Our guardian angel is our friend “who we cannot see but we can feel". "Listen to his voice, because he advises us. When we hear that inspiration: ‘ Do this ...don’t do this ...'. Listen! Don’t rebel against him".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - We all have a guardian angel, "God’s messenger" who "is always with us" and that should be listened to and respected,  said Pope Francis during mass this morning in Casa Santa Marta, inspired by the song of the Book of Exodus in which God says. "Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared."

On today's Feast of the Guardian Angels, the Pope noted that when God expels Adam from Paradise, He does not leave him alone, pointing to prayers and psalms that tell us how the figure of the guardian angel has always been present in every story of the relationship between man and God.  

Guardian Angels are divine presences which "the Lord has given to all." "Everyone has one" who "accompanies us." " He is always with us!  And this is a reality.  It’s like having God’s ambassador with us.  And the Lord advises us: ‘Respect his presence!’ And when we, for example, commit a sin and believe that we’re on our own: No, he is there. Show respect for his presence. Listen to his voice because he gives us advice. When we hear that inspiration: ‘But do this … this is better … we should not do that.’ Listen! Do not go against him.”

Pope Francis explained how the Guardian Angel always protects us, especially from evil. Sometimes, he noted, “we believe that we can hide so many things,” “bad things” that in the end will always come to light. The Angel, he continued, is there to advise us and “cover for us” just a friend would do. “A friend who we don’t see but we hear.”  “A friend who one day will be with us in the everlasting joy of Heaven.”

 “All he asks is that we listen to him and respect him. That’s all: respect and listening (to him).  And this respect and listening to this companion on our journey is called meekness. The Christian must be meek when it comes to the Holy Spirit. Meekness towards the Holy Spirit begins with this yielding to the advice given by this companion on our journey.”

The Pope went on to explain that in order to be meek, we need to become small like children and our Guardian Angel is a companion who teaches us this humility and just like children we should listen to him.  “May we ask the Lord for the grace of this meekness, to listen to the voice of this companion, to this ambassador from God who accompanies us in His name and may we be supported by his help.  (We must) always journey forward.  And in this Mass where we praise the Lord, let us remember how good our Lord is, who straight after we lost His friendship, did not leave us alone, did not abandon us.” 

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