What's the Deal with Guardian Angels?

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
 Bless this bed that I lay on.
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels ‘round my head.

One to guide, one to pray,
Two to keep me safe all day.

 So goes the modern version of an ancient English bedtime prayer. The original version, recited 100’s of years ago by children much more used to watching friends and family die, ended with the line, “Two to bear my soul away.”  

Both versions are comforting reminders of the two main responsibilities our Guardian Angels have been given: to protect and guide us during the day, and to escort us safely into the arms of our loving God at the moment of our death. 

My son has a childlike, unshakable belief in his own Guardian Angel. After living with him for 30 years, I’ve come to believe he has several on duty at all times. When he was 6 or 7, I woke up one night to the sounds of a conversation coming from, of all places, the bathroom. I got up to investigate, and while I couldn’t make out any words, I could definitely recognize Travis’ voice. I opened the door to find him sitting on the floor, teary-eyed, trying to control his sobs.

“Oh, Sweetheart, what’s the matter?” I cried.

“I” sob “had” sob “a nightmare,” he answered.  

“But who were you taking to?” I asked, checking to see if one of his brothers was hiding under the sink.

“My Guardian Angel,” he said.

He was so matter-of-fact that there could be no doubt he had either suffered a psychotic episode complete with beautiful hallucinations, or he had just experienced the blessed and consoling presence of his Guardian Angel.  

A few days later, I asked him to draw a picture of his angel. He willingly sat at the dining room table, notebook and colored pencils in hand. From the next room I heard him talking to himself, as he said, “Yes, that looks golden.”  

I assumed he was drawing her hair, as I always imagined angels had flowing blonde hair with a few glittery silver highlights. Or perhaps it was her wings that glowed. Or maybe she wore a flowing golden gown with a starry sash. 

When he showed me his picture, I was surprised to see she had medium brown hair, the outline of wings that were not colored in, and a blue gown. It was her face that was golden and glowing--a detail I find hard to imagine a child inventing.

In today’s world of science and technology, Guardian Angels seem to have been relocated to the category of imaginary friends and pleasant bedtime stories; things that are entertaining and appropriate for children, but expected to be outgrown and abandoned as we mature.

Yet St. Basil said, “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd…” Notice he did not mention that they discriminate on the basis of age. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.” And St. Paul wrote, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”

Have you, as an adult, ever had an experience, perhaps a close call or an odds-defying incident that made you stop for just a moment to acknowledge your good luck or recognize the improbability of the amazing “coincidence?” Have you considered that you may have experienced the intervention of your Guardian Angel? 

Here’s the thing. Angels have been among us since creation, and they will be present at Christ’s return. In the meantime, we can all benefit from the mysterious and powerful help of our own Guardian angels. Perhaps it’s time to refresh in our hearts the little prayer we learned as children:
                                              

 Angel of God, my Guardian dear,
To whom God’s love commits me here,
Ever this day be at my side
To light and guard, to rule and guide.

St. Patrick

Many interesting tales and legends surround St. Patrick.  He seems to have been adopted as the unofficial mascot of anything related to 4-leaf clovers, Leprechauns, snake herding, drinking Guinness, and pretty much anything green.

So, as we approach St. Patrick’s Day, let’s take a few minutes to separate fact from fiction.

Saint Patrick was born in the year 385 and died on March 17 in 461.  Which explains why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day every year on that date.

Point One.  St. Patrick was not Irish.  Something I wish I’d known when Sr. Mercedes sent my Italian self home from school, claiming I “was not worthy to wear green nail polish.”  OK, so technically he was Roman.  But, hello, people?  Where do you think Rome is located?

His parents were wealthy Roman citizens living in Scotland to oversee the colonies there.  When he was 14, give or take a few years, he was captured by warring Celts, and taken back with them to Ireland to herd sheep as a slave of a Druid warlord.  Raising the question, “Why aren’t sheep a symbol of St. Patrick?”

Point Two.  Patrick did not bring Christianity to Ireland.  There were Christians already living there when Patrick arrived.  His faith was a great source of comfort to him during his time in captivity, and Patrick later wrote, “the faith grew in me, so that whilst in the woods and on the mountain, even before the dawn, I was roused to prayer, and whether there was snow or ice or rain; I felt no hurt from it”

Point Three.  Patrick sailed with pirates.  After six or seven years, Patrick escaped his cruel master.  He travelled to the seashore, where he smooth talked his way onto a pirate ship bound for Scotland,  and was there reunited with his family.

Point Four.  After becoming a priest and then a bishop, Patrick was chosen to return to Ireland and convert the heathens, primarily because he could speak their language perfectly and had a detailed knowledge of Druid practices.  Proving once again that education will help you go places in life.

On Easter Sunday in 433, Patrick enlisted his faith and some pretty impressive miracles to out-power a group of druids and magicians, thus converting  the Supreme Monarch of Ireland  He was then granted permission to preach the Faith throughout the length and breadth of Erin. 

For the next 40 years, Patrick tramped from shore to shore, spreading the Gospels throughout the land.  Entire kingdoms converted to Christianity when they heard his message, cementing Patrick  in history as the Patron Saint of Ireland and one of the most famous and successful evangelists ever to tread upon her soil. 

Point Five.  St. Patrick never drove any actual snakes into the sea.  Nevertheless, he did exterminate a lot of Druids; not by tossing them into the ocean, but by converting them to Christianity.  Apparently the Druids had really big tattoos of snakes all over their hairy arms, and the Irish of the day understood the symbolism.  However, several centuries later, when there were no longer any tattoo sporting Druids roaming the countryside, people began to take the story literally, something that was never intended.  Today, St. Patrick, not to be confused with the Pied Piper, is often depicted herding snakes, presumably into the sea.

Point Six.  The four-leaf clover is NOT a symbol of St Patrick.  Think about it, people.  St. Patrick converted most of Ireland by using the Shamrock (a common three-leaf clover) as a visual aid to help explain the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity.  The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; three persons in one God, just like the shamrock with three leaves but a single stem.

Point Seven.  On St. Patrick’s day, more than 13 million pints of Guinness are consumed around the world, more than double the amount on any other day of the year.

In honor of the festivities, we leave you with this Irish blessing:

May you have love that never ends,
lots of money, and lots of friends.
Health be yours, whatever you do,
and may God send many blessings to you!

However you choose to honor St. Patrick, he was a humble, pious, and gentle man, whose trust in God should be a shining example to each of us; and a Christian role model for anyone struggling to overcome obstacles.  Shamrocks and Leprechauns are simply marketing symbols chosen as a politically correct way to monetize another religious holiday.  But that’s a rant best saved for another day.