If they cannot induce us to disown our faith and allegiance to Christ, they attempt to divert us from doing the will of God by distracting us with good things that weigh us down and make us indifferent towards the things of God. God gives us the help of his angelic hosts and he gives us spiritual weapons, the shield of faith and the breastplate of righteousness (see Ephesians 6:1-11), to resist the devil and his lies.

Feast of the Guardian Angels

Baruch 1:15-22

Psalm 79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9

M atthew 18:1-5, 10 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" (2) And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, (3) and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (4) Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (5) "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; (10) "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Meditation by Don Schwager

W hy does Jesus warn his disciples to "not despise the little ones?" God dwells with the lowly and regards them with compassion. His angels watch over them as guardians. "For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways" (Psalm 91:11). God has not left us alone in our struggle "to refuse evil and to choose good" (Isaiah 7:15). The angels are his "ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation" (Hebrews 1:14). Scripture is full of examples of how the angels serve as messengers and protectors. When Peter was chained in prison and kept under guard, an angel woke him in middle of the night, released his chains, and brought him safely out of prison, past several guards and through locked gates. When Peter realized he wasn't dreaming, he exclaimed: "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me" (Acts 12:11). When Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions, an angel protected him from harm.

John Chrysostom, a 5th century church father, compared the guardian angels to the troops garrisoned in cities on the frontiers of the empire to defend it from the enemy. Basil the Great said, "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life." Angels ministered to Jesus after his temptation in the wilderness and during his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. The angels will be present at Christ's return, which they will announce, to serve at his judgment (Matt. 25:31). The angels tell us that this universe is not just materialistic. The fallen angels, led by Satan, seek our destruction. If they cannot induce us to disown our faith and allegiance to Christ, they attempt to divert us from doing the will of God by distracting us with good things that weigh us down and make us indifferent towards the things of God. God gives us the help of his angelic hosts and he gives us spiritual weapons, the shield of faith and the breastplate of righteousness (see Ephesians 6:1-11), to resist the devil and his lies. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we, too, join with angelic choirs in singing the praises of God. Do you thank the Lord for his daily guidance and protection?

"Lord, you are our refuge and strength. May we always know your guiding hand and the help of your angels in protecting us from all that is evil. Give me strength to refuse what is evil and to choose what is good."

Supplementary Reading

TAINTED RoBES

Watch your life and doctrine closely. – 1 Timothy 4:16

My husband sat on a bench, waiting a tad impatiently for the parish office to open after their lunch break. He needed to buy a Mass card for a friend’s dad who just passed away.

A man in plain clothes sat next to him, exchanging idle chitchat with the security guards while puffing on his cigarette.

Somebody called out, “It’s about to start!” and the man put out his cigarette, smiled at my husband and said, “Kasalan ngayon. Sa susunod sakalan na!” (“Today’s wedding is tomorrow’s strangulation.”)

Then he donned his priest’s robe to officiate the wedding. My husband couldn’t help but be turned off by that display of inappropriate wisdom from a man of God!

Meeting such people can sometimes dampen our fervor and weaken our faith. But wait! Priests aren’t the only ones put under the spotlight. As devout Christians, we’re all expected to outperform other people in terms of holiness, generosity, humility and charity. After all, we are all striving to transform into the image of our leader, Jesus Christ.

So watch what you say and do, in case you might make others think less of the God that you profess to imitate and obey. -- Cecil Lim

REFLECTION:

If others look at you to get a glimpse of Jesus, what kind of God would they see?

Lord, may all I say and do lead people closer to You.