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The Guardian Angels
Posted on 10/2/2023 00:00 AM (CNA - Saint of the Day)

Feast date: Oct 02
"For he hath given his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” - Psalm 90:11The truth that each and every human soul has a Guardian Angel who protects us from both spiritual and physical evil has been shown throughout the Old Testament, and is made very clear in the New.
It is written that the Lord Jesus was strengthened by an angel in the Garden of Gethsemane, and that an angel delivered St. Peter from prison in the Acts of the Apostles.
But Jesus makes the existence and function of guardian angels explicit when he says, "See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 18:10).
In saying this Jesus points out that all people, even little children, have a guardian angel, and that the angels are always in Heaven, always looking at the face of God throughout their mission on earth, which is to guide and protect us throughout our pilgrimage to the house of our Father. As St. Paul says, "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14).
However, they guide us to Heaven only if we desire it. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that angels cannot act directly upon our will or intellect, although they can do so on our senses and imaginations – thus encouraging us to make the right decisions. In Heaven our guardian angels, though no longer needing to guide us to salvation, will continually enlighten us.
Prayer to the guardian angels is encouraged, and the habit of remembering their presence and support leads to frienship with them. The prayer to the guardian angels has been present in the Church since at least the beginning of the 12th century:
Angel of God,
my Guardian dear,
to whom His love
commits me here,
ever this day
be at my side,
to light and guard,
to rule and guide.
Amen.
“Let us affectionately love His angels as counselors and defenders appointed by the Father and placed over us. They are faithful; they are prudent; they are powerful; Let us only follow them, let us remain close to them, and in the protection of the God of heaven let us abide.” St. Bernard of Clairvaux
The Plenary Session of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
Posted on 09/29/2023 19:32 PM (Cardinal Seán's Blog)
Hello and welcome! As I mentioned in my previous post, last week we had our Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which went from Wednesday until Friday. Following our meeting, we issued the following statement, which details the many issues we dealt with: The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of […]
Celebrating our priests
Posted on 09/22/2023 19:31 PM (Cardinal Seán's Blog)
Hello and welcome! Last Thursday evening, we had our 15th annual Celebration of the Priesthood Dinner at the Omni Seaport Hotel in Boston. This dinner is so important to us because it raises funds for our Clergy Trust, which supports the healthcare, wellness, and retirement needs of our priests in good standing. It was impressive […]
Remembering Mary Conway
Posted on 09/15/2023 19:45 PM (Cardinal Seán's Blog)
Hello and welcome! Last week, we were very happy to have some guests at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Cardinal Mario Zenari, the Papal Nuncio to Syria, was visiting Boston with his niece Maria, and he stayed with us at the cathedral. Also, Father Simeon Gallagher, who gave the bishops’ retreat here and has […]
Labor Day Weekend feasts
Posted on 09/8/2023 20:20 PM (Cardinal Seán's Blog)
Hello and welcome! As I do each year around Labor Day, I visited our three archdiocesan seminaries for a Mass of the Holy Spirit to open the academic year. The first was at St. John’s Seminary last Wednesday. We were joined by Bishop Barres, who was visiting, and afterward, we had lunch with the seminarians. […]
Meeting with our World Youth Day pilgrims
Posted on 09/1/2023 21:38 PM (Cardinal Seán's Blog)
Hello and welcome! Saturday, I was visited by Bishop Joe Bonello, OFM of the Diocese of Juticalpa in Honduras. This is the diocese where Bishop Maurice Muldoon had been before, who was also Franciscan, but Bishop Bonello is from Malta. He came with a group that is working with children with disabilities and on other social […]
A performance by Martin Valverde at the cathedral
Posted on 08/25/2023 19:45 PM (Cardinal Seán's Blog)
Hello and welcome! Last Thursday, Craig and Nancy Gibson held a lovely gathering at their beautiful home in Woods Hole in honor of the 20th anniversary of my appointment as Archbishop of Boston. There were about 50 people there, and they had a large cake to mark the occasion. On Friday, I left for […]
The New England bishops’ retreat
Posted on 08/18/2023 20:19 PM (Cardinal Seán's Blog)
Hello and welcome! I want to begin this week by noting how painfully aware we are of the suffering of the people of Maui in the wake of the recent wildfires. The devastation there and the loss of so many lives is truly tragic. In response, we have authorized a collection to be held over […]
WYD meetings with the Holy Father
Posted on 08/11/2023 21:18 PM (Cardinal Seán's Blog)
Hello and welcome! As I explained last week, I attended the World Youth Day events in Lisbon, culminating with a Saturday evening vigil and Sunday Mass at Parque Tejo. At other World Youth Days, I have always done catechesis for the pilgrims. They were usually in a church, and there would be a couple hundred […]
Participating at World Youth Day in Lisbon
Posted on 08/4/2023 21:15 PM (Cardinal Seán's Blog)
Hello and welcome! I am now in Portugal, attending World Youth Day. There is a very vibrant atmosphere, and you bump into youth from every nation. The Spanish are the largest group. I think there are around 70,000 youth from Spain and about 20,000 from the States in attendance, so we’re one of the top […]