I usually get a lot of pushback when I have given this answer elsewhere, whether in print or in talks. You are surely encouraged to speak to your angel, and the usual practice is to say something like, вЂњDear Guardian AngelвЂ¦.вЂќ or simply вЂњGuardian Angel, please helpвЂ¦.вЂќ Thus God commands us to heed their voice (see Ex 23:20-21). And, even though we often speak of them as serving us, they do this on account of their superior power and as guardians. However, in the case of angels, they are superior to us. Thus in the case of children, parents, who are superior over their children, rightly name them. The second reason is that assigning a name indicates some superiority over the one named. Hence, assigning a name seems inappropriate. Indeed, most biblical names are deeply meaningful and descriptive.Д«ut it is presumptive to think that we can know enough of the essence of a particular angel in order to be able to assign a name. The delay gave the parents some time to observe something of the essence of the child, and then, noting it, they would name the child. This helps explain the ancient practice of the Jews to name the child on the eighth day. A name describes something of the essence of the person. But in the ancient, biblical world, and even in many places today, a name has a far deeper meaning. For most of us in the modern Western world, a name is simply a sound we go by.

While the congregation does not offer reasons for discouraging the practice, I would like to offer a couple.ДЇirst, there is the understanding of what a name is. In a document written in 2001 by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments entitled вЂњDirectory on Popular Piety in the Liturgy: Principles and Guidelines,вЂќ it says, вЂњThe practice of assigning names to the holy angels should be discouraged, except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael, whose names are contained in holy ScriptureвЂќ (No. Generally, the Church advises against the practice of naming our angels.

Guardian angel names