Angioletto del mio Dio è una bella filastrocca (nursery rhyme) per bambini che possiamo leggere e far imparare ai bambini, così che possano imparare una bella preghierina in rima che parla dell’angelo custode che, secondo la tradizione cattolica, rimane accanto a noi dal momento in cui veniamo al mondo per potersi prendere cura di noi.
Little Angel of My God is a beautiful nursery rhyme that we can read and teach to our children, so they can learn a sweet little prayer about the guardian angel who, according to Catholic tradition, has remained with us since the moment we came into the world and who takes care of us.
Angioletto del mio Dio
che fai tu vicino a me?
Che fai tu vicino a me.
Sono l'Angelo del Signore
son l'amico del tuo cuore
quando vegli e quando dormi
sempre sempre son con te
sempre sempre son con te.
Angelo Santo stammi vicino
dammi la mano che sono piccino
se tu mi guidi col tuo sorriso
andremo insieme in Paradiso.
Little angel of my God
what are you doing next to me?
What are you doing next to me?
I am the Angel of the Lord
I am the friend of your heart
when you wake and when you sleep
I'm always, always with you
I'm always, always with you.
Holy Angel, stay close to me
give me your hand that I am small
if you guide me with your smile
we will go to Heaven together.
Philip Porter, PhD, a theologian at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, wrote his dissertation on the fall of angels. He states that while the idea of personal angels is a widely held belief in the Catholic Church, it is not a doctrine of the Church and therefore is not a belief necessary for salvation.
There are a few references in Church documents to angels being creatures of God, created good, with intellect and a will. If they defect from God, they are fallen angels, also known as demons. An important teaching about angels is that they are at war, the heavenly angels versus the fallen angels, for our souls.
Guardian angels are included in Scriptures, and though not explicitly defined by the Church, give Catholics good reason to believe that they exist. In the Book of Tobit in the Old Testament, the angel Raphael is seen as acting in the capacity of a guardian angel, protecting Tobiah in his humanitarian mission.
According to the book of Acts, written by the Apostles, even the earliest Christians had personal angels who guarded and protected them. In the New Testament, in Matthew18:10, Jesus tells his disciples, “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.”
One of the first prayers that my sisters and I were taught as children, recited while kneeling at our bedsides at night before going to sleep, was directed to our guardian angels:
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,
To rule and guide.
Amen
Whether real or fictional, angels have been with humans from the beginning and their presence will continue to comfort children and adults, religious and non-religious alike. When something good happens, unexpected and inexplicable, it is often attributed to angelic intervention because we believe angels are here to love and guard us.
