(3 minute read)
When I was growing up, my Irish grandmother had a devotion to the Guardian Angels. Images of angels decorated her home, and on more than one occasion I remember her giving me a pin or a suncatcher in the shape of an angel. For a long time, I saw her devotion as nothing more than a nice hobby for a retired lady. Even today, her home decor and little gifts are the first things that come to my mind when I pause to reflect on the Guardian Angels.
But as I have stepped into motherhood myself in the last several years, my appreciation for the Guardian Angels has deepened dramatically. Today, there are little bodies and souls in my life that I fiercely want to protect. Even though I’ve only been a mother for a few years, there have already been times when I felt powerless against the sickness or sadness that was troubling my children. In these moments, I have found myself instinctively turning to my family’s Guardian Angels for help, using the traditional rhyming prayer my grandmother taught me years ago.
As my devotion to and reliance on the Guardian Angels has increased, so too has my understanding broadened of what a Guardian Angel can do. In fact, a few years ago, I discovered a very practical way for my Guardian Angel to help me in my daily relationships with my family.
When Pope St. John XXIII had a meeting with someone, especially when that meeting might be tense or have serious implications, he had a habit of asking his Guardian Angel to meet with the other person’s Guardian Angel ahead of time. This practice makes perfect sense. Guardian Angels perfectly unite their wills to the will of the Father. If God has willed that humans live in union with Him and one another, then certainly the Guardian Angels could help mediate a conflict between friends or family members.
Inspired by Pope St. John XXIII’s example, I have started asking my Guardian Angel to “soften the heart” of another person if I need to resolve a conflict with him or her. Since conflict is something I would rather avoid, it has been an enormous relief and consolation when this prayer has worked!
Over the last several years, asking my Guardian Angel for help with difficult conversations and challenging parenting moments has made a significant positive impact on both my family life and my prayer life. I believe that building a relationship with my Guardian Angel and the Guardian Angels of my children has increased the peace and love in our home. What’s more, knowing my Guardian Angel is with me, rooting for me, and protecting me makes me feel a little less alone on a daily basis.
Building a relationship with your Guardian Angel might seem daunting. How can we know someone who we can’t see or hear or touch?
Written by Catherine Sullivan
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