Angels and Children

Homily for the Memorial of the Guardian Angels

On October 2, 2014, Pope Francis wrote a daily meditation about Guardian Angels. I confess that I had never encountered this meditation of the Holy Father before. I only found it as I was doing some research for my homily today. In his meditation, Pope Francis points out that the church presents two images in the Gospel reading for this privileged memorial. There is the image of the angel and the image of the child.

Of the first image he writes, “We all have an angel who is always beside us, who never abandons us.” He goes on to say that perhaps we have become so sophisticated that we no longer acknowledge our companion on this journey that we call life. The end of the journey is clear. We are moving toward eternal life, and God has provided us an angel who assists us by pointing out the right path as we continue our journey. Ignoring this guidance leads to an arrogance that tells us that we don’t need any assistance, that we are capable in and of ourselves.

The second image is that of the child. No matter how old we are, we are all God’s children, God’s little ones. The discussion of who is the greatest among the apostles erupted when the mother of James and John asked Jesus to seat her sons at his right and left hand. It was in the context of this discussion that Jesus makes his observations while placing a child in their midst. We are all to become childlike, not childish. Children understand that they need their parents. They know that they are dependent upon them. Abandoning a child can cause a great trauma for little children. Jesus is asking that we have an attitude which admits our dependence upon God.

When we reach the end of our journey in this life, we can look forward to our place at the table of the Lord of which this Eucharist is but a foretaste. Our guardian angel can show us the true path to the table of heaven.

(Illustration by anonymous Russian icon painter before 1917,)