Memorial of the Guardian

Angels

SUCCESS WITHIN YOU!

“Whoever humbles himself like this child, is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:4

        Name some characteristics of a successful person.

     Committed, responsible, creative, wise, honest, generous, loving – among many others.

     Do you have all these characteristics all the time? You might scratch your head and say, “I’m committed, but not all the time.” “I’m loving, but not all the time.”

       Well, think again. There’s actually a group of people alive today who possess all these characteristics all the time. Who are they?

      Children. All children are already successful! They are committed to play. They’re responsible in sleeping. Creative in drawing on walls. Wise in their example. Honest in their opinions. Generous in their cuteness. Loving in all their ways. So if all children are successful, what happened to you?

       Because of problems, traumas, lies and bullies, we forget that we are already successful all the time. All we need for success is already within us. And that’s all that matters.

       Embrace the child within you. And this world will be a more beautiful place. Migs Ramirez (migsramirez.seminars@gmail.com)

Reflection: What lies do you tell yourself that are preventing you from believing in your God-given greatness?

Mary, Queen of Angels, please whisper to your Son Jesus to protect me from all lies, so that only in Him may I find my true meaning.

Guardian Angels, pray for us.

The word “angel” means messenger of God. This is how we experience them in the Scriptures. They bring God’s Word to His people. We do not exactly know what they are as heavenly beings, except that they are spiritual in nature. Let us be open to the fact that God could use angels to communicate with us, if He so desired.

20 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. 21 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. 22 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. 23 “My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites; and I will wipe them out.”

Psalm 91:1-2, 3-4, 4-6, 10-11 (or Psalm 102:16-18, 19-21, 29, 22-23)

R: The Lord has put angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.

1 You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, 2 say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (R) 3 For he will rescue you from the snare of the fowler, from the destroying pestilence. 4 With his pinions he will cover you, and under his wings you shall take refuge. (R) His faithfulness is a buckler and a shield. 5 You shall not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day; 6 nor the pestilence that roams in darkness nor the devastating plague at noon. (R) 10 No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your tent, 11 for to his angels he has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways. (R)

To be like a child does not mean we should be childish. There is a big difference between the two. Jesus wants us to be like a child and trust that God  always desires the best for us. This means we will always defer to and trust in His will for us when we make plans. We take the responsibility to act based on what we discern as His will. A childish person, on the other hand, never takes responsibility for his actions, always blaming others for his faults and failures.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

Bless the Lord, all you angels, you ministers, who do his will.

1 The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a child over, placed it in their midst, 3 and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. 10 “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.”

think: Why is it hard for you to trust in God completely?

Read the Bible in one year Proverbs 28-31

T O D A Y’S BLESSING LIST

thank You, Lord, for: ______________________________________________________

TRAVEL LIGHT

This story supposedly happened when discrimination was at its peak. A white woman was assigned a seat beside a black man in the economy section of a plane. Disgusted, the woman signaled for the flight attendant. “Aren’t there any other seats available? No one should be forced to sit beside such an obnoxious creature!” she demanded. “We’ll see what we can do, Ma’am,” the flight attendant assured. After a few minutes, the flight attendant came back to the woman and said, “Ma’am, you’re right. No one should be forced to sit beside an obnoxious person. We found an extra seat at the first-class section.” As the woman was preparing to leave her seat, the flight attendant turned to the black man and continued, “So, sir, please leave your seat and I’ll escort you to the first-class section of our plane.”

       The Gospel today narrates the disciple’s preoccupation on who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. Mathew’s version is a little tame. In the other synoptic versions of this story, the disciples were actually arguing among themselves who is the greatest. Knowing what’s in their hearts, Jesus took a little child and set it as the symbol of greatness in God’s Kingdom, as if telling the Apostles not to take themselves too seriously. Like the woman in our story, the disciples had to learn it the embarrassing way. The Kingdom of heaven is not a matter of making one’s importance felt. It is rather making others feel important by the respect and service one renders them.

       Today is the Feast of the Guardian Angels. G.K. Chesterton once asked: “How come the angels can fly? Because they take themselves so lightly.” The woman in our opening story took herself so seriously. She can never fly to the Kingdom because she is weighed down by the baggage of an exaggerated sense of self-importance.

       Do you want to be able to fly to the Kingdom? Get rid of that excess baggage of unfounded self-worth. Appreciate your giftedness but don’t take yourself so seriously. Let the wings of humility make you soar to the heights of heavenly glory. Fr. Joel Jason

----------- REFLECTION QUESTION ----------

How much do you weigh in the humility scale? This is where being overweight is a joyful reading.

Jesus, I thank You for the wonderment of my being. And You alone are my prize. Help me stand tall without stepping on someone. Amen.