Do guardian angels need sleep?
No. They wouldn’t be good guardians if they slept on the job, would they? Or, I guess you would need at least two of them so they could take shifts for their duty.
Angels are creatures like us, but they do not have many of the limitations we have as human beings. For one thing, angels do not have bodies; they are pure spirits. So an angel cannot die, and they do not marry. We know at least this much from scripture: “They can no longer die, for they are like angels…” (Lk 20:36) and, “At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven.” (Mt 22:30) Another interesting passage from scripture refers to everyone having an angel and that they are always in contact with God: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” (Mt 18:10)
So for all these reasons, I conclude that guardian angels do not sleep, nor would they need to eat, nor do anything else only a body requires. That is good news for us. We don’t have to wake them up to help us! They are always with us protecting us. You know, it is good to talk to your guardian angel. They may not talk back much, although I am pretty sure mine has told me his name if you can believe that. I think it’s a great idea to acknowledge your guardian, thank them, and ask them for help each day. October 2 is one of my favorite days of the year—the feast day of the guardian angels. It is a good day to honor them. And don’t forget our traditional prayer to one’s guardian angel:
Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day, be at my side to light and guard, rule and guide. Amen.
-Fr. Greg
If you would like submit a question, please write it out and place it in the “Ask a Priest” box in the vestibule or email me at frgreg@kc.rr.com.
