O God, who in your unfathomable providence are pleased to send your holy Angels to guard us, hear our supplication as we cry to you, that we may always be defended by their protection and rejoice eternally in their company. The collect from today’s mass reminds us that this is a feast day in honour of the ones that work to keep us safe. Our holy Guardian Angels may remind us of our childhood prayer:

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
thy angels watch me through the night,
And keep me safe till morning’s light.

When I think of guardian angels tonight, I feel especially blessed. While few people know the details of everything I have been through these past ten months, I have been vocal about some of the amazing events because God.had.this. I do not want to keep those wonders to myself. When it first became clear that I was quite ill, I was able to remain somewhat calm. Every night I would fall asleep to the Sons of Korah’s Psalm 91 and imagine myself wrapped in angel wings. I knew early on that I might not get out of this alive. The surgeon had been very clear about my chances of survival. So each night, I crawled into bed reminding myself that Jesus had wrapped his cloak around me and commanded his angels to protect me. I found peace in this image and it did get me through the most difficult moments, along with the many prayers world-wide that were raised on my behalf. Sometimes, I think my angels must have felt great pressure guarding me. They knew how much Jesus himself loved me and each prayer lifted, each candle lit, each mass celebrated, and each tear shed must have weighed heavy on them.
As arrogant as it sounds, I am quite humble about that thought.

I have jokingly said for years that I do not have one guardian angel–I have a whole tag team. I am not reckless but I have found myself in odd situations while I have served God. Gunfire in the heart of Washington, DC or in the DRC in Africa must have been a cause of concern for my angels. Icy roads and hurricanes put them on alert. Demons wanting to lure me into the darkness stood no chance with these Holy Ones by my side. Now this cancer threatens to wreak havoc, but I am deeply consoled when I do the Examen at the end of the day to see that God has been very present and his angels hard at work.

My gratitude for these blessed creatures who serve God with joy and delight is inexpressible. One day I will rejoice eternally with them, resting in their company, and I will know a peace that I only experienced a wee bit of in those early months, each night as I lay me down to sleep, knowing my angels would keep me safe until morning’s light.

Peace,

Suzanne

Reflection Questions

What memories do you have of your Guardian Angel keeping you safe?
What will you say to your Guardian Angel as you rejoice eternally with this beloved creature?

Prayer
Guardian Angels, keep me safe
as I serve our Master
Protect me from all harm
now and always.
Thank you for rescuing me
from dangers seen and unseen.

Amen.