The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of the events on our journey where we have witnessed the mystery of Divine Protection.
The reading from the Book of Exodus presents the conquest of Canaan as a reward of fidelity.
* [23:21] My authority is within him: lit., “My name is within him.”1
Psalm 91 is an assurance of God’s Protection.
* [91:1] The shelter of the Most High: basically “hiding place” but in the Psalms a designation for the protected Temple precincts, cf. Ps 27:5; 31:21; 61:5. The shade of the Almighty: lit., “the shadow of the wings of the Almighty,” cf. Ps 17:8; 36:8; 57:2; 63:8. Ps 91:4 makes clear that the shadow is an image of the safety afforded by the outstretched wings of the cherubim in the holy of holies.2
- This psalm is one that I have prayed for people who are enduring particular hardships like incarceration or persecution for their beliefs. The images in the psalm invoke hope and deepen faith in God who responds to His children in need.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus uses children to define true greatness as he reminds us of the Protection of God with them.
* [18:10] Their angels in heaven…my heavenly Father: for the Jewish belief in angels as guardians of nations and individuals, see Dn 10:13, 20–21; Tb 5:4–7; 1QH 5:20–22; as intercessors who present the prayers of human beings to God, see Tb 13:12, 15. The high worth of the little ones is indicated by their being represented before God by these heavenly beings.3
Luis Rodriguez, S.J. comments that, although it has never been defined by the Church as Catholic doctrine, devotion to the Guardian Angels has a long tradition in the Church.
But there is a scene in the very beginning of the book of Genesis [4: 8], where Cain, who had just murdered his brother Abel and was being questioned by God about it, responds with a question of his own: Am I my brother’s keeper? In a way, he was telling God that he did not consider himself his brother’s “guardian angel”. God did not answer Cain’s question directly, but God’s reproach and condemnation of Cain’s deed amounts to an affirmative answer. We may not consider ourselves our brothers’ or sisters’ “guardian angels”, yet we do have some responsibility not only not to hurt them, but also to help them in their various needs to the extent that we can.4
Don Schwager cites John Chrysostom (347-407 AD), Basil the Great (329-379 AD) and the Gospel of (Luke 22:43) and (Matthew 25:31) noting that the angels show us that this universe which God created is not just materialistic. He quotes “Their angels behold the face of my Father in heaven,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).
"It is not right to despise anyone who believes in Christ. A believer is called not only a servant of God but also a son though the grace of adoption, to whom the kingdom of heaven and the company of the angels is promised. And rightly the Lord adds, 'For I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.' How much grace the Lord has toward each one believing in him he himself declares when he shows their angels always beholding the face of the Father who is in heaven. Great is the grace of the angels toward all who believe in Christ. Finally, the angels carry their prayers to heaven. Hence the word of Raphael to Tobias: 'When you prayed along with your daughter-in-law Sara, I offered the memory of your prayer in the sight of God (Deutero-canonical book of Tobit 12:12). Around them there is also the strong guard of the angels; they help each of us to be free from the traps of the enemy. For a human in his weakness could not be safe amid so many forceful attacks of that enemy if he were not strengthened by the help of the angels." (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 57.1)
[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."]5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 18:1-5, 10 offers that “It’s a Wonderful Life” movie’s wide appeal may stem in part from the fact that it reflects two basic truths of our faith: that guardian angels exist and that they play an important role in our lives. Many people can tell amazing stories of how their guardian angel came to their rescue.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153) had a name for guardian angels that seems especially appropriate—he called them our “bodyguards.” Bernard wrote, “We need only to follow them, remain close to them, and we will dwell in the protection of the Most High God. So as often as you sense the approach of any grave temptation or some crushing sorrow hangs over you, invoke your protector, your leader, your helper in every situation” (Sermons on Psalm 91, Sermon 12).6
- Certainly I have had experience of invoking the help of God and knowing the Presence in difficult situations. I reflect on the times in life where my protection from taking the wrong path or making the decision that would be a move away from relationship with God only became known to me by looking into the past. In many ways, my situation today has been protected in a mystery that has yet to yield “Why?”
Friar Jude Winkler shares that the Gospel of Matthew in which who is greatest must become like child in simple trusting and accepting God’s will. The Idea of the Guardian angels is our constant protection by a spiritual creature. Friar Jude reminds us angels show what is the right path to follow.
A post by Franciscan Media on the Feast of the Guardian Angels suggests that perhaps no aspect of Catholic piety is as comforting to parents as the belief that an angel protects their little ones from dangers real and imagined. Yet guardian angels are not only for children. Their role is to represent individuals before God, to watch over them always, to aid their prayer, and to present their souls to God at death.
Devotion to the angels began to develop with the birth of the monastic tradition. Saint Benedict gave it impetus and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the great 12th-century reformer, was such an eloquent spokesman for the guardian angels that angelic devotion assumed its current form in his day... Devotion to the angels is, at base, an expression of faith in God’s enduring love and providential care extended to each person day in and day out.7
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Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, continues with his Franciscan brother and long-time friend Father John Quigley’s summary of Franciscanism.
There are many lively legends about Francis and Clare [which soon took philosophical and theological weight through luminaries like theologian Saint Bonaventure and John Duns Scotus]. These seminal stories and the insights that arise from them have given emphasis to specific themes in Franciscan philosophy and theology. They include the idea that Jesus did not assume flesh to correct Adam and Eve’s sin; rather, Jesus would have taken flesh whether we had sinned or not. Love by its very nature wants to be one with its beloved, so our salvation has been announced and realized in an Incarnate God. The suffering and death of Jesus confirms for us how deep and committed is God’s love in the Incarnation.(Fr Richard’s comments are in [ ])[The Franciscan view is that Creation is the first Incarnation. The Christ Mystery was the blueprint of reality from the very start (John 1:1). Francis saw all of creation, including all humans, as part of the one family of God. That’s why he called them Brother Sun and Sister Moon. Duns Scotus gave this a theological explanation by saying, in essence, that God’s first “idea” was to pour out divine, infinite love into finite, visible forms. The Big Bang is the scientific name for that first idea, “Christ” is Christianity’s theological name, and it is all about Love flowing outward in all directions.]8
Our spiritual experience connects us to others who share these experiences or who need to know of the mystery of the interaction of God with His children.
References
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