When we stop to think about our guardian angels, it's natural to feel a sense of wonder and awe.
God has given each of us an invisible and powerful spirit to protect us… What a gift!
These angels watch over the whole Church and each of us individually. The Catechism tells us:
The whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels… From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.
Each of us has our own special companion angel too. St. Basil wrote, “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.”
A few ways to grow closer
If you’d like to grow closer to your angel, you can start with friendship: A greeting during our morning prayers or when we go to Mass. And don't hesitate to ask more often for their help. Here are a few ideas.
One of my friends asks his angel to make sure he wakes up on time when he has to get up extra early, perhaps for travel. “It’s never failed me,” he said.
Before beginning a work project, I ask my guardian angel to send inspiration to help me write something that will be for God’s glory. I got this idea from this Letter to Writers, in which Michael O’Brien wrote:
An important leap forward in my growth as a writer and painter occurred several years ago when I came upon a passage in St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa, in a section on the holy angels. I’m paraphrasing it, but in essence he says that if a work of art is to glorify God and advance the Kingdom, he will send an angel of inspiration to help with the creation of the work. But we must ask God for this. He will force nothing upon us.
You might also ask for help with fortitude and perseverance when entering a tricky situation when you know you might experience temptation. Angels are great at giving that extra spiritual boost!
You might also start a novena to the guardian angels, whose feast day is October 2, so their novena traditionally starts September 23. There’s a beautiful novena for you here.
For more ideas, check out St. Carlo Acutis’ tips to befriend your angel and this list of ways to deepen your relationship with your angel. (Just remember not to name your angel — God already gave them a name!).
Books to share with children
If you’d like to share the novena with your students or children, or celebrate the Feast of the Guardian Angels with them, here are a few books to teach them about angels.
The Children’s Book of Angels
Children are intrigued by angels, and we actually know a lot about them. Perfect for children ages 3-7, learn about these heavenly beings from this beautifully illustrated book, packed full of angel info from the Bible, the saints, the Catechism, and Church tradition.
How the Angels Got Their Wings
With charming rhyming verses, Anthony DeStefano introduces children to the wonder of God’s angels. Beginning with the creation of the angels and the “war in Heaven” between the good angels and the bad, this book introduces children to the archangels and our guardian angels.
What Angels See
This creative book tells the story of a young girl preparing for her First Communion who gets the chance to see the world — and the Holy Mass — as angels see it.
