October 2
Holy Guardian Angels
Friday, week 26 in Ordinary Time — Year II
Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels. This feast draws our attention to the belief, rooted in Sacred Scripture and tradition, that God assigns each of us a guardian angel to watch over and guide us. Scriptural foundations can be found in passages such as Psalm 91:11—'For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways'—and in Jesus' words in the Gospel of Matthew 18:10, which refer to the angels of little ones continually seeing the face of the Father in heaven. Although the specifics of this teaching have developed over centuries, Church Fathers and theologians such as St. Jerome and St. Thomas Aquinas spoke eloquently about the existence and ministry of guardian angels.
The feast itself originated in Spain in the early 16th century before being extended to the universal Church by Pope Paul V in the early 17th century. The memorial invites all the faithful to reflect with gratitude on God's providence and on the mysterious presence of spiritual companions who assist us in our journey of faith and in resisting evil. While much about the nature and activity of guardian angels remains mysterious, this feast is a gentle reminder of the care and solicitude God shows for every person. The Guardian Angels' celebration encourages us to trust in God's loving protection and inspires devotion to our unseen helpers, especially through prayers inviting their guidance and intercession.
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The liturgical day
Mass readings
ReadingJb 38, 1.12-21 ; 40, 3-5
The Lord addressed Job from the midst of the storm and said:
"Have you ever in your life given orders to the morning,
assigned its place to the dawn,
so that it grips the edges of the earth
and shakes the wicked out of it?
The earth then takes shape like clay under a seal
and spreads out like a garment;
the light is withheld from the wicked,
and the arm that was raised is broken.
Have you reached the sources of the sea,
have you walked about in the depths of the abyss?
Have the gates of death been shown to you,
have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?
Have you considered the vastness of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all this!
What road leads to the dwelling place of light,
and darkness, where is its home,
that you may take each to its domain
and discern the paths to its house?
If you know, then you must have been born,
and the number of your days is surely great!"
Job addressed the Lord and said:
"I am so insignificant, what could I answer you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
I have spoken once, I will answer no more;
twice, I will add nothing further."
– The word of the Lord.
PsalmPs 138 (139), 1-3, 7-8, 9-10, 13-14ab
You search me, Lord, and you know me!
You know when I sit and when I rise;
from afar, you understand my thoughts,
Whether I walk or rest, you see it,
all my ways are familiar to you.
Where could I go, far from your spirit?
Where could I flee from your face?
If I ascend to the heavens: you are there;
if I go down to the depths: there you are.
If I take the wings of the dawn
and dwell beyond the seas:
even there, your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
It is you who created my inmost being,
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I acknowledge before you the wonder,
the amazing being that I am.
GospelMt 18, 1-5.10
At that time, the disciples approached Jesus and said:
"Who then is the greatest
in the kingdom of Heaven?"
Then Jesus called a little child;
he placed him in their midst,
and he said:
"Amen, I say to you:
unless you change
and become like little children,
you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.
But whoever humbles himself like this child,
he is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.
And whoever welcomes a child like this in my name,
welcomes me."
Be careful not to despise even one of these little ones,
for I tell you, their angels in heaven
continually see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
– Let us acclaim the Word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org