The Wonders of Angels: My Guardian Angel

The quoted phrase below is an excerpt of the song “Angels” by Robbie Williams, one of My Useful Tips fave songs:

“Does an angel contemplate my fate
And do they know, The places where we go
When we’re grey and old?

Who among you here believe in Angels? Another song which likewise captured my interest is one of Abba’s songs (revived by Westlife), states: “I believe in angels, something good in everything I see”. This is true! When you’re with an angel, everything just feels great!

Have you ever encountered Angels in your life? Have you felt that Angels have helped you in one way or another? If so, you are fortunate to have them as they will help you change your life forever for the best!

Angels play a significant role in our spiritual journey by guarding and guiding us to the right path. Angels are God’s wondrous blessings to us, especially Guardian Angels who are God’s messengers on earth and who are always with us wherever we are, regardless. According to some theologians, our guardian angels were assigned to us at the moment of birth until the last breath. They do not only help us develop our spiritual growth but they also work behind the scenes, so to speak, protecting us from evil and all kinds of physical harm. Angels may not be physically visible as they are heavenly spirits but for those who have devotions and fondness with them, they could sense their presence particularly in time of need. Because they are always with us, Angels know the places where we go, until we’re grey and old – as the above quoted song says!

Even if we Catholics believe in the existence of Angels, not everyone of us is in the close-friend zone with our guardian angels. Some people who have had personal experience/relationship with their guardian angels even go to the extent of giving their guardian angel a name for intimacy. I, for one, have a name for my guardian angel. Unfortunately, some people have yet to know them; seemingly they are not fully aware of God’s wondrous blessings through guardian angels. As such, they lose the opportunity of asking help from them, we can actually ask assistance from our guardian angels in the same manner that we can pray and seek help from our Blessed Mother and the Saints in heaven. Did it become a habit of yours to recite the prayer to the Guardian Angel? In my case, it has been part of my daily prayer routine to say this brief Guardian Angel prayer everyday ever since my childhood:

“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, To rule and guide. Amen.”

I have so much confidence in my guardian angel. I consider her (ikr, Angels have no gender but for purposes of this article, the feminine pronoun has been utilized) a trusted friend and just like friends sometimes there are conflicts and misunderstandings. She has always been by my side and most of the times she seems pleased to see me doing good, but there were times that she might have been sad for some bad decisions in life. Despite that however, I felt she has not abandoned me. Rather, she encourages me more to do good things by following God’s will and to live a life that pleases God. St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina who had encounters with Angels throughout his life once said, “How consoling it is to know that we have a spirit who, from the womb to the tomb, never leaves us even for an instant, not even when we dare to sin. And this heavenly spirit guides and protects us like a friend, a brother”. Similarly, St. Jose Maria Escriva advised us to have confidence in our guardian angel. He stated: “Treat him as a lifelong friend – that is what he is -and he will render you a thousand services in the ordinary affairs of each day”, based on his Book, The Way.

There was one time in my younger (elementary) days, when my neighbor friends invited me for swimming in the beach. Although I don’t know how to swim, I went with them simply to have fun. We brought a big inflatable rubber swim ring or “salbabida” to make sure we’re safe as the sea waves can get aggressive at times. As we were enjoying the small waves with the help of the salbabida, bigger waves suddenly came from nowhere engulfing us, thus, we lost grip of the big swim ring. We were swept away, it was scary, as if I got disoriented in time and space, I didn’t know where I was. It was strange, I thought I drowned as I couldn’t breathe, probably because I drank some salt water. All of a sudden, I saw bright light and a silhouette of a person, a white shadow even if my eyes were half-closed. I heard someone calling my name, telling me to wake up (not sure if my friends were trying to wake me up, idk). When I slowly opened my eyes, I realized I was washed ashore lying down on the sand, the sun brightly shining, and with my friends surrounding me already. I just stood up gradually, as if nothing’s wrong. Afraid that my parents might scold me about what had happened, I did not inform them about it that day. This is one of the unforgettable memories of my childhood and I thought maybe it was my guardian angel who helped me and brought me to the shore. As I grow older and up to these times, there have been fond memories with my guardian angel be it in school, in the workplace and now with my personal and marriage life! So far, she has helped me in so many ways!

We may have some memorable encounters with our guardian angel but what is amazing is God’s enormous love for us. He gave us guardian angels regardless who we are, even when we have sinned, they are still on our side fighting for us with the devil (who is also pushing hard for us to do evildoings), trying hard to convince us to act the kind of person that God has created and what is expected from us. St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the Doctors of the Church, once clarified that “God never leaves any of us, including sinners. Similarly based on accounts, one of the Catholic theologians, Ludwig Ott, opined that “not only every baptized person, but every human being, including unbelievers, has his own special guardian angel from his birth.” God has provided us so many ways for us to choose the right path. There is no way to reason out that we can’t go through the way to God; there are options available for us if we only listen and obey, and one of which is through the wonders of our guardian angels – they bring us closer to God!

Pope Francis once indicated that guardian angels are like our travel companions and protectors They act as “a human compass or a compass that resembles a human being and helps us see where we should go” to keep us protected from all kinds of danger. The Holy Father encouraged us to pray to our guardian angels as they are privileged to see God in Heaven and they are tasked to guard and protect everyone on earth. How can we not avail such gift from God and establish a friendly relationship with our guardian angels instead? Yup guys, our guardian angels are like super heroes with super powers, placed by God alongside with us to accompany us on our journey to Heaven. How can’t we love them? The Holy Father further impressed on us that guardian angels aren’t mere imaginations, there is truth to it. As a matter of fact, it is “what Jesus, what God said: ‘I send an angel before you, to guard you, to accompany you on the way, so you will not make a mistake”.

There are times when some good people unexpectedly cross our life -could be a family member, a friend or anyone –at the time when we needed help. And in return, we do tell them at times: Oh, you’re heaven sent, you’re an angel! Well, they’re not really Angels, they’re human beings doing good works. As mentioned earlier, Angels are heavenly spirits, they’re not Humans, and the latter are not Angels so they can’t ever become the other. My bff is like an angel. Yup, just like an Angel, sometimes!!!

And so with all these ineffable blessings, we praise and thank our loving Lord and God for all these, especially for our constant travel companion. He gave us, our guardian angels who are ever ready to protect us, guide our thoughts, and help us in our day to day life. We pray that our Lord God grant us the grace of humility that through our guardian angels, we may be able to listen and obey His will. Amen. O Holy Mary, handmaid of the Lord, Queen of Angels, pray for us. Amen.