336 From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.²⁰² “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.”²⁰³ Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.  Catechism of the Catholic Church

I never paid attention to any close calls as a child, so as an adult I came to the realization that I was protected by my guardian angel. The most recent incident occurred as I was making a left-hand turn on to a busy intersection. For some unusual reason I thought that the car to the right had a stop sign, but it did not.  As I started the left-hand turn, the car to my right was driving straight ahead. In a nanosecond we both made it through without any type of accident, when it should have been a major collision.

No brakes, no crash, just a smooth passage. It was as if something supernatural had occurred. Making eye contact with the driver and his female passenger, we were in a state of shock. No ugly words were exchanged, no nasty hand gestures,  just a look of unbelievable gratitude as we passed by each other. Admittedly if there had been a collision, it would have definitely been my fault. In disbelief I thanked my guardian angel for his protection.

A few summers ago Mike and I attended  an Angel’s game. Our seats were located on right field. This is the area where many spectators come with baseball gloves to catch foul balls. Mike was a little too apprehensive and kept warning me to pay attention to the game. But instead of paying attention to the game I was looking through my phone and started to delete photos. In spite of Mike’s warning, I continued deleting photos. Anyway, if a ball came my way there were plenty of people around us with gloves to catch it.

I remembered we had two extra tickets. We offered them to Sonja and Russ but they are a party of four. So instead the tickets were given to Russ’ friend and his son.

Well, that which Mike feared most came to pass. A hard-hit foul ball came directly at me. There was no warning, and because I turned away at the last second, it missed my face but I did feel the force of the ball pass through my hair as it rushed past me. For a moment those around me thought for sure I was hit in the face; instead the ball landed near the young son of Russ’ friend.

My guardian angel at Angel Stadium had saved my life again.

About ten years ago, Leslie, a friend of mine, and I were handing out lunches on Skid Row in Los Angeles. As we were putting the lunches into the carts, a couple directly across from us were having a heated argument. I told Leslie to look the other way because you never know how these altercations are going to end. The couple’s fight escalated so they got out of the car.  The man was really upset and threw something that resembled a spear at the woman. I was facing the cart and adjusting the lunches when suddenly the spear passed right in front of Leslie’s face. Needless to say, this shook her up. Leslie’s guardian angel came between her face and the spear.

Living in Southern California, you cannot avoid driving on the freeways. Leslie does not drive on the freeways due to a traumatic experience; fear set in and she feels safer driving on surface  streets.  We were on the 91 Freeway on the way home from Skid Row, when suddenly a car hit the retaining wall and was heading straight toward us. Leslie was preparing her body for an impact, while I prayed. Lifting my hand toward the impending collision I said, “In the Name of Jesus!” As if someone took over the wheel of the driver of the other vehicle, it was instantaneously moved to another direction. Again our guardian angels intervened.

Darren’s Guardian Angel

With each missionary trip I would bring back so many religious souvenirs. I would load up my friends and family with blessed medallions, rosaries and holy cards. I had given my friend a rosary ring to give to her son Darren. Darren’s family had moved from the Los Angeles area, but his roots were in a suburb of Los Angeles. He and a group of friends started a car club there. They were flashy, and rode around in their ostentatious vehicles like they owned the streets. The other car clubs struggled with their arrogance and wanted to show them who was boss in the Los Angeles car clubs.

One evening Darren and his girlfriend Susan stopped for gas. From his rear view mirror, Darren noticed a Lexus filled with big, scary guys from a rival car club. Darren got out of the car to gas up when he noticed the driver pull out a gun. He quickly got back into his vehicle and a car chase ensued.

Darren did not want to scare Susan but he knew they were in trouble. He mistakenly pulled into a dead-end street. With the gangsters slowly creeping behind them, Darren instructed Susan to jump out of the car. Then he remembered the rosary ring in his pocket.  He grabbed it as he and Susan started to run toward a 10-foot chain link fence leading to a riverbed.

He does not remember if he called the police or not. suddenly the police appeared out of nowhere. The Lexus with the gang bangers left the scene. Darren knew that he had indeed been saved by his prayers and his guardian angel. After this incident their car club dismantled. Darren was taught a life lesson on how not to flaunt his blessings.

Torie’s Angels

Our nephew Torie used to suffer from cluster headaches. This type of headache is so severe that they are referred to suicide headaches. He suffered from these headaches a couple of times a year. The frequency of these headaches lasted from three to four days a month. The duration of the pain lasted thirty minutes to an hour. There is no cure for these headaches  and, because they are not life-threatening, the medication offers little relief.

Once Torie was experiencing a cluster headache, he was so sick, vomiting and suffering from any movement. He was on the floor of the bathroom but due to the intensity of the pain, he could not get up.  Then something supernatural occurred. Torie said that he saw seven small angels. He felt his arms lifted as the angels picked him off the floor and helped him to his bed. Torie is 6’2″ and weighs 225 pounds. And he no longer suffers from these cluster headaches.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, nothing is impossible with You. You send angels to protect and guide us. May we be ever aware of our guardian angels and ask for their protection whenever we are in pain or experiencing fear. Thank You for all that You provide for us. May we be eternally grateful. Amen