Doing the will of God with help from Blessed Archangela 

January is a month in which the world at large encourages us to reflect upon New Year’s Resolutions and then … try to keep them! But for the Catholic soul, it may be said that the best possible resolution (and well worth keeping all year round) can be neatly summarized this way: Do the will of God. 

The life of Blessed Archangela (born Elanor Girlani in 1460), teaches us that we must always leave our plans to the will of God ... and be prepared to be re-directed! Her feast day is January 29.

Blessed Archangela will surely assist us in our prayers to discern God’s will for our lives. She was once on her way to join a Benedictine monastery when, as the story goes, her usually obedient horse suddenly refused to move. She took this as a sign that God had other plans for her. She returned home and prayed for guidance. In time, she met a Carmelite monk who introduced her to Carmelite sisters, and she saw this as the sign of God’s will for her life.

Archangela is known for a special devotion to the Holy Trinity, a true Carmelite devotion mirrored again, centuries later, in the life of Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity. Her spiritual life was characterized by mystic prayer, ecstasies, and even levitation. It is said that she lived out her prayer life with such intensity and love that it was as though she were already in heaven. She founded a new Carmelite monastery in Mantua.

There is such inspiration and wisdom in recalling the dying words of Blessed Archangela in 1495. These words were the last she ever spoke: “Jesus, my Love.” She had been known to utter these words often during her life as well. Poignantly, this goes to show that in many ways, the way we live can set the course for the way we die, especially when we are faithful to God. 

This should inspire us to reflect upon what we would like our last words to be. As a holy reflection, try asking yourself: Would you direct your  last words to God, as Blessed Archangela did? If so, what would you like to say? Whatever we would like our last words to be, we ought to follow Blessed Archangela’s example and say these same words triumphantly and frequently, while we live.

As we set our course for a new year, and make our plans, let us remember to pray to Jesus, our Love, to guide us to do His will, just as he guided Blessed Archangela … directing our path to exactly where He wants us.

To sanctify our resolutions, we ought to filter them through the reminder that the life of Blessed Archangela offers. Let us do the will of God, to honor our great love: Jesus. If we can improve this in 2026, it will be our best year yet!

Blessed Archangela, as we seek and savor your words of wisdom, pray for us!