Guardian angel of my heart,
you who shine like a gentle light
before the throne of the Heavenly Father,
who commands you to follow me,
you walk this earth for my sake,
you are my friend and my brother,
a source of comfort and light to me,
just stay, guide, and enlighten!
You, who penetrate spaces
faster than the sun's light
and know where my loved ones are,
fly often to visit them.
Dry their eyes with your wings,
oh Jesus, sing to them,
of the pains that turn into joy,
and whisper my name to them.
You lead me by the hand, for you see,
how poor and weak I am,
you gently remove obstacles from my path,
so that I won’t fall on a stone.
Your voice continually sweetly leads me
to a vision of heaven,
and the smaller I am beside you,
the greater the light flowing from you.
(Thérèse of Lisieux, excerpt from the poem Guardian Angel, January 1897,
translation by Anděla Janoušková)
