Guardian Angels can be seen throughout Scripture, such as in the book of Judith where she states that God’s “angel hath been my keeper” (Judith 13:20 DRA). Jesus taught his disciples about the existence of Guardian Angels when speaking about the protection of little children, “See that you do not despise
one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). Though not explicitly revealed in Scripture, it is generally believed by theologians that all human beings, whether they are Christian or not, are assigned a Guardian Angel. Pope Pius XII related in an address how, “Everyone, no matter how humble he may be, has angels to watch over him.” This is consistent with Sacred Scripture, the teachings of Sts.
Thomas Aquinas, Basil, and Jerome, and experiences from non-Christians who believe they were helped by a Guardian Angel. If all people are given a Guardian Angel, when does this assignment occur? The only official statement about the timing of this assignment comes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states, “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession. ‘Beside each believer stands
an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life'” (CCC 336). The statement is not precise and simply points to the “beginning” of human life. Theologians have debated over the centuries the exact moment of this assignment and there exist multiple views. For example, St. Jerome says simply, “how great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it.” This was a popular opinion for many centuries, based on the scientific knowledge
they possessed at the time.Angels surround us from the very beginning of our life on earth.
On the other hand, St. Anselm states, “Every soul is committed to an angel at the moment when it is united with a body.” While this too is debated among theologians, many believe this occurs at conception. According to a Vatican document compiled by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1987, “the spiritual soul of each man is ‘immediately created’ by God.”
It follows then, that a Guardian Angel is likely appointed at the moment of conception. It is not a dogmatic belief of the Catholic Church, but appears to follow from other teachings that have been handed down over the centuries, and would be consistent with Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew.
Even if an individual Guardian Angel isn’t assigned at conception, the mother’s Guardian Angel would be automatically put in charge of the developing human being in the womb.
Whether we realize it or not, from the very beginning of our lives we are surrounded by heavenly angels who want to protect us from all spiritual and physical harm. We have the free will to allow them to do their jobs or we can cut ourselves off from their protecting help. It is a profound mystery, one that we will never fully understand until we finally meet our Guardian Angel in the life to come.
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What does my Guardian Angel look like?
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A visual guide to Guardian Angels: Here’s what you need to know
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Matthew 18:10 states, “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” In the context, “these little ones” could either apply to those who believe in Him (v. 6) or it could refer to the little children (vs. 3-5). This is the key passage regarding guardian angels. There is no doubt that good angels help protect (Daniel 6:20-23; 2 Kings 6:13-17), reveal information (Acts 7:52-53; Luke 1:11-20), guide (Matthew 1:20-21; Acts 8:26), provide for (Genesis 21:17-20; 1 Kings 19:5-7), and minister to believers in general (Hebrews 1:14).
The question is whether each person—or each believer—has an angel assigned to him/her. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel had the archangel (Michael) assigned to it (Daniel 10:21; 12:1), but Scripture nowhere states that an angel is “assigned” to an individual (angels were sometimes sent to individuals, but there is no mention of permanent assignment). The Jews fully developed the belief in guardian angels during the time between the Old and New Testament periods. Some early church fathers believed that each person had not only a good angel assigned to him/her, but a demon as well. The belief in guardian angels has been around for a long time, but there is no explicit scriptural basis for it.
To return to Matthew 18:10, the word “their” is a collective pronoun in the Greek and refers to the fact that believers are served by angels in general. These angels are pictured as “always” watching the face of God so as to hear His command to them to help a believer when it is needed. The angels in this passage do not seem to be guarding a person so much as being attentive to the Father in heaven. The active duty or oversight seems, then, to come more from God than from the angels, which makes perfect sense because God alone is omniscient. He sees every believer at every moment, and He alone knows when one of us needs the intervention of an angel. Because they are continually seeing His face, the angels are at His disposal to help one of His “little ones.”
It cannot be emphatically answered from Scripture whether or not each believer has a guardian angel assigned to him/her. But, as stated earlier, God does use angels in ministering to us. It is scriptural to say that He uses them as He uses us; that is, He in no way needs us or them to accomplish His purposes, but chooses to use us and them nevertheless (Hebrews 1:7). In the end, whether or not we have an angel assigned to protect us, we have an even greater assurance from God: if we are His children through faith in Christ, He works all things together for good (Romans 8:28-30), and Jesus Christ will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6). If we have an omniscient, omnipotent, all-loving God with us, does it really matter whether or not there is a finite guardian angel protecting us?
Questions about Angels and Demons
Do we have guardian angels?
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