CCC Cross Reference:
Ex 23:20-23 332
Ps 91:10-13 336
Mt 18:3-4 526; Mt 18:3 2785; Mt 18:10 329, 336
650 THE GUARDIAN ANGELS MEMORIAL
FIRST READING
Exodus 23:20-23
Thus says the LORD:
"See, I am sending an angel before you,
to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.
Be attentive to him and heed his voice.
Do not rebel against him, for he will not forgive your sin.
My authority resides in him.
If you heed his voice and carry out all I tell you,
I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.
"My angel will go before you and bring you to the
Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites,
Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites;
and I will wipe them out."
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 91:1-2, 3-4ab, 4c-6, 10-11
R. (11) The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
Say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
For he will rescue you from the snare of the fowler,
from the destroying pestilence.
With his pinions he will cover you,
and under his wings you shall take refuge.
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
His faithfulness is a buckler and a shield.
You shall not fear the terror of the night
nor the arrow that flies by day;
Nor the pestilence that roams in darkness,
nor the devastating plague at noon.
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
No evil shall befall you,
nor shall affliction come near your tent,
For to his angels he has given command about you,
that they guard you in all your ways.
R. The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
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."
Back to Memorial Bench
Gospel from the Jerusalem Bible
Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5,10
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The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.’
Readings and Commentary from Navarre
From: Exodus 23:20-23a
(Nehemiah 2:1-8 from the Proper of Seasons may be used.)
Warnings and promises
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[20] "Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. [21] Give heed to him and hearken to his voice, do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him.
[22] But if you hearken attentively to his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
[23] "When my angel goes before you, and brings you in to the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebu- sites, and I [will] blot them out.
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Commentary:
23:20-33. As an appendix and conclusion to the Code of the Covenant, the sa- cred writer put together these various warnings or promises. Strictly speaking, this is not a formal epilogue of the type usually attached to the end of codes of laws (cf. Lev 26 for the Code of the Holiness, and Deut 28 for the Deuteronomic Code) because it contains no blessings or curses, and makes no specific reference to the preceding laws. It is more a collection of instructions based on the fact that God is close to his people; it is designed to fortify Israel's hope and encourage it to be faithful.
"I send an angel before you" (v. 20). The word "angel", according to St Augustine, refers to his office, not his nature. "If you enquire as to his nature, I will tell you that he is a spirit; if you ask what it is he does, I will tell you that he is an angel" (Enarrationes in Psalmos, 103, 1, 15). The expression "angel of the Lord" is equivalent to the presence of God himself or his direct intervention (cf. 3:2; 14: 19 and also Gen 16:7; 22:11, 14). However, when Scripture speaks of an "angel" or "my angel" (cf. Ex 33:2; Num 20:16) it seems to refer rather to those spiritual beings who are attentive to the Lord's commands and are faithful doers of his word (cf. Ps 103:20). The role assigned to them is that of guarding the people in the name of the Lord, just as they protected Lot (cf. Gen 19) or Hagar and her son (cf. Gal 21:17). On the basis of this biblical teaching, the Church holds that angels continue to lend men the same mysterious and powerful help. "Each member of the faithful has at his side an angel as a protector and shepherd to lead him towards life" (St Basil, Adversus Eunomium, 3,1; cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 334-336).
Whereas he sends an angel to the Israelites, he sends two scourges against their enemies -- terror (v. 27) and a plague of hornets (v. 28). As usual when the Bible tells us this, it does not mean that God is wicked, but rather that, since he is the only Supreme Being, all blessings and all misfortunes are attributable to him. Furthermore, it is very much in the style of Semitic literature to make a play of contrasts -- the misfortunes of enemies are a way of showing how well one is being treated oneself.
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From: Matthew 18:1-5, 10
The "Little Ones" and the Kingdom. The Lost Sheep
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[1] At that time, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" [2] And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them, [3] and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. [4] Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
[5] "Whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me.
[10] "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in Heaven their angels always behold the face of My Father who is in Heaven.
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Commentary:
1-35. The teachings of Jesus recorded in chapter 18 of St. Matthew are often called the "discourse on the Church" or "ecclesiastical discourse" because they are a series of instructions on the way in which His Church is to be administered.
The first passage (Matthew 18:1-5), addressed to leaders, that is, the future hierarchy of the Church, warns them against natural tendencies to pride and ambition: even though they have positions of government, they must act with humility. In verses 6-10 Jesus emphasizes the fatherly care which pastors of the Church should have for the "little ones" -- a term which covers everyone in need of special care for whatever reason (because they are recent converts, or are not well grounded in Church teaching, or are not yet adults, etc.)... God takes special care of the weak and will punish those who harm them.
Our Lord shows similar concern for those who are experiencing spiritual difficulties. Every effort, even an heroic effort, must be made to seek out the "lost sheep" (verses 12-14). If the Church in general and each Christian in particular should be concerned to spread the Gospel, all the more reason for them to try and see that those who already embraced the faith do not go astray...
Thus, the whole of Chapter 18, the "discourse of the Church", is a survey of the future history of the Church during its earthly stage, and a series of practical rules for conduct for Christians -- a kind of complement to the Sermon on the Mount, (Chapters 5-7), which is a "magna carta" for the new Kingdom established by Christ.
1-6. Clearly the disciples still suffer from human ambition: they want to occupy key positions when Jesus comes to establish the Kingdom on earth (cf. Acts 1: 6). To correct their pride, our Lord shows them a child and tells them that if they want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, they must decide to be like children: children are incapable of hating anyone and are totally innocent of vice, particularly of pride, the worst vice of all. They are simple and full of trust.
Humility is one of the main pillars of the Christian life. "If you ask me", St. Augustine says, "what is the essential thing in the religion and discipline of Jesus Christ, I shall reply: first humility, second humility and third humility" ("Letter 118").
3-4. Applying these words to our Lord's virtues, Fray Luis de Granada makes the point that humility is superior to virginity: "If you cannot imitate the virginity of the humble, then imitate the humility of the virgin. Virginity is praiseworthy, but humility is more necessary. The former is recommended to us, the latter is an obligation for us; to the former we are invited, to the latter we are obliged [...]. And so we see that the former is celebrated as voluntary sacrifice, the latter required as an obligatory sacrifice. Lastly, you can be saved without virginity, but not without humility" ("Summa De La Vida Cristiana", Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 10).
5. Receiving a child in Jesus' name is the same as receiving Jesus Himself. Because children reflect the innocence, purity, simplicity and tenderness of our Lord, "In children and in the sick a soul in love sees Him" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 419).
10. Jesus warns that giving scandal to little children is a very serious matter, for they have angels who guard them, who will plead a case before God against those who led them to commit sin.
In this context He speaks of children having guardian angels. However, everyone, adult or child, has a guardian angel. "By God's providence angels have been entrusted with the office of guarding the human race and of accompanying every human being so as to preserve him from any serious dangers [...]. Our Heavenly Father has placed over each of us an angel under whose protection and vigilance we are" ("St. Pius V Catechism", IV, 9, 4).
This means that we should have a trusting relationship with our guardian angel. "Have confidence in your guardian Angel. Treat him as a lifelong friend -- that is what he is -- and he will render you a thousand services in the ordinary affairs of each day" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way" 562).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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