Someone Walks Beside You
There are companions whose presence changes a journey.
Sometimes we know they are there. We hear their footsteps beside us, their voice across the table, their laughter from the next room.
And sometimes, the Church reminds us, the companion is unseen.
Today is the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels. It is a feast of one of Christianity’s strangest and most comforting claims: that God’s care for us is not merely general. Providence has particulars.
Christ speaks today of little ones whose angels continually behold the face of his Father.
So before the day’s roads, errands, work, worries, conversations and surprises begin, we remember something easily forgotten:
We do not walk through God’s world alone.
Opening Verse
Lord, open my lips.
And my mouth shall declare thy praise.
Invitatory
Come, let us adore the Lord, whom the angels serve.
Psalm 94 (95)
Come let us praise the Lord with joy:
let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving;
and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great king above all gods.
For in his hand are all the ends of the earth:
and the heights of the mountains are his.
For the sea is his, and he made it:
and his hands formed the dry land.
Come let us adore and fall down:
and weep before the Lord that made us.
For he is the Lord our God:
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.
Today if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts:
As in the provocation, according to the day of temptation in the wilderness:
where your fathers tempted me, they proved me, and saw my works.
Forty years long was I offended with that generation, and I said:
These always err in heart.
And these men have not known my ways:
so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Come, let us adore the Lord, whom the angels serve.
Psalmody
Psalm 62 (63)
Antiphon: The Lord hath sent his angel to guard thee in all thy ways.
O God, my God, to thee do I watch at break of day.
For thee my soul hath thirsted;
for thee my flesh, O how many ways!
In a desert land, and where there is no way, and no water:
so in the sanctuary have I come before thee, to see thy power and thy glory.
For thy mercy is better than lives:
thee my lips shall praise.
Thus will I bless thee all my life long:
and in thy name I will lift up my hands.
Let my soul be filled with marrow and fatness:
and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.
If I have remembered thee upon my bed,
I will meditate on thee in the morning:
Because thou hast been my helper.
And I will rejoice under the covert of thy wings:
my soul hath stuck close to thee: thy right hand hath received me.
But they have sought my soul in vain, they shall go into the lower parts of the earth:
They shall be delivered into the hands of the sword,
they shall be the portions of foxes.
But the king shall rejoice in God, all they shall be praised that swear by him:
because the mouth is stopped of them that speak wicked things.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: The Lord hath sent his angel to guard thee in all thy ways.
Canticle — Daniel 3:57–88, 56
Antiphon: Blessed be God, who sent his angel and delivered his servants.
All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord:
praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye angels of the Lord, bless the Lord:
O ye heavens, bless the Lord.
O all ye waters that are above the heavens, bless the Lord:
O all ye powers of the Lord, bless the Lord.
O ye sun and moon, bless the Lord:
O ye stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
O every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord:
O all ye spirits of God, bless the Lord.
O ye fire and heat, bless the Lord:
O ye cold and heat, bless the Lord.
O ye dews and hoar frosts, bless the Lord:
O ye frost and cold, bless the Lord.
O ye ice and snow, bless the Lord:
O ye nights and days, bless the Lord.
O ye light and darkness, bless the Lord:
O ye lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.
O let the earth bless the Lord:
let it praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye mountains and hills, bless the Lord:
O all ye things that spring up in the earth, bless the Lord.
O ye fountains, bless the Lord:
O ye seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless the Lord:
O all ye fowls of the air, bless the Lord.
O all ye beasts and cattle, bless the Lord:
O ye sons of men, bless the Lord.
O let Israel bless the Lord:
let them praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye priests of the Lord, bless the Lord:
O ye servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
O ye spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord:
O ye holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord.
O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord:
praise and exalt him above all for ever.
Let us bless the Father and the Son, with the Holy Ghost:
let us praise and exalt him above all for ever.
Blessed art thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven:
and worthy of praise, and glorious for ever.
Antiphon: Blessed be God, who sent his angel and delivered his servants.
Psalm 149
Antiphon: All ye hosts of angels, praise the Lord.
Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle:
let his praise be in the church of the saints.
Let Israel rejoice in him that made him:
and let the children of Sion be joyful in their king.
Let them praise his name in choir:
let them sing to him with the timbrel and the psaltery.
For the Lord is well pleased with his people:
and he will exalt the meek unto salvation.
The saints shall rejoice in glory:
they shall be joyful in their beds.
The high praises of God shall be in their mouth:
and two-edged swords in their hands:
To execute vengeance upon the nations,
chastisements among the people:
To bind their kings with fetters,
and their nobles with manacles of iron.
To execute upon them the judgment that is written:
this glory is to all his saints.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: All ye hosts of angels, praise the Lord.
Short Reading
Exodus 23:20–21
Behold I will send my angel, who shall go before thee, and keep thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the place that I have prepared.
Take notice of him, and hear his voice.
Short Responsory
In the sight of the angels I will sing praise unto thee, O Lord.
In the sight of the angels I will sing praise unto thee, O Lord.
Thou hast commanded thy angels concerning us.
To keep us in all our ways.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
In the sight of the angels I will sing praise unto thee, O Lord.
Gospel of the Day
Matthew 18:1–5, 10
At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying: Who thinkest thou is the greater in the kingdom of heaven?
And Jesus calling unto him a little child, set him in the midst of them,
And said: Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater in the kingdom of heaven.
And he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me.
See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Benedictus
Antiphon: Their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Canticle of Zachary — Luke 1:68–79
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:
And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us,
in the house of David his servant:
As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets,
who are from the beginning:
Salvation from our enemies,
and from the hand of all that hate us:
To perform mercy to our fathers,
and to remember his holy testament,
The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father,
that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
we may serve him without fear,
In holiness and justice before him,
all our days.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:
To give knowledge of salvation to his people,
unto the remission of their sins:
Through the bowels of the mercy of our God,
in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:
To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death:
to direct our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
Antiphon: Their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Intercessions
God our Father, who in thy providence dost send thy holy angels to guard and guide thy children, hear us as we begin this day.
Lord, guide our feet in the way of peace.
For the Church throughout the world: keep her faithful to Christ, and grant wisdom, courage and holiness to all who shepherd thy people.
Lord, guide our feet in the way of peace.
For those who carry responsibility for others—in government, business, classrooms, workshops, hospitals and homes—make them mindful especially of those who are easily overlooked.
Lord, guide our feet in the way of peace.
For our work today: guard us against carelessness, impatience and pride. Help us to do ordinary duties with attention, honesty and gratitude.
Lord, guide our feet in the way of peace.
For our families and those entrusted to our care: protect those travelling, working, studying or living far from home, and keep us united in charity.
Lord, guide our feet in the way of peace.
For children, the elderly, the lonely, the frightened, the sick, and all whose weakness makes them vulnerable: surround them with good companions and faithful guardians.
Lord, guide our feet in the way of peace.
For those who face danger today, especially those whose work takes them onto roads, into factories, onto farms, into hospitals, or wherever a moment’s inattention can bring harm: preserve them and bring them safely home.
Lord, guide our feet in the way of peace.
For those who have died: may the angels lead them into the joy of thy presence.
Lord, guide our feet in the way of peace.
And for ourselves: give us enough humility to accept help, enough attentiveness to recognize grace, and enough wonder to remember that the world contains more of heaven than our eyes can see.
Lord, guide our feet in the way of peace.
Our Father
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Concluding Prayer
O God, who in thy unfailing providence hast appointed thy holy angels to watch over thy children, grant that we may walk this day beneath thy care with humble and attentive hearts.
Keep us from dangers of body and soul; teach us to hear thy voice amid the noise of the world; and make us mindful of every person whom thou hast placed in our path.
May thy angels guard us on the journey until at last we come to the place thou hast prepared for us.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Blessing
May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.
The Paradox of the Day
We are never less alone than when we cannot see who walks beside us.
Chesterton for the Morning
“The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder.”
— G. K. Chesterton, Tremendous Trifles (1909), Chapter I, “Tremendous Trifles.”
A Chestertonian Meditation
Someone Walks Beside You
There is something wonderfully reassuring about a porch light left on.
It is not a very impressive object. Nobody drives through the countryside to admire the great porch lights of Kansas. They do not appear in travel guides. No architect becomes immortal because he specified a sixty-watt bulb beside a kitchen door.
But drive home late enough on a dark road and that little light becomes magnificent.
It means somebody expects you.
The feast of the Guardian Angels begins with something like that porch light.
It tells us that the universe is not empty.
This is more startling than we usually allow it to be.
We have become very good at seeing the things we can measure. We know how far away the moon is. We can photograph galaxies. We can watch storms move across Kansas on a screen small enough to fit into a pocket. We can put sensors on machines and satellites over continents.
And because we have become so good at seeing certain things, we are sometimes tempted to suppose that the things we cannot see are therefore not there.
The Church cheerfully refuses to make this mistake.
She interrupts an ordinary Friday in October and says: angels.
Not metaphorical angels.
Not merely nice thoughts about divine protection.
Angels.
The Gospel makes the matter stranger still.
The disciples ask Jesus who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is exactly the sort of question adults ask. We like rankings. We like organization charts. We like to know who reports to whom and who has the corner office.
Jesus answers by calling a child.
That is already an upsetting answer.
Then he says something even more astonishing: do not despise one of these little ones, because their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father.
The person who looks insignificant to us is apparently not insignificant in heaven.
That is worth carrying around all day.
We pass people constantly whom we hardly see.
The cashier.
The student walking across campus.
The man fixing the road.
The elderly woman sitting alone.
The delivery driver.
The child who is taking far too long to put on his shoes.
The coworker whose question has arrived at precisely the wrong moment.
Ordinary people.
But Christianity has always had the unnerving habit of putting enormous things behind ordinary things.
A little bread may conceal the Bread of Life.
A little water may mark a soul for eternity.
A carpenter may be the Son of God.
And a child standing in the middle of a room may have an angel gazing upon the face of God.
Chesterton understood this instinctively. He spent much of his literary life trying to restore the proper proportions of things—not by making the universe smaller, but by discovering that the apparently small things were enormous.
“The world will never starve for want of wonders,” he wrote, “but only for want of wonder.”
The problem is seldom that God has failed to put wonders around us.
The problem is that we have learned not to notice them.
Perhaps that is why guardian angels make particularly good companions for modern people. They remind us that reality does not become smaller merely because our attention does.
Consider the number of times in an ordinary life when something almost happened.
The car that appeared half a second later.
The tool that slipped in the other direction.
The phone call that came at precisely the right time.
The road not taken.
The strange impulse to check something twice.
The delay we cursed and later discovered had been fortunate.
We should be careful here. Faith is not superstition, and Christianity does not require us to assign an angel to every missed pothole or misplaced set of keys.
Providence is deeper than that.
Bad things happen. Good people are injured. Children suffer. Families grieve. The Christian doctrine of angels is not a promise that faithful people will live inside an invisible padded room.
The Cross alone should cure us of that idea.
What the feast tells us is something greater.
It tells us that nothing happens in an empty universe.
There is no hospital room without heaven.
There is no lonely road outside God’s dominion.
There is no frightened child beneath God’s notice.
There is no workshop, kitchen, classroom, farmhouse, office, highway or quiet bedroom from which the supernatural world has withdrawn.
This changes the character of ordinary life.
The man who believes himself alone behaves one way.
The man who knows himself accompanied behaves another.
And perhaps that is part of what it means to become like the child Jesus places before the disciples.
Children are capable of accepting the existence of things they cannot control.
Adults generally prefer the universe to submit paperwork.
We want explanations. We want mechanisms. We want to know precisely how everything works before consenting to wonder at it.
The child looks at the stars.
The adult looks for the light-pollution map.
There is nothing wrong with the map. It may help us find a darker place from which to see the stars.
The trouble begins when we mistake the map for the sky.
Chesterton’s great gift was his refusal to make that mistake. He could look at chalk, cheese, railway stations, fences, umbrellas, pockets, inns and ordinary streets and discover that the world remained stubbornly enchanted.
The Christian does not need to invent enchantment.
He needs only to notice reality.
This morning, somewhere beyond our senses, creatures of tremendous intelligence and glory adore God.
And one of the astonishing teachings handed down in Christian tradition is that these glorious creatures concern themselves with creatures like us.
With our errands.
Our dangers.
Our prayers.
Our foolishness.
Our journey home.
It is rather comic when you think about it.
We spend a great deal of time trying to appear important, while beings vastly more magnificent than ourselves have apparently been assigned the job of keeping an eye on us.
Perhaps heaven has a sense of proportion that earth lacks.
Jesus certainly does.
When his disciples ask about greatness, he points to littleness.
When they look upward toward rank, he points downward toward a child.
And then, having made the child seem small, he suddenly opens heaven behind him.
There stands the paradox.
The little one is not little.
The ordinary world is not ordinary.
The empty road is not empty.
And the person who thinks he walks alone may discover one day that he never took a single step without company.
So go into this Friday attentively.
Open the door.
Start the car.
Turn on the lights in the shop.
Pour the coffee.
Answer the email.
Walk across campus.
Call someone you love.
Do the work that has been given to you.
And occasionally remember the porch light.
Somewhere beyond what you can see, the household of heaven is awake.
And someone walks beside you.
May thy holy angels, O Lord, guard us in all our ways and lead us safely home.
Chesterton Radio