The New Zealand Tablet THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1918. THE ANGELS

New Zealand Tablet, 17 October 1918, Page 25

The New Zealand Tablet THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1918. THE ANGELS

OME of our readers jyere surprised that we Vglgjv said that not only individuals, but also nations and communities, were protected and ' guarded by angels. Therefore as a dissertation on the subject is peculiarly apposite ” during this month we will endeavor to reply to some queries by a brief exposi- * tion of the Catholic doctrine on the subject of the Angels Guardian. As we said before the recollection of the presence of an invisible spirit, deputed by God’s love to watch over us, is of vast importance in such a material ago as ours; and in it we ought to find an antidote for the current super-

stitions .pf..- people who are ready to believe every charlatan while they think it a sign of intelligence to deny the Word. of God. .„. --• ... ■ ~- .■ ...... ■■ ..... • ........ . .* .. " First, it'is of faith that in God's infallible providence angels are appointed to guard men. - St. Basil says that aa the wails protect a city on every side from the attacks- of enemies, so--angels guard us, front and rear, .and leave.us nowhere Undefended. The Old and New Testaments contain many clear references to the watchful presence of guardian angels, and the most .beautiful- .of all is .Christ’s warning concerning the ,little children: “See that you despise not one of these little ones, for, I say to.you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” s There is no formal. definition of this truth, but the following words of the Catechism of the Council of Trent, .which as an authority ranks higher than any Father or Doctor of the Church, make it clear that in the mind of the, Church it is. a revealed truth to be held firmly: “In the'providence of God to the angels is, , given the office of . guarding the human race, and being near each man, as a protection against grave dangers.” So universal was the persuasion of the presence of angels among men that even the pagan writers testify, to it, deriving their knowledge, probably, from immemorial Jewish tradition. Thus Appuleius in De Deo Socratis : “Plato thinks that for each man an angel is appointed as a witness and a guard in the affairs- of life, always present, invisible, a witness not only to deeds but to thoughts.” I”. r - * Secondly| -in- opposition to Calvin, who denied that each man has a guardian angel, the common teaching of Catholic theologians is that every child born into this world has a particular" angel set aside by God for his protection during- life. St. Jerome says: “Great is the 'dignity of souls, each one of which has from ’birth ah. angel deputed to guard it.” Origen says: •“There is- present to'every one of us, even to the least of us in- the -Church-of God, a good angel.” As the ■ angels “are given to us in- the economy of the Divine Providence, which wills that every man should be -saved, and which offers- to each one sufficient means of •salvation,- it -follows that not only to the just and the ' predestined, but' also Vto. the wicked and the worst of sinners does God send" His guardian angels. St. Bona- . venture explains .that.,as the good angel is certainly hot . more remiss 1 than -the bad spirit who never ceases .to-tempt the just man; the, good angel will never cease to be with the wicked as long as life and hope last. As to the manner in which the angelical protection is exercised over ns theologians tell us that they maintain and promote us in goodness, guarding us in all ou,r-, ways, suggesting good thoughts, exciting pious aspirations, offering' 1 opr prayers to God, and at times punishingus. In a negative way they defend us from evil) or removing spiritual or temporal hindrah<|i|, which are like stumbling blocks in the way, and designs of the devils so that neither the wisddh), serpent ndr the power of the dragon can overcome. Us. According to Scotus and St. Bonaventure the benefits- we owe' to the presence of our -.angels guardian may be-reduced to six heads; Correction for - faults, stimulation to penance, protection against the devils, removal of obstacles to virtue, presentation of our prayers to God, and consolation in afflictions. Add to these the belief that our angel never deserts us;-and that, though friends fail us and sorrows overwhelm us, we have always at our side the angel given us by Him who will not forget us even though the mother who bore us. should forget. Thirdly it is the common opinion that not only individuals but ' also..nations and communities have special angels ' set apart, to guard them. St. Augustine says that every visible thing is protected by an angel V ndquefequae res visiblis. fiabet Angelicam potestatem sibi pfaepositam,. The Apocalypse speaks of angels having, power over the elements, and, commenting on such passages,. Arethas says: “Hence we know that angelic powers are set over creatures: this one over water,: this one . over fire, this on© over another parti-

cular creature.” .Origen attributes to angels power over the rivers, seas, winds, and seasons, developing in a beautiful manner the ideal of the order of Providence in which, superhuman powers are given to the spiritual creatures that minister around the Throne of God. But the chief task assigned to angels seems to be the protection of provinces, nations, communities, and Churches. In the Book of Daniel may be found many, texts which, make it clear that angels were set apart for the guardianship of certain kingdoms. Epiphanius says, Regna et geates sub angelis posita sunt—“kingdoms and nations are placed under angels.” Origen, commenting on the Apocalypse, writes; Secundum ea quae in Apocalypso Johannes s crib it unicitique ecclesiae generaliter angelus —“According to that which John writes in the Apocalypse an angel generally presides over each church.” St. Basil adds that the more renowned the nation or the church, the higher in dignity is the angel assigned as its guardian. * Very briefly we have dealt with a question on which volumes have been written; but as it is our purpose to recall to our readers the fundamentals of Catholic teaching on the matter we need not go into it more deeply here. We see now that the Celtic people who live and move amid spiritual presences are on a higher plane than the materialists who scoff at everything that they cannot turn into gold or food and drink. There are more things in the world around us than modern schools know of. The universe is filled with spirits which are not always good, but which are always higher in intelligence than the best of us. The tendency of the baffled people who have found Materialism and Utilitarianism empty names is to turn blindly towards the spirits of evil who are at all times ready to mix themselves up in human affairs and to take advantage of human weaknesses. The current superstitions, ranging from the worship of Satan to the cult of mascots and charms, are evidences of the instinct of a people groping helplessly for help from above. Among Catholics it is not unheard that certain silly persons have recourse to such superstitious uses also ; and the more prone they are to turn in that direction the more likely they are to forget the good angels who can help them so powerfully. Let us remember that October is dedicated by the Church to the Holy Angels; and let us strive during the month to revive the simple faith of our childhood in those higher things that are not less real because we cannot see them.