When we pray the Nicene Creed at Mass every Sunday, we call God the maker of “all things visible and invisible.”
But we might not really think about what those “things invisible” actually are.
Many things — our souls, God’s grace, the power of prayer — are invisible to the eye, but one of the most extraordinary “invisible” things God made is an entire category of beings. They’re his angels, messengers from heaven who appear frequently in the Bible and throughout Christian history:
Catholic tradition has affirmed that God gives each human person a guardian angel to accompany him through life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (336) says that “from its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by [angelic] watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.”
There are lots of little ways we can connect with our guardian angels. But what exactly do these angelic beings do? What is their purpose?
Here are three important ways that your guardian angel is looking out for you.
1They pray for us
Our angels can pray for us all the time, invoking God’s protection and aid. We know they are always present around us when we go to Mass as well.
2They guard us from spiritual and physical danger
God assures us in the Bible, “For he commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go” (Psalm 91:11-12).
We see a powerful example of this kind of protection in the biblical story of the Archangel Raphael taking the form of a man so as to befriend Tobias and travel with him on a journey.
Whether we are facing spiritual temptation or a threat of bodily harm, our angels can nudge us away from it.
While angels cannot change our minds and wills, they can work on our senses and our imagination to help us make better choices.
3They can bring messages from God
When angels appear in the Bible, it’s most often as some kind of messenger, as when the Archangel Gabriel tells Mary that she will be the mother of God.
In a similar way, our angels can bring us God’s messages in moments of inspiration or recollection. They can remind us, guide us, and direct our paths toward Heaven.
What a blessing it is to have these heavenly protectors and companions! It’s especially helpful to remember their presence when we feel alone, worried, or afraid:
Awareness of our guardian angel should give us the comfort to realize that we are not alone, that we have a shepherd, guide, coach, and friend who sees our struggles, shares our crosses, and does not abandon us.
