Just a thought that came from this morning’s Office of Readings for the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael:
Some angels are given proper names to denote the service they are empowered to perform. In that holy city, where perfect knowledge flows from the vision of almighty God, those who have no names may easily be known. But personal names are assigned to some, not because they could not be known without them, but rather to denote their ministry when they came among us. Thus, Michael means “Who is like God”; Gabriel is “The Strength of God”; and Raphael is “God’s Remedy.” (St. Gregory the Great)
There is a movement that has become popular among Catholics to seek the name of their Guardian Angels. This is a movement that I think is misguided, and could even be dangerous, as it comes more from the New Age mysticism than from Catholic Tradition. New Age mysticism is contrary to the Catholic Faith, and could lead followers to demonic spirits rather than the Holy Spirit. (See Catholics and the New Age
My opinion, as a Catholic priest, is that asking a Guardian Angel for its name is dangerous because it is contrary to the nature of an angel. The nature of an angel is to serve God as messenger of God (what the name “angel” translates into). The few names we know of particular angels describe not the angel itself, but how it serves God. As Pope St. Gregory the Great points out, “personal names are assigned to some, not because they could not be known without them, but rather to denote their ministry when they came among us.”
Those who ask their Guardian Angels for names do so not to better understand how the angels serve God, but in an attempt to know the angel as an individual. Our Guardian Angels serve God by guarding us, that is why their name is Guardian Angel. They do not need another name, especially one pronounceable by human speech. When we are in Heaven, God willing, we will know our Guardian Angel perfectly without need for a name to identify it (and I will be very grateful for mine who has had its work cut out for it!). Here on Earth, however, the identifier “My Guardian Angel” is more than sufficient to identify exactly each individual Guardian Angel. It is the ultimate in humility to be known not by individual identifier (a name), but rather with how we serve God. (As an aside, this is why titles in the Church are so important, and why we should call priests and religious by titles of Bishop, Father, Brother, and Sister – even our friends and family in those positions.)
A deeper concern with seeking the name of our Guardian Angels is discerning which spirits are actually responding. Demonic forces can use seemingly innocuous ideas, like names of Guardian Angels, to throw us off track from following God. While seeking the name of a Guardian Angel won’t immediately drag us down with the Devil, it can and does open us to further suggestions that eventually lead away from salvation. There is no way on earth to ensure that the name received is actually the name of a Guardian Angel versus something used by demonic spirits.
So, to answer the question in the title, “Should we seek the name of our Guardian Angels?” I would say no. Instead, just regularly say the great old rhyming prayer:
Angel of God, my Guardian Dear, to whom God’s love commits me here. Ever this (day/night) be at my side to light and guard; to rule and guide. Amen.
