Does my guardian angel get a break when I die?

Psalm 91 says, “For he commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go. With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”

Aren’t angels fascinating? Whenever our Relevant Radio show hosts talk about the angels, I can’t wait to learn more.

Cathy called from Providence, Rhode Island, with the following question: “When a soul dies and goes to purgatory or to hell, would the guardian angel of that soul be assigned to someone else?”

“Well, they get a couple weeks off and go to Boca!” laughed Fr. Richard Simon, host of Father Simon SaysTM on Relevant Radio. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding!”

So, are there enough angels for every human being who ever existed to have their own guardian angel? It’s hard to say, as we don’t have Census results from heaven. But even if there are myriads of ‘extra’ angels, Fr. Simon doubts that any of them are sitting around playing Backgammon.

“I suspect that there is enough work to be done in the universe for God to employ all of his angels all the time. One of the things that I find most interesting—I’ve heard this from exorcists that in exorcisms, saints and angels will come and help,” explained Fr. Simon.

You might be thinking, but don’t we get to sit back and relax once our earthly life is done? “I like to think of heaven as getting some rest—eternal rest, grant to them—and from what I hear from people who know about this, there isn’t rest,” said Fr. Simon. “St. Therese, the Little Flower, said that she wanted to spend her eternity doing good on earth. And so I have a feeling there’s enough work to go around for all the saints and angels and that we’ll be serving the Lord until the end of time.”

There you have it. When you’re a saint someday, you can expect to be interceding for those of us here on earth. There will be a lot of work to do before God comes again and we see Revelation come to fruition.

Listen to the full answer here:


Tune in to Father Simon SaysTM weekdays at 1-2pm CT only on Relevant Radio®.

Lindsey is a wife, mother, and contributing author at Relevant Radio. She holds a degree in Journalism and Advertising from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Lindsey enjoys writing, baking, and liturgical living with her young family.