St. Aloysius Gonzaga and the holy angels

Angels seem mysterious and familiar all at the same time. Angels
are by definition different than you and I are—they’re spiritual
beings, without bodies, but can be present in our world. St.
Augustine says “angel” is the name of their office, or what they
do: they are servants and messengers of God.


In this episode we hear about what another saint, St. Aloysius
Gonzaga, thought about angels in his newly translated Meditations
on the Holy Angels. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by
Tony Ganzer. This episode features Fr. Robert Nixon, OSB. The
book is published by TAN Books:
https://tanbooks.com/products/books/Meditations-on-the-Holy-Angels/


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In the Gospel of Matthew at one point Jesus tells us that angels
that watch over us, the Guardian Angels, also “always look upon
the face of my heavenly Father.” The Catechism of the Catholic
Church, which explains what Catholics believe, says, “From its
beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful
care and intercession.”


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When think you might die, you tend to lean more heavily on your
deepest beliefs, and for me, a Catholic, that means prayer for
God’s protection. For years I rode a motor scooter to work,
similar to a Vespa. One day, in an instant I’m no longer on my
scooter, and I put out my hands to try to catch myself from the
fall that I can’t avoid. I roll onto the tree lawn just a short
distance from parked cars that I narrowly missed. I didn’t know
what was wrong, only that my body wasn’t working right. I had a
separated shoulder, a fractured wrist, some road rash on my leg
and other soft tissue damage in my arm. The adrenaline and maybe
shock began to take over, but I knew that I was alive. I prayed
as the EMTs got me into the ambulance, thanking God I was still
alive, and had more time with my wife and children. And as I said
Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and even portions of Hail Holy Queen, I
began contemplating all that led me to that crash. How did it
happen? And could it have been worse? Was my Guardian Angel
helping me arrive at the point where I would make it out alive?


I spoke about this and many other issues of angels and faith with
Fr. Robert Nixon, OSB, who translated St. Aloysius Gonzaga’s
Meditations on the Holy Angels.