To wind up my recent posts on guardian angels (at least for the time-being), here is Fulton Sheen on the subject of angels. These videos are taken from the series, “Life is Worth Living”. I am providing the links to the three angel videos; the one embedded here is Part II. Towards the end of Part II, Archbishop Sheen says something that I was mentioning in the combox of the previous post, how it is such a shame that we are not more conscious of the angels. But that can change! Start reading more Catholic books about them; pray to them; call on them for help; ask for their guidance everyday. Open up the lines of communication!
Excerpt from: “The Spiritual Life. A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology”, [pg. 98] by The Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey, S.S., D.D.
“Our Guardian Angel keeps us in constant touch with heaven. To derive full profit from his guardianship we can do no better than direct our thoughts frequently to our Guardian Angel, making him the object of our veneration, our confidence and our love. a) We venerate him by hailing him as one of those priveleged beings who ever see the face of God and who are to us the representatives of our Heavenly Father. Therefore, we should do nothing that could displease or sadden our Angel; on the contrary, we must strive to give him proof of our respect by emulating his fidelity and loyalty in God’s service. This is, indeed, the most touching way in which [we] can attest our esteem for him. b) We show him our confidence, by bearing in mind the mighty protection he furnishes us and his unfailing goodness towards us, his God-given charges. Since he is a master in foiling the wiles of the devil, we should invoke him especially when we are assailed by this treacherous foe and in all dangerous occasions in which his foresight and his adroitness will be of great help. We should likewise call for his assistance when determining our vocation, for he better than any other will know the providential designs of God in our regard. Finally, in all important affairs with others it is well to address ourselves to their Guardian Angels that these persons may be well-disposed towards the mission we are about to discharge in their behalf. c) We manifest to our Guardian Angel our love by reflecting that he has ever been and is still our devoted friend, ever ready to render us services the extent and import of which we shall realize only in heaven. By faith, however, we can even now understand, though only imperfectly, something of his good offices toward us, and this suffices to call forth our gratitude and our love. When loneliness weighs heavily upon us, let us remember that we are not alone, that near us hovers a friend, devoted and generous, upon whom we can lean and with whom we can hold familiar converse. Let us bear in mind that [by] honoring our Guardian Angel we honor God Himself whom our Angel represents here below, and let us often unite ourselves to him in order to give greater glory to God.”
I purchased “The Sermons and Collations of Meister Eckhart” last October.
It has 264 pages.
I’m on page, let’s see now, ah yes, page 9.
The first sentence is, “Dum medium silentium tenerent omnia et nox in suo cursu medium iter haberet, etc.” The last sentence is, “Amen.” Don’t worry, there is English inbetween.
Excerpt from: “The Spiritual Life. A Treatise on Ascetical and Mystical Theology”, [pgs. 97-98] by The Very Reverend Adolphe Tanquerey, S.S., D.D.
“Some among the Angels are commissioned with the care of individual souls: these are the Guardian Angels. This is the traditional doctrine of the Fathers, based upon scriptural texts and supported by solid reasons. It has been confirmed by the Church in the institution of a feast in honor of the Guardian Angels. The reasons that support this doctrine flow from our relationship to God, for we are His children, members of Jesus Christ and temples of the Holy Ghost. “Because we are His children,” says Father Olier, “He appoints to us as tutors the princes of His realm, who hold it an honor to have us in their charge. Because we are His members, He wills that those very spirits that minister unto Him be also at our side to render us their services. Because we are His temples in which He Himself dwells, He wills that Angels hover about us as they do about our churches, so that bowed down in worship before Him they may offer a perpetual homage to His glory, supplying for our neglect and making reparation for our irreverence.” Father Olier goes on to say that God wishes to unite intimately through the agency of His Angels the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant: “He sends this mysterious host of Angels in order that they may by uniting themselves to us and binding us to themselves form one body of the Church of heaven and the Church of earth.”
Note: The “Father Olier” referred to by Fr. Tanquerey is Father J.J. Olier (1608-1657), founder of the Society of St. Sulpice.
But I say to you: Blessed is he who exposes himself to an existence never brought under mastery, who does not transcend but, rather, abandons himself to my ever-transcending grace. Blessed are not the enlightened whose every question has been answered and who are delighted with their own sublime light, the mature and ripe ones whose one remaining action is to fall from the tree: blessed, rather, are the chased, the harassed who must daily stand before my enigmas and cannot solve them.
Hans Urs Von Balthasar, Heart of the World, pg. 183
Winter Landscape with a Church
Caspar David Friedrich, 1811
“Each time you go into your temple to dwell, go as though it is the first time you have ever really prayed. When you do something for the first time, you may be excited, but also a little fearful. Let this be your winter-way of approaching God. As you enter into that sacred space within, let this become your prayer:
I am the one for whom God waits!
I am awaiting the One who is awaiting me!
Embrace the season of winter with hope. It is a good teacher. It will lead you to your inmost depths where God is contemplating you.” (Macrina Wiederkehr)
Taken from: “The Circle of Life. The Heart’s Journey Through the Seasons”, by Joyce Rupp & Macrina Wiederkehr. This excerpt is from the reflection entitled, Winter, a Season for Deepening, pgs. 254-255
Oh please, tell me I’m not the only one who didn’t know about this. I mean, it’s not like it just slipped my mind in recent years or anything; I’ve been a practising Catholic all my life, and I’ve never once heard of it. And no disrespect intended, but I can hardly imagine, when it’s so difficult to even find a priest available these days to give the Last Rites in time, that we are going to be able to persuade them to come to all of our homes and inscribe the Magis’ initials over our doors. Well, thank goodness the father of the family can take the priest’s place in this situation. Now all I have to do is find some blessed chalk. And my husband. Has anyone ever heard of blessed chalk? Of course you have. I’m the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on.
Edited to add: Believe me, I’m all for the blessing of our homes, whether it is when we move in, once a year or for any occasion when the family desires it. I’ve also been told to put little containers of holy water on the windowsills every January 1st, and I have done this in the past. What took me by surprise was reading that apparently it is part of our Catholic tradition to bless our homes in the name of the Magis, and I really can’t imagine any Catholic priest or family wishing to do so. If you google this Epiphany House Blessing and look at the information on the Catholic Culture site, for example, you’ll find the entire blessing. It also states that the initials, C, M, B, (of the Magi) can also be interpreted as the Latin phrase Christus mansionem benedicat which means Christ bless this house. I think that’s more like it.
On this feastday, some reflections from Servant of God Catherine Doherty, taken from her book, “Soul of My Soul. Coming to the Heart of Prayer”:
The Jesus prayer might be enough for us: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Why would it be enough? Because it brings Jesus into your life. The repetition of the holy name brings the presence of the person…. When I invoke the name of Jesus, I myself cease to exist. I am drawn into his name, immersed in his name, immersed in him. (pg. 102)
Just say “Jesus”, and whoosh, God is here. You brought him. I brought him. Before the name of Jesus, every knee must bend: When you say “Jesus”, many things begin to happen. (pg. 103)
When you say “Jesus”, the word is already a prayer. You remind yourself, “For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them” (Matthew 18:20). How much truer this is when we say, “Come, Lord Jesus,” as we do in Advent. “Come, Lord Jesus.” And he comes! This is reality, one of those strange mysteries that exist between God and man. Man calls, and God abases himself and takes again the form of a servant. (pg. 103)
Once you begin to pray the Jesus prayer and understand what you’re doing, it will continue without you consciously willing it. Once you’ve called on the name of Jesus, his name will remain with you because you desire it to be there. He desires it to be there, too. The two desires merge into one. (pg. 103)
“Soul of My Soul” can be ordered from Madonna House (please see the link in my sidebar). These quotations were taken from the chapter entitled, “Prayer of the Heart”.
been answered and who are delighted with their own sublime light, the mature and ripe ones whose one remaining action is to fall from the tree: blessed, rather, are the chased, the harassed who must daily stand before my enigmas and cannot solve them.
