Guardian Angels

[jeanne71350]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been very interested in guardian angels lately. I believe I saw mine working (Mary too) one night when I was hit in the face with a lit firework and I didn’t even get a mark or anything. Some people say that if you pray you can know your angel’s name, I also know that some people say that they can tell you your angel’s name. I’m kinda leery about those people, but I’m just wondering if it is ok to pray to know your angel’s name, or is it superstitious? It would help me to pray to him/her more knowing a name. How would one do that? Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

-Jeanne

 

[thistle]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been very interested in guardian angels lately. I believe I saw mine working (Mary too) one night when I was hit in the face with a lit firework and I didn’t even get a mark or anything. Some people say that if you pray you can know your angel’s name, I also know that some people say that they can tell you your angel’s name. I’m kinda leery about those people, but I’m just wondering if it is ok to pray to know your angel’s name, or is it superstitious? It would help me to pray to him/her more knowing a name. How would one do that? Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

-Jeanne

Popular devotion to the holy angels, which is legitimate and good, can, however, also give rise to possible deviations … [such as the]** practice of assigning names to the holy angels [which] should be discouraged**, except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael whose names are contained in holy Scripture (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy 217).

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

Hi everyone,

I’ve been very interested in guardian angels lately. I believe I saw mine working (Mary too) one night when I was hit in the face with a lit firework and I didn’t even get a mark or anything. Some people say that if you pray you can know your angel’s name, I also know that some people say that they can tell you your angel’s name. I’m kinda leery about those people, but I’m just wondering if it is ok to pray to know your angel’s name, or is it superstitious? It would help me to pray to him/her more knowing a name. How would one do that? Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

-Jeanne

I think the Church has condemned the practice of seeking the name of your Guardian Angel, or naming your Guardian Angel unless it is either Michael, Raphael or Gabriel (essentially the angels named in Scripture). The reason for this is because seeking the name of your Guardian Angel can put you into a vulnerable position of being fooled by evil forces. This is especially true given the fact that angels are all the rage in this modern “New Age” movement, so the Church wants you to be safe and to avoid anything that puts your soul on the line.

That said, if you were to receive the name of your Guardian Angel without seeking his name first, then it wouldn’t be sinful. Clearly God would want you to know, and I have no doubt that there are some people in this world who have received the name of their Guardian Angel through private revelation, although it is best to use proper discernment or to get a priest/spiritual director involved in the matter.

I’m not trying to be a prude or anything (I myself am devoted to the St. Michael Chaplet, and I love reading about angelic stories!), but we really do need to be careful when dealing with this topic. Remember, there is a spiritual world out there, and it is easy for a human to get manipulated down the wrong path.

Thank you,
Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk