When Our Lord was in the garden, He experienced what we call the agony.  It was the agony in the Garden.  In the last blog post on Bellarmine Forum, we learn that a chief point of St. Raphael’s speech is to tell us: “God tries those who love Him.”   His Son Jesus was no exception.  Jesus was tried in the Garden and He prayed.  He sweat blood.  Here is Jesus, the God-Man.  He’s God!  And yet He needed help.  Why do I say that?   The Gospels tell us that an angel came to strengthen Him.

If Jesus needed His angel, who are you?

If you aren’t using and befriending the angel God gave to you, you’re going to fail.  

October 2 — Feast of the Guardian angels.  Also, First Friday! Last year we introduced a prayer that many listeners had never heard, but they memorized it, learned it, and pray it now.  Last year, we focused on the tenderness and the principal ways your angel helps you. 

Holy angel, guardian mine, Given me by love divine; Day and night watch over me, From harm, from sin, let me be free. By a pious life I fain Would eternal joys attain.  Amen

If you haven’t heard that episode, visit the blog post for this episode and click this link and go listen — you’ll want to be friends with your angel.

This year, I want to bring some heat — heat given to us by Mother Church.  And I will bring you a new prayer.

In the fourth century – St. Hilary – doctor of the Church, mind you – tells us:

“In the warfare we carry on, we remain strong against the evil powers through the angels who are our helpers”

Helpers — that quote is nice, but it doesn’t explain how you will fail if you ignore your angel.  St. Hilary makes it clearer here:

“There are angels of little children who look upon the face of God every day. These spirits have been sent to aid the human race. Our weakness is such that, if the guardian angels had not been given to us, we would not be able to resist the many and powerful attacks of the evil spirits. “

Without our guardian angel, we would not be able to resist…  the many and powerful attacks of the evil spirits.  In other words, without our angel, we will fail.  

He expands this teaching even further!

That is why we need a higher nature (to protect us). We know this from the words with which the Lord strengthened Moses trembling in his fear, “My angel will go before you.” That is why God has taken out these spirits from among His treasures and has given through them the help we need in our human weakness. By this divine assistance we are able to resist the powers of this world of darkness to obtain the heritage of heaven!St. Hillary

If you want to get to Heaven, you need your angel!  Without your angel, you will fail to get to Heaven!

Make you a little afraid yet?  I’ve dipped into the old liturgies — way back in Mother Church’s rich tradition and found some gems for you.  Let’s look at the prayer to the Guardian Angel popularized in monasteries during the so called “dark ages”.  This prayer is essentially the same as the Eastern Churches use today and it is part of a Service that includes the Akathist prayer to the Mother of God.  

If you want to get to Heaven, you need your angel!  Without your angel, you will fail to get to Heaven!  This prayer makes that very clear!