http://www.tribtimes.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] Nov 16, 2002
THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 19, GOD WILLING (James 4:15). (Mat 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. <http://www.archdiocese-phl.org/cs&t/current/index.htm>OUR CELESTIAL BODYGUARDS “The Angels of Jesus do not sleep!” St. Gemma Galgani said one night to her Guardian Angel. “Nevertheless, I ought to sleep,” the Angel replied with a smile on his face. “Where shall you put me?” She commanded him to stay near her all night, which he did, by stretching himself out above her head with his wings spread. The 22-year-old saint completed this entry in her diary by saying, “In the morning, he was still there.” St. Gemma, an Italian mystic who died in 1903, had the gift of seeing her Guardian Angel throughout her entire life and was shocked when she learned other people couldn't do the same. Another popular saint who had a strong relationship with his Guardian Angel was St. Pio of Pietrelcina. He often sent his Angel on errands and regularly received the Angels of his spiritual children when in need of prayer, including those in Purgatory. One night, he had so many of these Angelic visitations that he complained in the morning, “Those Guardian Angels kept me awake all night!” St. Frances of Rome, who died in 1440, was another soul gifted with the ability to see angels in human form. In her diary, she once described an Archangel sent to protect her. “He resembled in stature a boy of nine, but only a little taller . . . . He had lively sparkling eyes and the sweetest expression on his lovely face. He wore a white tunic and over it a tunicle that reached to his feet, clear as light and of an ethereal color, something like sky-blue and flaming red. His hair was like spun gold, long enough to cover his neck and shoulders. . . .” That every soul has a guardian angel has never been defined by the Church and is not an article of faith, but is repeatedly implied throughout Scripture. The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides guidance on angels, section 328-336. The Church Fathers have provided us with the most definitive information about these guardians who stand at our side. St. Anselm, for instance, believed that “every soul is committed to an angel when it is united with the body.” St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that not only do baptized Christians receive an angel, but so does every member of the human race. These guardians never leave us, even when we sin, and will accompany us to our eternal reward of heaven or purgatory. Their power is best illustrated in the famous story of St. Peter who was freed from prison by his Guardian Angel. This Angel had the power to put the guards to sleep, make the iron chains drop off of St. Peter's wrists and ankles, and open every locked door in their path to freedom. That our angels have the power to do these things, and more, is beyond dispute, but they will do nothing outside of the will of God. How they operate is almost as fascinating as they are. They “speak” to us all the time, but with an interior voice — a mental suggestion — much like the Prophet Zachariah's revelations from an angel who spoke “in him” not “to him.” Some of the more specific functions they perform for us include: Physical Protection One of the main duties our Guardian Angels have is protecting us from danger to our bodies and souls. They protect our corporal life by shielding us from sudden danger or come to our help when we are hurt. There are thousands of stories of “strangers” who appeared to people in times of danger just long enough to help them before disappearing from sight. For most of us, we will not know how many perils our Angel prevented us from experiencing until after we die. Spiritual Protection Our Guardian Angels' greatest job is saving our immortal souls. They do this by exciting pious thoughts or fear of God's judgment. They keep devils away, or at least prevent them from doing all they'd like to do. Guardian Angels prevent demonic activity by running a kind of “interference pattern,” through the interjection of good thoughts for evil ones, suggesting paths that lead away from sin, and strengthening us in times of temptation. Enlighten and Instruct Us Sometimes our Guardian Angels will allow us to suffer and experience trials or violent temptations in order to humble us or give us an opportunity to do penance and atone for our faults. For this reason, the Greek Fathers called the Guardian Angels “Pedagogues,” or better yet, spiritual directors. Even an accident will sometimes be permitted in order to give us the occasion for even greater merit, such as in the case of Tobit, whose angel could have easily prevented the blindness that plagued him for so many years. In Tobit's case, these afflictions are sometimes allowed in order to gain us greater merit. Accompany Us Through Death It is a common Christian belief that our Guardian Angels are working the hardest while we are in our final agonies, warding off the last temptations of Satan, which are never stronger than in those last few hours of life on earth. When our souls leave our bodies, it will be our Guardian Angels' duty to escort us to our judgment, then to purgatory if necessary. If we are in need of further purification, our Angel will often visit us in purgatory to comfort us, and will go off in search of friends and relatives to remind them to pray for us and thus gain us the fastest possible release. At the end of our suffering, it will be this same angel who accompanies us to paradise. Guardian Angels are said to be among the lowest choir of angels. Archangels, members of the next choir, are sometimes given to souls who will perform specific work for the Almighty during their tenure on earth. The next choir, the Principalities, are generally considered to be the guardians of cities, nations, churches and parishes. Many saints in the course of our history have been known to never greet an individual without addressing a silent greeting to the heavenly companion at their side. During time of war and civil unrest, the faithful have turned to the angels guarding their towns and countries for protection and there are innumerable accounts of divine intervention attributed to these angelic sentinels. That we are personally attended by an unseen power is a fact of life too often overlooked by the faithful. One can only imagine how much different our lives might be if we resorted more often to the ready assistance of our celestial body guards. <http://home.attbi.com/%7Ehereiamlord/ladder.html>Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 18- "On sleep, prayer and psalmody" 6. In chanting with many, it is impossible to pray with the wordless prayer of the spirit. But your mind should be engaged in contemplation of the words being chanted or read, or you should say some definite prayer while you are waiting for the alternate verse to be chanted. ---------- <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] TRIB TIMES>Click here and press "send" to reserve your free daily emailed copy of the Trib Times! Prayer request? Send an email to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED] God bless you! William Zambrano MD ---------- Visit <http://www.InJesus.com/MyGroups.cfm>My InJesus to manage your subscriptions, change your profile, or check out thousands of other great ministry groups. Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED] Tribulation Times Members Recommend: <http://www.InJesus.com/Books/Redir.cfm?prodid=CA000NBI&messageid=FA0071GK&groupid=1B0069DO&memberid=0B006DPX&placement=4>Exploring Worship: A Practical Guide to Praise & Worship by Bob Sorge --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Please note that I do not send or open attachments sent to this list. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Catholics on Fire" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Catholics-on-Fire May the blessing of Jesus and our Blessed Mother be with you -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
