Reviewing a Beautiful Book

 Recently I received the beautiful new book Praying to Holy Angels:  Angel of God and St. Michael the Archangel Prayers in Sacred Art for Young Children by Kerri Davison for review from Holy Heroes.  When the book arrived, I was so excited to write this review.  It is a stunning book!  My five year old son immediately asked me to read it to him when he saw the cover.  As we read through Praying to Holy Angels, he soaked it all in: the simple, but thorough, explanation of angels at the beginning of the book, the beautiful illustrations on each page, and the two familiar prayers included--the St. Michael Prayer and the Angel of God.  As soon as we finished reading, he asked me to read it all over again.

I am very glad we have been able to add this book to our home library.  If any of you would like to purchase this beautiful work of our Faith from Holy Heroes, they are offering 10% off the book for my readers.  Simply use the code Angels10.  I hope your family enjoys it as much as we did.

God bless!

+JMJ+

Prayer to One's Guardian Angel for a Happy Hour of Death

 Holy Mother Church honors St. Charles Borromeo on November 4.  St. Charles Borromeo was born into a rich family and the nephew of Pope Pius IV.  At the age of 23, he was ordained a Cardinal and was made Archbishop of Milan.  St. Charles worked tirelessly for Holy Mother Church.  During the Black Plague, believing it was a punishment for sin in the world, he walked the streets barefoot, wearing a rope around his neck for penance for sin and humility for himself.  He tried to feed 60-70,000 people a day inflicted with the plague.  St. Charles worked diligently fighting heresy throughout his life, always defending Holy Mother Church, although this caused many to dislike him.  A few times people even attempted to assassinate the saint. 

The prayer below, written by St. Charles Borromeo, illustrates his focus on serving God at every moment, even the moment of His death.  We would do well to imitate this great saint, imploring our Angel's help to prepare for that hour of our death.

Recommendation to One's Guardian Angel for a Happy Hour of Death

My good Angel: I know not when or how I shall die. It is possible I may be carried off suddenly, and that before my last sigh I may be deprived of all intelligence. Yet how many things I would wish to say to God on the threshold of eternity. In the full freedom of my will today, I come to charge you to speak for me at that fearful moment. You will say to Him, then, O my good Angel:

That I wish to die in the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church in which all the saints since Jesus Christ have died, and out of which there is no salvation.

That I ask the grace of sharing in the infinite merits of my Redeemer and that I desire to die in pressing to my lips the cross that was bathed in His Blood!

That I detest my sins because they displease Him, and that I pardon through love of Him all my enemies as I wish myself to be pardoned.

That I die willingly because He orders it and that I throw myself with confidence into His adorable Heart awaiting all His Mercy.

That in my inexpressible desire to go to Heaven I am disposed to suffer everything it may please His sovereign Justice to inflict on me.

That I love Him before all things, above all things and for His own sake; that I wish and hope to love Him with the Elect, His Angels and the Blessed Mother during all Eternity.

Do not refuse, O my Angel, to be my interpreter with God, and to protest to Him that these are my sentiments and my will. Amen.

God bless!

+JMJ+

In Thanksgiving for Heavenly Helpers

 I pray all of you have a blessed, joyful Thanksgiving Day!  If you are interested in prayers of thanksgiving to God, the following links will provide you with such prayers on Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

• An Act of Adoration and Thanksgiving
• In Adoration and Thanksgiving

While I realize there are no feasts on the Church calendar this week dedicated to the angels, our heavenly helpers, I feel this week of Thanksgiving Day would be a fitting time to honor them and thank God for them.  It would be wonderful to thank the angels for their continual service to us.  At times we may remember our Guardian Angel who remains with us each moment of our lives, and sometimes the Archangels Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are remembered in passing on their feasts.  However, do we truly recognize all they do for us? What of the other angels?

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God created nine choirs of angels, each angel being distinct from all others.  As Fr. Paul O'Sullivan wrote in All About the Angels,

"The Angels are pure spirits, the mighty Princes of Heaven who stand before God, gazing on His unveiled presence.  They are burning fires of love, filled to overflowing with the plenitude of happiness.  The Angels are the perfect images of God, mirrors of His Divine perfections, reflecting His love, His beauty, His Holiness, His Power, all His Divine attributes and perfections, but each Angel in his own special way.  No two Angels are alike, no two are equal.  God's perfections are infinite, and the countless millions of Angels reflect these perfections in a divinely marvelous way."

To learn more about the nine choirs of Angels, I encourage you to read the information on the following links, which are all part of the Catholic Tradition website.  The information is marvelous and helps the reader began to grasp the immensity of love and aid we receive from these heavenly helpers.

Nine Choirs of Angels: Section 1
Nine Choirs of Angels: Section 2
Nine Choirs of Angels: Section 3

May we take to heart the advice of Pope St. Leo the Great: "Make friends with the holy Angels." These heavenly servants of our Lord possess generosity and love for us like no other, remaining as our constant friends, our protectors against the malice of the devils, and upon our entrance into heaven, our companions amidst the glory of God for all eternity.  May we strive to remember all of the angels, on their specific feast days, on Tuesdays, which are devoted to them, and on the feast of our Lady, Queen of Angels, upcoming in December.  However, may we also strive to be aware of their presence throughout each day, recognizing their help and love, honoring them and honoring God through them.  The following prayer is one devotion we can use to honor all of God's angels.  The details behind the prayer is awe-inspiring, and the prayer is quite beautiful.

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St. Michael, appearing to the Servant of God, Antonia d' Astonac, revealed that he wished to be honored by nine salutations corresponding to the nine choirs of Angels and that an Our Father and three Hail Marys should be said in honor of each of these nine choirs. The Archangel promised that whoever would practice this devotion in his honor would have, when approaching the Holy Table at Mass, an escort of nine Angels from each of the nine choirs. In addition for the daily recital of these nine salutations, he promised his continual assistance and that of all the holy Angels during life and after death for those who have been holy enough to warrant a short Purgatory, deliverance for themselves and their relations.

The Chaplet of St. Michael and the Angels

V. O God, come to my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory Be.

I. Salutation --- 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys: in honor of the Seraphim.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Seraphim, may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen.

II. Salutation --- 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys: in honor of the Cherubim.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Cherubim, may the Lord grant us grace to leave the ways of wickedness and run in the paths of Christian perfection. Amen.

III. Salutation --- 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys: in honor of the Thrones.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Thrones, may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility. Amen.

IV. Salutation --- 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys: in honor of the Dominions.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir Dominions, may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and subdue our unruly passions. Amen.

V. Salutation --- 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys: in honor of the Powers.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir Powers, may the Lord protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil. Amen.

VI. Salutation --- 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys: in honor of the Virtues.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Virtues, may the Lord preserve us from evil, and not allow us to fall into temptation. Amen.

VII. Salutation -- 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys: in honor of the Principalities.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Principalities, may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen.

VIII. Salutation -- 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys: in honor of the Archangels.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Archangels, may the Lord give us perseverance and Faith in all good works in order that we may gain the glory of Heaven. Amen.

IX. Salutation -- 1 Our Father, 3 Hail Marys: in honor of the Angels.
By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Angels, may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted hereafter to the eternal glory. Amen.

Then Recite:
1 Our Father in honor of St. Michael.
1 Our Father in honor of St. Gabriel.
1 Our Father in honor of St. Raphael.
1 Our Father in honor of your Guardian Angel.

Invocation:
O glorious Prince St. Michael, Leader and Commander of the Heavenly Host, Guardian of souls, Vanquisher of rebel spirits, Servant in the house of the Divine King, and our glorious Guide, thou art brilliant in holiness and power.
Deliver us from all evil, for we turn to thee with confidence and enable us by thy gracious protection to serve God more faithfully everyday.
V. Pray for us O glorious St. Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus Christ.
R. That we may be made worthy of His promises.

Let Us Pray.
Almighty and everlasting God, since in Thy infinite goodness and mercy Thou desireth the salvation of all men, Thou hast appointed the most glorious Archangel, St. Michael Prince of Thy Church. Make us worthy, we beg of Thee to be delivered by his powerful protection from all our enemies, that we may not be overcome by them at the hour of death, but that we may be conducted by St. Michael into the holy presence of Thy Divine Majesty. This, we beg through the merits of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

God bless!

+JMJ+

Novena to our Guardian Angel

                                                          

"Our guardian angels are our most faithful friends, because they are with us day and night, always and everywhere. We ought often to invoke them." -- St. John Vianney

Holy Mother Church thanks God for our blessed Guardian Angels and honors them by celebrating their feast on October 2.  How often do we go about our day without a thought to these heavenly helpers?  Out of His great love for us, the Heavenly Father saw fit to provide each of us with one of His angelic beings as our guide, our protector, and our help to gain heaven.  These beings, so holy and powerful in His sight, remain always at our side, not only protecting us from physical perils but also from dangers to our souls.

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May we daily remember these heavenly friends, thanking them and listening to their promptings as we journey with them to our heavenly goal.  May we especially honor them on their feast, that of the Holy Guardian Angels.  In the following prayer, which is to be recited as a novena, we thank our blessed Guardian Angels and ask for their continual help until we reach Heaven.  It would be most fitting to recite this prayer nine days before their feast (sorry I posted too late for that but it would be wonderful to pray anyway around the time of their feast), beginning on September 23 and ending on October 1, the eve of this feast day.

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The following novena is also one way to pray for the Souls in Purgatory since, in it, we ask our heavenly angels to seek relief for the Poor Souls in Purgatory.  This would make a most suitable novena to pray for the poor souls, beginning on  October 24 and ending on November 1, the day prior to the feast of the Holy  Souls.  As Saint John Vianney says of the act of helping the poor souls,
“Consider then...the magnitude of these sufferings which the souls in Purgatory endure; and the means which we have of mitigating them: our prayers, our good works, and, above all, the holy sacrifice of the Mass.”

Novena to our Guardian Angel for the Holy Souls

O holy Angel, whom God, by the effect of His goodness and His tender regard for my welfare, has charged with the care of my conduct, and who assists me in all my wants and comforts me in all my afflictions, who supports me when I am discouraged and continually obtains for me new favors, I return thee profound thanks, and I earnestly beseech thee, O most amiable protector, to continue thy charitable care and defense of me against the malignant attacks of all my enemies. Keep me away from all occasions of sin. Obtain for me the grace of listening attentively to thy holy inspirations and of faithfully putting them into practice.

In particular, I implore thee to obtain for me the relief and deliverance of all the Souls in Purgatory, the ones who prayed for the Souls themselves while still on earth; the forgotten and abandoned Souls; the souls of my relatives and friends; the souls of priests and religious; the souls of all those to whom I am obligated by charity to pray for and may have neglected by laxity in memory; and most especially for the Soul I here name in this novena. (Mention or think of the person.)

Protect me in all the temptations and trials of this life. but most especially at the hour of my death, and do not leave me until thou hast conducted me into the presence of my Creator in the mansions of everlasting happiness. Amen.

"Brethren, we will love God's angels with a most affectionate love; for they will be our heavenly co-heirs some day, these spirits who now are sent by the Father to be our protectors and our guides. With such bodyguards, what are we to fear? They can neither be subdued nor deceived; nor is there any possibility at all that they should go astray who are to guard us in all our ways. They are trustworthy, they are intelligent, they are strong — why, then, do we tremble? We need only to follow them, remain close to them, and we will dwell in the protection of the Most High God. So as often as you sense the approach of any grave temptation or some crushing sorrow hangs over you, invoke your protector, your leader, your helper in every situation. Call out to him and say: Lord, save us, we are perishing." --St. Bernard Clairvaux

God bless!

+JMJ+

In Honor of our Guardian Angels

 For he hath given his angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways.  --Psalm 90:11

On October 2 Holy Mother Church celebrates the feast of the holy Guardian Angels. As Pope John XXIII stated, Our “...Father in heaven has charged His angels to come to our assistance during our earthly journey..., so that, protected by the angels' help and care, we may avoid the snares upon our path, subdue our passions and, under this angelic guidance, follow always the straight and sure road which leads to Paradise....”

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For this great gift of His angels, we should thank God for out of His love for us, we each are accompanied by a heavenly guide. While October 2 is especially dedicated to them, we should remember our angels daily. Pope Pius XI confided that throughout each day he prayed to his guardian angel, asking for help in difficult times and also expressing gratitude for the angel's heavenly assistance.

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St. Bernard of Clairvaux suggested we treat our Guardian Angels with “...reverence because of their presence; devotion because of their benevolence; confidence because of their solicitude.”

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Let us, then, follow these examples and affectionately love our Guardian Angels. Let us remember to greet them when we rise, pray to them for help throughout our day, and express our gratitude for the constant help and love they give to us.

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Saint Gertrude’s Prayer to One's Guardian Angel

O most holy Angel of God, appointed by God to my Guardian, I give thee thanks for all the benefits which thou hast ever bestowed on me in body and soul. I praise and glorify thee that thou condescended to assist me with such patient fidelity, and to defend me against all the assaults of my enemy. Blessed be the hour in which thou were assigned me for my Guardian, my defender and my patron. In acknowledgment and return for all thy loving ministries to me, I offer thee the infinitely precious and noble Heart of Jesus, and firmly purpose to obey thee henceforward, and most faithfully to serve my God. Amen.

God bless!

+JMJ+