Angel Legends and Myths
Guardian Angel
A long time ago in France, the peasants
had an interesting tradition. Instead of simply saying “Hello!” when they
met each other, they would say, “Good day to you and your companion!” Even
though the people couldn’t see them, they thought guardian angels deserved
to be greeted too.
John Bosco
A number of years ago, a holy man named
John Bosco lived in Turin. He worried about the homeless young men on the
street. They were tough and rude and although John tried to bring them
food and comfort, gangs of them often mugged him and stole everything he
had. John was getting very tired of this. John prayed one evening, “God,
if you want me to take care of the homeless, you’ll have to take care of
me!” The next day, John walked toward the bad section of town. He was nervous
and looked around wondering if he were going to get attacked again. Just
then he spied a big gray dog walking next to him. Where had the dog come
from? John stopped and the dog stopped too and when John started to walk
the dog trotted alongside. The gangs watched as John Bosco and the dog
made their way through the streets. No one would bother him today--- not
with the big gray animal beside him. From that day on the dog appeared
whenever John traveled through a dangerous part of town and disappeared
when John was in a safe area again. John named the dog Grigio, which means
“gray.” John Bosco was never mugged again and eventually found a community
of priests to care for the homeless. For years after his death, many of
these men reported being mysteriously protected too-by a big gray dog!
Christmas
Legend
In a wintry land in the East, a little
princess knelt in the snow and prayed for her father to return from his
journey. Suddenly a beautiful angel appeared and said, “Your father is
one of the three wise men who have followed a star and found a savior.”
No one believed the little girl’s account of the angel. But months later
when her father returned to tell her of Bethlehem, the princess led him
to the place where the angel had appeared to her. There on the ground,
with snow heavy all around, one bare patch of earth remained untouched
by snow in the shape of an angel. This is why children all over the world
still make snow angels, to commemorate the birth of Baby Jesus.
One should not stand at the foot of a sick
person’s bed, because that place is reserved for the guardian angel.
According to an old American folk saying,
when babies smile in their sleep, they are listening to the voices of angels!
Every time you hear a bell another angel
has earned his wings.
