Carlo Acutis’ 3 tips for getting closer to your guardian angel

Starting in early childhood, Blessed Carlo Acutis showed a special interest in angels. From a very young age he had concrete experiences of the help of his guardian angel, which strengthened his faith and interest in these heavenly messengers.

The young Italian, soon to be canonized, even gave his guardian angel a name, calling him Gabriel. He even said that, in his opinion, he resembled the Smiling Angel in Reims Cathedral.

Here's some advice this "millennial saint" could give today to help us deepen our relationship with these spiritual creatures.

Angels accompany every person from birth to death, and work on our behalf throughout our lives. The Psalms remind us of this: “For he [God] will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:11-12).

They protect and defend against dangers, both external and internal, advising and guiding each person along the path of life.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga and St. John Henry Newman even claimed that guardian angels could comfort the souls entrusted to them in Purgatory while awaiting their entry into Heaven.

Like many saints, Carlo Acutis was also in the habit of asking his guardian angel for help in his day-to-day life, particularly in combating his own shortcomings. He would also tell the children to whom he taught catechism, “Ask for help from your guardian angel, who must become your best friend.” This was one of the key pieces of advice the young Blessed liked to give them to help them achieve holiness.

Many saints dedicated texts to the invisible world and its angels, and some even received the grace of having apparitions, including St. Gemma Galgani, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Faustina Kowalska, and St. Catherine Labouré.

Some even received the grace to be in constant dialogue with their guardian angel, to see him pray and contemplate God, or to be miraculously saved by him.

The mystical experiences of these saints left a deep impression on young Carlo. He was so moved by this that he even planned to create a virtual exhibition on this theme. Sadly, he was unable to carry out this plan due to his premature death at the age of 15 from leukemia.

However, his dream was realized a few years later by an Italian journalist who brought the project to life. As in Carlo's case, reading these supernatural tales can serve as a reminder of the existence of these angels, and an incentive to establish a more intimate relationship with them.

Here is one to start with.

Carlo Acutis' relationship with angels was also strengthened after a family pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Michael the Archangel on Mount Gargano in southern Italy. According to tradition, the Archangel Michael appeared several times to St. Lorenzo Maiorano in the 5th century. In fact, Padre Pio himself used to send people who were particularly tormented by evil to this shrine.

Carlo Acutis was deeply impressed by this shrine, and from then on he made a habit of praying more often to his guardian angel and the nine choirs of angels, in particular by reciting the St. Michael Chaplet.

In Europe and around the world, there are numerous shrines dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, including of course the famous Mont Saint Michel, where the archangel appeared in 709 to the bishop of Avranches, St. Aubert.

The example of Blessed Carlo Acutis invites us all to rediscover the presence of these heavenly creatures in our daily lives, to get to know them, and to pray to them in every circumstance of life!