Some saints have a special and sometimes mysterious relationship with their guardian angel. Who is he really? A companion, a prayer guide, a teacher? And how does he intervene in the lives of those who aspired to a life of holiness? For Cardinal Newman, a major figure in the Church of England canonized in 2019, his guardian angel was a true friend. Better, his oldest friend… This theologian, philosopher and poet has written several texts dedicated to the invisible world and its angels. A world which “despite the universal world we see extends all around us, though we do not see it, and which is more astonishing than the world we see. And in this invisible world, there are innumerable people who come and go, watch, act or wait, and whom we do not see”. In the midst of them are the guardian angels. They may be great, glorious, pure and marvelous, but they are none the less “the companions who serve us, who work in our favour, who watch over the most humble among us and defend them” explained the cardinal in one of his sermons certainly thinking of his own guardian angel.
Among his texts of poetry and prose, Newman wrote my oldest friend, a magnificent poem-prayer addressed to his guardian angel. The title is particularly resonant: throughout his life, the cardinal had a real talent for cultivating the art of friendship…including with his guardian angel! From the first words of his poem, he simply addresses his old friend:
“My oldest friend, friend since
my first breath of life;
My faithful friend, you will be,
without betraying, until my death.
(…)
No patron saint, nor the love of Mary,
The more expensive, the better,
Do not know me, me, as you know me,
And blessed me, as you blessed me. »
A visible friend
A very faithful friend, her guardian angel never left her alone. He walked beside her, he protected her in all circumstances, he defended her from all kinds of dangers… Saint Faustina, this Polish nun who was called the apostle of divine mercy, was convinced of this: her angel guardian, a faithful friend, accompanied him invisibly and… visibly throughout his life. Visibly? Yes, by the way, she was in constant dialogue with him like that day, described in her Small Diary (490) while traveling by train. Faustina sees him beside her praying and contemplating God. Nothing extraordinary: she says that he often appears to her, even in the most ordinary circumstances, even in the kitchen and the garden.
If Saint Faustina’s guardian angel did not make the decision for her, he encouraged her in her efforts, comforted her in her worries and protected her from danger.
A clear sign of how close God, through his guardian angel, is to his daily life. And yet another day, it’s a Thursday: as she celebrates the holy hour, Faustina feels unwell. However, she makes the immense effort to continue to pray. It is only when she returns to her cell that Faustine realizes that she is experiencing an attack from the devil. Frightened, she asks her guardian angel for help. As she describes in her notes, he appears to her and says as he walks her home, “Do not be afraid, wife of my beloved Lord. These spirits will not harm you without His permission” (Small Diary419).
If the nun’s guardian angel did not make the decision for her, he encouraged her in her efforts, comforted her in her worries and protected her from danger. By reading the diary of the mystic, we realize that all her life, her guardian angel was a faithful friend, sometimes very visible…
A personal tutor
As for Saint Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican, famous for his theological and philosophical work, he described his guardian angel as a personal tutor. The one who is called the “angelic doctor” because he left a luminous theological thought on the angels (moreover many are those who claim that he resembled them!) wrote in his Summa theologica that when a person is born, they are assigned a guardian. So everyone has their own guardian angel. According to the Dominican, on the way to the “heavenly homeland” man is threatened by many dangers which come “from within as well as from without”. To deal with it, everyone needs special protection. Also, as long as he pilgrims on this earthly path, man is assigned a special guardian, “his guardian angel”. Saint Thomas Aquinas is convinced of this: unlike man, his guardian angel already participates in the same eternity as God.
According to Saint Louis de Gonzague, if a soul is sent to purgatory, his guardian angel often visits him to lift him up by offering his prayers and assuring him of his future release.
As Saint Louis de Gonzague teaches in his Meditations on the Holy Angels, when the soul leaves the body, it is comforted by its guardian angel so that it can present itself with confidence to the judgment of God. According to the vision of the saint, the angel shows the merits of Christ, so that the soul can lean on them at the time of its judgment. And if a soul is sent to purgatory, his guardian angel often visits him to lift him up by offering his prayers and assuring him of his future release. The guardian angel’s mission then continues until the soul is reunited with God.
Invisible but very real
It is therefore not true that man is abandoned to his solitude, affirm the great saints. The invisible world is real, an army of celestial creatures watch over man, with the particular, tireless and discreet help of his guardian angel at every moment. Communing with these celestial spirits is a grace. To have them as faithful friends, personal tutors, prayer guides and confidants of God’s action is wonderful. “May devotion to the holy angels always accompany us! During our earthly pilgrimage, how many risks do we not have to face either from the elements of nature in revolution or from the anger of men sunk in evil! Well, our guardian angel is always present. Let us never forget him, let us always invoke him! “, recalled John XXIII on October 2, 1960, on the occasion of the feast of the holy guardian angels, a pope well known for the particular attention he paid to guardian angels.
Also discover the twelve thoughts of the great saints on guardian angels:
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Faustina, Thomas Aquinas… what relationship did the great saints have with their guardian angel?
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