Every one of us has a guardian angel that watches over us, guides us, and prays to God in our behalf. What if we could read a daily account of the prayers our guardian angels offer up to the Lord? In this fictional record of a young child’s first sin, we discover the similarities between our experience of sin and the original sin of Adam and Eve.
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Angel Log: Day 881
To the Lord, God of Hosts, I wish to pray on behalf of the one committed to me here. I have let him down. His first great sin has been committed and I have failed to protect him.
I need not remind you of my role, of course. I am appointed to light and guard and rule and guide this young child. Indeed, he still is a child. He is so innocent and so pure. The humans begin life so close to you and I know from my training that it gets more difficult for them to remain close to you as they grow older.
It was you, Jesus, who told your disciples so. As it says in the Scriptures, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
These are the golden years for us, the guardians. The threat of sin and separation from you, Lord, seems far off. Yet, I know today was the beginning of many challenges before me and the one I guard.
I feel as though this day is a first step away from you. My work of shepherding him back into the light of your life is ever more difficult now and I appeal to your help and the help of the Spirit.
Lord, I felt the power of the one who opposes us. The demons prowl around the earth and we must be on constant guard to defend against them. There was nothing for the child I guard to fear. The demon would not hurt him physically, but he would plant in his mind a temptation to do what he knows is wrong.
Let me start from the beginning.
Today the child’s mother went to the grocery store. She bought many things for their family. Among these groceries was a box of chocolate cookies–the child’s favorite.
Oh the joy I could see on his face when he saw the cookies! He loves them and they make him happy, but he has not yet learned the virtue of temperance. He has not yet gained the strength of self-control.
The enemy knows this. He has always known this to be a weakness of the humans. Oh how this tale is so similar to the first, Original Sin! Just as the serpent tempted Adam and Eve, so too did this demon tempt my child.
The mother warned him not to eat any more than one cookie. The boy didn’t like this. He cried. He was upset. He was angry. This is natural. There wasn’t need for me to steer away from this. He likes the cookies. The cookies are good. It is OK to be upset.
The child’s mother could not bear the crying as much as me. She let him cry and went into another room to clean the house. That’s when the tempter stepped in. He planted seeds of disobedience before I could stop it.
The serpent in the garden did not force Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, but he planted thoughts of doubt in the mind of the people. The doubt made it easier for them to disobey God.
Likewise, the demon cast doubt. My child stopped crying when he realized his mother was gone. He also saw that the door to the pantry with the cookies was open. The cookies were on a shelf that he could reach. He really loves the cookies. He really wanted a cookie. So, he went in the pantry to get one.
I couldn’t stop him. I tried, but the temptation was too great. The love for the cookie overshadowed his love for his mom.
He ate a cookie and then another and another one. He ate many more cookies that is healthy for a young child.
What he did next is exactly what Adam and Eve did. He hid from his mom. He was ashamed already. For such a young child to feel shame at this age! Oh, the pain, Lord!
His mom was shocked and angry. The boy cried in grief. He felt sorry. I made sure he knew that this was the natural response. He felt sorry and cried when his mom found him hiding.
So, Holy One, I ask for your mercy upon this child. He is still so innocent, but he did indeed sin. He did make a choice to disobey his mother just as Adam and Eve disobeyed you. So, I appeal to you to send down your mercy on this child tonight.
Angel Log: Day 882
To the Lord God of hosts, I offer this prayer.
As the day began, I wondered if the mother would trust the boy again after yesterday. I wondered if she would look at him differently or treat him differently.
Let me pause, Lord, and say thank you for the gift of parents. The humans call you “Father” and rightly so! The parents of this young child continue to set a great example of what your unconditional love can be for your children. The love of a parent is like a little drop in the great ocean of your love. It is remarkable to witness.
So it is that the mother looked upon her son with mercy. The son had mostly moved on. He wasn’t thinking much about the sin, but he still thought a lot about the cookies. He asked his mother if he could have a cookie seven total times today. Seven. Each time she said “no,” he cried. He cried a lot today.
It is so hard for these young ones to delay gratification. It is so hard for them accept pain now. These humans are always hungry and they always have to work for their food. That was the punishment you gave to Adam and my child is experiencing this, too.
He wasn’t allowed to have cookies at all today, of course. Likewise, Adam and Eve were banned from the Garden of Eden. They could no longer eat from the Tree of Life.
But you give the humans access to that Tree again. The new Tree of Life is the Cross. I am eager for this child to learn more about you. He sees this cross on the walls around this house, but he does not yet know that it is the new Tree of Life! Does he know that it is through that wood that he will be united with you? No, of course not yet. But he will. I will make sure of that.
So, Holy One, I pray for this child’s future. I pray for him to embrace the strength of the Cross and suffer in order to grow closer to you.
Angel Log: Day 883
Lord, God of Hosts, thank you for a wonderful witness of your love.
Your daughter, the child’s mother, is so merciful. She has moved the cookies, of course, but she has wholly forgiven the child. She gave him a cookie today, but she didn’t do it as a reward or because he asked for one. She gave it to him because she loves him.
This is so similar to your love for all your children! You love them not because of what they do or what they ask for. You love them because you are merciful and just. You love them because you are love. It is such a joy to witness this love in the humans we guard.
The child I watch feels that love so strongly. It is good to be the guardian of a young one such as this with a family that loves him.
I will work harder to protect him from any future temptations and I ask for the help of your Spirit to give him strength to overcome evil.
Amen.
