Episode 3184: The Forgotten Helpers: Calling Upon the Saints and Angels

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Book Recommendation of the Day
by St. John Eudes
• The Life and the Kingdom of Jesus: A Treatise on Christian Perfection
A classic spiritual work emphasizing that Christians are called to live as extensions of Christ’s presence in the Church
The Forgotten Helpers: Calling Upon the Saints and Angels in Our Daily Lives
Dear listeners, welcome to today’s episode. We’re going to speak about something that is central to Catholic life, but which has been nearly forgotten in our age: the daily calling upon the saints and angels for help in our lives.
Too often, we Catholics, live as though the supernatural order is distant, abstract, or only for the pious elite. Yet the Church has always taught that we are never alone. We are surrounded at every moment by the angels, and we are united in a mystical communion with the saints who reign with Christ in Heaven.
But here is the tragedy: modern Catholics seldom call upon these helpers. We struggle with temptations, family trials, sickness, and doubts and instead of calling for the help God Himself has provided, we fall into despair, frustration, or pride, thinking we must solve everything on our own.
And yet, in God’s mercy, there is a hidden treasure here: because so few people today invoke the angels and saints, those who do will find their intercession even more abundant, more generous, and more powerful than at any time in Church history.
Segment 1: The Heavenly Court Awaits Us
Scripture paints this glorious picture for us: “You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering” (Heb. 12:22).
When you go about your daily life, you are not walking through a cold, empty universe. You are walking under the gaze of Heaven itself. Every saint, every angel, is united to Christ and to His Mystical Body which means they are connected to you.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux once said:
“Make the holy angels your friends. Often call upon them. Constantly honor them. Never give them cause to depart from you.”
Think of this: an angel is present with you at this very moment, your guardian angel, assigned to you by God Himself at the moment of your birth. He sees God face-to-face and yet lovingly watches over your soul, guiding your thoughts and inspiring you toward virtue.
And beyond your guardian angel are the great choirs of Heaven: the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael each with missions of protection, proclamation, and healing. Add to this the thousands upon thousands of saints: Our Lady, Queen of Heaven; St. Joseph, Terror of Demons; apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins. Each has particular patronages, experiences, and graces which they delight to share with you if only you ask.
It is like living in a palace filled with servants, advisors, and friends but choosing to live locked in the basement, struggling alone.
Segment 2: The Neglect of Modern Catholics
How did we forget this treasure? The root cause is modernism and naturalism. Our culture has trained us to live as though only what we can see and measure is real. Even among Catholics, there is a kind of practical atheism we profess belief in angels and saints but rarely act upon it.
Think of how many Catholics go about their daily struggles without once saying, “Guardian Angel, protect me,” or “St. Joseph, help me provide for my family.” How many parents fail to invoke their children’s angels at night? How many workers never ask St. Joseph the Worker’s intercession before starting a job?
St. Alphonsus Liguori warned:
“Those who pray are certainly saved; those who do not pray are certainly damned.”
Prayer to the saints and angels is part of this truth. Their intercession is a channel of God’s grace. To neglect them is to neglect God’s generosity.
And here is something startling: imagine the sorrow of the angels and saints, created to glorify God by helping us, watching us live as if they don’t exist. Yet their love does not wane. Instead, they stand waiting, eager to pour out more help than ever before to those few souls who will humble themselves and ask.
Segment 3: The Power of Their Intercession
The saints and angels are not passive reminders of Heaven they are active.
• Angels: St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that angels “enlighten the intellect” and move our hearts toward good. They guard us against demonic influence. When invoked, their action in our lives becomes stronger.
• Saints: Each saint offers intercession rooted in their particular victories. St. Augustine assists us in conversion of heart, St. Therese in childlike trust, St. Joan of Arc in courage, St. Michael in spiritual combat.
St. Padre Pio was famous for saying:
“If you need me, send me your guardian angel; he is not an inactive messenger.”
The saints and angels are not distant. They are immediate, present, and powerful. When you invoke them, you unleash heavenly aid that overcomes temptations, strengthens your will, and even helps in temporal matters.
Segment 4: The Urgency for Today
Our times are among the darkest in Church history. We face moral collapse, confusion in doctrine, family breakdown, and apostasy within the Church. The devil is bold because so many Catholics have grown lukewarm.
Yet God has not abandoned us. Instead, He has flooded this time with graces. The fewer the souls who call upon the angels and saints, the more abundantly they will pour out help on those who do.
It is like a fountain with few who come to drink the water flows all the more generously to those who approach.
St. Louis de Montfort reminds us:
“Those who find Mary, find life.”
If this is true of Our Lady, it is also true of all the saints who lead us to her and to Christ. Now, more than ever, Catholics must form the habit of living consciously in communion with the heavenly court.
Segment 5: Practical Steps for Listeners
So how do we put this into practice?
1. Begin the Day with Invocation
o Pray to your guardian angel: “Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here…”
o Invoke Our Lady and your patron saint by name each morning.

2. Use Ejaculatory Prayers Throughout the Day
o When tempted: “St. Michael, defend me.”
o When working: “St. Joseph, guide my hands.”
o When anxious: “Our Lady of Sorrows, comfort me.”
3. Match the Saint to the Situation
o Traveling? Call on St. Raphael, patron of journeys.
o Seeking purity? Call on St. Maria Goretti.
o Facing despair? Call on St. Jude, patron of impossible causes.
4. Gratitude
Always thank the saints and angels after their help. Gratitude increases grace and strengthens friendship.
Conclusion
Dear friends, let us not live as spiritual beggars while surrounded by heavenly wealth. We are citizens of Heaven even now, and our brothers and sisters in the saints and angels are waiting to help us.
If you begin to live this way to habitually call upon your heavenly helpers you will experience a transformation. The burdens will feel lighter, temptations weaker, and hope stronger. You will realize that you never walk alone.
And remember this: in a time when so few Catholics invoke them, your voice resounds all the louder in Heaven.
Epistle: Ecclesiasticus 31:8–11
“Blessed is the rich man that is found without blemish: and that hath not gone after gold, nor put his trust in money nor in treasures. Who is he, and we will praise him? for he hath done wonderful things in his life. Who hath been tried thereby, and made perfect, he shall have glory everlasting. He that could have transgressed, and hath not transgressed: and could do evil things, and hath not done them: therefore are his goods established in the Lord, and all the church of the saints shall declare his alms.”
Reflection on the Epistle
This passage from Ecclesiasticus gives us the portrait of the true steward one who resists the temptations of riches and remains unspotted by the world. Notice how Scripture praises not simply the man who is poor, but the one who could have taken advantage of wealth or committed evil, but chose not to. That is true virtue: resisting sin even when it would be easy or profitable to fall.
St. John Eudes embodied this spirit. Though born into a well-off Norman family, he chose a path of sacrifice. He devoted his life to missionary work in rural parishes, often preaching up to several hours a day, walking miles to reach poor villages. He turned down honors and worldly advancement, choosing instead to spend his energy reforming seminaries and forming priests in holiness.
The Epistle reminds us: virtue is proven by self-restraint, by resisting the allure of money, power, and glory and by giving ourselves to God with an undivided heart.
Gospel: Luke 12:35–40
“At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands, and you yourselves like men waiting for their lord, when he shall return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh, shall find watching. Amen I say to you, that he will gird himself, and make them sit down to meat, and passing will minister unto them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But this know ye, that if the householder did know at what hour the thief would come, he would surely watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open. Be ye then also ready: for at what hour you think not, the Son of man will come.”
Reflection on the Gospel
Here Our Lord gives a call to vigilance: to live always prepared, for we know neither the day nor the hour. The imagery of girded loins and burning lamps points to the life of spiritual readiness disciplined, watchful, and filled with the light of faith.
St. John Eudes constantly preached this readiness. He told his seminarians and missionaries that a priest must be like a lamp, always burning before the tabernacle of Christ, ready to give light to souls in darkness. He urged the faithful to live each day as though it might be their last not with fear, but with holy hope, for the one who watches will be welcomed by the Master Himself.
St. Augustine reflects on this Gospel, saying:
“He who watches with charity, even if Christ delays, still burns with love; he is never without light.”
The vigilance Christ commands is not simply fear of judgment but love that never grows cold. The faithful servant burns with holy charity, while the negligent one grows lukewarm.
Feast of St. John Eudes
Today’s saint gives us a living example of both the Epistle and Gospel. He resisted worldly temptations, embraced sacrifice, and lived with constant readiness for Christ. His greatest contribution was spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, recognizing that true watchfulness means keeping one’s heart united to the Heart of Christ through His Mother.
He wrote beautifully:
“You must never separate what God has so perfectly united. Jesus and Mary have but one heart. If you see Mary, you see Jesus; if you love Mary, you love Jesus; if you honor Mary, you honor Jesus.”
Application for Our Lives
• Like the steward in Ecclesiasticus, we must learn to resist greed and desire for worldly gain.
• Like the faithful servant in the Gospel, we must keep our “lamps burning” remaining ready for Christ by prayer, confession, and works of charity.
• Like St. John Eudes, we must foster devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, for in them we find the strength to persevere in vigilance.
Conclusion and Prayer
Let us close in prayer:
O God, who didst wonderfully inflame the heart of blessed John Eudes with an admirable love of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, grant, by his merits and intercession, that we may learn to live always in vigilance and purity of heart, prepared for the coming of Thy Son. Grant us to resist the temptations of riches and pride, and to remain faithful servants, so that when the Master comes, He may find us watching and ready. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.
In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.