Colm Fitzpatrick
Questions of Faith
It’s common today for religious or spiritual people to speak of guardian angels – divine entities which protect and guide somebody in their everyday lives.
The Church has no qualms about the existence of angels, which are best described as pure spirits created by God. The word ‘angel’ derives from the Greek angelos which means ‘messenger’, and so angels are thought to be mediators between God and humankind, communicating a divine message. It’s important to note, as is a regular misconception, that the deceased do not become angels – angels are ontologically different from humans, and are created by God for specific roles.
“You have made [humans] a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour” (Ps 8:5).
Angels are mentioned frequently throughout the Old and New Testament, but perhaps the best known celestial being is the angel Gabriel who appeared to Mary to inform her about the virgin birth.
“The angel told her, ‘Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favour with God. You will become pregnant, give birth to a son, and name him Jesus.’” (Lk 1:30-31).
Individuals
Passages like this show that some angels are sent by God to interact and communicate with people in the world. However, the Church does not hold explicitly that each individual person or soul possesses a personal guardian angel. It’s certainly true that individuals benefit from the power of angels during their lives, but it’s not clear as to whether there is a distinct angel for each person.
“From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God” (CCC 336).
There are plenty of scriptural allusions which indicate that guardian angels specific to an individual do exist such as in Matthew 18:10 or in the Book of Revelation.
This concept is more explicitly mentioned in the psalms when it reads: “No disaster can overtake you, no plague come near your tent; he has given his angels orders about you to guard you wherever you go.” (Ps 91:10-11)
The dignity of a soul is so great, that each has a guardian angel from its birth”
While Catholics are not obliged to believe in the existence of guardian angels particular to each soul, these recurrent biblical references swayed many of the Church Fathers to hold guardian angels as real. St Jerome, for example, said: “The dignity of a soul is so great, that each has a guardian angel from its birth.”
Thomas Aquinas also speculated on what types of angels are sent to humankind, while other theologians held that any kind of angel could take on this guardianship role.
The study of this topic is called ‘angelology’, and the Church has a rich tradition of exploring what angels are and how they relate to the world around us.
