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October 2, 2006

Today we celebrate our guardian angels

Hurrah for Benjamin! And thank you, thank you, thank you for the gazillion times you have hauled my you know what out of trouble. And have reminded me about things I have forgotten. And have put your hand over my mouth to keep me from saying just the wrong thing at just the wrong time.

This was one of those doctrines that I was so happy to be able to believe when we came into the Church. It was comforting to me to realize that no matter how alone I felt, I really wasn't.

But one thing I've always disliked is the art depicting guardian angels. You know, that picture of the little children on the bridge with the big angel girl behind them? The one where if you look at it just right it looks like she is about to push them into the water?

And all the other depictions are pretty feminine and floaty and pretty.

I don't think Benjamin is feminine. Well, I guess technically he's not anything since he's a pure spirit, but since he chose to let me know him by a masculine kind of name, I envision him as a guy. And I probably need a guy--to tell me to quit with the whining and moping and stuff.

So, I'm kinda hoping that when I finally see Benjamin he looks more like this than like the girly angel on the bridge:

guardianangel.jpg

O most holy angel of God, appointed by God to be my guardian, I give you thanks for all the benefits which you have ever bestowed on me in body and in soul. I praise and glorify you that you condescended to assist me with such patient fidelity, and to defend me against all the assaults of my enemies. Blessed be the hour in which you were assigned me for my guardian, my defender and my patron. In acknowledgement and return for all your loving ministries to me, I offer you the infinitely precious and noble heart of Jesus, and firmly purpose to obey you henceforward, and most faithfully to serve my God. Amen.


Posted by MamaT at October 2, 2006 12:00 AM

Comments

That is the single coolest guardian angel image I have ever seen. Do you have a source/attribution/painter/

Posted by: Klaus der Grosse at October 2, 2006 10:18 AM

I will continue to visit enjoyed the reading thanks

Posted by: Alena at October 2, 2006 2:54 PM

I will continue to visit enjoyed the reading thanks

Posted by: Alena at October 2, 2006 2:55 PM

Klaus, I got it from a web page of Light of the Canyon Methodist Church (go figure!) at this location:

http://www.lotc.org/Angel/

There is no attribution for it anywhere that I can find, and even though I've looked for other instances of it on the web to find out who painted it, etc. I can't find anything else!!!

Posted by: MamaT at October 2, 2006 4:17 PM

Mama T,

What a powerful image. The image that any of us as parents pray for for our children. Even the adult ones. In our case particularly the adult ones as later this week the "baby" will be an "adult". As the punchline on the card she was sent read: "Yeah Right!" (Away at College on the West Coast)

There are so many "God incidents" in life. Yesterday on EWTN the priest who said the mass was preaching on the "Angelum Domini" prayer. Young father Dominic had the congregation say the prayer with him. It is one of the prayers that is in english and latin at the end of the new Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Some of us tend to think of it as a children's prayer.

Angel of God, My Guardian Dear. Through who God's love commits me here. ...

http://www.catholicmom.com/angel_of_god_bookmark_printable.htm

This link also places this prayer side by side with the shorter St Michael the Archangel prayer.

Posted by: John Huntley at October 3, 2006 8:18 AM

I just had to share this... I talk to my guardian on a daily basis, sometimes hourly. (I'm sure I try his patience.) I encountered a list of 908740589327 formula prayers in honor of one's guardian angel.

I went to get ready for bed, and while I was brushing my teeth, I wondered if maybe I shouldn't find a formula prayer and say it for him, and then I thought, "Would you like me to start saying the Angel of God prayer again?" and I heard in my heart, *Please don't.*

:-) I've never liked it either, so that's kind of a relief. I think my guardian believes that if I had a formula prayer to him, it would begin with, "Angel? I'm sorry."

Posted by: Jane at October 3, 2006 12:30 PM

since he chose to let me know him by a masculine kind of name

Uh..you want to tell me how you met this non-fellow fellow and how you know his name?

Posted by: William Luse at October 4, 2006 2:26 AM

Of course, Mr. Luse, though I suppose it will make me sound like some kind of loon or something.

I am not one of those "angel" people. You know, the kind that read the secular angel books, buy t-shirts with sappy angels on them, etc. But there have been many times in my life--especially in the past 5 years when PapaC has been faced with some major health crises--when I have been very aware of the presence of a protector/guardian/comforter. Sitting in the waiting room of the CCU, it was unmistakeable.

So, I meditated on that one day during my Friday adoration time. I spent time thanking God for sending me someone, whoever it was, to be with me during a scary time. I told Him, "I wish I knew for sure who it was, so I could be appropriately thankful."

At that moment, the words filled my head: "Just ask."

So I did. And the answer was that it was my guardian angel.

So, I said a prayer of thanksgiving: "Thank you for being with me. I wish I knew your name."

"Just ask."

Well, that was weird. But I thought, what the heck? What do I have to lose? So I asked, "What can I call you?"

And at that exact moment, my head was filled with the word: "Benjamin."

Now, I know that angels aren't male or female. And I know that he may have a whole angelic name thing in heaven. But I have a strong belief that he gave me a name to call him by.

So I do.

Posted by: MamaT at October 4, 2006 9:28 AM

We celebrate this feast with a party for the kids. The cake? Angel Food, of course.

I never had much of a sense of guardian angels until this pregnancy -- this horrifying pregnancy. As I vomited up stomach acid, bile and blood for months, there were times when Satan would find me weak, (usually in the bathroom on the floor) and begin attacking me -- "You won't survive this. You should abort. You need to abort."

I prayed and prayed and prayed -- Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Mary, St. Gianna -- it helped, but Satan kept at it.

Then, one day, I called out loud, "Oh God, somebody please, please help me!"

And that's when it occured to me to call on a guardian angel -- the BABY'S guardian angel.

I added him or her to my prayers, and my spiritual battle did become much easier.

Sadly, it did nothing for the illness -- that took some heavy-duty drugs. LOL.

Baby Naomi arrived two months ago. :-) Her guardian angel is a powerful one.

Posted by: Cin at October 4, 2006 9:57 PM

+JMJ+

Hey! That Angel is almost as tough as my Antony! ;)

Posted by: Enbrethiliel at October 8, 2006 4:17 AM

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