LOVE this idea!

I must admit I’ve never thought of this idea before!  I was just teaching my 2nd graders in their CCD class on Sunday about guardian angels, too. 

Perhaps I could pray to my EX-husband’s guardian angel?  He is so difficult & very hard for me to deal with, especially regarding our 12-year-old daughter.  I think I will try this….I have been offering my daily Eucharist time for our relationship.

Thanks!!!
Laura

That is a good one. We had 3 winters when my husband was very ill. While he slept I would lay a hand on him and invoke the Holy Spirit. This would be easy to remember.

Yes, our Guardian Angels are POWERFUL! They are our beloved friends and are beholding the face of God while they are nudging us! They are amazing intercessors and we should never hesitate to call upon them for all of our needs. Did you know that your family has its own Guardian Angel appointed for the family? A wise and holy priest told me that.

We invoke our Angels at least several times a day. It’s also a good idea to send your Angel to the person’s Angel that you will have dealings with - a meeting, a visit, or whatever. Your Angel will pave the way!

God bless!

Donna-Marie

We celebrated our Guardian Angel’s feast day by turning it into a birthday celebration!

Cake, ice cream, balloon and singing the Happy birthday song! 
It was fun and a neat way to remember our angels.

I look at it as our Guardian Angels are always on the job and our prayers to them are more to help us with this awareness and faith. I don’t think praying to them changes their actions.  Aren’t they intervening for us all along or only when we ask them to?  I usually look to the Holy Spirit for intervention with commincation and peace between my husband and I but do understand intercessary prayer is powerful.

If you could be patience with me on this thought I’d appreciate it.  At this point in my life I have more questions about certain aspects of my faith than I have answers.  So I am not trying to argumentative but just looking for thoughts.

I wish it were that simple, that you pray to your husband’s, children’s and your Guardian Angels to keep them all safe and they are.  I see and read about terrible family/child tragedies among orthodox believers (and others) who certainly have been invoking their Guardian Angels.  It is just no guarentee and I have trouble reconciling that.

Thank you, what a lovely idea.

Beth—I’ve been wondering about the same thing.

Thoughts from others?

I love that Danielle - thank you!

I will add a stanza -

“And though his wife does dearly love him”
“Stay her hand when she would shove him.”

Beth and Ryan,

There are a lot of great references to Catholic articles and many popes’ reflections on the guardian angels over at Catholic Culture. I found this one to be most helpful.

It reads, in part,

“Although the angel who abides before God with perpetual attention toward us is witness to our every word and act, he cannot know our thoughts unless we manifest them. God alone has entrance to the sanctuary of our soul. Our angel presents good suggestions to our senses and imagination to strengthen our faith and increase our charity.”

and

“How often do we call upon our guardian angel for assistance in our efforts toward holiness or for guidance in our apostolic work? Confidence in his help requires that we share with him our intentions and problems, our successes and failures. Let us learn to cultivate the friendship of our guardian angel and to seek his cooperation in our efforts toward sanctity and in our work for souls.”

Our angels do always intercede for us, but how much more they can help us along our way toward heaven if we remain mindful of their presence and share with them the inner struggles of our souls!

And one more thought for you, Beth: I understand your struggle with the lack of a “guarantee” of safety when we pray to our guardian angels.

But we lack that “guarantee” when we pray to God for anything. Sometimes God says no and we might never understand why in this lifetime.

The only “guarantee” we have when we pray is that our God, who is all-knowing, all-good, and all-powerful, loves each of us perfectly and will answer our prayers in the way that is best.

Thanks, Danielle—I’ll check out that link.

As you mention, this topic leads to some of the even bigger questions of faith and God’s role in the world…

My greatest consolation in asking those ‘before the throne’ to pray for me or a situation is I cannot imagine they would ever pray for something that was actually bad for me. I might join my husband in praying for a new car but God’s Will might be that we meet those others depending on buses. I always see Mary, the Angels, etc changing my prayer always into whatever Your Will is Lord.

I try to pray to my guardian angel when I am experiencing a temptation that he (my angel) might not know about.  If I tell him about it, he can help with the strength to overcome the temptation or even alter the circumstances to help the temptation disappear.  I guess this doesn’t really apply to praying to others’ guardian angels!

I used to pray to my daughter’s angel when she was in the womb and I was desperately, life-threateningly sick. I used to pray her angel would protect her from me, since I was contemplating an abortion.

Her angel did not fail us, and I thank her angel every sweet day. My daughter is now two years old.

“And one more thought for you, Beth: I understand your struggle with the lack of a “guarantee” of safety when we pray to our guardian angels.

But we lack that “guarantee” when we pray to God for anything. Sometimes God says no and we might never understand why in this lifetime.

The only “guarantee” we have when we pray is that our God, who is all-knowing, all-good, and all-powerful, loves each of us perfectly and will answer our prayers in the way that is best. “

Thanks for the replies Danielle.

In the cases of safety and tragic deaths of children I don’t believe that is God saying no to our prayers.  Sure God says no when we ask for things that just are not the best for us.  I don’t think God makes decisions allowing tragic events
or that they are some how caused because we did not pray to our Guardian Angel enough. I don’t think they need to be reminded to stay on the job or that God tells them no just let this one go when a child is drowning in a lake.  I think it is the result of living in a fallen world.

(I know that is not what you may have been implying but that is what I extract in my head with this particular topic)

Praying to them does serve to remind us of God’s presence and certainly they do intercede for us.

I know your intention is just to offer simple encouragement without complicated theological questions and I do appreciate that.  I really don’t think that there are answers for some questions and that is ok.

I just hope that no parent ever feels like it was their fault a tragedy happened because they didn’t remind their Guardian angel to keep their child safe.  Seems like angels shouldn’t need reminders for that or that they only act when we ask them to.