Info on Guardian Angels

  • Thread starter Thread starter Steph700
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Steph700

Guest
Maybe some of you could help me…

I am a former evangelical protestant who is hopefully joining the Church next Easter (woo hoo!) and I am a bit puzzled by the whole idea of a guardian angel.

Where did this idea orginate and what is the official teaching of the Church on this matter? I’ve seen a few posts about prayers to guardian angels, etc, but I’d love to get some more background on the whole idea. This is pretty baffling stuff to a convert!
 
So would it be fair to say that guardian angels help us along the road to salvation?

Because I have had very very few devout Catholics in my life, I have often attributed my sudden interest in the Catholic faith (after being staunchly anti-Catholic) to Mary or maybe some of the saints praying for me. I definitely don’t think the desire to learn about Rome came from nowhere… in fact anyone who has known me for longer than the last 2 years would be shocked to learn that I am converting, so this definitely hasn’t come from myself. My question is, does my guardian angel have responsibilities to guide me spiritually? This is all very new to me.
 
Try these links-
catholic.org/saints/anglchoi.php explains the nine types of Angels (choirs).
From the good book-
Mathew 18:10
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.

There are countless references to Angels in the good book. This is a big one about Guardian Angels. It is believed there is 9 choirs (types) of Angels. The only ones we have encountered are Guardian and Archangels. There are Guardian Angels for everyone in this world, parishes, dioceses, countries too.
Countless people have had contact with their Guardian Angels. It’s especially seen in the lives of so many Saints. Try reading the life of St Padre Pio for one example.
And a big welcome to the Church.
 
40.png
Steph700:
So would it be fair to say that guardian angels help us along the road to salvation?

Because I have had very very few devout Catholics in my life, I have often attributed my sudden interest in the Catholic faith (after being staunchly anti-Catholic) to Mary or maybe some of the saints praying for me. I definitely don’t think the desire to learn about Rome came from nowhere… in fact anyone who has known me for longer than the last 2 years would be shocked to learn that I am converting, so this definitely hasn’t come from myself. My question is, does my guardian angel have responsibilities to guide me spiritually? This is all very new to me.
Click to expand...
Yes, guardian angels help us toward salvation. Here is a link which you might find useful: ewtn.com/library/SPIRIT/BAGUARD.TXT

God bless.
 
Glad to have you home. The Guardian Angels are considered to be messangers. I am a cradle Catholic and have ignored my Guardian Angel for years. I just finished a book called"Angels of God,Our Guardians Dear" by Mary Drahos. I found this book to be helpful in re-establishing my relationship with my Guardian Angel.The book teaches about Angels and discribes accounts of angels helping others and how they are present in the Bible.

A very dear Religious friend of mine and our Bishop both suggested to me to ask help from my Guardian when I was undergoing a difficult time in the last few months. Now I talk with my Angel quite frequently.

Good luck on your journey into the BEAUTIFUL CATHOLIC FAITH. The Lord and Blessed Mother have wonderful suprises waiting for you.
 
guardian angel

An angel who is assigned by God to watch over and care for a man during his life upon earth. The general doctrine that angels are thus deputed to protect men in their pathway through life is a matter of Catholic faith, clearly expressed in Scripture. Moreover, theologians commonly teach that every member of the human race at the moment when the soul is infused into the body, is entrusted to the keeping of an individual angel; and that this angel remains his guardian until death, whether the child grow into sinner or saint, pagan or Christian. The guardian angels are selected generally from the lowest choir of angels. A feast in their honor, kept locally in the 16th century, was extended to the Universal Church by Pope Paul V in 1608.

New Catholic Dictionary​

For New Catholic Dictionary- catholic-forum.com/saints/indexncd.htmYou can give your Guardian Angel a name. And talk familiarly with him. A great friend he is.
 
40.png
Tietjen:
Yes, guardian angels help us toward salvation. Here is a link which you might find useful: ewtn.com/library/SPIRIT/BAGUARD.TXT

God bless.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this in-depth link, I will read it soon when I have a chance.

Sword, thank you for the helpful link. It was great b/c it provided some historical views of guardian angels.

John, many thanks to you as well for your (name removed by moderator)ut. I have a couple questions about what you posted. First, the link gave 9 choirs of angels- only 4 of whom are mentioned in the Bible (seraphim, cherubim, archangels and angels). What about the other 5? Where did they come from?
Also, where do we get the tradition that there is an angel for every parish, country, etc.

If anyone else has answers please feel free to join in.
 
40.png
blourdes:
Glad to have you home. The Guardian Angels are considered to be messangers. I am a cradle Catholic and have ignored my Guardian Angel for years. I just finished a book called"Angels of God,Our Guardians Dear" by Mary Drahos. I found this book to be helpful in re-establishing my relationship with my Guardian Angel.The book teaches about Angels and discribes accounts of angels helping others and how they are present in the Bible.

A very dear Religious friend of mine and our Bishop both suggested to me to ask help from my Guardian when I was undergoing a difficult time in the last few months. Now I talk with my Angel quite frequently.

Good luck on your journey into the BEAUTIFUL CATHOLIC FAITH. The Lord and Blessed Mother have wonderful suprises waiting for you.
Click to expand...
Thanks. 🙂

This is a lot to take on board… as an Evangelical I was taught that my relationship with Jesus is the most important and the only relationship I really need. I still believe that Catholicism stresses a personal relationship with Jesus even though it may not be commonly phrased that way (after all, what could be more personal that actually eating the body and drinking the blood of Jesus! great stuff!). But in the meantime, along with having to re-learn a lot of theology and change my view of Church history I am also finding that I should be praying to Mary, that I should be praying to the saints, and that I should be paying attention to my guardian angel. I agree with all of these things and don’t find anything wrong with them.

But do any of you find it hard to balance time spent focussing on Jesus/time spent praying to Mary/time spent praying to the saints/time spent praying to your guardian angel?
 
40.png
Steph700:
Thanks for this in-depth link, I will read it soon when I have a chance.

Sword, thank you for the helpful link. It was great b/c it provided some historical views of guardian angels.

John, many thanks to you as well for your (name removed by moderator)ut. I have a couple questions about what you posted. First, the link gave 9 choirs of angels- only 4 of whom are mentioned in the Bible (seraphim, cherubim, archangels and angels). What about the other 5? Where did they come from?
Also, where do we get the tradition that there is an angel for every parish, country, etc.

If anyone else has answers please feel free to join in.
Click to expand...
Not all are mentioned in scripture. The nine choirs ( going from memory) is propsed by a sixth century theologian. I don’t believe it is taught by the Church. But is widely believed.Try the following link for the Catechism (CCC) of the Catholic Church-
ccc.scborromeo.org.master.com/texis/master/search/?sufs=0&q=+angels&xsubmit=Search&s=SS
Saints have met Guardian Angels as they enter dioceses and parishes etc. At Fatima St Michael the Archangel said he was the Guardian Angel of Portugal. We get a lot of this from private revelations to very holy and trustworthy Saints.
You need to understand that whether you pray to Mary, Angels etc. All the glory and the prayer is ultimately directed to God. So go with what feels right here. You will change from time to time.
You don’t need to pray to each one every day.
 
40.png
Steph700:
But do any of you find it hard to balance time spent focussing on Jesus/time spent praying to Mary/time spent praying to the saints/time spent praying to your guardian angel?
Click to expand...
Welcome to the Catholic Church Steph700!
Try thinking about time spent praying to the saints and angels as time spent praying *with *them. Jesus is present whenever two or three are gathered in His name, and He’s there participating in your prayer time with His friends. Think of it as a conversation together with a couple of friends.

I found this great Guardian Angels prayer that asks the intercession of the guardian angels of all sorts of people. Since then, I’ve started calling on the guardian angels of others to pray with me for them when I’m praying for someone. I’m guessing some of those angels may never have had any human ask them to pray before.

My mother named my guardian angel for me, so I can call on him by a name. I expect if I get to heaven I will see that he helped me at several key points in my life when I knew something was there protecting me.
 
40.png
Steph700:
Thanks. 🙂

This is a lot to take on board… as an Evangelical I was taught that my relationship with Jesus is the most important and the only relationship I really need. I . . . . But do any of you find it hard to balance time spent focussing on Jesus/time spent praying to Mary/time spent praying to the saints/time spent praying to your guardian angel?
Click to expand...
the husband and wife need to put their relationship ahead of all family demands, it is the most important and defining of their human relationships. Does this mean they neglect their relationships with children, parents, brothers and sisters, neighbors, co-workers, community etc.? No of course not. Jesus never demands that, his instruction to us is all about right relationships with others, and assisting each other in unity. His last plea to his disciples before he died was unity. How can their be unity without relationships? that unity is all-encompassing, comprising those who love Jesus, whether living on earth, with Him in heaven, or waiting for union with Him in purgatory. If that were not true, He would not have descended to the dead to bring them into that unity.
 
I understand why we believe we all have a guardian angel, it’s because of the reference Jesus made to them.

But my question is… what do they do?

If pagans and in fact all non-believers have one then what do they do for them? Should they be whispering “the truth” to them?

“Guardian” suggests some kind of guidance, care and protection but I don’t see it.

It’s a confusing subject.

Should I pray to the The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit, Our Lady, The Saints or my Guardian Angel?

All hear me equally - I’m led to believe.

I’ve never actually seen the point and I’ve never prayed to my Guardian Angel, maybe I should.

But then why is that different to asking Our Lady or a Saint for intercession?
 
40.png
John_19_59:
Should I pray to the The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit, Our Lady, The Saints or my Guardian Angel?

All hear me equally - I’m led to believe.

I’ve never actually seen the point and I’ve never prayed to my Guardian Angel, maybe I should.

But then why is that different to asking Our Lady or a Saint for intercession?
Click to expand...
Our Lady receives petitions from all practicing Catholics. I find it a great comfort to know that God Himself has assigned a specific angel to me alone. The angel knows everything about me. The angel has been by my side since conception and will remain at my side throughout life. The angel’s purpose is to guide me, assist me through difficult times, and enjoy with me glorious times. I do not know my angel’s name but my angel knows mine and my angel knows when I call. I realize that for many who have held Protestant beliefs this sounds like it takes away from the Lord. However, rather than look at the situation incorrectly, you need to understand that Catholics do NOT replace God with angels. You can of course pray directly to Father, Son, and Hold Ghost (and SHOULD) but that does not mean nothing else exists outside of God. Think of it in earthly terms for a moment. God is King and He has a court. Within that court, He has MANY appointed administrators and subjects. The Queen Mother (Mary) should not be ignored because she is not the ruler. Neither should a minister of His court, or a messenger from the court of God (a Guardian Angel). The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to give the greatest message ever sent by God. Mary heeded the words of the messenger and obeyed. God certainly could have appeared directly to Mary, but He chose to send one of His messengers and He knew that the obedient messenger would not fail. The Catholic Church believes in God’s court (Kingdom) and teaches that His Kingdom has many such messengers. God values each life He has created. Is it really so hard to conceive that He assigns an angel to watch, instruct, and assist those He loves?

Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
To whom God’s love
commits me here,
Ever this day,
be at my side,
To light and guard,
Rule and guide.
 
Is it really so hard to conceive that He assigns an angel to watch, instruct, and assist those He loves?

No its not hard, I believe that some people at least must have an Angel who is before God. Our Lord said so. Although the exact meaning of what He said is hard to figure.

My query is what do the angels of those who don’t believe they have angels do?

Seems like a waste of an angel.
 
40.png
John_19_59:
My query is what do the angels of those who don’t believe they have angels do?

Seems like a waste of an angel.
Click to expand...
Even though I wanted to believe in angels, I couldn’t quite get it, until I discovered a TV show called “Touched By An Angel”. Some people might’ve found it cheesey and hokey, but I gotta admit, it often got me all teary-eyed. I’m not sure how theologically correct it was, but it did help me understand a little better how it doesn’t matter what we believe. Our guardian angels are still here with us, watching over us whether we like it or not, bringing subtle messages from God, trying to let us know that “God loves you”, whether we choose to listen or not.
 
Guardian Angels help everyone , even atheists. We can’t always perceive this. But it is so. They limit the evil done by many. They are constantly whispering in the souls of all. They help us materially and spiritually. They proteect us etc etc. The following prayer is a good one. Imagine that the Angel is the one doing our lords work in it. It may shed some light. Jesus sweated blood at the thought of so many souls being lost in His agony in the garden. The Angels would probably weep if they could at the loss of their subject. But that does not stop them helping all until death.

**** Foot Prints**

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was
walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the
sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene,
he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one
belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.When the
last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked
back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that
many times along the path there was only one set of
footprints. **

**He also noticed that it happened at the
very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really
bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.
'Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you’d walk with me all of the way. But I have noticed
that during the most troublesome times in my life, there
is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why
when I needed you most you would leave me.

The Lord replied,
“My precious, precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your time of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints, it was then
that I carried you.”
**
 
Here’s a prayer i say every morning. Spirit Protector,who gives constant protection to me,my loved ones and my friends who help me. Give guidance to those who assist me with answers to my lifes problems and give comfort to my soul. Reveal to me what i must do today and tomorrow and give strength and courage to my afflicted spirit. Make my problems disappear and restore my faith. [here concentrate on your desires] AMEN.
 
40.png
Steph700:
So would it be fair to say that guardian angels help us along the road to salvation?

Because I have had very very few devout Catholics in my life, I have often attributed my sudden interest in the Catholic faith (after being staunchly anti-Catholic) to Mary or maybe some of the saints praying for me. I definitely don’t think the desire to learn about Rome came from nowhere… in fact anyone who has known me for longer than the last 2 years would be shocked to learn that I am converting, so this definitely hasn’t come from myself. My question is, does my guardian angel have responsibilities to guide me spiritually? This is all very new to me.
Click to expand...
We all have a guardian angel. They do help protect you. They are sort of your conscience. As little children we were taught a prayer:
Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love committs me near.
Ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, to guide, Amen.

I don’t remember the bible references, but there are some I believe. If you can’t find them ask again. Many people have dramatic experiences whey they actually feel that they met their angel or felt their angel.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top