October 2nd

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Wednesday, October 2, 2019 – The Guardian Angels                            Ex 23:20-23a; Mt 18:1-5.10 _______________________________________________________________________________

Jesus said, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. See that you do not despite one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” Mt 18:1.10

Referring to the First Reading from the Book of Exodus (23:20-23), Pope Francis said, God “has always sent us help: in this case we are talking about the help of the angels”. Indeed, the Bible passage reads: “Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place which I have prepared”. So, the Lord “did not abandon” but “walked with his people. He walked with the man who had lost his friendship with Him: God’s heart is a father’s heart, and he never abandons his children”.

The Pontiff remarked that “today the Liturgy makes us reflect on this, and also on a particular manner of fellowship, of the help that the Lord has given to all of us: guardian angels”. Each of us has one, he explained, “who accompanies us”. We are “actually supported by their help: the angels who walk with us”, the Pope reiterated, referring to the expression from Exodus: “Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place which I have prepared”. (Morning meditation on Friday, October 2, 2015)

After the death of her mother and sister, Elizabeth Anna Seton also lost the attention of her stepmother, whose time was more and more filled by raising her own children. Her father, as an important doctor, also had no time for her. Faith helped her survive when she longed to die. Later she lost her husband's property and remained alone with five children. She lost her family favor when she decided to become Catholic. Neither her two daughters' death nor her son's stubbornness broke her. She decided to overcome evil with good. She founded the first women religious community to educate and help people in need. Elizabeth became Superior General. However, for her five children she forever remained mother Elizabeth.

Elizabeth Seton is an excellent example of God's promise that whoever loves God everything serves for good. The adversity of life did not break her. Vice versa. She became all the more receptive and sensitive to the suffering of others. Based on her experience, she decided to serve the suffering to alleviate the misery of this world ...

Do you use your experience and knowledge to make the world a better place? Do you actively participate in the work of the Kingdom of God?

“The gate of heaven is very low; only the humble can enter it.” St. Elizabeth Ann Seton