In this article Fr. talks about our Guardian Angels. Many times, people ask about Guardian Angels. They want to know the details about the Guardian Angels. 

Some people want to know if we are allowed to name our Guardian Angels. What is the teaching of the church with respect to Guardian Angels? 

There are some people who ask how many Guardian Angels are there for each one of us? There are so many questions people ask. 

Before we get an answer to all these questions, let us know about the natures and characters of Angels.

We all know and are familiar with the prayer to the Guardian Angel. So, let us recite that prayer before we start to know about the Guardian Angel. 

“Angel of God, my Guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here. Ever this day, be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.”

How many of us know this prayer? This prayer is supposed to be recited by everyone. This is one of the first prayers that parents teach their children because they are worried about their children’s protection.

Normally parents ensure that their children learn this prayer by heart and that they say this prayer every day. So that their Guardian Angel will guard them from all dangers and problems of their daily life. 

That is why normally this prayer is recited mostly by the children. But in fact, God has given this prayer to all of us – from children to adults and even the old people.

Guardian Angels are appointed by God, not only for the children but for every human being. From the moment we are conceived in the womb of our mother, each one of us gets one Guardian Angel.

Now for some historical facts. The Divine Retreat Centre (DRC), Ramsgate, was initially St. Augustine’s Abbey. It was a Benedictine monastery before. The DRC bought this Abbey from them. 

It used to be called St. Augustine’s Abbey. It is almost 200 years old. Previously, the St. Augustine’s Abbey was in Canterbury. It is just a half an hour distance from Ramsgate.

In the 6^th century when St. Augustine of Canterbury, a Benedictine monk, first landed in Ramsgate, he went to Canterbury and established the St. Augustine Abbey there in Canterbury. 

There were so many holy monks who lived in St. Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury. But during the Reformation, King Henry the VIII destroyed St. Augustine’s Abbey. 

Then later when the Catholic Church regained the freedom to worship publicly, then St. Augustine’s Abbey, Ramsgate, was built. The St. Augustine’s Abbey from Canterbury was shifted to Ramsgate. 

The chapel where Frs.  celebrate the Holy Mass, the Benedictine monks used to sit around and celebrate Mass and pray together. It continued for around 200 years. 

All this is being told because the Guardian Angel prayer was first written by a Benedictine monk from the St. Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury.

For many years it was believed that St. Anselm of Canterbury was the one who wrote it. But the recent scholars say that it was monk Blessed Reginald of Canterbury who wrote this prayer. It was around the 11^th century.

It was from St. Augustine’s Abbey that this prayer started and now it has spread to the whole world. Therefore, on Guardian Angel’s feast day, when they celebrate the Holy Mass in St. Augustine’s Abbey, it is a great honour.

We thank the Lord because the Lord has used this Abbey to start this prayer of Guardian Angel. There are millions and billions of Guardian Angels. According to the teachings of the Church there are nine grades of Angels.

The nine grades of Angels are:

• Seraphim 
• Cherubim 
• Thrones 
• Dominions 
• Virtues 
• Powers 
• Principalities 
• Archangels 
• Angels 

These are the nine sections of Angels. But in totality how many Angels are there? For each individual there is an Angel. When every human being is born on this earth, there is an Angel assigned to them.

So once the person dies, the Angel goes back to heaven and he will not be assigned for any other person. Because one Angel is for one human being forever and for eternity.

That means from the beginning of universe until now, billions of human beings have come and gone. They were born and then they died. 

For each and every one of them, there was an Angel. If that is the case, we can imagine how many billions and billions of Angels are there in this world and in the universe.

That is why some scholars say that 99 percent of God’s creations are invisible. God created this whole universe. We can see the whole universe, planets, solar systems, clusters and supernova. 

All these things are visible through binoculars and other powerfully advanced technologies available to see these things. Whatever we use, we are able to see and find the whole universe – most of it or lots of it.

But the scholars, the Church Fathers, everyone, believe that out of all the creations of God, 99 percent of the creations are invisible to the human eye.

Colossians 1:15-16, ¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, ¹⁶for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him.

The created things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – these are different varieties of levels of Angels. All things have been created through him and for him.

So, you can imagine how important Jesus is. Of the whole creations in heaven and on earth, we see only what is here on earth. But there are creatures, creations in heaven. There are creations which are visible and invisible.

There are millions and billions of creatures invisible to our human eyes. It is biblically proven and there is also a belief of the early Christians that there were Angels from the beginning of the bible until the end.

In the book of Genesis, they speak about Angels – The Angels guarding the paradise. We also read about Angels appearing to the Patriarchs many times. 

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they all witnessed them. Jacob saw the vision of Angels coming down and going up. All of the Patriarchs have had powerful encounters with Angels. 

This is one of the most powerful beliefs of the Church – the reality and existence of Angels. It is one of the professions of our faith. 

So, from the beginning of creation and even now there are encounters of Angels. It is written in the Bible and also in the Salvation History. 

Who announced the Annunciation? Angel Gabriel announced the annunciation. The one who was protecting the Holy Family. The Angel announcing through dreams and visions to St. Joseph. 

St. Joseph was the one who was protecting the Holy Family through guidance and help from the Guardian Angel. For the Holy Family the Guardian Angel was Angel Gabriel. Angel Gabriel led them through difficulties.

Later, when Jesus was going through the temptations after his 40 days of fasting, the Angels came and waited on him during that time. Not one but many Angels came to him. Jesus had many Angels.

One Angel is appointed by God for each and every human being at birth; to take care of us, to help us and to support us.

What is the duty of an Angel? Angel is not a name. Angel means duty. What is the duty? Giving messages. ‘Angel’ means messenger – messenger or minister. That is the meaning of ‘Angel’. 

Hebrew 1:14, ¹⁴Are not all angels’ spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Angels do not have a physical body. They have spiritual bodies. They are spirits. They have a spiritual body and a spiritual identity; they have intellect and they have will.

Angels are spirits in the divine service. The Angels are sent by God to serve the people of God for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. So, the Angels are appointed to serve you, for the sake of salvation.

Who has the authority on Guardian Angels? We have no authority on the Guardian Angels. The Guardian Angel is submissive to the Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Guardian Angels always listen to them and are appointed by them to help us and to support us. We cannot control them. But we can request them and they will help us. 

We do not have any authority over them. We are not their rulers. But we can be ruled by them. If we are submissive to the Angels, we will be ruled by them.

That is why the Church always discourages us to name our Guardian Angel. There are many people who ask if we can name our Guardian Angel. 

The Church has a rule in place. As especially it is written in the directory on popular piety and liturgy, the principles and guidelines published by Vatican from the Congregation for Divine Worship.

There is a document published by the Congregation for Divine Worship, paragraph number 217. It says, very clearly, that the Church discourages people from naming their Guardian Angels.

The reason why we are not allowed to name our Guardian Angel is because when we name somebody, it means we have the authority over that thing. 

That is why after God’s creation, Adam started naming all the things, all the animals which were brought before him by God. God entrusted the whole world under the authority of Adam. That is why he was naming everything. 

When a child is born. the father has the right and duty to name the child. But with regard to Jesus and Mother Mary, the name was already given. 

God the Father appointed the name and told them to name the child by that name. Even for Mother Mary, tradition says her name was already revealed from heaven. Even John the Baptist.

Because they are heavenly beings and they are sent from heaven. They are messengers for the salvation. Their name was given from heaven. Otherwise, it is the father or mother, especially the father who names the child.

It means you have the authority. You have full control. That is why when you buy a pet, you name them. Because they are under your authority.

Guardian Angels are under the authority of God. They are appointed by God to rule and guide. That is why we pray to Angels. 

We say the Guardian Angel’s prayer to rule and guide. To rule us, to guide us, to help us, to support us and therefore it is God who has already named them.

They have a name and God has named them. We don’t need to name them and control them. This is about naming of Guardian Angels. 

In case if we have named our Guardian Angel, we need not worry, because it is not a sin. Only that it is discouraged by the Church. The church discourages people from naming our Guardian Angels. It’s not a matter of sin or virtues.

But at the same time three names are allowed or permitted. They are Angel Gabriel, Angel Raphael and St. Michael. Because these names are already revealed to us in the bible. Rest of the names are not revealed to us. Therefore, we are not allowed to name them. 

There are so many characters or characteristics of Angels. Angels are spiritual beings. How do they communicate? They have intellect and they have will. The mode of communication for them is through will. Through will, they speak to the other Angels.

So, it works as from will to will and mind to mind communication. They don’t need to open their mouth and speak and explain everything. For them, just one glance is enough. Within a fraction of a second they grasp the whole picture of the person.

For e.g. when Fr. sees Jeremiah and looks at him, he has to ask him questions. Such as – where are you from? what’s your name? who are your parents? where were you born? – all these details he needs to ask. Jeremiah has to answer Fr. If he doesn’t answer Fr. will not understand him.

Fr. needs to interact with him and needs a lot of time to understand his character, his nature. The more he speaks, or he lives with him, he will know him better. It takes a lot of time.

Jeremiah has been with Fr for more than two years in Divine Retreat Centre. But still Fr. feels, he does not understand him fully. He needs more time. That is human nature. Sometimes languages are insufficient. Everything is insufficient to know people.

But for the Angels of God to know him, they do not need time, not even a second to know any person. Within a fraction of a second, they grasp the full details of everything and every human being.

It is because they do not need any language. It is their will that grasps the whole picture together. They don’t need any thinking or planning. Because their mode of communication is will to will and mind to mind.

But at the same time, the Angels are not permitted to have an access to our mind. They cannot go inside of our mind and pick the things from our mind. They are not allowed. Only God can read our mind and only God knows what is there in our mind.

Nobody else, not even the Angels are allowed. They don’t have the capacity to read our mind. But since they are super intelligent beings, they will come to know what is there in our mind.

They instantly come to know what is in our mind – through our expressions, behaviour, attitude, our past, present and future the way we live, the way we interact. 

It is not because they are able to read our mind. But because they are able to comprehend by looking at us and our expressions and behaviour. So, this is how the good Angels and also bad angels will be able to read you.

It is very important to know that God doesn’t reveal our secrets to anyone. Not even to the Angels. Unless he wants to do something great. 

If he wants to bring something good out of it, then only he may reveal certain secrets of our mind to the Angels.

He might also reveal to certain human beings, those who have the gift of discerning, gift of wisdom, gift of word and of knowledge. He will reveal only certain things not everything.

Some people say that they come to know the secrets of anybody by just looking at them. Some may claim that they know all the secrets of people. But that cannot happen. It is a lie.

All the secrets of our life will not be revealed to someone – unless God has a plan. Even if God has a plan he will not reveal all the secrets to somebody. 

Even the Lord keeps data protected. God also keeps secrets. He is committed and he doesn’t leak it.

Unless it is going to do something good for us, something better for us, some conversion for us and if something best is going to come out of it, only then he reveals the secrets.

Many people must be relieved to know that all the secrets are not revealed to everyone.

What is the attitude of every Angel, once they are appointed to take care of an individual? 

They love God so much and they know God loves human beings so much. So, the Angel who is appointed to take care of us, loves God by loving us hundred percent. 

For e.g. Somebody has something very special and very dear to that person. Suppose he entrusts somebody and says to them, “please take care of it as this is something which is so dear to me.”

If that person who takes this responsibility really loves him, he will make sure to take care of that responsibility wholeheartedly. That is how he expresses his love for him.

In the same way, Angels love God so much, they express their love by loving individual people whom they are supposed to take care of. 

Many times we have seen Guardian Angels with wings – some with two and some with four wings. 

Angels are depicted with wings. So, we think the Angels have wings. The wings are  simply symbolic. Wings are symbolic of swiftness and so symbolise the swiftness of Angels.

The Angels are here now and the next moment they will be in some other place. They are not omnipresent. But they are very fast. If they are here now, the next moment they can be in some other place.

But at the same time, they cannot be in many places. Because they are not omnipresent. Sometimes the higher levels of Angels can give the lower grade of Angels some special blessings. Then they will be able to be at multi-locations. Basically the Angels do not have omnipresence.

They are so fast therefore they can be here right now and next second they can be in Africa. In another second they can be in the United States or some other place. Because of their swiftness.

You may think how do we know all these details. This is from the teachings of the Church Fathers. There are so many Church Fathers who have spoken about it. Not only the Church Fathers but also from biblical examples.

Also, there are the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Pope Gregory the Great. There are so many Saints who had encounters with the Angels of God. That is how it was revealed to them. 

How can we say that the Angels cannot have omnipresence, but they are so swift.

If we read the book of Daniel, we will come to know many secrets of Angels. One of the secrets is that God has appointed Angels not only for human beings but also for institutions, important buildings, villages, Parish Churches, Diocese, States and Countries. God has appointed Angels to guard them.

St. Michael was the Guardian of Israel. St. Michael is also the Guardian of the Church. An Angel appointed to protect, because the Church is the new Israel. The Guardian Angel of Daniel was St. Michael. 

Daniel 10:10-12, “¹⁰But then a hand touched me and roused me to my hands and knees.¹¹He said to me, “Daniel, greatly beloved, pay attention to the words that I am going to speak to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you.” So, while he was speaking this word to me, I stood up trembling.¹²He said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.”

The Angel had come because of his words. The moment he prayed, his prayers were heard in heaven. The Angel said to him, “I am sent by God to come and help you.”

Daniel 10:13, “¹³But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me twenty-one days. So, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia”

The Prince of Persia means another Guardian Angel of Persia. But he is not a good Angel. He is a bad angel. 

There are good Angels and bad Angels. So, the fallen Angels are all bad Angels. The other Angels who did not reject God, are the good Angels.

Who are obedient and submissive to God the Father, are the good Angels. Some one-third of them are fallen Angels. So, these fallen Angels are the bad angels.

The Prince of Persia is a bad Angel. He was taking control of Persia. When the Guardian Angel of Daniel came, he was blocked by the Prince of Persia.

If an Angel was omnipresent, even if he’s blocked, he could be present in another place. 

But Daniel’s Angel was not omnipresent. That is why the Angel of Persia, the bad angel, could stop him for 21 days. Wherever he went, he was blocked. The Prince of Persia, the bad angel, blocked the Good Angel. 

Every time, wherever he moved, he came in his way and blocked his way. This went on for 21 days.

The whole of Persia was controlled by the bad angel. Because the people in that Country were worshipping wrong Gods. They were not obedient. That is why the bad angel was so powerful over there.

If a family is committing sins after sins, that family is controlled by a bad angel and not the Guardian Angel. The Guardian Angel will be helpless in that family, because the bad angel is controlling the family. That way the bad angel can block the good Angel.

If anybody prays from that family, the prayer need not be effective. Because the bad angel blocks the blessings that come from God. 

Just like Daniel, who was so holy. But he was in the land of Persia and all the people in Persia were committing sins. They all were worshiping wrong Gods.

He was so good, the prayer of Daniel reached Heaven and God sent him  a helper – an Angel to protect him. But his Angel was blocked by the bad angel. Not just for one or two days but 21 days.

That means the blessing was delayed. Many times blessings, of yours or your family, may be delayed. Because, maybe, the family is controlled by a bad angel. 

How do we know whether a family is controlled by a bad angel or a good Angel? 

If in the family, when the husband speaks to the wife and the wife understands everything and when the wife speaks to the husband, the husband understands everything, it means the family is controlled by a good Angel. 

In the same way when the parents speak to the children and the children understand everything and the communication is proper – there is unity and peace in the family, that means, in that house, the family is controlled by a good Angel.

In some families. the husband says something with very good intentions, but the wife misunderstands it or when the wife speaks something with very good intentions, the husband misunderstands.

There is disunity in the family. Small problems are blown out of proportion. They are made into big issues, always misunderstanding each other. The languages are improper and the reactions are very bad.

Swearing words, abusive words, confusing words, disunity, tension, stress, fighting and shouting – all these kind of evil things are taking place in a family. That means that house is controlled not by a Guardian Angel but by a bad angel, an evil Angel.

In such families even if you pray, the prayers need not be heard and instant blessings may not come, because the blessings may be delayed. 

That is the reason the Church encourages the members of the family to repent of all their sins and go for confession and forgive each other.

Bring a priest and bless the family. Bless the house so that the Guardian Angel will be able to guard that house from that day onwards. Otherwise, though the Guardian Angel is there he feels helpless.

He is controlled or blocked by the bad angel. Just like the bad angel blocked the Angel of Daniel from coming to him.

Then how did he overcome? Because St. Michael the Arch Angel came and protected him. The prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed the Guardian Angel of Daniel for 21 days. 

So, St. Michael one of the chief princes came to help the Guardian angel. He left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia and he went to help Daniel. We read this in the Bible.

This is how the Angels are. They are trying their best. They are the armies. They are the people who are helping us. They are appointed to help us. This is an act of faith.

This is something that we need to believe. Many people may find it difficult to believe. That is why these Arch Angels and Guardian Angels are considered as childish things. That is why they tell these things only to their children. They don’t speak these things among them.

St. Padre Pio is the one who used the facility of Angels the most. Many people used to go to meet him from all over the world. Many used to say to him, “Shall I take you as my spiritual Father?”

Then St. Padre Pio used to ask the Angel if he should take him. Then whatever the Angel used to tell him, whether yes or no, accordingly, he used to answer them. 

Then some people used to say “I am from America, how do I contact you? I cannot come every week and every month to you to Italy”. 

Then St. Padre Pio used to say, “Don’t worry. If you have any intention or you are facing any problem, just tell your Guardian Angel and your Guardian Angel will tell my Guardian Angel and my Guardian Angel will read it out in front of me”.

So, that is how St. Padre Pio had so many spiritual sons and daughters around the world. He knew them personally. Because the Guardian Angel was his secretary and this secretary used to remind him everything.

One day when St. Padre Pio was sitting and writing down something serious and very important thing, at the same time another monk from the same monastery came to talk to him. Even he wanted to speak something very important.

But Padre Pio didn’t seem to be interested and was not paying any attention to that conversation. Then the other monk got irritated and he said to Padre Pio “Why don’t you listen to me?”

Then Padre Pio looked at that monk and said “Don’t you see all these Angels are sitting around and dictating to me? They are reading out to me the problems of my spiritual sons and daughters. I am busy here giving answers to them.”

That monk was shocked and he got up and went away from there. There are so many stories about St. Padre Pio like these.

One day, one lady who was his spiritual daughter asked him, “How do I contact you?”. St. Padre Pio told her “You speak to your Guardian Angel”. But that lady was not ready to believe.

She asked him, “If I speak to my Guardian Angel, will you be able to hear it?” Then Padre Pio looked at her sternly and said “Do you think I am deaf?” This is what Padre Pio asked that lady.

She went back but she was doubting it. In order to test, for one of his ordination anniversaries, she spoke to her Guardian Angel and said “Please go and give my regards to Padre Pio on his anniversary day”.

The very next day of the anniversary she got a thanksgiving card from Padre Pio. The next day itself. That means her greeting was already given to Padre Pio by an Angel.

He had already written down the thanksgiving letter to her. In the letter he had written, ‘Thanks for your greetings on my ordination day.’ 

There are so many miracles and there are so many wonderful examples of Padre Pio and the Guardian Angel of Padre Pio.

These Guardian Angels used to translate all the letters to Padre Pio. He used to get letters in different languages and from different parts of the world. The Guardian Angel used to translate all these things to him.

Every house has a Guardian Angel. Every country has a Guardian Angel. When Fr was conceived as a child in the womb of his mother, one Guardian Angel was appointed to take care of him.

But there are Scholars, the Church Fathers and the Saints who say that on the day he received his ordination, there was one more Angel appointed to help him. 

In the same way when a Bishop is consecrated, there is one more higher-grade Angel appointed on the day of his consecration, to take care of that Bishop. Similarly, powerful Angels are appointed to take care of the Pope. 

So, we should have communication with our Guardian Angel. The more the communication, the more we empower our Angel.

Padre Pio’s Angel was so busy. Our Angels must be taking rest; because we are not giving them any work. But Padre Pio’s Angel was very busy. 

Padre Pio had constant communication with his Guardian Angel. Therefore, he was so happy to work all the time, day and night. 

The more communication we have with our Angel, the more we are empowering them to take control of us – to rule us, to guide us, to lead us and to help us. 

So, we must make sure to have a communication with our Guardian Angel every now and then. Our Lord Jesus used to have communication with the Angels.

That is why every time when he was in loneliness, every time he was in worries, Angels were there to guide. Even when Jesus undertook 40 days of fasting, Angels were there with him.

At the garden of Gethsemane, Angel was there. Even after the resurrection, Angels came to the tomb. During the Ascension of the Lord Jesus, Angels were there. 

Angels were always surrounding Jesus. If Jesus was surrounded by Angels, all of us too are surrounded by Angels. 

Why are these concepts of Guardian Angels so important for us? As is told the moment we are born, an Angel is appointed to take care of us.

What does it mean? It means we are so special to God. We are not one among seven billion people here on earth. 

On this earth God the Father has appointed an Angel to take care of us individually and personally; to serve us.

It means we are special. We are unique. God is concerned for us. He is not just looking at us, as one among 7.7 billion people. But he looks at us personally. It is a personal communication.

Personally, we are very important to God. We are so unique. In order to show the importance and uniqueness and our special qualities or special aspects the concept of Guardian Angels is very important.

What are the duties of these Guardian Angels? 

They collect all our prayers that we have and they read it out in the presence of God.

Matthew 18:10, “¹⁰Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.”

There is a constant relationship with our Angel and the Heavenly Father. The moment we have some reaction in our body, our Heavenly Father comes to know. 

Our Angels are the ambassadors sent by God to take care of us. They will inform every detail of our life instantly in the presence of God the Father.

Therefore, if we hurt somebody, remember somebody will be crying against us in the presence of God. Because when we hurt another person, his or her Guardian Angel will give a witness against us in the presence of God.

Genesis 4:9, “⁹Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”

This is nothing but the Guardian Angel crying out to God against Cain.

Genesis 18:20, ²⁰Then the Lord said, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin!

The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were enjoying their life, committing all kinds of dirty sins. They were enjoying all fleshly sins. 

So where did the outcry come from? If they were enjoying their life with all the fleshly sin, then who was the one who was crying against them?

Bible says there was a great outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah. But in Sodom and Gomorrah everyone was enjoying their sinful life. Then who is the one who cried? 

How great is the outcry against Gomorrah and how very grave their sin.

Genesis 18:21, “²¹I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.”

What does it mean? This outcry is the cry of the Guardian Angels of all of them. When they were committing all the terrible sins, their Guardian Angels were crying out in front of God.

These Guardian Angels are there to cover us, protect us. But don’t hurt them. If we hurt our Guardian Angels, they will cry against us in the presence of God.

Exodus 23:20, “²⁰I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.”

The Angels are appointed to guard them and lead them and to bring them to the right place.

Exodus 23:21, “²¹Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him.”

Be attentive and listen to the Guardian Angels. Because they speak to us. When we do something good, don’t we hear some voice speaking to us? “Do this or do that.” Sometimes, “Don’t do that.”

As if somebody is speaking to us. We hear the voice; we feel our conscience speak to us. But it is the Guardian Angel who speaks to us. Not only does the Guardian Angel speak to us, but even the bad angel speaks to us.

So, we should listen or be attentive to the good Angels voice. That is why Bible says ‘God said be attentive. Do not rebel against him.’ When we don’t obey his command, when we don’t obey his voice, we are rebelling against the Angel.

God says, do not rebel against him. He will not pardon our transgression. Because God’s name is in him. His name means God’s presence. So, if we disobey him, we are disobeying God.

When we don’t listen to the voice of the Arch Angel or the Guardian Angels, we are disobeying God. Because they carry God’s name. That is why all the Angels names are like Gabriel, Rafael and Michael.

The last El means Elohim. Elohim means God himself. So, his name is there in every Angel. His name is an Angel. Therefore, God says he will not pardon our transgression.

There will be an outcry, if we commit a sin against them. If we don’t listen to their voice they will cry against us in the presence of God. God says “Because their face is always in front of me”.

Exodus 23:21, “²¹Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him.”

If you listen attentively to his voice and do all that he says – that means when we listen to the voice of the Angel – we are obeying God himself. 

If we listen attentively to his voice and do all that God says, the Angel will always give us the right direction. They are the people who protect us from dangers. They will cover us with their protection.

Psalm 91:11-12, “¹¹For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.¹²On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”

God has commanded his Angels concerning us to guard all our ways. On their hands they will bear us up. So that we will not dash a foot against a stone. 

The Angels will guard us, protect us and cover us. But sometimes God also permits some sufferings. Angels are there to console us at that time. 

When Jesus was going through the suffering, the Angel did not take away the suffering, but consoled Jesus in the suffering. 

In the garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was sweating blood, the Angels did not stop him from sweating blood. But after sweating, the Angels came and consoled and strengthened him. So, there are two ministries.

For e.g. St. Padre Pio, used to be attacked and tortured by the devil many a times. He used to have a lot of persecution in his room.

One day, St. Padre Pio was speaking about his Guardian Angel and that day he was in terrible pain. Because the evil one was torturing him indiscriminately. Then he cried for help and he told his Guardian Angel to come fast and help him.

But he didn’t come and he was being tortured continuously. At the end he fell down and that devil left him after torturing. St. Padre Pio was so tired. Then his Guardian Angel came to him.

He was so angry with his Guardian Angel, he wanted to punish him for not coming in time. Therefore, he turned his face from him. Then the Guardian Angel, started dancing and singing around him.

He started singing majestic hymns to the Heavenly Father in order to get St. Padre Pio’s attention. But he purposely hid his face from him to show his anger against him. Then the Angel came and hugged him and sat in front of him.

This is what St. Padre Pio said, ‘he took his face and looked at his face and wiped his tears.’  St. Padre Pio was so disturbed, he was in so much pain. St. Padre Pio looked at him and said “Why didn’t you come in time? I cried out to you.”

He said, “It’s not that I did not cry and ask your help, I asked your help but you did not come.” 

Then the Angel said, “My friend, this is because your vocation is different. It was the will of the Heavenly Father, that you may go through this pain. These sufferings will make you more like Jesus. You will become more and more like Jesus.” 

“Jesus loves you so much and he wants you to be with him once and for all and he knows you are able to take this and that is why he permitted this”. 

So, this is how the Angel gave an explanation about everything to him. St. Padre Pio said, he hugged his Angel.

He was so happy that God had a plan for him. He was also giving him the strength with his presence. The Guardian Angel’s presence that he experienced for those two to three seconds or maybe some moments, made all his tortures for all those hours which he went through from the devil, just vanish within no time.

 He cannot explain the tremendous joy and happiness in his heart which he experienced. Within a fraction of a second, he was filled with so much of joy. 

So this may be the same with Jesus. He must have felt the same experience in the garden of Gethsemane. The sweating of blood and all the terrible pain he was going through for so many hours in the garden of Gethsemane – at the end of everything the Angels came and strengthened him. Within a fraction of a second, everything disappeared.

This is what Angels are appointed to do. They are supposed to take care of us. On their hands they will bear us up. So, that we will not dash our foot against the stone. 

Job 33:23, “²³Then, if there should be for one of them an angel, a mediator, one of a thousand, one who declares a person upright,”

The Angels are the people who declares a person upright. They will help us. They will guide us and they will lead us.

Tobit 12:12, “¹²So now, when you and Sarah prayed, it was I who brought and read the record of your prayer before the glory of the Lord, and likewise whenever you buried the dead.”

Tobias was helped by Angel Raphael. When Angel Raphael said to Tobias and Sarah and the whole family, “When you and Sarah prayed, it was I who brought and read the record of your prayer before the glory of the Lord. Likewise, whenever you would bury the dead.”

Tobit 12:13, “¹³And that time when you did not hesitate to get up and leave your dinner to go and bury the dead”

‘That time when you did not hesitate to get up, even when you were busy with your dinner, enjoying your sumptuous meal. When you came to know that someone is dead and lying down on the road, you got up and gave a proper burial for that dead person.’ 

The Angel said, “I remember, and I saw it and I read it, in front of the Heavenly Father”. So, it is the Angel’s duty, every good work that we do is written in the Book of Remembrance.

Because our Angels know it. Our Angels are writing down even our secret acts of goodness in the Book of Remembrance and keeping it in the presence of God. 

Therefore, if our good works are not noticed by anybody, be happy, your Guardian Angel noticed it. If your good works are noticed by everybody, then you don’t need a Guardian Angels to note it.

Because everyone noticed and appreciated it. So, there is only one reward for one good work. If you get it from others, you won’t get it from Heaven. Similarly, there is only one punishment for one evil work. If you are punished by your friends, then God will not punish you again.

So, if you are already punished for your bad work or any sin that you commit, there is no more punishment needed. Because you went through the punishment. You just accept it wholeheartedly and repent. 

Tobit 12:14, “¹⁴I was sent to you to test you. And at the same time God sent me to heal you and Sarah your daughter-in-law.”

Angel said, “I was sent to you to test you”. Sometimes the Guardian Angel may permit us to go through a testing period. 

Through our Guardian Angel, our healing too will come. We can also heal others through our Guardian Angel. Just like St. Padre Pio, who healed many people through his Guardian Angel.

Tobit 12:15, “¹⁵I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord.”

So, this is what he said “I am one of the Angels who stands ready.” The Angels are ever ready to do anything that the Lord says.

Revelation 8:2-3, ²And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. ³Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne.”

All the prayers of these people are read out by the Angel in the presence of God the Father. We have so many millions and millions of Angels. There are higher gradations. 

The highest form of Angels are Seraphim, who stand close to God. Then Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues and their Powers, then Principalities, the Arch Angels and Angels. So, these are the different categories of Angels. 

Each Angel is a separate species. They are not one. They are not one family or one character. For e.g. human beings are one species. Birds are another species and animals are another species. The trees are another species.

There are different varieties of species. All the human beings are one species. The same way one Angel is one species. Another Angel is another species. 

Otherwise maybe there would be groupism – We are one group and you are another group. There is no need of any groupism. Because all the Angels are individual species and each species of Angel reflects one perfection of God.

Each Angel reflects one perfection of God; one quality of God. Each Angel is adoring and honouring one perfection of God. Imagine how many perfections of God are there.

So many millions and millions of perfections, attributes and qualities of God. For each quality of God there is one Angel adoring and honouring this one quality of God. 

Isaiah 6:8, ⁸Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? ‘ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!

First Angel came and cleansed his tongue. Then he was able to hear the voice of God. That means Angels are the people who are preparing you to listen to the voice of God. Angels help you to listen to the voice of God. They come and cleanse you. 

They tell you to go for confession. There are many people, who do not go for confession, though the Angels tell them many times to go for confession. We are rejecting them and listening to the devil – the bad angel.

Every time when we listen and obey the bad angel, we are denying the good Angels advice. Why is the good Angel telling us to do something? Because he is preparing us to listen to the voice of God.

Luke 15:10, “¹⁰Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Our Angels are so passionate lovers of human beings. Our Guardian Angel is a passionate lover of a human being.

When we repent, even one person repents, there is a lot of joy in Heaven. Because they are so passionately loving us. 

There are lots of things to speak about Angels and so many realities about Angels. These are all revealed to our Church Fathers and Saints of the Church.

So, this is the reality, which is written very clearly in the Bible. Therefore, believe in your Guardian Angels. Listen to their voice, honour them, respect them and always speak to them.

They will speak to you and you will be able to hear the voice of God. Our house should be controlled by a Guardian Angel and not by an Angel of the devil. 

How do we know? We should look into our life and see whether there is peace and joy and happiness. If so, our house is safe. 

Transcribed by Greta Furtado