PALM BEACH GARDENS | Some guardian angels wear badges.
In welcoming the faithful to the Diocese of Palm Beach’s annual Blue Mass on the feast of the Guardian Angels Oct. 2, Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito thanked police officers, sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and other emergency workers “for all that you do for us each and every day, literally putting your lives on the line in different ways. We’re very, very grateful to you. You truly are our angels.”
Members of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and School District Police Department, and public safety personnel from Palm Beach Gardens, Boynton Beach, Juno Beach and other communities gathered at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius Loyola. The liturgy is called “blue” because of the color of uniforms traditionally worn by police, firefighters, correctional officers, emergency medical personnel and others working as first responders.
In his homily, Bishop Barbarito spoke about Catholic teaching on angels: what they are, their roles in human life, what they can and cannot do. Angels were created by God and normally give constant praise and glory to him. But there are good and bad angels, he said, adding, “Once an angel makes a decision, for or against God, there’s no changing that.
“We know, and it’s fascinating to learn more and more about it, the difference between angels and human persons,” Bishop Barbarito said. “Human persons are spirit and body. Angels are intellect, will and spirit. Human beings grow. Angels do not. Angels are fixed in their decision making.”
As a sign of God’s love and care for all humanity, he gives each person a guardian angel to guide and light the way for them, the bishop said. Their angel stays with them no matter how far the person strays from God.
“The angel reminds us that God loves that person, made in in his image and likeness, and has given them an angel to watch over and to protect them,” he said. “It also reminds us that we live in a world which is not all material, and there’s nothing new to what’s happening today, where our world is caught up in so many material things that the spiritual side of things gets forgotten.”
On a feast day dedicated to guardian angels, he added, “We realize how important each and every person is, and as we do that, we realize that, while the angels are spiritual beings given to us, how there are other angels in our lives, looking over us, protecting us. These wonderful men and women here today are living signs of how we can be angels.”
By saying a kind word or going out of your way to do something for others, we offer witness to the goodness of God and the goodness of humanity, Bishop Barbarito said.
The diocese expressed appreciation for the efforts of sheriff’s Capt. Steve Thibodeau and all those who helped organize this special annual event.
For more information on upcoming events in the Diocese of Palm Beach, visit www.diocesepb.org/news/.
