Let's Talk About Angels

Welcome to the super belated edition of JEI (Just Enough Info) with The Zelie Group!

This has been an intense week, but it's not really going to get easier anytime soon, so it's up and at'em around here!

1. Naming your Guardian Angel: yea or nay?

I am a big fan of giving persons names. It's part of why we have not waited to find out the gender of our babies. I like knowing that nugget of information about that little person that will allow us to give them a name and refer to them by their name.

I have a name for my guardian angel, and I've used it for almost 15 years. It was the name that occurred to me to say when I was scared and wanted to pray for protection.
I just so happened to have married a man by the same name.

However, I don't know if that is this angel's God given name. It might be, it might not, and I really shouldn't concern myself with trying to find out his "real name".

2. Have you had any angel experiences?

I think so? This can sometimes be an area where stuff gets weird.
Like really weird.
Not like a "this is a leap of faith" weird, but like "OK, I'm going to stand over here now" kind of weird.

Just so we're clear, there *is* a whole section of spirituality that uses angels in a way that is not appropriate for Catholics. Angels are not controllable by humans. They're not dead people. They are pure beings who completely do the will of God.

So my big "angel experience", that I really think of more as a saint experience, came during my first night staying in the convent. I was nervous having my first night in a place that was very new and somewhat alien to me. I prayed the Guardian Angel prayer, and I felt a presence sit on my bed.

In retrospect, that really should have freaked me out but it calmed me. I was able to sleep soundly after it happened.

Do I think it was an angel? I really don't know. I really can't know. Whatever happened calmed me and allowed me to be secure in my environment.

3. How have you shared about angels with your kids?

Most of what we have talked about is about the angels we know about. St. Michael and St. Gabriel are at the top of that list.

Thursday was Michaelmas! It's the day we celebrate St. Michael casting the devil from Heaven. We have a really fun time celebrating with a devil pinata (*literally* beating the hell out of the devil, y'all!) and getting together with the young adult community.

Here's how we celebrated last year:

The funny thing about having angels, immortal beings, as saints is we can't just give them their death day as their feast day. So we picked the high points of their interaction with the human plane?
That's what makes sense to me anyway.

Thus my kids mostly know about angels as the great warriors and protectors in the spiritual world.

Including their guardian angels. Happy Feast of the Guardian Angels everybody!

Say a little prayer of thanks for those angels that work overtime.

What my kids must think. Like everyday. Every. Day.

******************

Your turn!

Link up if you have a blog, respond in the comments if you're a reader.

Make sure you read the rules of the link up, and follow each of your hosts in some way!

Jessica – Pinot Noir and Prayers | Instagram | Facebook

Alicia – Sweeping Up Joy | Pinterest | Facebook
Kirby (me!)  – Under Thy Roof | Instagram | Facebook
Kerry - Fishbowl Fortune | Instagram | Facebook

Next week is featuring Respect Life month!

Does your family or parish mark the month in a special way?
Do you have any books or resources to recommend on the Respect Life theme?
What do you wish others understood about the Respect Life message?