In the Spirit: Guardian Angels

Angel of God, my guardian dear,

to whom God's love commits me here,

ever this day (/night) be at my side

to light, to guard, to rule, to guide.

I recently discovered that this prayer (one of my favorites) fits beautifully to the tune of Rock 'a Bye Baby.  [A wonderful finding since I love that tune but can't stand to sing the original words to my child--morbid English songwriters . . . ]

A strong belief in guardian angels was one of the first and easiest things for me to grasp onto when my family converted to Catholicism.  For some reason it was easy for me to know that they are around us all the time, and it was comforting for me to think that I could form a relationship with my personal angel who would help defend me against the fallen angels who "prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls."

I don't have time to write a whole "how do we know angels exist and we each have our own" defense right now.  But here are some interesting angel facts:

<3  Every individual angel is it's own species.  So the angels are as different from each other in a spiritual sense as various animal species are different from each other in a physical sense.

<3 Angels make one choice for or against God and then keep that fixed intent through their eternal existence.  This is because their intellects are so perfected and their wills are so strong that they don't suffer from fickle changes of purpose as we do.

<3   Several saints have been able to talk to their angels on a regular basis.  Others have had their angels appear in various forms to protect them at various points.

<3 A woman I spoke with who worked for a hospice center said that many people see their angels in the days, hours, or minutes before they die.

I love this image by Caravaggio of Matthew and the Angel because it shows in the movement of the angel's hand that it is guiding the gospel writer.  Matthew's face shows his amazement and awe in the task that he is able to do with this supernatural help.
http://www.lib-art.com/imgpainting/8/5/8058-st-matthew-and-the-angel-caravaggio.jpg

This 2nd image is of one of the angels on the Bridge of the Angels in Rome.  I used to stand on this bridge and look toward Vatican City.  The angels lining the bridge each hold various signs of the Passion.  I picture guardian angels to look more like this--more masculine, strong, upright, and clearly in love of their God.
http://www.nycerome.com/rome-hotels-images/areas-of-rome-images/st-peter-vatican-area-pictures/st-angel-bridge.jpg