Piety and guardian angels

[Nina]

If someone does not go to church on Sunday (at least) without a justifying reason, how does this impact the guardian angel of the person? Does anyone know of Fathers who might have written on this subject, please? I have this question for two reasons.

First (and what triggered my question), there is a vision in the book of St. Niphon of Konstantinople in which the saint saw a guardian angel (of another man) crying outside of a house of ill-repute where that man went and was committing a sin. So while that man was sinning his guardian angel was staying outside and weeping for the poor soul of the man - but I guess was forced to be nearby the house, although he did not go inside where the sin was committed because since the angel is a pure being, can not stand to see that sin. Also since I was a child my grandmothers told us that when we are born and while babies, the guardian angel is over us and protecting us all the time because we are pure, however with every bad/naughty deed of ours the guardian angel starts distancing from us. Sin is even worse than a naughty deed. And not going to church (without a reason) on Sunday is a sin.

Second, when a person does not attend Liturgy on Sunday, in addition to denying himself from worshiping God, is he denying this to his guardian angel also? So that person is responsible for himself and his guardian angel (as a consequence of the person not going to church) not being in the church? Or does the guardian angel go to church without the person, and thus the person is left completely alone during those hours?

[Mary]

I would've e-mailed my guardian angel for a definite answer, but he said the other day, that his internet connection is down... so, you'll just have to wait while he gets that fixed.

Mary.

[Katerina]

If someone does not go to church on Sunday (at least) without a justifying reason, how does this impact the guardian angel of the person? Does anyone know of Fathers who might have written on this subject, please? I have this question for two reasons.

I wish I knew the answer to this. I kind of think the little voice I hear inside me saying "you really NEED to go- DON"T be lazy, don't think of going there or staying in bed- GO!" is my guardian angel prompting me and helping to guide me to do the right thing....


First (and what triggered my question), there is a vision in the book of St. Niphon of Konstantinople in which the saint saw a guardian angel (of another man) crying outside of a house of ill-repute where that man went and was committing a sin. So while that man was sinning his guardian angel was staying outside and weeping for the poor soul of the man - but I guess was forced to be nearby the house, although he did not go inside where the sin was committed because since the angel is a pure being, can not stand to see that sin. Also since I was a child my grandmothers told us that when we are born and while babies, the guardian angel is over us and protecting us all the time because we are pure, however with every bad/naughty deed of ours the guardian angel starts distancing from us. Sin is even worse than a naughty deed. And not going to church (without a reason) on Sunday is a sin.

Oh, I remember reading this, and the impact it had on me! I also remember as a child, when I was first truly aware that my Guardian angel was always with me, that when I went to bed, I did not want to lay on him! Oh, how I did not want to hurt him...as I grew older, I "forgot" at times about my angel, but I am sure he did not forget ME. I know, because I have been saved a number of times from disaster and well...? It made me get back on the straight and narrow. Still stumbling, but keep getting back up... and wonder how much pain I cause my angel in the process?


Second, when a person does not attend Liturgy on Sunday, in addition to denying himself from worshiping God, is he denying this to his guardian angel also? So that person is responsible for himself and his guardian angel (as a consequence of the person not going to church) not being in the church? Or does the guardian angel go to church without the person, and thus the person is left completely alone during those hours?

I never thought of the angel as needing to be in church for the Divine services. Oh, what pain that must be to see US not partaking or going let alone him! I personally think that maybe the angel stays with us to protect us from the devil who is always ready to temp us to even worse things, but is saddened, and praying for us fervently...when we do the right thing, oh how he must rejoice!!

But, then again, these are just thoughts from an unworthy sinner like me...

In IC XC,
Katerina

[Paul Cowan]

The Forgotten Medicine; The Mystery of Confession by Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev has some wonderful sketches in it about our Guardian Angel and the devil and how each reacts to our sin and confession.

If the images alone do not make you think about repentence, I can't imagine much will.

Paul

[Katerina]

The Forgotten Medicine; The Mystery of Confession by Archimandrite Seraphim Aleksiev has some wonderful sketches in it about our Guardian Angel and the devil and how each reacts to our sin and confession.

If the images alone do not make you think about repentence, I can't imagine much will.

Paul

Oh, yes, that book is SUCH a treasure. I must go and read it again...

I was blessed in that I got to visit Archimandrite Seraphim's grave in Bulgaria.

Katerina

[Nina]

Dear Paul and Katerina,

Yes that book is amazing. My question however is not about repentance. Or about being lazy to go to church and how we can overcome that. Although those are amazing and very helpful topics and I would love to learn and discuss about what Fathers say in these cases.

Here specifically I would like to know if we keep our guardian angel from Liturgy also... because thinking of it, when does our guardian angel glorifies God? From what it is written angels glorify God and sing hymns to Him. If the guardian angel is with me always and I do not go to church (but I am found mostly in discos, bars, stadiums, spa etc), then when does the poor angel get an opportunity to go and glorify God? Because he can not fly to Heaven and glorify Him there, since the angel is doing obedience and guarding us here. From the book of Saint Niphon we read that a guardian angel goes in Heaven when a person departs this world. And then he is assigned to another soul. All these things got me thinking.

I have been thinking a lot about that because I also posted a question here about Mother Gavrilia and her sayings about the angels. She said that when we go to church we must stay always in the same place for the sake of the angels. I do not have the book of Mother Gavrilia and I can not check about the whole context as Marie from here advised me. And there was no reply about it. But while reading from other books we can understand that there is such an order in Heaven and between angels. Therefore -until an explanation about Mother Gavrilia's saying - I realized that we need to stay in the same place because our guardian angel will be there and if we change every Sunday our place the harmony will be disrupted. I am not sure if this is true that is why I am trying to find more patristic sources on the subject. This is why I am asking all these things because I do not know. If someone knows, or has read about it please help with answers.

[Katerina]

Dear Paul and Katerina,

Yes that book is amazing. My question however is not about repentance. Or about being lazy to go to church and how we can overcome that. Although those are amazing and very helpful topics and I would love to learn and discuss about what Fathers say in these cases.

Here specifically I would like to know if we keep our guardian angel from Liturgy also... because thinking of it, when does our guardian angel glorifies God? From what it is written angels glorify God and sing hymns to Him. If the guardian angel is with me always and I do not go to church (but I am found mostly in discos, bars, stadiums, spa etc), then when does the poor angel get an opportunity to go and glorify God? Because he can not fly to Heaven and glorify Him there, since the angel is doing obedience and guarding us here. From the book of Saint Niphon we read that a guardian angel goes in Heaven when a person departs this world. And then he is assigned to another soul. All these things got me thinking.

I have been thinking a lot about that because I also posted a question here about Mother Gavrilia and her sayings about the angels. She said that when we go to church we must stay always in the same place for the sake of the angels. I do not have the book of Mother Gavrilia and I can not check about the whole context as Marie from here advised me. And there was no reply about it. But while reading from other books we can understand that there is such an order in Heaven and between angels. Therefore -until an explanation about Mother Gavrilia's saying - I realized that we need to stay in the same place because our guardian angel will be there and if we change every Sunday our place the harmony will be disrupted. I am not sure if this is true that is why I am trying to find more patristic sources on the subject. This is why I am asking all these things because I do not know. If someone knows, or has read about it please help with answers.

Nina,

I have the Mother Gavrilia book, and it is always nearby, with many a bookmark...I did not see what was referenced by Mary. Maybe you can tell me the pages and I can look and let you know? I am curious also now.

Katerina

[Nina]

Dear Katerina,

Thank you!!!

Follow this link (http://www.monachos.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3781&highlight=mother+gavrilia) please and the first post has the quotes from mother Gavrilia's book which I was talking about (as read from a site on the net - sorry I do not know the pages where the quotes are to be found).

[Katerina]

Dear Katerina,

Thank you!!!

Follow this link (http://www.monachos.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3781&highlight=mother+gavrilia) please and the first post has the quotes from mother Gavrilia's book which I was talking about (as read from a site on the net - sorry I do not know the pages where the quotes are to be found).

Since there is no page number, I will try to do the best I can to find that...the book has over 400 pages!

Patience, and God willing I will find it. :)

Katerina

[Michael Stickles]

Since there is no page number, I will try to do the best I can to find that...the book has over 400 pages!

Patience, and God willing I will find it. :)

I found four sites that had quotes from Mother Gavrilia listed. They said the quotes were from the Apophthegmata (or Sayings) of the Gerontissa. All the sites gave the same quotes the same numbers, even though there were differences in which quotes were in the lists, so I assume they must be from a numbered collection of short sayings. The two quotes Nina mentioned are #113 and #114 in the lists.

Nobody had any page numbers, though. Sorry.

In Christ,
Mike