"Their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father Who is in heaven."

 Amici, a chairde,

Today is October 2, the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels.

Perhaps the most famous Biblical passage about Guardian Angels is St Matthew 18:10

"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."

Guardian Angels are a not a formal doctrine of the Catholic Faith. That Angels exist is a dogma, but Guardian Angels is an ancient belief, formally defined or not. "That every individual soul has a guardian angel has never been defined by the Church, and is, consequently, not an article of faith; but it is the 'mind of the Church', as St. Jerome expressed it: 'how great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it.' (Comm. in Matt., xviii, lib. II)." This is from the 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia at the New Advent site. For theological detail on Angels in general, and the Church teaching thereof, see this encyclopedia article. for the historical development of the Feast.

St Peter certainly had a Guardian Angel. See Acts 12:15: "You are out of your mind," they told her. But when she kept insisting it was so (i.e. that the imprisoned St. Peter was miraculously at the gate), they said, "It must be his angel." Clearly, by Our Lord's own words, children have Angels, and but this story from Acts, it is clear adults have Angels. Historically, theologians argued back and forth whether everyone has Guardian Angels.

Does everyone have a Guardian Angel? This from the Encyclopedia:

St. Thomas teaches us (Summa Theologica I:113:4) that only the lowest orders of angels are sent to men, and consequently that they alone are our guardians, though Scotus and Durandus would rather say that any of the members of the angelic host may be sent to execute the Divine commands. Not only the baptized, but every soul that cometh into the world receives a guardian spirit; St. Basil, however (Homily on Psalm 43), and possibly St. Chrysostom (Homily 3 on Colossians) would hold that only Christians were so privileged.

It is one of the greatest meditations on God that he created so many Angels in the first place, and that life on Earth is itself so "plush", so exuberant, so over-the-top abounding in life, that this probably reflects their spirit world (things visible and invisible). It's hardly a stretch to comprehend the Lord God just creating Spirit Life as abundantly as the biological life here below. The Bible of course has a number of quotes about the many hosts of Angels. Just one example, Hebrews 12:22 "But you are come to mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the company of many thousands of angels...". "Thousands of thousands, thousands of hosts of Angels" is a typical style of putting it. And this from Revelation 5:11 "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures, and the ancients; and the number of them was thousands of thousands,...".

There's enough Angels, clearly, for God to appoint one to you.

In fact, Fr. Ripperger, the Exorcist, says that when created, each Angel was given a specific task. If the Angels refused, off to Hell he went. Satan, Lucifer, the Lightbringer, the Star of the Morning, one of the greatest of Angels, was given the task, Fr. Ripperger says, of being the Guardian Angel of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He refused. This, remember, from an exorcist who has forced many a demon to tell him information, information he extracts via inflicting severe pain on the devil. Go here for Fr. Ripperger's one hour long lecture on Guardia Angels. It is, of course, excellent and very well worth the time.

In any event, from this perspective, there's no doubt everyone has a Guardian Angel. And they chose to be your Guardian Angel, so, be right with them. Don't hurt them by sinful acts, and thank them for all they do. Today is their special Feast but you can (and should) thank them every day.

One great way to thank them is to recite this Traditional Catholic Litany for Guardian Angels. It takes a few minutes but it's a beautiful series of prayerful truths about the "Angel of Heaven, who dost love me tenderly."

From the Collect for today, from the TLM:

O God, who in Thine ineffable Providence hast deigned to send Thy holy Angels to keep watch over us: grant to us Thy suppliant people, that we may always be defended by their protection, and may rejoice in their fellowship for ever. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Three in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

         AnP