The
existence of angels is a dogma of our Catholic Faith, and is abundantly
documented in Sacred Scriptures and Catholic Tradition.
An angel
is a spiritual creature, superior to human beings, with a three-fold
mission: to praise God, to act as His messengers, and to watch over
mortals. "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? ... For thou hast
made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory
and honor" (Psalm 8:4-5).
The name "angel" is from the Greek
"angelos" meaning "one who is sent" or "messenger". Though purely
spiritual, they can show themselves to men in human form as in the story
of Tobias.
Passages in Scripture point to the existence of an
angel specifically assigned to each human being to help, guide and
protect him or her through the journey of life: “Behold I will send my
angel, who shall go before thee, and keep thee in thy journey, and bring
thee into the place that I have prepared. Take notice of him, and hear
his voice” (Exodus 23:20) And in the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ
speaking of children: “See that you despise not one of these little
ones: for I say to you that their angels in heaven always see the face
of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10).
Guardian Angels
are often visible to Catholic saints as in the life of St. Frances of
Rome, St. Gemma Galgani and St. Pio of Pietrelcina. St. Gemma’s angel
even delivered letters for her, and brought her coffee in bed when she
was sick.
Like many other feasts, the feast of the Guardian
Angels was celebrated on a local level before it was placed on the Roman
calendar. Pope Clement X officially established the feast of the
Guardian Angels for the Universal Church on October 2.
Photo by: Louise Docker
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