QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GUARDIAN ANGEL
FR. ŁUKASZ JANOWSKI
Guardian Angel is always close to a believer. Simple prayers accompanying us since childhood, to the Guardian Angel, pictures of a worried angel, with outstretched wings, walking behind the child still raise questions: Who is the Guardian Angel? What is he like? How many guardian angels are there? It is obvious that we want to know more about someone who is particularly close to us
So we ask: Do all people have their Guardian Angel or only Christians? Every man has his Guardian Angel. In the Old Testament Book of Tobias, the archangel Rafał appears as a companion to young Tobias (cf. Tb 5, 4n). The Acts of the Apostles remember the angel Saint Peter (cf. Acts 12, 15). Every man has Guardian Angel, also a follower of another religion or an unbeliever. So Guardian Angel is given to every human being. So, there are as many Guardian Angels as people in the world.
Does a man receive a Guardian Angel at birth or at baptism? Some angels take special care of small children. Jesus himself says: "Remember not to despise any of these little ones, because I tell you that their angels still see the face of my Father who is in heaven" (Mt 18:10). According to Origen (3rd century) and Saint Thomas of Aquinas (13th century), a man receives a Guardian Angel at birth, but from the moment of baptism he begins to play a completely new role. Thanks to Christ, the angel is stronger and defends the one who was entrusted to him by Christ. The Guardian Angel inspires man, leads to good, has a mission alongside the gentile entrusted to him in order to lead him to faith.
What tasks does the Guardian Angel fulfill? As the name implies, an angel fulfills the duty of a guardian, a guardian - the one who watches. He is with us in the morning, evening, day, night, i.e. 24 hours a day, without a break and holidays. He keeps us from external and internal unrest, accompanies us in prayer, helps us turn back from the wrong path. The angel wants to help us in our journey through life, but he respects our free will as God does. He will not do anything for us, he can only prompt, advise, inspire, but he will not make further decisions for a man.
There are actually two angels with each of us: Guardian Angel (angel of justice) and Angel of iniquity (devil).
Are angels eternal? No, because only God is eternal; eternal means having no beginning or end. Angels had a beginning, though they have no end. They are personal and immortal creatures. They are simple beings with no form or matter. They cannot undergo physical decay caused by death, so they have immortality inherent to their nature.
We could still ask many questions about angels. This is an endless and interesting topic, but the most important thing is to just make friends with your Guardian Angel, turn to him in prayer. There is an inspiring and interesting story of the friendship of St. Padre Pio with his guardian angel. It started very early, as early as childhood. Little Francesco Forgione had his "childhood companion" with deep affection and trustful devotion. This pure spirit accompanied the boy in all moments of his life, especially in difficult times. He strengthened him during numerous troubles, comforted him. Padre Pio could often see the grace of his guardian angel. He even helped him with reading letters written to him in foreign languages that an ordinary monk did not know. Also in the confessional, where Father Pio conducted a dialogue with penitents in foreign languages. What was the help about? In one of his letters, Father Pio explained: "Personalities from heaven do not stop visiting me and give me a foretaste of the intoxicating happiness of saints. And if the task of our Guardian Angel is great, then the task of my Guardian Angel is certainly greater than when he also has a duty to me as a teacher - a translator from foreign languages. " Angel as a translator. The Saint Stigmatic also encouraged others to send him their Guardian Angels at any time of the day or night.
It is worth remembering that angels are an expression of God's closeness and care for us, they are heralds of his caring love. Believers are internally convinced that God is close to them.
In different life situations, they experience that good God cares for them, that he guides, saves and strengthens them. These special experiences of faith gather under the general concept of Divine Providence, but they can also be summarized in the concept of "Guardian Angel".
AA
„Niedziela” 39/2019