The companionship of angels saints . . . Angels are heavenly beings—supernatural, sometimes visible, sometimes not. How many they are and what they do is not yours to know. It’s enough for you to know that there’s an unseen dimension and a thin line often separates the invisible from the visible. Angels can appear to you in a blaze of pure light—if so, they’ll put you on your face in fear and awe. But most times angels appear in human guise. They appear abruptly and slip away quietly. They’re so natural that you’re tempted to think they’re a neighborhood kid or a co-worker down the hall. Only they’re not.

When they’re gone, they’ll have left you some gift—not usually something you’ll hold in your hands, but something you’ll need to take into your heart. Figuring out what that gift is and what it means is the work the angel’s left you to do.

There are saints too, present and past, whose lives will guide to you (Hebrews 12.1). Saints are simply those who’ve made it their aim in life to abandon themselves to God. They’re not always nice, and often not pretty. But they’re good. Saints are utterly natural. They can be the kid next door, the person down the hall. Departed saints will guide you from the pages of a book. Present saints care for you when you’re hurting or sick. There’s a band of them, past and present, praying for you now. You can take that to the bank.

The point is, as you curve yourself open to the goodness that’s all around you, open also to the serendipitous companions God’s sending your way today—visible and invisible. When you rise and pray, welcoming the “companionship of angels and saints,” open yourself to this heavenly and earthly host. They’ll surprise you with a word, a kind gesture, a firm and sometimes-unwelcome challenge, a nudge, a whisper on the wind. Listen. Watch. They’re everywhere.

On this journey, you’re never alone.

For more meditations on the Daily Guide/Rule of Life, click on the blog category, “Daily Guide/Rule of Life”

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