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| “The Guardian Angel” by Carlo Dolci, 1675 |
(Note: For this feast day
the Gospel of the Proper is used.)
Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.
Job spoke out and said:
Perish the day on which I was born,
the night when they said, “The child is a boy!”
Why did I not perish at birth,
come forth from the womb and expire?
Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth,
like babes that have never seen the light?
Wherefore did the knees receive me?
or why did I suck at the breasts?
For then I should have lain down and been tranquil;
had I slept, I should then have been at rest
With kings and counselors of the earth
who built where now there are ruins
Or with princes who had gold
and filled their houses with silver.
There the wicked cease from troubling,
there the weary are at rest.
Why is light given to the toilers,
and life to the bitter in spirit?
They wait for death and it comes not;
they search for it rather than for hidden treasures,
Rejoice in it exultingly,
and are glad when they reach the grave:
Those whose path is hidden from them,
and whom God has hemmed in!
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Commentary on
Jb 3:1-3, 11-17,
20-23
Job, the faithful servant of God, has lost all his possessions,
his family and has been personally afflicted.
In these verses he begins his first soliloquy. Without asking for salvation by God, Job
laments his desperate state beginning by questioning even why he was given the
first gift of life (see parallels in Jeremiah 20:14-18, 1 Kings 19:4 and Sirach 23:14). The important element of this lament is the
question itself “Why”- for what reason.
Going further in vs. 20-23 the question is broadened to include all who
are born into suffering and harsh servitude.
In this early part of the Book of Job there is bewilderment on Job’s
part – divine justice has not yet been introduced.
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R. (3) Let my prayer come before you, Lord.
O Lord, my God, by day I cry out;
at night I clamor in your presence.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my call for help.
R. Let my
prayer come before you, Lord.
For my soul is surfeited with troubles
and my life draws near to the nether world.
I am numbered with those who go down into the pit;
I am a man without strength.
R. Let my
prayer come before you, Lord.
My couch is among the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom you remember no longer
and who are cut off from your care.
R. Let my
prayer come before you, Lord.
You have plunged me into the bottom of the pit,
into the dark abyss.
Upon me your wrath lies heavy,
and with all your billows you overwhelm me.
R. Let my
prayer come before you, Lord.
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Commentary on
Ps 88:2-3, 4-5,
6, 7-8
Reminiscent of Job, Psalm 88 is an individual lament. The psalmist cries out at having been
afflicted and deserted by his friends.
As the singer calls for God to attend his prayer in the first strophe,
he considers his descent to death in those that follow.
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Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10
The disciples approached Jesus
and said,
"Who is the greatest in the
Kingdom of heaven?"
He called a child over, placed it
in their midst, and said,
"Amen, I say to you, unless
you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of
heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this
child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of
heaven.
And whoever receives one child
such as this in my name receives me.
"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."
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Commentary
on Mt 18:1-5, 10
This
Gospel passage is used on the Feast of the Guardian Angels each year. The event
is also recorded in St. Luke’s Gospel at Luke 9:46-50. The major difference is that here, in St.
Matthew’s Gospel the Lord speaks directly of the Guardian Angels who protect
and watch over the children in the presence of the Heavenly Father as opposed
to going on to another saying of Jesus. The emphasis in this passage changes
from a treatise on humility to one which emphasizes God’s care for those who
are most helpless, His children.
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Reflection:
Taking
the flow of celebrations in the Church over the days leading up to this date –
it almost seems as if we have been building up to the memorial of Guardian
Angels. We have celebrated the Feast of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel, and
Raphael and just yesterday the Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus.
From divine messengers and Saints who invite us to be as children in accepting
their divine aid, the Guardian Angels present themselves in this memorial – an
angelic presence reminding us that God cares for us all and is with us
constantly.
It
is an opportunity for us all to reflect upon this question: If Jesus tells us
the Guardians exist and are real (“I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.") do we accept and believe
that aid is at hand or do we continue to fear, thinking we are alone, fighting
against the world with only our own strength to protect us? After all, we do
not see the angelic messengers. We do not observe them actively participating
in our lives. Unlike their depiction in the movies, objects and people do not
fly around, guided by the hosts of heaven.
Ultimately
we are given God’s assurance that his messengers are here with us; that at once
they face outward watching over us and inward, worshiping God and His Son in
the Heavenly Kingdom. We are called once more today to have the faith of a
child as we go about our day’s activities, may we accept God’s angelic aid and
feel the peace flowing from his Son on this day.
Pax
[2]
The picture is “The Guardian Angel” by Carlo Dolci, 1675
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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