Friday, August 07, 2009

Q113 A2: Whether each man is guarded by an angel?

Yes. Each man has an angel guardian appointed to him because men are not only incorruptible in the common species, but also in the proper forms of each individual, which are the rational souls, which cannot be said of other corruptible things.

Singulis hominibus singuli Angeli ad custodiam deputantur quia homines non solum sunt incorruptibiles quantum ad communem speciem, sed etiam quantum ad proprias formas singulorum, quae sunt animae rationales, quod de aliis rebus corruptibilibus dici non potest.

Although men are equal in nature, still inequality exists among them, according as Divine Providence orders some to the greater, and others to the lesser things, according to Sirach 33:11-12: "With much knowledge the Lord hath divided them, and diversified their ways: some of them hath He blessed and exalted, and some of them hath He cursed and brought low."

Quamvis homines natura sint pares, tamen inaequalitas in eis invenitur, secundum quod ex divina providentia quidam ordinantur ad maius, et quidam ad minus; secundum illud quod dicitur Eccli. XXXIII, "in multitudine disciplinae domini separavit eos, ex ipsis benedixit et exaltavit, ex ipsis maledixit et humiliavit."