Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels
October 2, 2020
Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy, we pray with Psalm 139, one of the most beautiful psalms. It is a perfect choice for the feast of the Guardian Angels, those magnificent beings who carry God’s Presence to us in every situation of our lives.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
Angels are woven throughout the scriptures. They are mentioned nearly 300 times. I found this website so interesting. I enjoyed going over the stories, some of which I had never noticed before.
But today, what we celebrate is that each one of us has our own Guardian Angel. We might think of that Being as a friend, a guide, a protector, a bridge to the Divine, an inspirer.
Maybe the only angels we ever think about are chubby little cherubs on Christmas cards. The cultural tendency to represent angels in that way diminishes the real power of these mighty and loving beings to inspire and guide us. Today might be a day to rethink our relationship with our Guardian Angels.
Poem: Touched by an Angel by Maya Angelou
We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.
Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.
We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free
Music: Angel’s Serenade – Gaetano Braga
Lavish Mercy 