![]() Nevertheless, as he goes on to explain, angels and devils can sometimes figure out what we might be thinking. Thomas Aquinas states in no uncertain terms that “the angels do not know the secrets of hearts” (Summa Theologica, I, 57, 4). For only God Himself can know what we are thinking at all times only God Himself can know the depths of our soul. John Chrysostom states, “if we need a guide in passing from one city to another, how much more will the soul need someone to point out the way when she breaks the bonds of flesh and passes on to the future life” (cf. If we go to purgatory our Guardian Angel will wait in heaven, and then come to escort us to paradise once our time in that place of punishment is finished. But if we have the misfortune of going to hell, then our Guardian Angel will return to heaven alone. Thomas Aquinas wrote, “When he arrives at the end of life he no longer has a Guardian Angel but in the kingdom he will have an angel to reign with him” (Summa Theologica, I, 113, 4). If we receive the grace to enter heaven, we will worship the Lord together with our Guardian Angel, side by side in the heavenly liturgy. And so, after we die, it is believed, our Guardian Angel will continue his normal tasks in the ranks of the heavenly hosts. For this reason, it would seem unlikely that our Guardian Angel would be assigned to another person after he has finished guiding us. It is generally agreed that our Guardian Angel will not be reassigned to another person after we die, because our Guardian Angel has been uniquely matched with us from all eternity by God Himself in order to help us carry out the special mission in our earthly life for which He has created us. It may also be true, that all benefit from the angelic assistance from the beginning of life according to the natural providence of God, and that in baptism a deeper supernatural bond with the holy angels arises. Considering the importance of prenatal care, it is reasonable to believe that the Guardian Angel would be want to be involved. But since a person’s life begins at the moment of conception, there is no reason for the angel to have to wait until the person is born. It remains, then, a question open to speculation whether a human being receives the Guardian Angel at conception or birth. The fact, that every human person has a Guardian Angel excludes implicitly that we receive the Guardian Angel at baptism. To sum up, then, there are three opinions about when our Guardian Angel may be assigned to us, namely, 1.) at conception, 2.) at birth, or 3.) or at baptism. Anselm, on the other hand, goes a step farther by stating that “every soul is committed to an angel when it is united with a body.” In other words, he believes, along with some other saints and theologians, that everyone receives a Guardian Angel at conception. Basil the Great, believe that our Guardian Angel is assigned at baptism. Other Fathers and Doctors of the Church, however, for example, St. Moreover, he states that the Guardian Angel of the mother guards her child while it is still in the womb. Thomas Aquinas maintains that everyone receives a Guardian Angel at birth. Jerome, who held that every person has from birth their own special Guardian Angel. This same position was also taught by St. #Opus domini for windows 8 free#Finally, since each individual, based on their own free will, has a unique destiny, it is fitting that there be a one-on-one relationship with an angel. ![]() ![]() Thomas Aquinas teaches that the protection of the angels is a gift not only of grace, but also a gift to mankind in the order of nature. For I say to you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father Who is in heaven” (Mt 18:10). This view is biblically based and founded on the words of Our Lord in the Gospels, where He states emphatically to His disciples, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. In accord with this, the general teaching of theologians holds that not only every baptized person, but every human being has their own personal Guardian Angel which also teaches the recently published YOUCAT (Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church), approved by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith in 2010, “Every person receives from God a Guardian Angel” (n. Nevertheless, in another passage, the Catechism stresses in no uncertain terms that “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession” (CCC 336). This passage does not state specifically that every human being, without exception, has a Guardian Angel. Basil taught and the new Catechism of the Catholic Church reiterated, “Every one of the faithful has an angel standing at his side as educator and guide, directing his life” (cf. That every baptized person has a Guardian Angel is clear from what St. ![]()
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