I don’t know about non-Catholics—meaning, members of Christian sects, followers of non-Christian religions, and even atheists—but one thing I’ve consistently noticed about the Catholics I have known, including me, particularly those who attend Mass and practice devotions, or are considered practicing Catholics, is that they seem to be spared from utter destruction, downfall, or ruin. Most of us Catholics are never completely overcome by misfortune.
My Reflection
1. We practicing Catholics are often protected from major accidents and dangers of death. Somehow, we are always rescued, helped, or spared just in time. It’s as if something beyond us is watching over them. Because it is: Our Merciful and Just God, the Saints, and our Guardian Angels.
2. I can’t say for sure who among all the Catholics actively pray to their Guardian Angels, but what I do know is that I have personally experienced help in urgent situations that felt beyond human timing. I believe with all my heart that it was my Guardian Angel who intervened.
3. If I remember correctly, the first prayer I ever learned in the Private School I attended was the Angel of God prayer, which we probably all know, and which I learned in Grade 1:
“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.”
As a university student at the University of Santo Tomas, I still prayed it every day. When it was my turn to lead the class in prayer, this was sometimes the one I chose. Because I believed in it.
4. Every person, from the very beginning of life until death, is accompanied by a Guardian Angel. This guardianship extends even to non-Christians and atheists. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:
“From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession” (CCC 336).
The Church does not define the exact moment when the Guardian Angel is assigned. Some spiritual writers and Saints (such as Saint Padre Pio) speak as if it is from the womb or even from the moment of conception. Saint Thomas Aquinas, on the other hand, held that the angel is appointed at birth (while allowing that the mother’s angel may protect the child in the womb). Either way, the teaching remains: each person is given one Guardian Angel who remains by their side throughout their earthly life.
5. As Saint Jerome once wrote:
“Great is the dignity of souls, for each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it.”
6. There is only one Guardian Angel for each person; he cannot be replaced, and he remains with each person until the moment of death. Church Tradition teaches that our Guardian Angel helps us by praying for us, protecting us from harm, and inspiring us to do good.
7. Our personal Guardian Angel guides us to avoid sin, helps us in times of need, and carries our prayers before the throne of God (cf. Rev 8:3–4). The Guardian Angel also accompanies each soul through the dying process, protecting it during its final temptation and battle against the devil and his demonic minions.
8. According to Church Tradition and the writings of saints such as St. Thomas Aquinas, each Guardian Angel is unique and has a name known only to God. In the Summa Theologica (I, Q. 113, Art. 5), Aquinas explains that these angels are from the lowest choir of angels—yet they are still of a nature far superior to us, since they are pure spirits. Because we do not have authority over them, it is not proper to assign them names; instead, we humbly acknowledge their guardianship over us.
9. After death, if a soul is saved, they will spend eternity in the company of their Guardian Angel. If the soul enters Purgatory, the Angel remains present to console and assist during their time of purification. The only separation occurs if a soul is damned to Hell; in such a tragic case, the Angel can no longer remain with them.
10. Devotion to Guardian Angels grew significantly with the rise of monasticism. Saint Benedict encouraged it, but it was Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—often called the “Doctor Mellifluous”—who gave it powerful voice. He famously preached:
“We should show our affection for the angels, for one day they will be our co-heirs, just as here they are our guardians and trustees appointed and set over us by the Father.”
11. The Church began commemorating the Guardian Angels liturgically in the 16th century, and Pope Paul V formally added the feast to the Roman calendar in 1615.
12. While Guardian Angels are assigned to each of us, their ability to help us, as well as their influence over our lives, more effectively increases when we invite their help through prayer. They respect our free will and are more empowered to act when we seek their guidance. This is something I’ve practiced faithfully and consistently, which might explain why I’ve received so many instances of help and protection, and so much aid from my Guardian Angel throughout my life. This may also explain similar patterns among most of the Catholics I’ve known—both the devout and not-so,but still considered as “practicing.”
13. One example among many: When I was in college, I was once crossing a street in the City of Manila with a group of classmates toward the jeepney station, where most of the passengers were students. A jeepney—the most common form of local public transportation in the Philippines—was driven by a man distracted while chatting with someone on the other side of the road. He drove forward even though so many of us were obviously crossing. In his negligence, the vehicle struck my right thigh. But he hit the brakes at the exact moment of impact. It hurt badly, and I was left with a severe bruise, but it could have been far worse. I truly believe that my Guardian Angel acted in that split second.
14. There were also times when I found myself in messy or risky situations due to my boldness and risk-taker personality. And yet, help would come to me suddenly—ensuring my health and safety, and overall well-being were preserved. These moments felt like unseen hands pulling me out of harm’s way.
15. Whenever we find ourselves in trouble, or when we are hurt or wronged by others, remember what Jesus says in today’s Gospel (Matthew 18:1-5, 10, New American Bible, Revised Edition):
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father” (Matthew 18:10, NABRE).
16. We are “the little ones” whenever someone despises us, mistreats us, hurts us, wrongs us, humiliates us, or bullies us—sometimes without cause. There really are people who do this out of nothing. Many times, it’s due to envy and insecurity.
17. It happens at work, in schools, or even in our communities. Some people go out of their way to make life harder—through gossip, slander, contrarian actions, or calculated cruelty. Think of some bosses at work, for example, intentionally increase our burdens simply because of personal dislike.
18. The “little ones” also include those who are vulnerable and powerless in society—both children and adults. They are the poor, the oppressed, the abused, and those the world deems insignificant. These are the people upon whom injustice is often inflicted.
19. Christianity is often described as the most persecuted religion in the world. And while other Christian sects, like Protestants and Evangelicals, do suffer opposition, I believe the Catholic Church endures far worse and distinctly different kinds of scrutiny, mockery, or suppression—particularly for holding fast to the fullness of Church teaching.
20. We faithful Catholics are the little ones, as well as all these people—the bullied, the persecuted, the innocent. This looks discouraging. But remember that when our oppressors and bullies commit acts of cruelty or injustice against us, they do so under the watch of God—because our “angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father,” as Our Lord Jesus Christ assures us.
21. Our Guardian Angels are always before the face of our heavenly Father, interceding and bearing witness to everything. This places us—God our Father’s little ones—under His loving gaze. And not only His, but also under the gaze of His Mother and Our Mother, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. No act of injustice goes unseen.
22. The very people society ignores or crushes have constant access to the face of the Father. They may seem invisible to the world, but they are never unseen by God. So even when we feel forgotten, we are never unseen.
23. Our Guardian Angel is a witness. That means every cruelty, every injustice, every hidden betrayal committed against us is never forgotten in Heaven, as it is recorded and presented before the face of the Father. This brings immense consolation: we are never gaslit in Heaven. (“Gaslighting” was even Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2022, revealing how often people’s sense of truth and reality is stolen from them.)
24. Because our Guardian Angel is always in God’s presence, God is not indifferent to what has been done to us. Whether in this life or the next, justice will be rendered—either through repentance, purification, or righteous judgment. As Scripture says:
“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19, NABRE).
God’s justice is perfect for you and me.
25. Our Guardian Angel may be silent, but they are never passive. When God sees the injustice, He sends help, consolation, and strength—or He allows that injustice to raise us spiritually, to sanctify our souls, and to glorify us in Heaven. Heaven fights on our behalf.
26. Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that angels present our sufferings and prayers before God. So every tear we shed, every moment we choose silence over revenge, becomes intercession through our angel. Our patience becomes an offering.
27. Even if they mock us, lie about us, or seem to escape consequences—they are not escaping anything. Their actions are not just witnessed by others; they are presented to God by our angel.
28. That is why, today, as we celebrate the Feast or the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels, we pray to them and thank them for never leaving our side.
29. I often see the “My friendship circle over the years” post on X (formerly Twitter) in various versions, usually starting in 2020, where the funny graph reveals that we dramatically lose friends—with only the cat remaining this year. Even though I’ve seen this post many times, I still laugh each time as though it were the first. I love cats (and small dogs too, like my toy poodle Kiddo—Brisby’s nickname—as well as guinea pigs).
Conclusion
But really, as in that funny cat post, in this broken, passing world—where “frenemies” are everywhere, true friends are harder to find, and cats often prove more loyal—let us not forget that we have always had this one friend, and this one friend is our Guardian Angel.
Our Guardian Angel is a true friend who sticks with us no matter what—whether, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church and certain Saints affirm, from the womb or even from the moment of conception, or, as Saint Thomas Aquinas taught, from the moment of birth. What is certain is that we are never without their presence. Our Guardian Angel walks with us in every step of this life, until the day they lead us into the next. We were never alone and never will be. From the first cry to eternity’s song, friends may drift, time may fade, but one companion never leaves: my Guardian Angel.
Most Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—place me under Your loving gaze, and under the gaze of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary under her title Our Lady of Guadalupe, forever and ever.
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower, Patroness of www.TheBestCatholic.com, who celebrated her feast day yesterday (October 1), pray for us!
Saint Peter the Apostle, pray for us!
Saint Paul the Apostle, pray for us!
Saint John the Baptist, pray for us!
Saint Joseph, pray for us!
Our Guardian Angels, pray for us!
Mama Mary, pray for us!
Amen.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
Email: [email protected]
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