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TODAY’S WORD…

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Then the devil went away,

and angels came and took care of Jesus.

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– Matthew 4:11 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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St. Matthew ends his narration of the temptations of our Lord in the desert with this verse:

Then the devil went away,

and angels came and took care of Jesus.

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Let us look for a moment at this appearance of angels in Jesus’ life,

for it will help us to better understand their role

— their angelic mission — in all human life.

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Christian tradition describes the guardian angels as powerful friends,

placed by God alongside each one of us, to accompany us on our way.

And that is why He invites us to make friends with them

and get them to help us.
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In suggesting that we meditate on these passages of the life of Christ,

the Church reminds us that during Lent,

when we recognize our sins,

our wretchedness

and our need for purification,

there is also room for joy.

Lent is a time for both bravery and joy;

we have to fill ourselves with courage,

for the grace of God will not fail us.

God will be at our side and will send His angels to be our travelling companions,

our prudent advisers along the way,

our co-operators in all that we take on. (St. Josemaria Escriva)

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St. John Paul II informs us that

“Holy Scripture and Tradition rightly give the name of angels

to those pure spirits who chose God, His kingdom and His glory

when they were given the fundamental test of freedom.”

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It is common doctrine

that each and every person, baptised or not,

has a guardian angel.

The angel’s mission begins with the conception of a person

and continues up to the moment of the person’s death.

St John Chrysostom affirms that

all the guardian angels will gather together at the universal judgement

in order to bear witness themselves

to the ministry that they exercised

through God’s command for the salvation of each person.

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We need to have faith in the intervention of the holy angels,

we need to have trust in them,

and we can do so by getting to know them in a natural and confident way.

We will be amazed at the help they give us

in our struggle against the evil one!

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St. John Paul II encourages us:

“We receive valuable help from the good angels, messengers of God’s love.

We have been taught by the tradition of the Church to direct our prayer to them:

‘Angel of God, you are my guardian,

enlighten my mind, guard me, direct me and govern me,

for I have been entrusted to your celestial care. Amen.’”

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Angel of God, you are my guardian,

enlighten my mind,

guard me, direct me and govern me,

for I have been entrusted to your celestial care. Amen.

… … … … … … … … … … … …… …

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Note: The main source of today’s REFLECTION is the seven-volume work

“In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.