BFP: Without Your Guardian Angel, You Will Fail

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When Our Lord was in the garden, He experienced what we call the agony.  It was the agony in the Garden.  In the last blog post on Bellarmine Forum, we learn that a chief point of St. Raphael’s speech is to tell us: “God tries those who love Him.”   His Son Jesus was no exception.  Jesus was tried in the Garden and He prayed.  He sweat blood.  Here is Jesus, the God-Man.  He’s God!  And yet He needed help.  Why do I say that?   The Gospels tell us that an angel came to strengthen Him.

If Jesus needed His angel, who are you?

If you aren’t using and befriending the angel God gave to you, you’re going to fail.  

October 2 — Feast of the Guardian angels.  Also, First Friday! Last year we introduced a prayer that many listeners had never heard, but they memorized it, learned it, and pray it now.  Last year, we focused on the tenderness and the principal ways your angel helps you. 

Holy angel, guardian mine, 
Given me by love divine; 
Day and night watch over me, 
From harm, from sin, let me be free. 
By a pious life I fain 
Would eternal joys attain.  Amen

If you haven’t heard that episode, visit the blog post for this episode and click this link and go listen — you’ll want to be friends with your angel.

This year, I want to bring some heat — heat given to us by Mother Church.  And I will bring you a new prayer.

In the fourth century – St. Hilary – doctor of the Church, mind you – tells us:

“In the warfare we carry on, we remain strong against the evil powers through the angels who are our helpers”

Helpers — that quote is nice, but it doesn’t explain how you will fail if you ignore your angel.  St. Hilary makes it clearer here:

“There are angels of little children who look upon the face of God every day. These spirits have been sent to aid the human race. Our weakness is such that, if the guardian angels had not been given to us, we would not be able to resist the many and powerful attacks of the evil spirits. “

Without our guardian angel, we would not be able to resist…  the many and powerful attacks of the evil spirits.  In other words, without our angel, we will fail.  

He expands this teaching even further!

That is why we need a higher nature (to protect us). We know this from the words with which the Lord strengthened Moses trembling in his fear, “My angel will go before you.” That is why God has taken out these spirits from among His treasures and has given through them the help we need in our human weakness. By this divine assistance we are able to resist the powers of this world of darkness to obtain the heritage of heaven!

St. Hillary

If you want to get to Heaven, you need your angel!  Without your angel, you will fail to get to Heaven!

Make you a little afraid yet?  I’ve dipped into the old liturgies — way back in Mother Church’s rich tradition and found some gems for you.  Let’s look at the prayer to the Guardian Angel popularized in monasteries during the so called “dark ages”.  This prayer is essentially the same as the Eastern Churches use today and it is part of a Service that includes the Akathist prayer to the Mother of God.  

If you want to get to Heaven, you need your angel!  Without your angel, you will fail to get to Heaven!  This prayer makes that very clear!

Holy Angel of the Lord, my Guardian, pray to God for me.

Deliver me from every misfortune and save me from sorrow, I pray, O holy Angel, given to me as my good guardian by God.

Holy Angel of the Lord, my Guardian, pray to God for me.

Enlighten my mind, O good one, and illumine me, I pray thee, O holy Angel, and teach me to think always profitably.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

Calm my heart from present disturbance, and strengthen me to be vigilant in good, O my guardian, and guide me miraculously in quietness of life.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Without your angel, you will fail.  Talk to your angel.  Thank God for you guardian angel.  Do it now — tell him you want to be friends!

From the love of my soul I cry to thee, O guardian of my soul, my most holy Angel! Protect and guard me always from the hunting of the evil one, and guide me to the heavenly life, teaching and enlightening and strengthening me.

Finally, this prayer says it all:

O Holy Angel of Christ, I fall down and pray to thee, my holy Guardian, given me from holy Baptism for the protection of my sinful body and soul. By my laziness and bad habits, I have angered thy most pure light, and have driven thee away from me by all my shameful deeds, lies, slander, envy, condemnation, scorn, disobedience, hatred of brother, grudges, avarice, adultery, anger, meanness, greed, gluttony, drunkenness, loquacity, negative and evil thoughts, proud ways, having self-will in all the desires of the flesh. O my evil will, which even the dumb animals do not follow! How canst thou look at me or approach me! With what eyes, O Angel of Christ, wilt thou look at me so badly snared in vile deeds? How can I ask forgiveness for my bitter, evil and wicked deeds, into which I fall every day and night, and every hour? But falling down, I pray to thee, O my holy Guardian: pity me, thy sinful and unworthy servant (Name) . Be my helper and protector against my wicked enemy, by thy holy prayers, and make me a partaker of the Kingdom of God with all the Saints, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

When St. Peter was imprisoned, it was his angel that came and released him.  When Moses was to go, Our Lord told him, “I will send my angel before thee.”  When Our Lord agonized in the Garden, His angel came to strengthen Him and comfort him.

Your angel is a gift from God to you.  Without your angel, you will fail.

Fr. Hardon taught that we are to expect miracles, and our guardian angel can work them.  St. Peter’s escape from prison is just one of millions of examples.  Says Fr. Hardon, “The more devoted we are to them and the more fervently we invoke their aid, the more of God’s blessings they will obtain for us who are still living in the shadows of faith.”

Finally – we head into the fall and the time of year when Mother Church reminds us of the four last things.  We cannot forget death and judgment.  Our Guardian angel is there to help us and will be with us at final judgement.  The Canon to the Guardian Angels include a plea for his help then:

O gracious Angel, sent by God, strengthen the life of thy servant and forsake me not unto the ages. […] Be my veil and visor in the Judgment Day of all men, when all deeds, good and evil, will be tried by fire.

You angel will be with you until the last.  The last trial of all is final judgment.  Without your angel, you will fail.

Pray and talk to your angel!  Be his friend, and he will be yours!   I promise!  Not just promise!   I guarantee it!

This article, BFP: Without Your Guardian Angel, You Will Fail is a post from The Bellarmine Forum.
https://bellarmineforum.org/bfp-without-your-guardian-angel-you-will-fail/
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