the whole heavenly court my debt to your guidance and protection.
- Continue to watch over them.
- It satisfies all their needs of body and soul.
- Pray the same way for me, for my husband and for all my family,
- so that one day we can all enjoy your blessed company.
- Amen.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.