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Chapter 27PsAug.1.27

Quanta Deus praestet homini per Angelos custodes. Unde Dei cum homine deliciae.

Guardians on the Walls of the Heavenly City

God appoints His angels as guardians over the soul, drawing on scriptural images of watchmen upon the walls of the heavenly Jerusalem and protectors against the prowling adversary.

You go further still: you make your angels into spirits for my sake, and you have commanded them to guard me in all my ways, lest perhaps I should stumble my foot against a stone (Ps. 90, 11, 12). These are the guardians upon the walls of your new Jerusalem (Isai.✦ 62, 6), and the mountains that surround it, keeping watch and guarding the night watches over your flock (Luke✦ 2, 8), lest that ancient adversary of ours should snatch away our souls like a lion, while there is no one to redeem them — he who, like a roaring lion, constantly prowls about, seeking someone to devour (1 Pet.✦ 5, 8). These are the citizens of the blessed city of the heavenly Jerusalem, which is above, our mother (Galat.✦ 4, 26); sent to serve for the sake of those who are receiving the inheritance of salvation (Hebr.✦

The Angels' Tireless Ministry of Love

The angels serve as constant companions who carry the soul's prayers to God, share in every state of the believer's life, and love or desert in perfect accord with God's own judgment.

(Tob. 1, 14); so that they may free them from their enemies, and guard them in all their ways; and that they may also strengthen and admonish them, and offer the prayers of your children in the sight of the glory of your majesty. They love their fellow citizens, through whom they expect the breaches of their ruin to be restored; and so they are present with us at all hours and in all places, with great care and watchful zeal, running to help and providing for our needs, and anxiously hurrying back and forth between us, Lord, and you, carrying our groans and sighs to you, so that they may obtain for us the ready propitiation of your kindness, and bring back to us the longed-for blessing of your grace. They walk with us in all our ways; they go in and out with us, attentively observing how piously and how honorably we conduct ourselves in the midst of a depraved nation, and with what zeal and desire we seek your kingdom and its righteousness, and with what fear and trembling we serve you and rejoice before you, with the gladness of our heart.✦✦ They help those who labor, protect those who rest, encourage those who fight, crown those who conquer; they rejoice with those who rejoice — those who rejoice in you, I say; they suffer with those who suffer — those who suffer for you, I say.✦ Great is their care for us, great the affection of their love toward us; and all of this for the sake of the honor of your inestimable charity, by which you have loved us. For they love those whom you love; they guard those whom you guard; and they desert those whom you desert. Nor do they love those who work iniquity, since you also have hated all who work iniquity, and you will destroy all who speak lies (Ps.✦ V, 7).✦

Rejoicing in Heaven, Praise on Earth

The soul reflects on how angelic joy rises or falls with the believer's fidelity, then lifts a prayer of praise for the surpassing honor of being entrusted to angelic care.

Whenever we do well, the angels rejoice and the demons are saddened; but whenever we turn aside from the good, we gladden the devil and cheat the angels of their joy. For it is a joy to them over one sinner doing penance (Luke✦ 15:7), but over one righteous person abandoning repentance, the devil rejoices.✦ Grant then, Father — grant that they may always rejoice over us, so that you too may always be praised through them in us, and we may be brought with them into your one sheepfold, so that together we may give thanks to your holy name, O Creator of humankind and of angels.✦ Recalling these things before you, I confess and praise you, because your kindnesses are great — these kindnesses by which you have honored us, giving us your angels as spirits for our service.✦ For you had given whatever is contained within the circuit of the sky; and these things beneath the sky are as nothing, unless you also add those things that are above the heavens. Let all your angels praise you for this; let all your works give thanks to you for this; and let your holy ones bless you. O our dignity, whom you have honored so exceedingly and enriched, adorning us with many gifts! Wonderful is your name, Lord, in all the earth (Psal.

What Is Man That God Remembers Him?

The chapter closes with a humble wonder at God's extraordinary condescension toward humanity, echoing the psalmist and Job.

Psalm 8:2.✦ What is man, that you make so much of him, that you honor him, and set your heart upon him (Job 7:17)?✦

Read the original Latin

Insuper facis Angelos tuos spiritus propter me, quibus mandasti ut custodiant me in omnibus viis meis, ne forte offendam ad lapidem pedem meum (Psal. XC, 11, 12). Hi sunt custodes super muros tuos novae Jerusalem (Isai. LXII, 6), et montes in circuitu ejus vigilantes et custodientes vigilias noctis super gregem tuum (Luc. II, 8), ne quando rapiat ut leo animas nostras, dum non est qui redimat, ille antiquus adversarius noster, qui quasi leo rugiens semper circuit quaerens quem devoret (I Petr. V, 8). Hi sunt cives beatae civitatis supernae Jerusalem, quae sursum est mater nostra (Galat. IV, 26), in ministerium missi propter eos qui haereditatem capiunt salutis (Hebr.

I, 14); ut eos liberent ab inimicis suis, et custodiant in omnibus viis suis; confortent quoque et moneant, et orationes filiorum tuorum offerant in conspectu gloriae majestatis tuae. Diligunt nempe concives suos, per quos suae ruinae scissuras instaurari exspectant; ideoque magna cura et vigilanti studio adsunt nobis omnibus horis et locis, succurrentes et providentes necessitatibus nostris, et solliciti discurrentes inter nos et te, Domine, gemitus nostros atque suspiria referentes ad te, ut impetrent nobis facilem tuae benignitatis propitiationem, et referant ad nos desideratam tuae gratiae benedictionem. Ambulant nobiscum in omnibus viis nostris, intrant et exeunt nobiscum, attente considerantes quam pie, quamque honeste in medio pravae nationis conversemur, quantoque studio et desiderio quaeramus regnum tuum et justitiam ejus, quantoque timore et tremore serviamus et exsultemus tibi, laetitia cordis nostri. Adjuvant laborantes, protegunt quiescentes, hortantur pugnantes, coronant vincentes; congaudent gaudentibus, de te, inquam, gaudentibus; compatiuntur patientibus, pro te, inquam, patientibus. Grandis est eis cura de nobis, magnus affectus dilectionis eorum erga nos; et hoc totum propter honorem tuae inaestimabilis charitatis, qua dilexisti nos. Diligunt enim quos tu diligis; custodiunt quos tu custodis; et deserunt quos tu deseris. Nec diligunt operantes iniquitatem, quoniam et tu odisti omnes qui operantur iniquitatem, et perdes omnes qui loquuntur mendacium (Psal. V, 7).

Quoties bene agimus, gaudent Angeli, et tristantur daemones; quoties vero a bono deviamus, diabolum laetificamus, et Angelos suo gaudio defraudamus: gaudium est enim eis super uno peccatore poenitentiam agente (Luc. XV, 7), sed diabolo super uno justo poenitentiam deserente. Da igitur, da, pater, eis semper gaudere de nobis, ut et tu per eos semper lauderis in nobis, et nos cum eis in unum ovile tuum adducamur; ut confiteamur simul nomini sancto tuo, creator hominum et Angelorum. Haec ipse commemorans coram te, confiteor laudans te, quoniam beneficia tua magna sunt haec, quibus nos honorificasti, dans nobis angelos tuos spiritus in ministerium nostrum. Dederas enim quidquid coeli ambitu continetur; et quasi parva haec quae sub coelo sunt, nisi adderes et ea quae sunt super coelos. Laudent te de hoc omnes Angeli tui, confiteantur tibi de hoc omnia opera tua, et ipsi sancti tui benedicant tibi. O honorificentia nostra, quos nimis honorificans et ditans multis muneribus decorasti! Admirabile est nomen tuum, Domine, in universa terra (Psal.

VIII, 2). Quid est enim homo, quia magnificas eum, et honorificas eum, et apponis erga eum cor tuum (Job VII, 17)?

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Isa.62.6 — Upon your walls, Jerusalem, I have posted guards; all day and all night they will never be silent. You who remind the LORD, do not rest.
  2. ↩Luke.2.8 — And there were shepherds in the same region, living out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
  3. ↩1Pet.5.8 — Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
  4. ↩Gal.4.26 — But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
  5. ↩Heb.1.14 — Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve for the sake of those who are about to inherit salvation?
  6. ↩Phil.2.12 — Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
  7. ↩Matt.6.33 — But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
  8. ↩Rom.12.15 — Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
  9. ↩Ps.5.7;Ps.5.6 — But as for me, in the abundance of your steadfast love I will come into your house; in your fear I will worship toward your holy temple. You, LORD, will destroy those who speak lies; the man of blood and deceit the LORD abhors. Ps.5.6 — The boasters will not stand before your eyes; you hate all who work iniquity.
  10. ↩Ps.5.7 — But as for me, in the abundance of your steadfast love I will come into your house; in your fear I will worship toward your holy temple. You, LORD, will destroy those who speak lies; the man of blood and deceit the LORD abhors.
  11. ↩Luke.15.7 — I tell you, there will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents more than over ninety-nine righteous persons who have no need of repentance.
  12. ↩Luke.15.10 — In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
  13. ↩John.10.16 — And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice, so there will be one flock, one shepherd.
  14. ↩Heb.1.14 — Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve for the sake of those who are about to inherit salvation?
  15. ↩Ps.8.2 — O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
  16. ↩Job.7.17 — What is a mortal, that you make so much of him, and that you set your heart upon him?" "Mortal" better carries אֱנוֹשׁ and connects with the chapter’s deathward movement.

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