“Oh delicious intimacy, oh blessed company! Oh, if all men could understand this great gift that God, in His excess of love for man, assigned to us; this celestial spirit. Often remember his presence; you must fix on him the eyes of your soul; thank him; pray to him; he is so refined, so sensitive” (St. Padre Pio).

Advent 2021: Responding to God’s Call and Growing in Community

This Advent, our leadership and writing teams are reflecting on the Visitation—Mary’s visit to St. Elizabeth while they were pregnant with Jesus and St. John the Baptist. Click here to read more.

My heart has always warmed when I think of the angels glorifying God and singing over the newborn babe on that first Christmas. What would it have been like to see the heavenly hosts? What was happening in Mary’s heart? How did Joseph feel? What did the shepherds think?

I’m fascinated by angels. I’ve witnessed their assistance in my own life, and as I’ve grown in my faith, I’ve learned about the incredible depth of these spiritual beings. There’s an entire doctrine dedicated to the theology of angels: angelology.

The nine choirs of angels are Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Powers, Virtues, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. Can you believe the important angels we know by name from the Bible—Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael—are of the second lowest choir? From the Seraphim, focused solely on adoring God, straight down to guardian angels, each choir has a particular role, and each angel has its own personality.

While we’re each given a guardian angel to accompany us throughout life, the archangels play a beautiful role in the Nativity story.

Angels Come to Our Aid and Prompt Us to Action

Angels are always there. They keep close to us, guiding us along the Father’s path and waiting for us to become attuned to their promptings.

In the Christmas story, when things didn’t go according to plan for the Holy Family, there was often an angel involved to deliver peace and direction.

As Mary joyfully approached her wedding, the Archangel Gabriel came to her to tell her that she was to become pregnant with the Son of God, though she was a virgin (Luke 1:26-38). As Joseph prepared to wed his bride, he discovered that she was pregnant, and an angel (we aren’t told from which choir) led him to the truth (Matthew 1:20). As the Holy Family prepared for the most important event—welcoming their baby boy into the world—they were resigned that Our Lady had to give birth in a stable (Luke 2:7). Yet the angels spread the good news to the shepherds, who came and adored Him (Luke 2:8-16). As the Holy Family settled into their new life, an angel directed Joseph to take his family into Egypt for safety (Matthew 2:13-15).

For all the beauty that the Nativity Story evokes, it’s also a story of fear, discomfort, anxiety, and plans that were destroyed and rebuilt into something greater as the Son of God became known to man.

Welcoming the Destruction of Our Plans

This isn’t quite the article I’d planned to write. I’d intended to dive deeper. I’d scoped out the books and authors I wanted to read and cite to give you an array of resources.

But as I rushed to send the last email of my workday, I heard supper boiling over on the stove, and I ran to stir it. I noticed the pile of dress shirts that never made it into the washer for my husband’s meeting the next day, and I scooped them up and raced downstairs. Then, I passed by the dying philodendron on my bookshelf that hadn’t been watered in two weeks. On my way to water it, I noticed the card that was never put in the mail, though my brother’s birthday was in three days.

I scrambled around, blinking back hot tears as I tried to take care of all the things that really couldn’t wait one more day instead of following the plans I’d made. And, of course, my teething six-month-old then woke up 40 minutes too early. As I sat in the corner chair nursing, the tears spilled out.

And so goes my life, many days.

Why, in the destruction of our plans, is it so hard to keep our peace?

Surrendering the Mess

Our Heavenly Father asked our Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph to put aside their plans and trust that they were exactly where God needed them to be. He sent His angels to reassure them and be with them through the anxiety and mess—because, as we know, it wasn’t a mess at all. It was all part of a beautiful plan.

St. Padre Pio had an incredible relationship with his guardian angel. During especially trying times that he talked about with his angel, his angel responded, “Give thanks to Jesus that He treats you as one chosen to follow Him closely up the ascent to Calvary. I behold with joy and interior commotion, O soul entrusted to my care by Jesus, how Jesus treats you.” This saint, who suffered so much, received peace from his celestial companion. He is a model of how we can journey closely with our own angel that the good Father gave us.

In my own vocation, I must learn to rest assured that, although I might make my own plans, maybe I’m called to stir the soup. To hold the sick toddler. To clean the floors and feed the cats.

I pray for the ability to listen gracefully, with the help of my guardian angel.

Regina Angelorum, ora pro nobis.

Our Lady, Queen of the Angels, pray for us!

Laura Pugliano is co-founder of Ciccio's Olives, an exquisitely pure, single-origin extra virgin olive oil produced by her Italian in-laws in Calabria, Italy. She is also marketing and content strategist at the digital solutions provider Candoris, an alumna of Franciscan University of Steubenville, and most importantly, a wife and mother. Join Laura on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.