Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

Proper readings for the Memorial of The Holy Guardian Angels

Additional information about the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

“The Guardian Angel”
by Pietro Da Cortona 1656

 
Readings for Saturday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
Note: for this memorial the Gospel of the Proper is used.
 
Reading 1: Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29
 
Fear not, my people!
Remember, Israel,
You were sold to the nations
not for your destruction;
It was because you angered God
that you were handed over to your foes.
For you provoked your Maker
with sacrifices to demons, to no-gods;
You forsook the Eternal God who nourished you,
and you grieved Jerusalem who fostered you.
She indeed saw coming upon you
the anger of God; and she said:
 
“Hear, you neighbors of Zion!
God has brought great mourning upon me,
For I have seen the captivity
that the Eternal God has brought
upon my sons and daughters.
With joy I fostered them;
but with mourning and lament I let them go.
Let no one gloat over me, a widow,
bereft of many:
For the sins of my children I am left desolate,
because they turned from the law of God.
 
Fear not, my children; call out to God!
He who brought this upon you will remember you.
As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God,
turn now ten times the more to seek him;
For he who has brought disaster upon you
will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy.”
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Commentary on Bar 4:5-12, 27-29
 
This passage marks the change in the Book of Baruch from the lessons taught to the people through their exile to a representation of Jerusalem. In his first prophetic discourse, the holy city is given voice as it laments the sin of the people who have turned away from God and will be carried away as a punishment. She (Jerusalem) cries to the returnees to come back to the Lord who is their salvation. God's mercy is expressed through the prophet reminiscent of last part of the book of Isaiah (cf. Isaiah 60:1-4; 63:7-9; 66:10-11) and some of Jeremiah's oracles (cf. Jeremiah 30:18-22). The passage is both a song of consolation and an exhortation to turn to the Lord. [4]
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 69:33-35, 36-37
 
R. (34) The Lord listens to the poor.
 
“See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,
the seas and whatever moves in them!”
R. The Lord listens to the poor
 
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
They shall dwell in the land and own it,
and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. The Lord listens to the poor.
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Commentary on Ps 69:33-35, 36-37
 
As if responding to the cry of Zion (Jerusalem) lamenting the sins of her people, the singer of this passage from Psalm 69 pleads for salvation and hope, that the Lord will provide help for those faithful to him.
 
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Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10

The disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?"
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."
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Commentary on Mt 18:1-5, 10

This Gospel passage is used on the Feast of the Guardian Angels each year. The event is also recorded in St. Luke’s Gospel at Luke 9:46-50. The major difference is that here in St. Matthew’s Gospel, the Lord speaks directly of the guardian angels who protect and watch over the children in the presence of the Heavenly Father, as opposed to going on to another saying of Jesus. The emphasis in this passage changes from a treatise on humility to one which emphasizes God’s care for those who are most helpless, his children.

CCC: Mt 18:3-4 526; Mt 18:3 2785; Mt 18:10 329, 336 
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Reflection:
 
Taking the flow of celebrations in the Church over the days leading up to this date, it almost seems as if we have been building up to the memorial of Guardian Angels. We have celebrated the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, and just yesterday the Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus. From divine messengers and saints who invite us to be as children in accepting their divine aid, the guardian angels present themselves in this memorial, an angelic presence, reminding us that God cares for us all and is with us constantly.
 
It is an opportunity for us all to reflect upon this question: If Jesus tells us the guardian angels exist and are real (“I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father"), do we accept and believe that aid is at hand, or do we continue to fear, thinking we are alone, fighting against the world with only our own strength to protect us? After all, we do not see the angelic messengers. We do not observe them actively participating in our lives. Unlike their depiction in the movies, objects and people do not fly around, guided by the hosts of heaven.
 
Ultimately, we are given God’s assurance that his messengers are here with us, that at once they face outward watching over us and inward, worshiping God and His Son in the Heavenly Kingdom. We are called once more today to have the faith of a child as we go about our day’s activities. We should also not forget all those times we have been rescued by our guardian angels.  May we accept God’s angelic aid and feel the peace flowing from his Son on this day.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture is “The Guardian Angel” by Pietro Da Cortona 1656.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio 459/650
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] The Navarre Bible: “Major Prophets,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 574.