Guardian angels don't just guard us. They are very specialized guards. They don't so much guard us from attacking enemies as much as they guard us when attacking enemies. Guardian angels have the job of guarding us as we attack the gates of hell (Mt 16:18). They guard us "on the way" to war and then in war (Ex 23:20). Their job is not so much to protect us from our enemies but to wipe out our enemies (Ex 23:23).

We as Christians are called to be militant — not in physical violence but in spiritual warfare (see Eph 6:12). We are to shoot Satan out of the sky (Lk 10:18) and quickly crush him under our feet (Rm 16:20). We are to turn the world right side up (see Acts 17:6) and be a force to be reckoned with. When we fight this good fight (see 2 Tm 4:7), we need this specialized type of guard duty from the guardian angels. However, if we aren't militantly attacking the gates of hell, our guardian angels are unemployed or at least underemployed.

If you want to see your guardian angel work, then fight the evil one.

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, May 3, 2018

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