Prayers to our Guardian Angels
1 At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2 He called a child over, placed it in their midst,
3 and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
- The angels in the life of the Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church #334-336)
334 In the meantime, the whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels.[1]
335 In her liturgy, the Church joins with the angels to adore the thrice-holy God. She invokes their assistance (in the funeral liturgy's In Paradisum deducant te angeli. . .["May the angels lead you into Paradise. . ."]). Moreover, in the "Cherubic Hymn" of the Byzantine Liturgy, she celebrates the memory of certain angels more particularly (St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and the guardian angels).
336 From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.[2] "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life."[3] Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.
- For he commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go.
Angel of God, My Guardian Dear
Angel of God,
my guardian dear,
to whom God's love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light, to guard, to rule, and guide.
Amen.
Although I learned this prayer as a child in the singular version given above, I don't see why in some circumstances we couldn't pray to the multitude of Guardian Angels on behalf of both ourselves and others:
Angels of God,
our guardians dear,
to whom God's love commits us here,
ever this day be at our side,
to light, to guard, to rule, and guide.
Amen.
I often pray to the Guardian Angels of drivers whose driving bothers me. I don't know how they feel about that, but it gives me something more constructive to do other than to sit and fume about people who violate my standards of excellence and etiquette on the road.
- Angelo di Dio,
- che sei il mio Custode,
- illumina,
- custodisci,
- reggi,
- e governa me,
- che ti fui affidato
- dalla pietà celeste.
For Friends
Guardian Angel,
watch over those whose names you can read in my heart.
Guard over them with every care
and make their way easy and their labors fruitful.
Dry their tears if they weep;
sanctify their joys;
raise their courage if they weaken;
restore their hope if they lose heart,
their health if they be ill,
their understanding of truth if they err in judgment,
their desire to repent if they wander from the right path.
A Prayer to Holy Guardian Angels
Heavenly Father,
Your infinite love for us has chosen a blessed angel in heaven
and appointed him our guide during this earthly pilgrimage.
Accept our thanks for so great a blessing.
Grant that we may experience the assistance
of our holy protector in all our necessities.
And you, holy, loving angel and guide,
watch over us with all the tenderness of your angelic heart.
Keep us always on the way that leads to heaven,
and cease not to pray for us
until we have attained our final destiny,
eternal salvation.
Then we shall love You for all eternity.
We shall praise and glorify You unceasingly
for all the good You have done for us while here on earth.
Especially be a faithful and watchful protector of our children.
Take our place, and supply what may be wanting to us
through human frailty, short-sightedness,
or sinful neglect.
Lighten, O you perfect servants of God, our heavy task.
Guide our children,
that they may become like unto Jesus,
may imitate Him faithfully,
and persevere till they attain eternal life.
Amen
Angel of the United States
O Glorious Guardian Angel of the United States,
to whom God has entrusted the care of our beloved country,
we honor you and thank you for the care and protection
you have given to this great nation
from the first moment of its inception.
O Powerful Angel Guardian,
whose watchful glance encompasses this vast land from shore to shore,
we know that our sins have grieved you
and marred the beauty of our heritage.
Pray for us, O Holy Angel, before the throne of God.
Obtain for us, from the Queen of Heaven,
the graces we need to overcome the forces of evil
so rampant in our beloved land.
Help us, our God-given protector and friend,
to respond wholeheartedly to the urgent pleas of the Mother of God.
Assist us to offer the prayer and sacrifice
necessary to bring peace and goodness to our nation.
We want to make you known and loved throughout our land,
so that with your help
we may become once more a "Nation under God."
St. Gertrude's Prayer
O most holy angel of God,
appointed by God to be my guardian,
I give you thanks for all the benefits
which you have ever bestowed on me
in body and in soul.
I praise and glorify you
that you condescended to assist me
with such patient fidelity,
and to defend me against all the assaults of my enemies.
Blessed be the hour in which
you were assigned me for my guardian,
my defender and my patron.
In acknowledgement and return
for all your loving ministries to me,
I offer you the infinitely precious
and noble heart of Jesus,
and firmly purpose to obey you henceforward,
and most faithfully to serve my God.
Amen
St. Gertrude's prayer — plural form
O most holy angels of God,
appointed by God to be our guardians,
we give you thanks for all the benefits
which you have ever bestowed on us
in body and in soul.
We praise and honor you
for your determination to help us
with such patient fidelity,
and to defend us against all the assaults of our enemies.
Blessed be the hour in which
you were assigned to us as our guardians,
our defenders and our patrons.
In acknowledgement and return
for all your loving ministries to us,
we offer you the infinitely precious
and noble heart of Jesus,
and firmly intend to obey you from now on,
and most faithfully to serve God with you.
Amen.
Tobit's Prayer of Thanksgiving
14 "Blessed be God, and praised be his great name, and blessed be all his holy angels. May his holy name be praised throughout all the ages,
15 Because it was he who scourged me, and it is he who has had mercy on me."
Links
- Psalm 91
- Several of the prayers above are from Guardian Angel Prayers.
- Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel.
- Catholic Encyclopedia Online: Feast of the Guardian Angels.