(Ephesians 5:8)
Parents, leaders, and educators, we have a mission, a duty to lead children's souls toward the Light which will be their guide and their happiness. In order to illuminate the way that lies before each one of us, once a week we invite you to discover some of the words of certain wisemen and witnesses, measuring their worth by the words of St. Thomas Aquinas: “Do not consider the one who speaks, but whatever good you hear from him, confide it to your memory.” (from The Sixteen Ways to Acquire the Treasure of Knowledge by St. Thomas). Happy reading!
“I was walking on an empty, shadowy country road when, behind three sheep and a thicket, I met an old woman bent over her stick. Since I am supposed to know everyone, I said to her, “Good day, Catinelle.” She straightened up partially and answered, “Good day, Father and company.” “What, Grandmother? I am all alone; where do you see the company?” She stood up straight and I saw her wrinkled face and her eyes, bright and still beautiful. She said to me seriously: “And what about your guardian angel?” “Good mother, pardon me. I almost forgot my guardian angel; thank you for reminding me of him.”
“I had received a noble lesson. The Christian people keep traditions intact, traditions which the intellectuals abandon. The sources are not lost as some may believe; they go down from the upper floor to the basement. Returning home, I began to reflect on my negligence and pride, which is nothing but folly. To make up for the past, I wanted to write a new prayer, a prayer just for myself – in Latin, of course: the language of the angels, the language of the Catholic Church in Heaven and on earth.Angele sancte Dei,
Frater et amice,
Custos corporis mei et animae meae,
Oro te pius et supplex,
Averte a me omnia pericula et omnes tentationes ;
Refove in me amorem Sanctissimae Trinitatis
Quae me tibi commisit
Et deduc me in via salutis
Ad vitam aeternam.“I will not translate it, as this prayer which I say every day is a secret between my guardian angel and me.”
Monseigneur Jean CALVET (1874-1965)
Professor of Letters, Rector of l’Institut Catholique de Paris
“For the majority of our readers, however, we do not think that a translation would be unwelcome. We present it with the good prelate’s blessing, for, from Heaven above, he would not look upon us harshly for revealing his secret:
Holy Angel of God,
My brother and my friend,
Guardian of my body and soul,
I piously and imploringly ask you
To free me from all danger and temptation;
Re-enkindle in me the love of the Most Holy Trinity
Who entrusted me to your care,
And lead me on the path of salvation
To eternal life.”
Monseigneur Jean CALVET (1874-1965)
Professor of Letters, Rector of l’Institut Catholique de Paris
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