What Does A Guardian Angel Do?

   

          Angels appear everywhere in our world, from books to Victoria’s Secret advertisements, tattoos to movies.  There are many believers in these mysterious, spiritual beings, but not everybody knows what an angel exactly is.

     The Catholic Church defines angels as pure spiritual creatures of God who have no bodies, cannot die, and are usually not visible.  They have understanding and can convey God’s will and protection to men. (Check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church for more info)

     No matter how we imagine angels, from the smiling cherub with two wings and a shiny halo on a Precious Moments card to the scantily clad beauty with fluffy wings in a magazine ad, they are not human.  Furthermore, humans cannot become angels when we die, but we can become saints!  Whether you believe in them or not, angels are mentioned many times throughout the Bible.  Psalm 91:11-12 says,

“For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways.  On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

     Angels exist solely to praise God and carry out His will.  God gives every person a guardian angel, a spiritual being that burns with love for Him and serves Him day and night.  We can pray to our guardian angel for ourselves and for others, and with confidence we can know they will bring our love, messages and prayers to those of whom we are thinking.  We must ask our angels, though, because they cannot read our minds.

     A guardian angel is an amazing gift from God to you.  They are always with you and yet still with God, and are sources of His power.  Your guardian angel is waiting for an invitation to pray with you, help you to stay focused on God and to watch over you.  Think of them as a heavenly police force, on duty to protect you and to serve God! (Read the article that inspired this post here)

Guardian Angel Prayer

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 Should I Pray?

    Have you ever wondered how you should pray?  If you have, you are not the first person to do so!  In Luke 11:1, one of the disciples asks Jesus to teach him how to pray, and Jesus responds by teaching him the Our Father.  Blessed John Paul II said,

    "By teaching us the “Our Father” Christ establishes the pattern for all prayer. He explains our relationship with God and with one another: God is our Creator. He is our Redeemer. With him as our common Father we are brothers and sisters to one another." (JPII Homily)

    As Christians, it can be hard to find time to develop and nurture a strong prayer life. There are lots of recited prayers, such as the Our Father, St. Michael prayer and the rosary, but how should you pray if you just want to talk to God?  Lifeteen, a Catholic organization that works with youth ministry, lays out six tips for prayer in an article.

    1.  Say hello!  To begin prayer, we must acknowledge that we are in God's presence.
    2.  Be yourself.  God wants to be in a relationship with us just as we are.  He wants us to grow in holiness through Him so that we can radiate His love wherever we go.
    3.  "Teach us to pray"  Even the Apostles, who spent so much time with Jesus, did not know how they should pray.  So they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.  Ask God to help you, and remember that He is always listening.
    4.  Hit the brakes!  There is so much in the world that is constantly surrounding us and keeping us busy.  Take a break from something you do everyday, (the internet, tv, etc.) and spend even ten minutes praying instead.  Keep God as the center of your heart and mind.
    5.  Keep it alive.  If you keep your prayer life strong, this will reflect into other areas of your life.
    6.  Let it transform you.  The only way to perfect your prayer life is to practice it.  Take time to enter into prayer, let God speak to you, and be amazed by the ways it will effect your life!

    There are many ways of praying, and each one has its strengths.  Each person can discover and use the form of prayer that suits them best.  Just as the disciples did, ask God to teach you how to pray.

    To read the full Lifeteen article on prayer, click here!

What is the Liturgy of the Hours?

     The Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office, is a Catholic set of prayers emphasizing their deep connection with the Jewish faith.  When many Christians were not being allowed in the Temple or synagogues, these prayers developed out of the early Christian desire to “pray always and never lose heart,” Luke 18:1.  Early Christians, who were also Jewish, wanted to continue their customs so times of prayer were done at the third (9:00 a.m.), sixth (noon), and ninth (3:00 p.m.) hours.  Also, there were two major times of prayer:  Morning (Lauds) and Evening (Vespers).  These times coincided with the morning and evening sacrifices in the Jewish Temple.

     In the fourth century, when Christianity became legal, people started gathering around their bishop for brief prayer so that lay people, who had work, families, and other responsibilities, could participate.  This early version consisted of a psalm, antiphon (short verse), Scripture reading, homily, and intercessions.

     Later on, the “monastic office” became popular among the Religious.  Since monks and nuns had more time to devote to prayer, the Divine Office was lengthened. Support for this communal liturgical celebration died out in the Western church.  Then came the Franciscans.  Their founder, St. Francis of Assisi, bade his followers to travel light.  The Vatican then provided a condensed version of the Divine Office, called the “breviary” (from the Latin word for “abbreviated”).

     In the years since, the Church has been trying to regenerate the importance of this communal liturgical celebration that, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “…is like an extension of the Eucharistic celebration…”(1178).  Today, lay people are encouraged to participate in the Divine Office either with a priest, each other, or individually.

     Following is the link for today’s Night Prayer.  This website offers all the prayers used in the Divine Office.

     http://divineoffice.org/?date=20130906

References:
http://divineoffice.org/liturgy-of-the-hours/
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=264
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm