My Guardian Dear

Happy Feast of Guardian Angels. 

We know each of us has a guardian angel. But how often do we ask for his help? 

The first time I realized my guardian angel was my best hope was when I was scheduled to teach three workshops at a Christian writing conference several hours away by car. I woke up with a horrible migraine and cried as I wondered how I would manage the drive. I did not want to be unprofessional and cancel at the last minute. I cried because there is an element of shame in being chronically ill—I suffer from migraine headaches that can debilitate me for nearly half the days in a month—and I did not want to admit how weak I was. So, I prayed to my angel to bring me safely there and back. 

I still don’t know how I made the long drive. I put on my Rosary CD, and then listened to the Gospel of John, thinking how beautiful it would be to have Jesus upon my heart if I were to die. Not that I wanted to die. My children were still young. My husband would miss me. And I was loving my writing life even more since we had converted to Catholicism. I wanted everybody to have what I had—Jesus! 

And boom! The revelation hit me—my guardian angel isn’t here just to protect me from bodily harm but to make sure I get to Heaven. Heaven! That’s the goal. 

God loves us so much He appoints an angel from the moment of our conception to guard and protect us from all dangers, and to guide us to our eternal home. This awareness, which I’ve had since I was a small child, still astounds me. As a child, I had complete trust in God’s protection. But the problem of suffering, so present in my life, was difficult to reconcile with belief in an omnipotent God. So, at age twelve I lost my faith, and ended my invocations to my guardian angel. But, without my knowledge, my angel was still guiding me. 

I am very thankful to my angel for protecting me from death during my twenties because had I died then, my intellect so clouded by sin, I might have rejected God’s mercy and gone to Hell. It is by the grace of God, and the patience and long-suffering of my guardian angel, that I’ve been able to hear His promptings and return to God, and when my plans derail, to pray “not my will but Thine.” 

I am also returning to that childhood state of complete trust and surrender. If I am anxious about anything, I ask my angel to take care of the situation. I call upon the guardian angels of my children when I’m at the brink of losing my patience. I also call upon the angels of the people to whom I want to be a faithful witness. What a comfort it is to draw upon heavenly assistance. 

Guardian angels carry our prayers and offerings to the throne of God; they come to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with us, and if we are unable to attend, as it was for many during the pandemic, we can ask our angel to go in our place to praise and adore our blessed Lord. These heavenly creatures are a gift to us. Let us always remember they are watching over us and want us to reach Heaven! Cultivate a relationship with your angel. They are God’s gift to each of us. 

Dear angel! Ever at my side. 

How loving must thou be 

To leave thy home in Heaven 

to guard a guilty wretch like me. 

~ Fr. Frederick William Faber (AD 1814-1863)

This article was published in Shalom Tidings Sept. 2022 issue: https://shalomtidings.org/my-guardian-dear/

October Saints

Busy month...but with lots of celebrations. October also has the feast of our Holy Guardian Angels (I have a great devotion to mine and wrote about it: My Guardian Dear | Vijaya Bodach | Shalom Tidings) and one of my favorite saints--the Little Flower of Lisieux, Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Her Story of a Soul is a classic, one that made me fall in love with her and her "Little Way." 

We had lovely High Masses and a procession for the Feast of our Lady of the Rosary. It is the easiest prayer and allows one to contemplate the life of our Lord. Our pastor often reminds us about how when people are old and have forgotten everything, they can still recite an Ave Maria. The first half is from Scripture: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. And the second is a petition--Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Prayer is what is needed in these terrible times we are facing right now. Wars. Natural disasters. Government incompetence and corruption. Election.

Fr. Chad Ripperger has penned a prayer for the upcoming election: Mary Immaculate, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where the eternal Wisdom lies hidden to be adored and served by angels and men, Queen of heaven and of earth, beneath whose sway are subject all things that are lower than God, Patroness of the United States of America, sorrowful and mindful of our own sinfulness and the sins of our nation, we come to Thee, our refuge and hope. Knowing that our country cannot be saved by our own works and mindful of how much our nation has departed from the ways of Thy Son, we humbly ask that Thou wouldst turn Thine eyes upon our country to bring about its conversion. We consecrate to Thee the integrity of the upcoming election and its outcome, so that what is spiritually and morally best for the citizens of our country may be accomplished, and that all of those who are elected would govern according to the spiritual and moral principles which will bring our nation into conformity with the teachings of Thy Son. Give grace to the citizens of this land so that they will choose leaders according to the Sacred Heart of Thy Son, that His glory may be made manifest, lest we be given the leaders we deserve. Trusting in the providential care of God the Father and Thy maternal care, we have perfect confidence that Thou wilt take care of us and will not leave us forsaken. O Mary Immaculate, pray for us. Amen. 

Strawberries and the Sacred Heart

June, the month of strawberries and rhubarb, is also the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I've written many times about it-- Vijaya Bodach: June is the Month of the Sacred Heart and Vijaya Bodach: Feast of Corpus Christi and Vijaya Bodach: Feast Days --because I'm still trying to fathom the depths of our Savior's love for us poor sinners. I think I'll never know because my own heart is so poor. And I'm about to exhibit my poverty. I'm finding it very difficult to love the sinner but hate the sin. In the past few years the culture is hell-bent on celebrating sin, especially the deadliest--pride. And the more you look at pride month, the more you see demon. Let us remember that it is pride that changed angels into demons. This server would not let me upload a picture showing it. Funny how that works. Not really. But here's something that's truly funny: Eccles is saved: It's WRATH Pride! (ecclesandbosco.blogspot.com) 

Speaking of demons, we saw Nefarious. Talk about truth bombs coming from a demon. Really well done; only two scenes were really difficult to watch but not at all gratuitous. It's really a conversation between the demon and the psychiatrist who's an atheist, more along the lines of My Dinner with Andre or Sunset Limited. What struck me was the progression of evil; the starting point is often parents not baptizing their children and well-meaning people inadvertently opening the door to the demonic by giving children toys like Ouija boards. Michael remembers getting one as a kid. They played only a few times but it didn't hold their interest. Thanks be to God. Still he was completely unprotected until his conversion, when he was baptized. I wish he would write his testimony. It would give parents much hope for their adult children who are far from the Lord, because truly, nothing is impossible for Him. Indeed, with God's grace, even middle-aged people can change, choose virtue over vice. Deo gratias! 

Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi; we had a beautiful High Mass followed by a procession and benediction. Deacon Ludlam gave an outstanding homily on both marriage and the Eucharist. Marriage is the closest analogy for what is occurring in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Our Lord instituted the Eucharist because He loves us so much, He wanted to give us Himself--His most Holy Body and Blood--in a real, physical, tangible way.

It's only in the last year that I began praying this beautiful prayer regularly. I first saw it in a Padre Pio prayer book; it was his favorite way to pray for all the people who asked him to pray for them. This is a wonderful novena to begin tonight and end of the Feast of the Sacred Heart next Friday. 

Antidote to Hurricanes: A Psalm and Shalom

With hurricanes causing much havoc, I bring to you a most beautiful rendition of Psalm 91 (a promise of God's protection) by Harpa Dei: https://youtu.be/sQNJs89E6x8 There are more here: Psalm 91: Fifteen musical versions – Art & Theology (artandtheology.org). I loved the Josquin adaption for 24 voices. We are praying for all in the path of Hurricane Ian. Nature is both so beautiful and devastating. I love satellite pictures. By the way, this young man with Dagny is Ian and she had so very much wanted to have a "hurrication" to visit him but her wiser nature prevailed. We've been teasing her about surviving Ian :) She's a good sport.

I had a piece on Guardian Angels published in the Sept. issue of Shalom Tidings. Always invoke your angel in times of distress. Aren't we blessed that God has appointed an angel to guide us? The more you listen to him, the more he prompts. Tomorrow is the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel--we pray to him daily for his protection. I like to begin my day with a Glory Be to the Holy Trinity in honor of my guardian angel for keeping me safe. I love waking up with Jules beside me; she has the softest fur on her pretty belly. Here she is covering her face with her paws...instead of helping me type. 

July is the Month of the Precious Blood

July is the month of the Precious Blood of our Lord and Savior and we need Him more than ever now to save us. I found this beautiful litany in the Opus Angelorum booklet and pray it several times each week. I especially love how at the end, we are reminded that the Precious Blood of Christ is the price of our redemption and a defense against the evils of our day. 

It is also the month of figs! On my walks, I get to have this sweet treat. Below, a picture of Dagny with her first fish! What a beauty!!! And a helper! Another beauty!!!

The Hum of Angels

This title appealed to me because I have always believed in the guiding hand of angels and wanted to learn more. In THE HUM OF ANGELS: Listening for the Messengers of God Around Us, Scot McKnight gives a Biblical basis for belief in angels and their role.

His main question is that if angels exist, and most of us believe in them, then why are we not more aware of it? He compares them to hummingbirds. Once we learn to pay attention, we are able to tune into them. I'm not sure I believe that reasoning. I believe that God decides if and when we experience them.

The book really shines in compiling many of the Biblical references that show what angels do. For example, the good angels come to console, instruct, guide, announce, fight, intercede and worship. I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in angels. However, the McKnight is repetitious and often confusing, in that he plays the devil's advocate and then comes to the proper conclusion. A better book is Angels of God by Mike Aquilina.

As a Catholic, I am used to asking my guardian angel to guide, protect, and pray for me. I thought it funny that Scot McKnight includes many Catholic ideas about angels from the Church Fathers, like what goes in Mass, but doesn't like the idea that there's a personal angel for each of us, even though it's Biblical.

Thanks to Blogging for Books for a review copy. This is cross-posted to Amazon.

And in related stuff, check out Distracted Angels, Max's ad for safe driving. He didn't make the final cut he was hoping for (thinking outside the box for scholarship $$$) but I thought it both creative and funny and better than some of the other ads. 

On Angels and Demons: Notes from ME Conference Part II

Of all the lectures, I enjoyed those of Fr. Joseph Leo Iannuzzi the most because I learned so many new and interesting things. He did his doctoral dissertation on Living in the Divine Will. It is a private revelation* given to a mystic, Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta. 

I've begun reading this tome (without my hand getting tired, thanks to my kindle) and simply fascinated by her life. She lived on only the Eucharist for 60 years! Although bedridden, she had no sores. Only after a priest would bless her could she be propped up to write (she was ordered to do so once they figured out her condition wasn't normal, that she was having visions). She was in good health until she contracted pneumonia at the age of 80, when she died. She was a contemporary of Padre Pio and he read her visions as well. I am so thankful her little pamphlets caught the eyes of Fr. Iannuzzi. He has not only translated her writings but also given a larger context. It truly is amazing how God chooses a lowly woman to reveal Himself and a humble priest to bring it to the world. God bless you, Father. 




Fr. Iannuzzi covered a great deal of theology about angels and the fall of man. Some things to know about angels. They possess a far greater intellect than we can imagine. They can see the consequences of all their actions (it reminded me of the character in Men in Black III who could calculate all possibilities and thus make the correct decision) and this is why they cannot be forgiven if they do not choose God. Every creature is tested before entry into heaven and the angels had individual tests. Those that passed can no longer sin. They are with God. Those that didn't joined Lucifer. This angel of Light rebelled against the foreknowledge of God being incarnated as a human, a creature with an intellect far below those of angels. I will not serve, he said. Lucifer enters the garden to stop the Incarnation.

It is a mystery why God allows temptation but had Adam corrected Eve, we'd still be sinless. Adam would've been the prince of the human race, Christ, the King. But Adam loved Eve more than he loved God. Jesus tells Luisa that before the fall, they both lived in the Divine Will. After the fall, you can see there is an immediate correlation between natural disasters and diseases -- all creation groans from the sin of Adam.

Jesus is the new Adam. He lived in the Divine Will. He was tempted and tested in the desert. But it wasn't over. He was tempted and tested again on the Cross. It was His complete obedience to the Father that set us free from sin and death and the power of Satan.

Mary lived in the Divine Will. Her test was the Fiat. So be it.

Since you've stuck with me so far, I'll share a Catholic joke Father told. Why did Mary and Joseph take a donkey to Bethlehem?

Because she gave her Fiat to God.

To learn more about living in the Divine Will, please see http://www.ltdw.org/. 

Fr. Iannuzzi spoke at great length about other visions of Luisa that shed light on salvation history but I want to share some notes on his second lecture on Spiritual Warfare and Demonology without resorting to Part III. While he was in Rome, he assisted the Vatican's Chief Exorcist, Fr. Gabriele Amorth. So ...

No one is exempt from Satan.

A story: A man tells his wife to not buy anything expensive but she comes home with a gorgeous red dress, with a hefty price tag. When the husband sputtered about it, she said, "It was like Satan whispering that I'll look good in it so I just wanted to try it on."
"Then why didn't you tell him to get behind you?" said the husband.
"I did," said the wife, "and he said it's fabulous."


Nowadays, most people don't think much of Satan or believe in his existence. We've lost our horror of sin. If you've read the Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis, you already know this is one of Satan's strategies. Because now he can move around without being detected. But Satan is real and so is hell and as much as we'd like to believe that it is empty, the many saints who did have visions, saw hell populated, and among them priests ... priests who led their flock astray. St. Teresa de Avila always cracks me up even when she is serious, with her sorrow for especially the Lutherans.

God allows Adam to be tested. He fails; sin and death enter the world. But God sends his Son -- Jesus Christ -- to save us and to destroy the work of the devil. The faith of our parents saves us. We are like the paralytic, bound in sin. They bring us to the baptismal font and baptism begins the work of sanctification. At baptism, we receive the gifts of faith, hope and love. Through practice, these gifts grow in us. But it's not a free pass ... concupiscence remains even after baptism. It takes work on our part to grow in holiness and the outpouring of grace from God. And as we all know, it's not easy, the work part. We fall again and again. I tell you, the Church is a great hospital for sinners. I know, because I am a sinner, and without a sacramental life, I would fall deeper and deeper into sin. Jesus saves ... again and again, in the sacrament of confession and by feeding me Himself. 

Satan is always prowling about like a lion, ready to pounce upon us. But Jesus taught the Apostles to cast out demons in His name. It is a direct and solemn command that we can use as well. 

Problem is that Satan doesn’t leave us alone. In Matt 12:45 we learn that the evil spirit “goes and brings back with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they move in and dwell there; and the last condition of that person is worse than the first. Thus it will be with this evil generation.” That’s why exorcisms have to be performed multiple times.

Did you know that confession is actually an exorcism? Fr. Iannuzzi said that repressed mortal sins are often the cause of severe depression and other physical ailments that defy medical explanation. After prayers and absolution the person is often miraculously healed. The Sacrament of Healing, which I have received a few times for severe migraines, is also an exorcism. I gain 50% reduction that lasts a good 6-8 months that no physician can explain. It's better than even the placebo effect (which is typically 30%). I am much better now since I started my treatment on low-dose beta blockers, but I am still susceptible, like the weekend of the conference. I have been purified through this suffering and no longer afraid of any attacks because I know I can offer it up. I would never choose it, however. I’m still too weak and always prefer not to sacrifice.  

An interesting tidbit: evil spirits reside in arid places. There are several references to this in the Bible, the most famous one being that Jesus went to the desert to fast and pray and there he was tempted. The early Church Fathers went to the desert to combat Satan too. 

Another interesting tidbit: The Latin Rite is more effective for casting out demons.

But we can use any language to do simple exorcisms, to heal the family tree, free ourselves from hauntings or involvement of the occult.

There are three parts:
1. Prayer – of liberation, praise, thanksgiving, intercession, and in tongues (this is where the Holy Spirit takes over). Of all these prayers, the prayers of praise are the most powerful. Satan hates for us to praise and thank God.
2. Word of God – read Psalms and the Gospel with conviction. Believe!
3. Command the evil spirits – to leave, and to never return in the name of Jesus. You can command them to go to the foot of the Cross or to hell.

A person has to go through a thorough physical, mental and spiritual evaluation when demons are suspected. Fr. Iannuzzi said that people who are possessed have these signs: chronic depression, repugnance to holy objects and prayers, resentment, levitation, extraordinary physical strength, violent, knowledge that the person wouldn’t normally have.

Confession, Mass, Adoration, Exorcism, Litany of Saints, Crucifix, blessed salt, oil, Holy Water, profession of baptismal promises are the tools of the trade. Father said it takes on average 3 years to cleanse the person from evil.

After all the stories Fr. Iannuzzi shared, I was surprised that he’s not a scaredy-cat priest. Au contraire. He is calm and funny, a man at peace and without fear. Jesus is his Rock.

He said that Satan can enter your memory and intellect without your consent, but he cannot enter your will without your consent. And God allows Satan to test you. Resisting temptations make you stronger. This is why it is imperative you live in the Divine Will.

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our Daily Bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed are thou amongst women and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.



Michelangelo: Last Judgment

*A note on visionaries: Catholics are not required to believe any private revelation, even if it has the imprimatur of the Church. 

Confusion and Controversy in Catholic Schools



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St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor of the Church is the patron saint of Catholic education, teachers and seekers of wisdom and knowledge. We are celebrating Catholic Schools Week in many dioceses across the nation and we are very blessed to have our children in schools that adhere to the Catholic faith and incorporate it in all their subjects. But this is not the case everywhere. In the name of tolerance and kindness, many Catholics do not offer fraternal correction and worse, stray from the teachings of the Bible and the Church.

I mourn the loss of the consecrated religious who taught in our schools. I was Convent-educated in India and those nuns instilled a very strong moral center. Although I left my faith, a spark of Truth remained. We are asked to live by our conscience but it needs to be formed by the Holy Spirit! Not popular culture, where morality goes in and out of fashion. Remember that the path to hell is paved with good intentions (I paraphrase St. Bernard de Clairvaux).

 

In the past weeks I have learned of several disturbing events at Eastside Catholic, the school Max attended for a year in sixth grade, before we moved to SC. Here's the background. Briefly, some of the faculty are choosing to get "married" to their same sex partner now that WA has redefined marriage. These teachers cannot serve in Catholic schools. Not only is it a contractual breach, but even without a contract, a Catholic school needs to make sure they are not teaching anything that goes against Church doctrine. Our lives and the way we conduct ourselves speak louder than any words we might say in the classroom. Alas, parents and kids are protesting the resignation of these teachers. They are all confused.

 

I used to be just as confused. My motto was live and let live. But in my lifetime, things have gone from bad to worse to insane. The Church has opened my eyes. Marriage has always been between a man and a woman. It is an institution that promotes life, fidelity, and the raising of children. Anything that deviates from this model (and in history it has) results in the failure of the culture to thrive. Two women who love each other should be like sisters. They should not sexualize it. Same with two men. Marital love can only exist between a man and a woman, the fruit of which are children. This is what the church teaches.

 

But we do not need the church to know that homosexuality is intrinsically disordered. No children can come from that union. The body isn't designed for it. I still remember when a friend explained what it meant to be a homosexual. I was in high school and the mere thought of somebody sticking anything in the place where feces comes out made me ill. Homosexual acts are unnatural. When I worked in a hospital, I learned about torn rectums and more. I am sorry to be so graphic, but we need to develop a sense of horror for the things that are horrible.

 

So imagine my surprise when I was looking at the list of the ALA winners. As I was scrolling down, I saw an award for gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender literature! Good grief! Why? These books can be nominated in all the regular categories. Why promote abnormal behavior or try to normalize it?

 

I keep wondering why is it that such a tiny minority (statistically speaking, homosexuality is rare otherwise the species would not perpetuate) can have such a huge voice and presence in the media, and it hit me. Once premarital sex, multiple sexual partners, and divorce became *normal* so did other sexual behaviors. There are no limits now to whom or what we'll use for the sake of pleasure. It won't be long before polygamy, pedophilia, and bestiality is just another flavor of sexuality. We have already done the most horrible thing by sacrificing our children to the altar of pleasure, there is really nothing else left.

 

But we cannot be complacent, live and let live, or give up hope. We must fight the forces of evil that are destroying our families and our culture and society. Last September, our family joined the Angelic Warfare Confraternity, under the patronage of our Lady and St. Thomas Aquinas. Consider joining the fight. 

 

 

Battle of Evermore Angels

On Preparations for SCBWI Carolinas Conference and Angelic Warfare

As I prepare to drag some participants of the SCBWI Carolinas into the world of children's magazine and nonfiction writing, I am also preparing for High Mass for the Feast of the Holy Angels. This is an especially important Mass since many in our parish (including my husband and I) are also committing themselves to Angelic Warfare. It is an apostolate of the Dominican Friars to promote chastity and purity with help from the Angelic Doctor, Thomas Aquinas, and the Blessed Mother. And it just so happened that last week, Chris Stefanick, came to speak at our Catholic High School about chastity and moral relativism. It was perfect timing.

Alas, what is perhaps the worst timing, we just discovered that our minivan has big troubles brewing. Transmission problems. Oy. Thankfully, there are friends coming to help us while we get it fixed. My husband doesn't think we'll have a catastrophic failure, but I don't want to take any chances, not on the freeway with the children. I see how instinctive it is to protect and preserve ourselves, but when it comes to matters of love, we are terribly reckless. My husband and I didn't even consider the ramifications of giving ourselves to each other without a commitment, and of the dangers of a broken heart. We were made to love and care for one another, not to use each other. And so we pray that our children and young people today will flee instinctively from counterfeit love and learn to discern and choose authentic love. Hence our commitment to Angelic Warfare.

I love the music our priest and choir director have chosen ... a beautiful Gregorian-style Mass by Rene Quignard. The hymns too, are beautiful as we call upon the three archangels and the Blessed Mother to come to our aid. Our organist is very talented and arranges much of the music for us. He is also fluent in Latin, so we often get a Latin lesson during choir practice. We are so very blessed to be bathed in so much beauty in our little church.

We pray the St. Michael prayer daily but until today I didn't know it was a short form. A good friend recently shared a Audio Sancto sermon that explains in greater detail who angels are, the powers they have, and how they help or harm us (yes there are bad ones too). At the end, the priest prays the entire prayer composed by Pope Leo XIII. If you have fifteen minutes to spare, I think you'll find it fascinating ... and perhaps find yourself criticizing children's literature featuring angels in completely absurd ways.

As you can see, my brain is again full of stuff. I am looking forward to the conference, the High Mass, and taking it easy for the next couple of weeks before polishing the historical. I ask for your prayers this weekend as we make these many preparations.