If I can believe the Bible . . .

In those first days as a Catholic, I had to tell myself that my guardian angel was sitting beside me. I find it odd that Evangelicals (myself included prior to my conversion) believed in the Bible 100% - but we didn't ever talk about the Scriptural support for these celestial beings. We never mentioned them. We didn't talk about them with our children. There were no sermons about them.

Oh, sure, we talked about the angels in the Old Testament. How one of them stopped Balaam on the road, how Balaam couldn't see the angel with its raised sword - but his donkey saw the angel and refused to move another inch. How Balaam had yelled at his donkey and beat him, calling him all sorts of names. How the donkey turned his head to his master and spoke - yes SPOKE - saying, what have I ever done to deserve such treatment? And then, Balaam raised his eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord.

Or the angel in the furnace. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (also known as Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) are thrown into the furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar because they would not bow before the king, an angel appears in the furnace with them. And the men are not consumed by the fire. Instead, they begin singing and praising God together.

And of course, the New Testament begins with an angel talking to Elizabeth's husband, Zachariah. And the Archangel Gabriel comes to Mary and announces to her the greatest news of all time. She would bear a son, the Messiah, the saviour.

But I was never told that I have a guardian angel.

I had to will myself to receive this teaching. I had to remind myself that it was true. I had to imagine my angel beside me.

I began the process by willing myself to remember that my guardian angel was beside me - at home, at Eucharistic Adoration, at Mass.

I began talking to him, rather than to myself.

And eventually, I began thinking about my husband's guardian angel - or my daughter's guardian angel - or a perfect stranger's guardian angel.

What an amazing thought. We have our own private messenger and protector! He kneels before Our Eucharistic Lord Jesus Christ when I genuflect. He bows and trembles with incomprehensible joy when Our Lord is placed on my tongue. He leads me back to my seat after I have received Our Lord and waits with me as I pray.

He communicates with another's guardian angel even as I speak to his dear one about the faith and the Church and the joy of being Catholic.

He walks each step of this life with me. And he will lead me all the way into eternity - if only I would follow.

It is not so difficult to believe. If I can believe that an angel stopped Balaam and caused a donkey to speak, if I can believe that an angel visited three men who were tossed into a furnace for refusing to worship someone other than God, if I can believe that an angel spoke to Zachariah and Our Lady -

I can believe that my guardian angel is real . . . and standing right at my side.

Amazing. Completely and totally amazing.