O Angel of God, My Guardian Dear

Guardian Angel window at ​Sankt Laurentius am Konrad-Adenauer-Platz

My oldest friend, mine from the hour
When first I drew my breath;
My faithful friend, that shall be mine,
Unfailing, till my death;

Thou was my sponsor at the font;
And thou, each budding year,
Didst whisper elements of truth
Into my childish ear.
Oh! Who of all thy toils and cares
Can tell the tale complete,
To place me under Mary’s smile,
And Peter’s royal feet!
And thou wilt hang about my bed,
When life is ebbing low;
Of doubt, impatience, and of gloom,
The jealous sleepless foe.
Mine, when I stand before the Judge;
And mine, if spared to stay
Within the golden furnace, till 
My sin is burn’d away.
And mine, O Brother of my soul,
When my release shall come;
Thy gentle arms shall lift me then,
Thy wings shall waft me home.

- St. John Cardinal Henry Newman -

Detail from Marie al sepolcro by di Nardo

​Like a large family whose calendar is packed full of birthdays, October seems to brim over with feasts. Foremost featured are the Holy Rosary and the Guardian Angels. This is only fitting, as the month of October is particularly dedicated to both these great devotions. 

​The feast of the Guardian Angels, celebrated on October 2nd, commemorates in the liturgy the presence of our Guardian Angels; the special companions chosen for us by God before all time, and given to us as our protectors from the first moment of our existence. Our Guardian Angels help us to “do good and avoid evil” and defend us from spiritual (and even physical) harm. The feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, on October 7th,  commemorates Our Lady’s powerful intervention in the salvation of Christendom at the Battle of Lepanto when the battle against the Turkish fleets was won at incredible odds. The victory was attributed to the recitation of the Holy Rosary, which the Holy Father had urged all to recite with true faith and devotion, and so the feast in Our Lady’s honor was established as a commemoration of her victory. 

L'arcangelo e Tobia by Anonimo Lombardo

Song of the Angels by William Adolphe Bouguereau

In the Holy Rosary, we accompany Jesus through His earthly life. In the company of Mary we observe Him, rejoice with Him, sorrow with Him and glory in His victory. It is a devotion wound up with uniting our lives to Jesus through Mary. Our dear Angel Guardians, though with us at all times, do not “leave” heaven or cease looking on the face of God even as they accompany us in our lives here on earth. Uniting these two great devotions, we can learn to live always in the presence of the divine: in the company of Our Lord, Our Lady and the angels—especially our Guardian Angels. Let us recall often that we walk under the gaze of a Loving Father, with a trusted protector at our side. Let us ask our Angel Guardians to help us to meditate well upon the Life of Christ in the Holy Rosary and to unite our lives to His, so that we may rejoice with Him, His Holy Mother, and all the angels and saints in heaven forever. 

Scenes from the Life of Christ by Mariotto di Nardo