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When we sin, we often think that we are alone and that nobody sees us. This is why we frequently sin at night, under the cover of darkness.
We might think to ourselves that if no human being can see us, we are alone and nobody knows that we sinned.
However, the reality is that our guardian angel is always with us, trying to protect us from making evil choices.
Always there
Strictly speaking, angels do not posses a physical body; this is the reason why we usually never notice them. They are pure spirits, but can take on a physical appearance when necessary. The visible form that is often reported in Scripture or popular news stories is a facade, a mask they put on so that we can see them with our eyes. Otherwise they are naturally invisible creatures.
Sometimes our guardian angel will "reveal" themselves to us is through an invisible action or "voice." Sister Maria Antonia wrote a famous account of her lifelong friendship with her guardian angel in Under Angel Wings, and explains such an incident in her childhood when her guardian angel preserved her from committing a sin:
"Why cannot I pick some peaches like the other children?" I stretched out my hand to pick a peach, and my fingers had already touched this big velvety peach, when I received the most sweet, calm warning of my New Friend. My arm, suspended in mid-air, was gently lowered by an 'invisible hand,' which I felt as really as if I had been touched by one of the persons I could see. For I had a better and more clear understanding of the voice of my New Friend than of the spoken words of Mother Raphael, or Sister Pauline, or Sister Irene, whom I could see when they spoke to me.
St. Ambrose also affirms the reality that our guardian angel is there and can see even when we cannot see with our eyes:
The noble guardian of each one of us sleeps not, nor can he be deceived. Close thy door, and make the darkness of night; but remember, thou art never alone; he has no need of daylight in order to see thy actions.
The next time you are tempted to sin, remember that your guardian angel is there at your side and will gladly help you, but your heart must be open to that help.
