16. Angela's birthday

16. Angela's birthday

Angela's celebration

Today there is much joy and happiness at Vangelis' and
Sophia's house. Their daughter Angela is celebrating two things, her name-day and her birthday. They named her Angela in honour of the holy angels, because she was born on the day that our Holy Church celebrates the memory of the holy angels and archangels Michael and Gabriel.

The festive atmosphere is not only in Angela’s home but throughout the village, because the holy church of the village, which is dedicated to the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, is celebrating too.

In the morning, all the people from the village together with Angela's family went to the beautiful church of the Archangels to follow the divine liturgy. Angela, dressed in the most beautiful clothes, which her mum had bought for her, looked like a little princess in the church. She reverently bowed down in front of the beautiful big icon of the Archangels and begged them to help her to be like them in the great love and trust they had towards their Almighty God. She also asked them to cover her home and family with their angelic wings to protect all of them from every evil.

When the divine liturgy finished, almost all of the congregation approached Angela and her parents and wished them many happy and blessed years. Angela glowed with joy and happiness.

At lunch, mum Sophia had prepared for them a large and varied meal with many sweets and cakes which she had made the day before with her eldest daughter, Christina. The joy of the celebration was increased by a wonderful surprise. Suddenly Angela's grandfather and grandmother came in, bringing her many lovely gifts. The whole house shook with her cheerful shouts, when she saw her well-beloved grandparents in front of her.

The celebration which began in the  morning at Angela's home would reach its highest point in the afternoon with the cutting of the birthday cake. Other children, friends of Angela, had come and the atmosphere was extremely joyful. A big cake covered with lots of chocolate and some candles, the same number as Angela's age, waited patiently to be cut and be shared with everyone. The large table in the living room was filled with the gifts that all the guests had brought for happy Angela. They were placed all around the big cake.

Soon it was time for Angela to blow out the candles on the cake. All the children sang the birthday song. Then, she blew out the candles on the cake and all the children burst into applause. They all ate the cake and were full up. It was so delicious, that many children ate a second piece. Meanwhile, Christina got her accordion and began playing some beautiful dance pieces, which made the children sing and dance. 

A heavenly family

When the children had had enough of the games and dances, they all went next to Angela's mum, who was sitting beside the fireplace. All the children loved Mrs. Sophia very much. The great maternal love that Angela's mum had for all children made them respect and love her like their own mum. But it was also the stories which she told them that captivated them!

Sophia saw in the hearts of these young children angelic simplicity and innocence, which she also wanted to always flood her own heart. She believed that the greatest anxiety that parents must have for their children is to maintain, at all costs, their children's hearts clean and pure from man's meanness and moral aberrations which pollute the souls of these little angelic beings. That's why all the stories she told with so much grace to the young children were intended to help them to follow the true path of selfless love, as it is taught in the Holy Gospel by our well-beloved Jesus, but also the countless armies of Saints of our Church lived as an example.

So today, at her daughter's birthday party, she had another such valuable opportunity to intervene with motherly love in the angelic souls of the young children who came to celebrate with her daughter.

-My Angela, we are all very happy here today at your double celebration, your name day and also your birthday. There are, however, some others who are so happy today for your celebration, who I would like you and all the children to learn about.

-Who are they, mum, so I can offer them some beautiful cakes that you have made for me?

-They, my little princess, do not need any beautiful cakes which I made for you, but they need your own innocent childish heart. Their food is saintliness and their song is the melody of love.

-Will they come to our house, mum, so that I can see them?

- They are already invisibly here and rejoice with us!

-Mummy, now I understand, it's my holy heavenly family!

-That's right, Angela. Your holy heavenly family, who surrounds you every moment with its grace and protects you with its power.

Some children didn't know about the heavenly family that Angela spoke about, so they asked her to tell them what she meant. And she, with the manner and seriousness of a grown-up, began to explain to them:

-We all have a family on earth in which we live and we are happy and joyful. We have our dad, our mum, our siblings, grandmother and grandfather. But we also have our friends with whom we play and do different things, so that we have a good time, don't we?

-Yes, shouted all the children together and agreed with Angela.

Angela continued:

-In exactly the same way, we can all also have another family, our heavenly family. The more we love it and ask for its help, so much more will it guide us to good and virtue and will protect us from all evil.

This heavenly family, along with our earthly family, are the nicest of God's gifts to all of us, His children. But, children, you should know that it is not enough just to make a heavenly family. In order to have the power of the Saints in our souls, we must appeal to them. To tell them how much we love them and ask them to help us love our God as they loved Him and to obey Him with absolute trust, as they do.

Then a child asked:

-Can I also have such a family?

-Of course, we can all have a heavenly family.

-Who will be in our heavenly family? asked another girl.

-Those who we love and we want to make up our heavenly family, explained Angela.

-Angela, who have you chosen to be in your heavenly family?

-First of all, my sweet God the Father. He is the Creator of the whole world, He is the one who gave me my precious soul, that's why He is for me my heavenly Daddy but also my heavenly Mummy. I love Him so much, like my dad and mum and I want to make Him happy by being a good and obedient child to His holy Will.

-From today onwards, we will also put our God, as Daddy of our soul, in our heavenly family, said all children with one voice.

-After God, who is my heavenly Father, I put our sweet Virgin Mary. She is the Queen of heaven, since She gave birth to the Son of God, our sweet Jesus. As our little Jesus called her Mummy, so I also call Her Mummy and I love Her very much. Sometimes I ask Her to give me Her little Infant Jesus to hold in my arms, to tell Him how much I love Him and that He will be everything in this life for me.

-Does She give Him to you to hold? asked a little child.

-Yes, I can visualize that She gives Him to me saying that Her little Baby loves all children and wants to be in their arms too.

-Then, I will ask Her to give Him to me so I can hold His hand and we can play together. He will be like my brother, because I don't have a brother, the same child replied.

All the children then agreed to put the Queen of God, our sweet Virgin May in their heavenly family and to love Her Son and God like their own baby and little brother, so with one voice they said:

-Angela, from today onwards, we will also put our Blessed Virgin Mary in our heavenly family and Her Baby, the little Jesus, will be the king of our hearts.

-He will be our King and our trusted brother, continued Angela. We will love Him as His mother, the Virgin Mary, loved Him and we will take care not to do anything that will embitter Him.

The Father of our heart

Sophia carefully followed the conversation between her daughter and the other children and did not hide her joy as she listened to what they said. She felt like a happy mother, who saw her daughter pass on to her friends, with such grace, all that she had taught her about the heavenly family. She was pleased to note that her Angela, with childish simplicity, enjoyed the great gift of God, which is the heavenly family. That is, to love and trust them all as her own personal family, God the Father, His only-begotten Son Jesus and His Holy Mother, the Virgin Mary.

For Angela, the Creator of the whole world was not a distant God, who does not care at all about people, but He was the sweet Father of her life. He was her affectionate heavenly "Daddy" who she adored with all the strength of her soul, just as she also adored her earthly daddy.

Deep in her childish heart she felt that her heavenly "Daddy" adored her very much, as her daddy Vangelis did.

She was trying not to do anything that is contrary to His divine Will, not to upset Him, but if she happened to do something wrong, later when she realized that it wasn't right, she immediately asked for forgiveness from her beloved Father God. She put her hands together in front of her breast and with childish simplicity said to Him sadly: "My Heavenly Daddy, forgive me for making this mistake and upsetting you".

When she asked for forgiveness for the mistake she had made, she tried not to make excuses to herself or to put the blame on someone else. She knew very well from her mother that God did not like that at all. She took responsibility for her mistake before her God but also to herself. So she could ask her sweet heavenly Father, on the one hand, for forgiveness for the mistake and, on the other hand, to help her recognize her mistakes and weaknesses, in order to easily correct them.

In the beginning it was very difficult to achieve all these things, because it wasn't so easy to overcome her stubbornness and childish selfishness, which persuaded her that she was always right and everyone else was wrong. However, her beloved parents helped her very much, with their virtuous life and valuable advice, to perceive and understand many truths, something which she couldn't have done on her own. She thanked God very much for the good parents He had given her.

At first she suffered a lot when she had to say sorry for a mistake she had made, because her secret ego was hurt. Many times she was falling into her mum's arms crying and asking for her help. She, who was experienced in these things, left Angela for a while to think about how difficult it is to give up some of our faults, then she revealed to her the secret of her success.

-My Angela, to easily achieve anything on this earth, we need to work hard. However, all the difficulties which we encounter in our effort to succeed, are overcome more easily if we love and want with all of our heart that which we want to gain. Isn't that right?

-Yes, mummy.

-If you knew, then, that what you want to achieve would please our heavenly Father very much, wouldn't you work for it much harder? If you knew that by struggling to give up some of your faults for His sake, you would make Him proud of you and He would admire you in front of all the angels in heaven, wouldn't you try harder?

-I would, mum, do everything to prove to Him how much I adore and love Him! What I do for you, to make you proud of me, I could also do for my Heavenly Dad.

-This is the wonderful secret, my little girl, when you give up every fault which hurts our soul you also acquire every virtue that makes our Heavenly Father rejoice with us. Whatever we do, we should do it for the sake of the love and adoration we have for our Heavenly Dad and God. This is the best way to show that we love Him with all our heart and that He is for us the Father of our hearts.

-From now on, mum, I will work hard with more strength and courage to make you, my earthly parents, happy but also my heavenly Father, who is the King of my heart.

The other members of the heavenly family

-Angela, who else will we put in our heavenly family? asked one of her classmates, Anna.

-First, my Anna, we will put in the saint who we are named after and is the protector of our soul and then whatever saint we want.

- Oh, lovely! I will put in Saint Anna, who is the mother of our Lady Mary and then I'll put in all the young saintly girls who loved our Christ very much and were martyred for His sake.

-Which ones, will you put in Anna, so I can put them in too? said her friend Barbara.

- I'll put in all the Saints that you, my girlfriends, are named after. Moreover, they were all young girls when they were martyred for our Lord. I'll add Saint Catherine, Saint Irene, Saint Christina, Saint Kyriaki, Saint Agnes and I will think of some others.

-Anna, I will also add the same Saints to my heavenly family. I want you to tell me any others that you decide to put in so I can add them too. Since we are best friends I want us to have the same heavenly friends and siblings. But I would like, if you agree Anna, to add my favourite saintly young boys to our heavenly family too.

-Who are they Barbara?

-They are Saint George and Saint Dimitrios. They were also young boys when they were martyred for the love of our Christ. As they are young boys, they will love us very much like their sisters and will protect us from all evil.

-I completely agree with you. We will add those too as well as other young saints, so we have lots of saintly siblings in our heavenly family.

All the children agreed and decided to look for and find out what other young children were martyred for the love of our Christ, so they could be added to their heavenly family.

One little boy said the following:

- We haven't put a grandfather in our heavenly family.  I have a grandfather who loves me very much. Do you know how happy I am when I see him and he takes me in his arms?

-You are right, said another little boy, Anthony. We should add Saint Anthony, Saint Spyridon and Saint Nicholas so we have some grandfathers in our heavenly family.

-Angela, should we add Saint John the Baptist, who is also my patron saint, said little John.

-I agree with you John. We can all choose whatever Saint we want to be a member of our heavenly family, all it requires is for us to love  him and ask him to help us, so that we acquire the virtues that he had. Mummy, who else would you recommend that we all put into our heavenly family? Angela asked her mum.

-I think, children, that you have forgotten to put in your best friends. Those, who adore you so much and they won't ever leave you as long as you live on this earth.

-Who are they Mrs. Sophia? asked Anna.

-All the angels in heaven, the archangels Michael and Gabriel, and of course, your guardian angel. Did you forget that from the day you were baptized and became Christians, our good God gave you all a guardian angel who is always with you to protect you and speak to your soul about God's Will, through your conscience?

-Wow! We had forgotten all about him! Said the children altogether.

Guardian Angel

-Mrs. Sophia would you like to tell us more about the guardian angel of our souls? asked little John.

-Yes my child. I love to talk about the most beloved and trusted friend man has here on earth. He is the most beautiful heavenly gift that our Good God has given us, His children, here on earth. As I said, he is given to us at the time of our baptism when we become Christians.

-He will never leave us?

-No, my child. That angel has been commanded by God to never desert us, as long as we live on earth.

-Does that mean, Mrs. Sophia, that my guardian angel is here next to me now?

-Yes, little John. You and everyone who is here has the guardian angel of their souls next to them. Like every mummy loves and adores her baby, our guardian angel with much love and adoration always stands next to us to protect us from all evil and with his sweet words will guide us to goodness and virtue.

-But as he is invisible, how can he speak to us?

-He speaks to us secretly through the conscience of our souls. First of all he enlightens our minds, so we don't forget that we have a sweet God the Father who loves us very much and adores us. He tells us that we are the princes and princesses of God and that we must live exemplary lives, according to the commandments of our King and Father. We must do what is good and liked by our God and have love and compassion for all people, because they are also God's children and our siblings.

-What makes him unhappy most of all, Mrs. Sophia? asked Anna.

-When we don't act according to God's Will and therefore give Satan the chance to rejoice with our mistakes and sins. He knows very well that Satan has as his sole purpose to remove us from the true path of virtue, so we cannot one day enter the heavenly kingdom of God our Father. That's why our angel, puts fear into our souls for whatever is ugly and bad, because he doesn't want to see us fall into sin and give Satan the chance to claim our immortal soul.

-Mrs. Sophia, does he love us very much, like you love us? little John said.

-Oh, my little John, he loves us infinitely more than I love you. The love that our guardian angel has for every soul which God entrusts to him has no limit. Remember that he loves us infinitely more than a mother loves her baby.

-What a shame I can't see him, so I can tell him how much I love him.

-It makes no difference whether you can see him, because you can speak to him whenever you want. He can hear you and is very pleased with the love that you give him.

-If sometimes I do something which is bad, will he leave me, Mrs. Sophia?

-No, my child. The guardian angel of our soul never leaves us, even if we make a mistake which hurts our heavenly Father.

-He loves me, even then?

-Of course he loves you. My little John, when you do something bad, does your mummy stop loving you?

-No, Mrs. Sophia, she is just unhappy and feels sorry.

-Our guardian angel feels exactly the same. Every time we do something which hurts our heavenly Father, he, like your mum, is sorry and unhappy.

-Then what does she do? My mum tells me off and says not to do it again.

-He will not tell you off, but will take you in his angelic arms, to counsel you through your conscience with much motherly love. He wants to help you understand your mistake and to ask for forgiveness from our heavenly Father.  Then he prays to our heavenly Father to flood you with the grace of the Holy Spirit, so with greater strength you can work hard to be a better child.

-As he is so kind and loves me so much, what can I do to make him happy?

-You should always be a good and kind child. Love your heavenly Father with all the strength of your heart and to trust Him completely, like your angel does. Next love all people, even those who hurt you, and easily forgive those who make you unhappy. Then your angel, seeing you live virtuously, like a true Christian child, will go to heaven with joy and tell everything to our good God and He will love you even more and adore you.

-He will tell Him whatever I do?

-Yes, he will tell Him everything, the good and the bad. That's why we should all be careful not to do anything bad and hurt our heavenly Father and our guardian angel. We must be careful not only to do bad things but not to say bad things.  Not to criticize and insult any of our fellow men, because then our guardian angel is very unhappy.

-When I am praying, is he next to me, Mrs. Sophia?

-He is with you, next to you kneeling and praying for you. I want you to really understand my children, that the greatest joy for the angels is when we are praying. The happiest angels are those who see the one they guard love God very much and pray to Him. There are no words to describe the joy they feel at that moment!

-I will also pray many times a day Mrs. Sophia to make him happy! said little John with joy and enthusiasm.

The other children agreed with him and decided from today to put their most trusted friend, their guardian angel, in their heavenly family.

Motherly thoughts about the birthday party

Sophia was very happy with her daughter's birthday party this year, especially with the young children's decision to make their own heavenly family and with its help to work hard to become earthly angels. The children also felt very happy. Even though it was late and they should be preparing to return to their homes, no-one wanted to leave.

They were so captivated by the lovely words they had heard, that they were surprised when their friend Angela offered them another piece of cake. Christina helped them to return to the festive atmosphere when she began to play some cheerful dance music, and the children got up to dance all together. 

Sophia watched them with such love, just like she looked at her daughter! She felt that she was amongst small angels and that made her very happy. As well as her joy and enthusiasm, she also felt a great responsibility as a mother to help these children remain like little earthly angels.

Her daughter's birthday party was another chance to remember the great purpose she had, as a mother, for the children that God had given her. She knew that God had given her three children, Christina, Angela and little Joseph, which were the most precious gifts in her life. But, He gave them to her with one particular command, to raise them like angels, so as angels of love they would spread everywhere, amongst their friends, acquaintances and worldwide, the fragrance of their angelic presence. And after living this life as earthly angels, they would be eligible one day to enter the heavenly kingdom of God their Father, to rejoice eternally in His endless love.

Every time one of her children had a birthday, she made a personal reckoning of her motherly work. She was thinking, that is, if during the year that passed she had helped her child to come closer to the embrace of God, or if because of her indifference or carelessness, the child was further away.

It is really wonderful for a mother to live anxiously for the souls of her children. To have as a goal in her life for her children to be sanctified. To be the tap that continually irrigates the thirsty hearts of her children with God's precious water of love! Only in this way, will they later, as they grow up, be able to transfer their joy and happiness to the people around them, with the spiritual nobility they already live. 

While Sophia was deep in thought, Angela came to give her mum a sweet kiss on the cheek and to say a few sweet words.

-My God, thank You for giving me my mother! I thank You so much and I love You from here to the heavens up high.

Two tears of joy flowed from Sophia's eyes as she enclosed her little Angela in her arms with much tenderness and affection. Her heart overflowed with infinite gratitude to God for her little girl.

-Thank You very much my beloved God, for the little angel you gave me. My heart is full with infinite gratitude to You. And if I said a thousand thanks it would not be enough for the treasure You gave me. Thank You, thank You, thank You!

Some of the children, who were watching this emotional moment, were crying. Others were jealous and wanted to be in
Angela's place. But they all felt cheerful and happy that they had come to Angela's house to celebrate the birthday of their beloved friend. All the children kissed Angela and wished her many happy returns once more. Her friend Barbara said:

-We had a lovely time today Angela at your birthday and promise that none of us will forget to make our heavenly family. Thank you too Mrs. Sophia for all the lovely things to told us about our guardian angel and made us love him very much and from today on we will speak to him every day in our prayers.

Sophia kissed all the children with much love and tenderness, as if they were her own children, and wished them:

-Go safely, my little treasures, our heavenly Father will bless you and the angels in heaven will always be with you, to guide you to goodness and virtue!