Hieromonk Kirill (Popov)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus! It is hard to imagine what our visible world would become if it was not supported by the spiritual realm. It is scary to imagine what a person would turn into if he was not taken care of by his guardian angel. Serving God is always fraught with great risk and with great danger, because you never know where you may stumble, for spiritual warfare is very subtle, complex and unpredictable. Therefore, the angels were given to help humanity. Staying with us all the time, they show us the right path and a way out of various difficult situations.
The angels have a great many obediences, and one of them is associated with the protection of man. Every person, nation, and the universe itself has its own guardian angel. St. John Damascene teaches us: “They (the Angels) guard parts of the earth, rule over peoples and places, as ordained by the Creator.” An angel, following the example of his Creator, is a lover of man and merciful; therefore, when a person stumbles he does not abandon him. St. Paisios the Hagiorite was once asked: “Is it true that our guardian angels turn away from us when we commit a sin?” To which the saint replied: “If angels were to turn away from us so easily, the world would have perished long ago.”
Photo: Pinterest Very often, when a tragedy could have happened to a person but in some miraculous, incomprehensible way it was avoided and he has gotten off lightly, wise people with good life experience like to say, “He has a strong guardian angel.” In fact, each one of us has a strong guardian angel. We should not measure and distinguish the angels by their strength—they have different kinds of service, but all of them have the same power. The secret is that some people know how to listen to the voice of their guardian angel, while others simply do not hear this voice. How can we hear the voice of our guardian angel? It is important to tune your heart, like a radio frequency, into the same wavelength of the angelic world. Those who are attentive to their inner spiritual life undoubtedly feel and invisibly contemplate the angelic realm.
To hear the voice of your guardian angel you should imitate the angels in their perfection. Just as angels rush to help people, so we, following their example, must hurry to do good to our neighbors. Just as the angels in their zeal defend God before the evil spirits, so let us fearlessly carry the Word of God into this world, denouncing all untruths and closing lying mouths. Just as the angels burn with love for God and people, so let us learn this Heavenly love and melt cold hearts with this love. Just as the angels praise God day and night,without knowing rest, so let us glorify God with our words, prayers, and most importantly, with our lives. The saints teach us that we must see an angel in every person, and then our lives will be transformed, because we will look at everyone with the eyes of God.
Among other things, we can become guardian angels for someone here on earth. What prevents us from taking care of someone or being living examples for someone? This is also an imitation of angels. But there is always a hazard here: Living like an angel, you may not remain on the side of good and turn into a demon, and this transformation can happen very easily. As soon as we forget about God as the vivifying Source of our lives and begin to get rich in ourselves and for ourselves, making a name for ourselves instead of being rich toward God (cf. Lk. 12:21), we turn into demons and become such for others.
Let us try to imitate the angelic powers in everything as we live, and most importantly, not forget that both we and the angels are limited beings, that we are both servants of God. Let’s not forget for Whom we live and to Whom we owe everything, and then the Lord, seeing our desire, will make us co-partakers of the Angelic light in the radiance of eternal glory. Amen.
