«We all have an angel with us, who watches over us and helps us feel things». We can be «sure that he will lead us to the end of our lives with his advice». That is why we must «listen to his voice». Pope Francis reminds us that angels accompany us, leading him to conclude that «no one walks alone and none of us can think that they are alone: this companion is always there».
This is a radiant truth of faith that helps us continue our journey with hope, despite the many tragedies affecting the world; the awareness that we are not alone helps us become pilgrims of hope, as Pope Francis invites us to be in the next jubilee, which is about to begin.
The saints and the angels
Many saints had an extremely close relationship with their guardian angel; the list is truly very long, so we can limit ourselves to just a few examples: Saint Philip Neri, for instance, was rescued several times by his guardian angel: once, he suddenly found himself lifted into the air to prevent a carriage from running him over in an alley in Rome. On another occasion, the angel appeared to him in the form of a needy man asking for alms: the Saint was immediately ready to give him all the little he had, but the angel replied that he only wanted to see what he was capable of, then disappeared.
For Saint Gemma Galgani, her guardian angel was a friend, an adviser, and also her personal postman: she used him to send her letters, and they always reached their destination. She wrote, for example: «As soon as the letter is finished, I give it to the angel. He is here beside me, waiting».
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina loved angels dearly and felt his guardian angel was his “childhood companion”; even as an adult, he would joke with him, calling him “young gentleman”.
«Ask your guardian angel for help, who must become your best friend», said Carlo Acutis
He too, then, who will be proclaimed a saint during the Jubilee, joins this gallery: he often turned to his guardian angel during the day and treated him familiarly. He had even given him a name, Gabriel, and often asked him for help in fighting what he considered his main faults: gluttony and laziness.
Blessed Giacomo Alberione
Many episodes from the life of Blessed Giacomo Alberione, founder of the Pauline Family, testify to the very special relationship he had with his guardian angel: at Christmas in 1919, he confided to the young priest Giuseppe Timoteo Giaccardo: «One must take human precautions and follow what prudence suggests from the rooftops down. Besides, I am very calm; the guardian angel is watching over things… Oh, Providence! Only last night did I learn that my life was in danger: they had decided to kill me during election week; yet we went through the streets at every hour of the night, and God protected us».
Between 1945 and 1965, he traveled extensively by land and sea, as well as by air: at the beginning, during, and at the end of every journey, Father Alberione entrusted himself to the guardian angels, always experiencing special protection.
What is your relationship with your guardian angel? Do you ever think about it? Do you feel its presence beside you? If you wish, share your thoughts and experience with us.
