🍂October is a great month to think about the Angels!🍂
Father gave a little sermon in one of the daily Masses last week. It was the Feast of the Guardian Angels. We often forget our dear angel who is ever at our side, waiting to help. We must become more aware of his presence and ask for his assistance throughout the day!
These little stories help our faith in the angels grow. The spiritual world is even more real than what we take in around us with our sight. But we must have eyes to see…which is what we strive for… by our reading and our prayer!
Treasury of Catechism Stories by Father Lawrence Lovasik
⋆˚‧🪽APPARITIONS OF ST. MICHAEL
In the year 589, a pestilence broke out in the city of Rome when the Tiber overflowed its banks. In the following year Pope St. Gregory the Great was leading a penitential procession to St. Peter’s basilica to obtain deliverance from the plague. He carried in his hands a picture of Our Lady.
When he came to the Aelian bridge which connected the tomb of Hadrian with the city, he saw on the summit of that massive structure an angel sheathing a bloody sword, while a chorus of angels chanted the anthem, “Regina Coeli — Queen of Heaven, rejoice! For He whom thou didst merit to bear has risen as He said, Alleluia!” To this anthem the Pope responded: “Pray for us to God, Alleluia!”
The plague had suddenly ceased. In memory of the event, a shrine was built on the top of the mausoleum by Pope Boniface IV, successor to St. Gregory, and dedicated to St. Michael. Later the shrine was replaced by a statue which was destroyed many times, but always rebuilt. The mausoleum of Hadrian acquired the name of the Castle of Sant’ Angelo, and the bridge was called “The bridge of the holy Angel.”
St. Michael the Archangel also spoke to the simple peasant girl, Joan of Arc, when she was but a child of thirteen years. His voice called her from her flock of sheep to the command of armies. She heard his voice and the “voices” of many angels who accompanied him. She saw them, as she told her judges, as plainly as her eyes then beheld her hearers.
When called on one occasion to an examination before her judges regarding her associations with the Archangel, St. Joan of Arc replied, “As for St. Michael who appeared to me, I believe his words and actions as firmly as I believe that our Lord suffered His death and passion for us. Another reason which moves me to believe that it was really St. Michael appearing to me is the good counsel, the comfort, the sound doctrine he never ceased to give me. He told me of the desperate state of the kingdom of France.”
At first she feared, but later, as often as her heavenly visitors departed from her, she used to weep and pray that they might carry her away with them.
𓂃🪶Application
These beautiful accounts remind us that God, in His loving Providence, sends His angels to guide, protect, and strengthen His children. Like St. Gregory, we must never underestimate the power of prayer, especially in times of trouble and uncertainty. And how comforting to know that we have a loving Mother in Heaven, always ready to intercede for us! May we turn often to Our Lady, invoke the protection of St. Michael, and remember that, though unseen, the angels are powerful friends and helpers on our journey to Heaven.
⋆˚‧🪽THE POPE’S DIVISIONS
Tim McInerny, ex-Justice Department official, was visiting with Pope Pius XII at Castel Gandolfo. McInerny had met the Pope when the Holy Father visited Boston as papal secretary. As they paced up and down the terrace together, the conversation got around to the Teheran conference. At that conference, Churchill, arguing for a second front through southern Europe, pointed to the influence of the Catholic Church in that area. Stalin contemptuously asked, “And how many divisions has the Pope?”
“What was your answer when Churchill later told you about that?” asked McInerny.
The Pope replied, “I told him, ‘Tell my son Joseph that he will meet my divisions in eternity.’”
𓂃🪶Application
What a powerful reminder that the strength of the Church is not measured by earthly standards! Armies, governments, and rulers may wield great power in this world, but their authority is fleeting. The Church, founded by Christ, possesses a spiritual strength that no earthly power can overcome. Pope Pius XII’s answer reminds us that one day every soul, whether mighty or humble, must stand before God and give an account of his life. May we never be overly impressed by worldly power or discouraged by the apparent weakness of the Church. Rather, let us remain steadfast in our Faith, remembering that earthly kingdoms rise and fall, but the truths of God endure forever.
⋆˚‧🪽ANGELIC LIGHT
Father Matthew, a Benedictine missionary, had ridden the Ozark trails in Arkansas for the greater part of his long life. One night he unsaddled his mule and prepared to sleep under the stars as he often did in the mountains. He noticed a light shining through the trees and thought that a new settler must have arrived. He remounted quickly and rode off in the direction of the light to accept the hospitality which he was sure would be offered him.
He rode for hours and the light kept at an even distance in front of him. It was not until the morning sun was breaking over the hills that he reached the cabin. He had ridden twenty miles, yet the light had seemed always about a hundred yards ahead.
The cabin was deserted when he entered, and there was no light inside, but he could hear a low moaning, which seemed to come from a neighboring pine grove, and there Father Matthew found the settler, pinned beneath a tree that had veered as he felled it.
With a shovel and an ax, he freed the pinioned man and brought him back to the cabin. When he was about to talk, the settler asked the priest how he had happened to be on that remote trail. Father Matthew replied:
“Your guardian angel came for me.”
𓂃🪶Application
What a beautiful reminder of God’s loving Providence! We may never know how often our guardian angels have protected us from dangers we could not see. God watches over each of us with tender care, sometimes answering our prayers in the most unexpected ways. And how beautifully this story reminds us of the great gift of the priesthood and the importance of loving our neighbor! Like Father Matthew, may we always be ready to respond to the needs of others, bringing both practical help and spiritual comfort. Let us never forget to call upon our guardian angels, trusting that God, in His wisdom and goodness, is watching over every step of our journey.
⋆˚‧🪽THE ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL
There is a very striking account in the Old Testament in the book of Tobias of how the son of Tobias was led through many dangers by the Archangel Raphael. This heavenly spirit appeared in the form of a young man and offered to accompany the son of Tobias on his journey to a far country. Along the way, he saved his companion from a large fish which attempted to devour him. He took out parts of the fish and later used them to cure Tobias of his blindness.
At the home of Raguel, the son of Tobias fell in love with Raguel’s daughter. Seven men had previously tried to marry her, but each of them had been killed the first night by the power of the devil. Raphael advised that the newly-wedded couple spend the first three nights of their marriage in prayer. Prayer conquered the evil spirit. After Raphael had completed his mission, he revealed himself as an angel of God and vanished from the sight of the wondering Tobias and his son.
𓂃🪶Application
What a beautiful reminder that God never leaves us to journey through life alone! Just as He sent the Archangel Raphael to guide and protect young Tobias, He gives us the help of His holy angels and the graces we need along the way. Yet we must be willing to listen and obey His inspirations, even when we do not fully understand His plans. This story also reminds us of the importance of prayer in marriage. When husband and wife place God at the center of their union, seeking His grace and blessing, they invite His loving protection into their home. May we always be attentive to the gentle workings of grace, faithful in prayer, and trusting in the wisdom of God’s Providence.
⋆˚‧🪽CORNELIUS AND THE ANGEL
The Bible mentions many examples of the kind deeds of the angels. In the early days of the Christian Church there was in Caesarea a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the cohort called Italian. He was a devout, God-fearing man, giving alms to the people and praying to God continually. He longed to know the one true God, but did not know how to find Him.
Then God sent His angel to Cornelius with a message:
“Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered in the sight of God. Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon, surnamed Peter; he is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.”
How Cornelius rejoiced at this good thought of the guardian angel! He obeyed and, through St. Peter, became a Christian.
𓂃🪶Application
What a beautiful reminder that God hears the prayers of those who sincerely seek Him! Cornelius was a man of prayer and charity, and God, seeing the goodness of his heart, sent an angel to lead him to the truth. Through his obedience, Cornelius was brought to St. Peter and received the precious gift of the Catholic Faith. How grateful we should be for our own Baptism and the countless graces that flow from it! This story reminds us, too, that the holy angels are ever ready to guide souls toward God. May we never take the gift of our Faith for granted, but pray earnestly for the conversion of souls, trusting that God is always at work, often in ways we cannot see.
As parents, we press on each day, striving to do what is best for our children and trusting God to make up for our shortcomings. Each new day brings precious opportunities to spend time with them, to make little sacrifices out of love, and to touch their hearts in ways that truly matter. And in giving ourselves so generously, we find that our own hearts are blessed and fulfilled.
Our Lady of Good Success, pray for us!
~Finer Femininity
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