About Today

About Today
The Holy Guardian Angels

Memorial, 1969 Calendar, celebration October 2
1955 Calendar, celebration October 2

Today is the feast day of the Guardian Angels and, as St. Bernard of Clairvaux said in his sermon: “… let us be devoted and grateful to such great protectors; let us return their love and honor them as much as we can and should.”

Pope Clement X elevated the Feast of Guardian Angels to the rank of an obligatory double to be celebrated on October 2. Pope Leon XIII raised this feast to the rank of a double major in 1883.

The Church teaches that we all receive a guardian angel at birth, an angel assigned to guide and protect us, to watch over us. So let us remember in this day and all days to come, that we are not alone in the world, we have our guardian angel watching over us.

“And so the angels are here; they are at your side, they are with you, present on your behalf. They are here to protect you and to serve you. But even if it is God who has given them this charge, we must nonetheless be grateful to them for the great love with which they obey and come to help us in our great need.”

“Even though we are children and have a long, a very long and dangerous way to go, with such protectors what have we to fear? They who keep us in all our ways cannot be overpowered or led astray, much less lead us astray. They are loyal, prudent, powerful. Why then are we afraid? We have only to follow them, stay close to them, and we shall dwell under the protection of God’s heaven.”

From a sermon by St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Roman Office of Readings

Prayer to the Angel of God

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day (or night), be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

Prayer Source: Enchiridion of Indulgence, June 29, 1968
Image Source: This picture is in the public domain

Excerpts from the English translation of The Liturgy of the Hours (Four Volumes) ©1974, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.

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