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Your guardian angel is always there for you… He is like a faithful friend who is always with you… He protects you from danger, guides you on your way, and helps you to grow in your spiritual life.

Peter Kreeft

Your Guardian Angel

Topic: Life Beyond Death & the Spirit World

Your guardian angel is always there for you, even when you forget him. He is like a faithful friend who is always with you, even when you don’t realize it. He protects you from danger, guides you on your way, and helps you to grow in your spiritual life.

Don’t be afraid to call on your guardian angel for help. He is always there for you, and he wants to help you in any way he can.

Peter Kreeft

Peter John Kreeft, a luminary in the realm of Christian philosophy, theology, and apologetics, was born on March 16, 1937, in Paterson, New Jersey. He embarked on an academic journey that led him to Calvin College, where he earned his AB in 1959, and later, Fordham University, where he attained an MA in 1961 and completed his doctoral studies in 1965. Kreeft’s scholarly pursuits took him to Yale University for post-graduate studies, setting the stage for his remarkable career.

In 1965, Kreeft found his calling at Boston College, where he joined the philosophy faculty. His commitment to defending the existence of God became evident when he engaged in a memorable debate with atheist Paul Breines, captivating the minds of undergraduate students. This debate laid the foundation for the creation of the influential “Handbook of Christian Apologetics,” co-authored with Ronald K. Tacelli, a testament to Kreeft’s dedication to defending the Christian faith.

Peter Kreeft’s journey to Roman Catholicism during his college years was marked by a profound exploration of the Church’s claims. His conversion was not a mere intellectual exercise but a spiritual odyssey influenced by Gothic architecture, Thomistic philosophy, the writings of St. John of the Cross, and the awe-inspiring beauty of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. His embrace of Catholicism did not diminish his commitment to unity between Catholics and Protestants. Peter Kreeft’s prolific career, spanning over eighty books, including “Angels (and Demons): What Do We Really Know About Them?”

Christianity

Kreeft, Peter. Angels. Ignatius Press, 1992.

Peter Kreeft


Theme: Angels

About This Peter Kreeft Quotation [Commentary]

Peter Kreeft’s reflection on guardian angels highlights their constant presence and steadfast support in our lives. By comparing guardian angels to “faithful friends,” he offers a reassuring image of divine companionship that remains with us, even when unnoticed. Kreeft emphasizes that these celestial beings protect us, guide us, and nurture our spiritual growth, actively participating in our well-being.

He encourages readers to build a conscious relationship with their guardian angels, reminding us to call on them for help. These angels, always ready to assist, reflect the closeness of the spiritual realm and its availability to us through prayer, trust, and openness. Kreeft’s message inspires reliance on this divine assistance and invites recognition of its constant presence in our lives.

Grounded in the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, Kreeft’s insights bridge theology and accessibility. He portrays guardian angels not as distant entities but as invested companions in our journey, offering guidance and care. This perspective invites us to embrace their role as protectors and allies, helping us navigate life with trust and grace.

Peter Krefft’s Commentary About Angels [Excerpts from his website]

The Twelve Most Important Things to Know About Them

  1. They really exist. Not just in our minds, or our myths, or our symbols, or our culture. They are as real as your dog, or your sister, or electricity.
  2. They’re present, right here, right now, right next to you, reading these words with you.
  3. They’re not cute, cuddly, comfortable, chummy, or “cool”. They are fearsome and formidable. They are huge. They are warriors.
  4. They are the real “extra-terrestrials”, the real “Super-men”, the ultimate aliens. Their powers are far beyond those of all fictional creatures.
  5. They are more brilliant minds than Einstein.
  6. They can literally move the heavens and the earth if God permits them.
  7. There are also evil angels, fallen angels, demons, or devils. These too are not myths. Demon possessions, and exorcisms, are real.
  8. Angels are aware of you, even though you can’t usually see or hear them. But you can communicate with them. You can talk to them without even speaking.
  9. You really do have your very own “guardian angel”. Everybody does.
  10. Angels often come disguised. “Do not neglect hospitality, for some have entertained angels unawares”—that’s a warning from life’s oldest and best instruction manual.
  11. We are on a protected part of a great battlefield between angels and devils, extending to eternity.
  12. Angels are sentinels standing at the crossroads where life meets death. They work especially at moments of crisis, at the brink of disaster—for bodies, for souls, and for nations.

Why do people think it’s stupid to believe in angels?

One reason is a mistake about themselves: the failure to distinguish between (1) sense perception or imagination (which is a kind of inner sensing) and (2) reason, or intelligence, or understanding. We don’t see pure spirits, and we can’t imagine them. That doesn’t mean we can’t know or understand them. We can see and imagine the difference between a five-sided figure (a pentagon) and a six-sided figure (a hexagon), and we can also intellectually understand that difference. We cannot, however, sense or imagine the difference between a 105-sided figure and a 106-sided figure. Both look to us simply like circles. But we can understand the difference and even measure it exactly. So we can understand some things we can’t see. We can’t see qualities like good and evil either. What color or shape or size is evil? Yet we can understand them. We can imagine our brains, but not our minds, our personalities. But we can know them.

Many who deny angels deny or are unaware of the spiritual half of themselves. Angels are a touchstone of “know thyself”. So are animals.

 

On Hierarchies

In the Divine Comedy, Dante discovers that there are many unequal levels even in heaven. He asks Piccarda, who is on heaven’s lowest level, whether she is not discontented with her lowly place and whether she longs to move up closer to God, to see more of God and receive more joy. Her answer is that no one in heaven is dissatisfied with his place or envious of anyone else: “From seat to seat throughout this realm, to all the realm is pleasing. [That is, each citizen is pleased with the kingdom as a whole; the whole is present to each individual.] For in his will our hearts have found their peace.

T. S. Eliot called this the profoundest line in all human literature.

—Peter Kreeft. From Angels (and Demons) — What Do We Really Know About Them?

Additional Peter Kreeft Quotations

“Angels are made of pure spirit (mind and will) without matter, without bodies.”

—Kreeft, Peter. “Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them?” Ignatius Press, 1995.

“Angels communicate through mental telepathy.”

—Kreeft, Peter. “Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them?” Ignatius Press, 1995.

“Each angel is inferior or superior to every other angel.”

—Kreeft, Peter. “Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them?” Ignatius Press, 1995.

“Angels are mysterious precisely because they are so close to God; their very being radiates His light.”

—Kreeft, Peter. “Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them?” Ignatius Press, 1995.

“Angels are not equal; therefore, they communicate, not horizontally like equal brothers, but ‘vertically’ like unequal commanders and commanded.”

—Kreeft, Peter. “Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them?” Ignatius Press, 1995.

“Angels love, because love is an act of the will, a motivation of goodwill.”

—Kreeft, Peter. “Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them?” Ignatius Press, 1995.

“Angels are pure spirits who live in God’s presence and obey His will.”

—Kreeft, Peter. “Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them?” Ignatius Press, 1995.

“Angels are aware of you, even though you can’t usually see or hear them. But you can communicate with them.”

—Kreeft, Peter. “Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them?” Ignatius Press, 1995.

“You really do have your very own ‘guardian angel.'”

—Kreeft, Peter. “Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them?” Ignatius Press, 1995.

“There are also evil angels, fallen angels, demons, or devils. These too are not myths.”

Kreeft, Peter. “Angels and Demons: What Do We Really Know About Them?” Ignatius Press, 1995.