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| “The Guardian Angel” by Carlo Dolci, 1675 |
Commentary:
Note: for this memorial the Gospel of the Proper is used.
Reading 1: Zechariah 8:1-8
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 scattered 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
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
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.
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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 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.
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 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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