In the life of the holy abbot St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who lived from 1090 to 1153, we find an example of an Angel whose task was, so to speak, that of a heavenly bookkeeper. One day, while the Saint was praying the Divine Office with the rest of his community, he suddenly noticed that an angel was with them. Looking intently at the vision he observed that the Angel held a book. Moreover, Bernard noticed that this Angel was writing down the prayers being said by the brethren.

Moving closer, the Saint looked more clearly at the pages of the celestial manuscript. But when he did, he noticed something peculiar – the prayers were not all of the same ink. Watching closely, he say the heavenly spirit write down the prayers of one monk in letters of pure gold. St. Bernard understood, with great joy, that this signified the true fervor and devotion with which these prayers had been said.

Glancing about the page, he saw others that had been inscribed in silver, denoting a pure intention to those who recited them. Continuing on, he came to words that were written in plain ink alone. With sadness he realized that in these instances, the praises of God had been recited, not with any real zeal, but with laziness and distraction.

As the Angel of God took up the pen again, St. Bernard wondered in what way the prayers of this next monk would be recorded. To his dismay, he saw the Angel dip his pen in an inkwell of water, for in this way are prayers of those who are lukewarm, and who lack all piety whatsoever to be remembered. Finally, the holy abbot saw that some prayers were not even jotted down, but instead these words of Sacred Scripture written in their place: "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me." Evidently God was greatly displeased with the prayers of these religious, filled with hypocrisy as they were.

Similarly, the Angels who guard, guide, and protect each and everyone of us, day after day, have books of their own. They, also, mark down with the same exactness the prayers that we say. How do our prayers appear in their books? Let us always remember Our Lord's own words - "I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it in the day of judgment."