For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
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Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
14. What then, my brethren, what is said of our Head? "For Thou, Lord, art my hope," etc. Of this we have spoken, "for He hath given His angels charge over Thee, to keep Thee in all Thy ways" (ver. 11). You heard these words but now, when the Gospel was being read; attend therefore. Our Lord, after He was baptized, fasted. Why was He baptized? That we might not scorn to be baptized. For when John said to our Lord, "Comest Thou to me to be baptized? I ought to be baptized by Thee;" and our Lord replied, "Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness;" He wished to fulfil all humility, so that He should be washed, who had no defilement. ...Our Lord, then, was baptized, and after baptism He was tempted; He fasted forty days, a number which has, as I have often mentioned, a deep meaning. All things cannot be explained at once, lest needful time be too much taken up. After forty days He was an hungred. He could have fasted without ever feeling hunger; but then ...
Angels. Many seem to be assigned to the just, to whom St. Hilary, would restrain this privilege. But it is more generally believed, that each person has an angel guardian. This was the opinion even of the pagans. (Porphyrius, Ap. ii.; St. Clement of Alexandria, Strom. v.) (Calmet)
To keep. Instead of this, the tempter substituted and, (Matthew iv. 6.) finding it would not answer his purpose, (Haydock) and showed that the question was about walking, and not about precipitating oneself. (St. Bernard, ser. xv. p. 90.)
To attempt such unusual courses, is the way of Lucifer, (Worthington) and tempting God, as our Saviour replied. (Berthier)
From the father of lies, heretics have learnt how to curtail and misapply the holy Scriptures. (Haydock)
God has highly favoured man, by intrusting him to the care of these sublime ministers of his court, (St. Bernard) and surely it is lawful for us to implore their assistance, as we may apply to our fellow-creatures for redress in our temporal neces...
