Antonio dos Santos
Devotion to the Guardian Angel is very old in Portugal. It gained a special place with the Apparitions of the Angel, in Fátima, to the Little Shepherds. Messengers of God, at decisive moments in the History of Salvation, the Angels are in charge of guarding men and protecting the Church against the attacks and malevolent actions of the fallen angels. The Christian faith also believes that each nation has in particular an Angel in charge of watching over it.
At the request of King Manuel I of Portugal, Pope Julius II instituted in 1504 the feast of the “Guardian Angel of the Kingdom,” whose cult was already existent in Portugal. The request was made to Pope Leo X and the Holy Father authorized it to take place on the third Sunday of July.
The devotion almost disappeared after the 17th century but would be restored later, in 1952, when it was inserted in the Portuguese Liturgical Calendar by Pope Pius XII, to commemorate Portugal Day on the 10th of June.
The apparitions of the Angel of Portugal took place in 1916 to the three little shepherds in Fatima (Portugal). Above all, the Angel came to prepare the children to receive the apparitions of Our Lady, which began in 1917, in Cova da Iria, on May 13th.
In the book “Memories of Sister Lúcia,” we have the narrative of the three remarkable encounters between the little shepherds and the Angel. It was in the second Apparition of the Angel (in the backyard of Lucia’s house) in the summer of 1916, that the Angel revealed: “I am your Guardian Angel, the Angel of Portugal…”
ANGELS IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH
We know that in the life of the Church, “lex orandi, lex credendi” – the law of faith is the law of prayer, we pray as we believe. St Augustine, already in the fourth century, affirmed that “it is necessary to honor the Angels by witnessing to them love and respect, but not adoration, which is due to God alone.”
Little by little, in the life of the Church, prayers and oratories in honor of the Angels became common.
In the 6th century, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel was already celebrated, and in the 9th century, the Church instituted a Mass in praise of the Holy Angels.
In 1526 Pope Leo X, at the request of François d’Estaing, Bishop of Rodez, approved the feast of the Guardian Angels.
After a century, in 1670, Pope Clement X approved the universal feast of the Holy Guardian Angels for October 2nd.
And, after the Second Vatican Council, the Holy Archangels are celebrated on September 29th.
Padre Pio, who had several encounters with angels during his earthly life, in a letter he wrote to a spiritual daughter – of which we leave here a brief note – told her about his guardian angel: “What a comfort it is to know that close to us there is a spirit that, from the cradle to the grave, does not abandon us at any moment, not even when we dare to sin!… Be careful not to offend the purity of his gaze… He is very delicate, very sensitive. Go to him in moments of supreme anguish and you will experience his beneficial help…”
The existence of the Angels is a truth of faith confirmed by various Councils, by Sacred Scripture and by the Tradition of the Church, which presents them in the writings of the Holy Fathers and the Holy Doctors. (Photo: Miguel Augusto)
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