Heaven on Earth

Today is the Feast of Guardian Angels.

This is one my favorite feast days because it reminds us that Heaven is active in our world.

It’s funny how we indulge in scary stories and believe in them while at the same time doubting the possibility that those who have gone before us and the angels who were made before us would not have any active role on this Earth.

Although we say that we believe in the idea of angels, even the possibility of an guardian angel, we tend to forget about our angels. Much like a ghost story, such as those involving an exorcism, we can accept that it is possible, but we rarely accept the tradition that there is a Heavenly Being who is here to guard and guide us.

We see what is in front of us, what is earthly, what is normal, and we allow our intellect to keep the idea of Heaven acting on Earth in the back of our mind.

Why would Heaven want anything to do with us sinners?

But…Heaven is active in the world.

We just choose to ignore it for the sake of “sanity.”

There are countless stories of Heaven acting in the world: Saint intercessions leading to miraculous healings, angels protecting women in dangerous areas, angels building structures in churches and houses to help the less fortunate, sudden appearances of angels or Saints to encourage souls who did not even know about the Church Triumphant.

Story after story, and yet we continue to act as though we are the only active beings in the world.

Talking to my angel taught me how to pray.

As I have said before, I was a particularly lonely child in middle school. Thanks to my parents, I was encouraged to talk to my angel throughout the day. Not just when I was being bullied, but every time I was lonely, every time I was anxious, every time I felt like I needed to say something but had no one to share that information with.

My heart was fixed on Heaven, where I knew my angel resides.

Over time, my initial prayers would go to my angel, and I would feel a tug on my heart to talk to Jesus as well. Sure, I talked to Him at church and with my family and on my worst days, but did I really tell Him as much as I told my angel?

Our angels are not just here to defend our earthly bodies, but also to guide our wounded souls.

Perfectly in union with the will of God, they guide our hearts and minds, so long as we are open to them. We must be careful to keep our minds on Heaven because the devil will attempt to trick us through a false pretense of being our angel. But if we truly share in a friendship with our guardian angel, we will be lead back to Heaven over and over again.

I had a good friend in high school who lived a particularly difficult life. His father would beat them when he got drunk. He rarely, if ever, had a lunch at school. He could only effectively study at school. He did not have a faith life because he could not believe that there could be a loving Heavenly Father and an abusive earthly father at the same time. But there was a bridge:

My friend’s house was the only one in their entire neighborhood that was never robbed.

One day I asked him, “Do you think that your guardian angel is defending your house?”

That simple question sparked a conversation of faith. By trusting his angel, my friend slowly made his way back to the Church. We are not friends anymore, but I recently saw on his Facebook that he was a practicing Christian. This was by far not my doing, but my friend’s reversion is a reminder to all of us that our angels are a way to bridge the gap between Heaven and Earth…especially in difficult times.

Heaven is not just this place. It’s a union with the Living God who loved us from the very beginning. We can be with Him here, but not fully. Heaven is here…but not fully. 

Here, but not yet.

I’ve written before about how we can all bring Heaven to Earth by loving others. Imperfect though our love may be, it can help draw others to Christ, to Heaven, to our true Home.

“Friends are guardian angels in disguise.” ~Kairos 216

We are not angels in the least bit, but I think that we can aid our angels in helping others remembering Heaven’s active role in this world. By befriending those in need, those who need defending, those who are lost, those who are lonely, those who are afraid, we too share in the role of guarding and guiding souls on their way Home.

The acts do not have to be big, and they do not have to be autonomous.

I’ve written about my loneliness in Mass before. What I did not share was that I had a friend who I spent a good portion of my Sunday’s with last year. The comfort of a soul who understood my love for Christ (to the point of tears nearly every transubstantiation), was gone. At the same time, my friend was searching for a community in their new life. Because I believed that I could hold hands with my angel in Mass, I sent my angel to my friend.

I was surprised when my friend returned the favor.

It was just a simple Mass. I held my hands out for the Our Father for my angel to hold my right hand like I have been doing since childhood. Then I felt a pressure in my left hand, coupled with a warmth around the back of my hand. I had felt warmth in my hands before in Mass, but it was particularly special to feel a sort of pressure back on my own hand.

Not only did I feel more love from a soul I missed, but I also felt love from Heaven itself.

We do not need to love others on our own. We do not need to act on our own. We do not need to feel alone. We do not need to fear every turn, every interview, every little thing because we have all of Heaven behind us.

Heaven wants us to come Home just as much as our loved ones do. Heaven wants us to come Home because all of the souls and beings are perfectly united with God who is united with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

God wants us to come Home to Him, so He gives us as many avenues to love as possible. 

All we need to do is accept them.