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“The Guardian Angel”
by Carlo Dolci, 1675 |
Readings for the Memorial of the Guardian Angels [1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Note: for this memorial the Gospel from the Proper readings is used.
Reading 1: Zechariah 8:1-8
This word of the LORD of hosts came:
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
I am intensely jealous for Zion,
stirred to jealous wrath for her.
Thus says the LORD:
I will return to Zion,
and I will dwell within Jerusalem;
Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city,
and the mountain of the LORD of hosts,
the holy mountain.
Thus says the LORD of hosts: Old men and old women,
each with staff in hand because of old age,
shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem.
The city shall be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets.
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Even if this should seem impossible
in the eyes of the remnant of this people,
shall it in those days be impossible in my eyes also,
says the LORD of hosts?
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Lo, I will rescue my people from the land of the rising sun,
and from the land of the setting sun.
I will bring them back to dwell within Jerusalem.
They shall be my people, and I will be their God,
with faithfulness and justice.
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Commentary on Zec 8:1-8
The prophet Zechariah was a contemporary of Ezra and Haggai. In these first five of the ten prophecies found in Zechariah, there are a series of pronouncements about what God wants from his scatted people (not just the Babylonian exiles but all the Jewish people). The prophet issues God’s call to the people to come back from exile to Zion. He calls the future Jerusalem a faithful city, one of great importance to the faith: a Holy Mountain, a high place, dedicated to God where he resides in a special way. He issues God’s call for the people to return in faith, that the city might be reborn in greatness. We may see it as a call to conversion, a return to a more steadfast faith in the New Jerusalem – Christ’s kingdom.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 and 22-23
R. (17) The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
The nations shall revere your name, O LORD,
and all the kings of the earth your glory,
When the LORD has rebuilt Zion
and appeared in his glory;
When he has regarded the prayer of the destitute,
and not despised their prayer.
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
Let this be written for the generation to come,
and let his future creatures praise the Lord:
“The LORD looked down from his holy height,
from heaven he beheld the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoners,
to release those doomed to die.”
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
The children of your servants shall abide,
and their posterity shall continue in your presence.
That the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion;
and his praise, in Jerusalem,
When the peoples gather together,
and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
R. The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory.
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Commentary on Ps 102:16-18, 19-21, 29 and 22-23
Psalm 102 is an individual lament. In these strophes, we find the cry of the people in the desert once more being directed to the Lord. The psalmist, expressing trust in the mercy of God asks for a release from suffering and bondage for the people (“The Lord looked down from his holy height, from heaven he beheld the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoners, to release those doomed to die”). The singer gives us a prayer of thanksgiving for the restoration of the people to Israel after the Diaspora. God brought them back from their captivity and reestablished them in Zion. The prayer prefigures God’s salvation offered in the New Jerusalem – God’s heavenly kingdom.
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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 (although it was superseded by the Sunday solemnity) 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 Guardians 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. May we accept God’s angelic aid and feel the peace flowing from his Son on this day.
Pax
[1] The picture is “The Guardian Angel” by Carlo Dolci, 1675.
[2] S.S Commemoratio
455/650[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.
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