Q. How should I honor my guardian angel?
A. The Church celebrates the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels every year on Oct. 2. Our guardian angels are tasked with helping us get to Heaven, and God has assigned to each of us an angel for that specific purpose. It makes sense, then, that we honor them in our liturgy every year. But beyond honoring them liturgically, each of us should also try to honor them personally, and not just on Oct. 2! Let’s consider a few ways of doing that.
If the task of our guardian angels is to help us get to Heaven, then one of the best ways that we can honor them is by striving after Heaven, too! That means doing good, avoiding sin, reading Scripture, frequenting the sacraments, and living a life of genuine prayer and sacrifice according to the teaching and tradition of the Church. Our angels prompt and encourage us in all those respects. We may try to honor them in many other ways, but if we aren’t pursuing Heaven and holiness, then we’re missing the most important and necessary piece!
We can also honor them by devoutly asking for their assistance through prayer. When we ask somebody for help, we imply that they have the power to provide the assistance we need. We’re recognizing some goodness in them that we might not possess, and we see them as being generous enough to accept our request—otherwise we would not ask! So, there is a type of honor in being asked for help, even if it is only implied. Therefore, we honor our guardian angels when we ask them for help. This is especially true if we are asking about things pertaining to our holiness and salvation, because we’re entrusting ourselves to them on an issue that will affect us for eternity.
Naturally, the next way we can honor our guardian angels is by giving them thanks for all that they do for us. Compared to the angels, we are quite weak. We have to deal with our sinfulness. Doing the right thing can be a struggle. Not only that, but we grow hungry, and tired, and need sleep. By contrast, our guardian angels are perfect in holiness and virtue. They always do the right thing, and they do it with pleasure and ease. They are never distracted by hunger or any bodily needs. They never need to sleep. They are always interceding for us, and they care about our salvation and eternal happiness with a far greater intensity than we do. They are the most loyal of friends!
Without a special grace, it would be impossible to know all the times our guardian angels have helped us on this side of life. But given what has been said, it stands to reason that they are helping us in many, many ways. In the life to come, we will receive perfect clarity about all the ways they assisted us—imagine how incredible that moment will be! It is right for us to honor them now by giving them thanks for their help.
Finally, we can honor the guardian angels by encouraging everyone to have a devotion to them. In an age where materialism is everywhere, it can be easy for us to neglect our invisible protectors and friends. All of us need reminders and encouragement to cultivate our friendships with them. For many of you reading this, it may have been quite a while since you’ve spent time in prayer with your guardian angel. Even if that is the case, they have been with you the whole time, just as eager to help get you to Heaven. Don’t wait until tomorrow—spend time in prayer with them today! May we all spread a devotion to the guardian angels, and may we honor them throughout our whole lives.
This question was answered by Father Dale Allder, assistant pastor at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ Parish in Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
