Devotion
Devotion to the Guardian Angels
Devotion to the angels · 2 min
The Church teaches that each person is entrusted to an angel who watches over him and helps him towards salvation; the devotion is simply the habit of living gratefully in that company.
Background
A private devotion resting on the Church's constant faith, honoured in the liturgy by the memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels on 2 October. Its most common form is the short prayer Angele Dei, 'Angel of God, my guardian dear', said by families at morning and evening prayers and often joined to the Angelus. The Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy commends devotion to the angels while warning against idle curiosity about them — inventing names for them, or treating them as figures to be consulted — since their whole ministry is to serve God and lead us to him.
How to practice
Pray the Angel of God prayer morning and evening, and teach it to children as one of the first prayers they learn by heart. Ask your guardian angel for help before a difficult conversation, a journey, or a decision, and thank him at the end of the day when you examine your conscience. Keep the memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels on 2 October. Keep the devotion sober: honour the angel, but address your worship to God alone.
Duration
About 2 minutes
Content subtype
angelic