The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Memorial of the Guardian Angels, invite us to recall being at the boundary of our experience and the sense of a Heavenly Presence that we realize as help and healing.
The reading from the Book of Exodus promises the Conquest of Canaan.
* [23:21] My authority is within him: lit., “My name is within him.” (Exodus, CHAPTER 23 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Prophet Zechariah declares God’s Promises to Zion and Judah restored.
* [8:3] Faithful city: a unique biblical epithet for Jerusalem, signaling the importance of the holy city and its leaders for establishing justice in society (see also vv. 8, 16, 19). Holy mountain: Jerusalem and its Temple, the sacred center of the holy land (2:16) and of the whole world. (Zechariah, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 102 is a prayer to the Eternal King for Help.
* [Psalm 102] A lament, one of the Penitential Psalms. The psalmist, experiencing psychological and bodily disintegration (Ps 102:4–12), cries out to God (Ps 102:1–3). In the Temple precincts where God has promised to be present, the psalmist recalls God’s venerable promises to save the poor (Ps 102:13–23). The final part (Ps 102:24–28) restates the original complaint and prayer, and emphasizes God’s eternity. (Psalms, PSALM 102 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus explains True Greatness.
* [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. (Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB, n.d.)
Andy Alexander, S.J., comments that becoming reacquainted with his angel is something he has done fairly "behind the scenes." There isn't really a "movement" to recognize our guardian angels, again, well, except for Pope Francis.
For me, it has been helped by remembering the Hebrew tradition of images to describe God's intimacy. Re-recognizing my angel, and getting comfortable with the help, hasn't hurt my relationship with Jesus. It certainly doesn't replace it. It's more like feeling "a hand on my shoulder," "a reminder of what the right thing to do is in this situation," "a wise line from what I learned from my mom or dad, just popping into my head," or "a feeling of peace in the face of doing something that takes a little boldness or courage." It takes some renewed imagination that all of God's grace is not "compartmentalized." I can more easily imagine that all of God's loving grace, presence and ways of giving me/us the gift of the Holy Spirit are all "coordinated." So, how I say "thank you" doesn't matter. I'm grateful for God's help, whether I say, "Thank you, loving Father," "Thank you dear Jesus," "Bless you, Spirit of Life," or "Thanks for the reminder, guardian angel." (Alexander, 2023)
Don Schwager 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."] (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 18:1-5, 10 comments that perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to discount these angels!
Today’s celebration can speak to us adults just as powerfully as our childhood books, if not more so. At its heart, this feast day tells us that the veil between heaven and earth is thinner than we often assume. It tells us that even “here on earth,” we believers can share “in the blessed company of angels” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 336). Just by being present to us, our guardian angel surrounds us with the life of heaven. (Meditation on Matthew 18:1-5, 10, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that the prophecy of Zechariah, after the Babylonian exile, tries to build up their courage and remind them that God is intensely for Zion. In Jesus' time there were approximately seven million people in the Jewish diaspora. Friar Jude reminds us of the direction of Jesus to the trusting, good and innocent nature of the child that we need to embrace even as we ponder the angelic guide assigned to our well being.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the work of Franciscan author Ilia Delio who understands Jesus as a “wholemaker” who gathers and heals disconnected and wounded parts of individuals and communities. Jesus prioritizes what Delio calls a “love that makes whole” and heals through an ever-greater unity between God, people, and creation.
Jesus was a “wholemaker,” bringing together those who were divided, separated, or left out of the whole. He initiated a new way of “catholicity,” a gathering together of persons in love. At the end of his life he prayed: “That they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me” (John 17:21). He gathered together what was divided and confronted systems that diminished, marginalized, or excluded human persons. He challenged others not by argument or attack but out of a deep center of love. Jesus said, “Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39). Faith in Christ should move us to be loving and free, to create new wholes, and in doing so, to create a new future for the human person, for society, and for the whole earthly community. (Delio, 2023)
We are grateful for the spiritual guidance we experience through the Spirit and the angelic beings who are present as we encounter the “thin places” between heaven and earth.
References
Alexander, A. (2023, October 2). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/100223.html
Delio, I. (2023, October 2). Jesus Is a Wholemaker — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/jesus-is-a-wholemaker/
Exodus, CHAPTER 23 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/23
Matthew, CHAPTER 18 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/18?1
Meditation on Matthew 18:1-5, 10. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/10/02/797608/
Psalms, PSALM 102 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/102?16
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=oct2a
Zechariah, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/zechariah/8?1
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