"Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit.  The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.  The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.  They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers."

The gatekeeper is the guardian of the flock, one who watches over them during the long hours in the night when predators come to destroy the sheep or thieves attempt to steal them.  Who is this guardian assigned to protect us but our own dearest guardian angel?  It is our own dearest guardian who works tirelessly to protect us from the marauding demons who would tear us to shreds in an instant is given free reign.  They also warn us constantly about the voices of the world -- the voices of trends, fashions, impurities, the lure of wealth and countless other strangers who don't have the capacity to enter by the gate of the soul but that of the senses, intellect, emotions and will, thereby causing great harm nonetheless.

When the Lord wishes to come into us and eat with us in the most intimate recesses of the soul (Revelation 3.20) the angel stands aside so the shepherd may enter and guards that most intimate of communions from prying eyes.

The voice of the shepherd, the divine artisan and creator of our souls whom we were created to adore eternally speaks to us to the Word.  When we hear our faith increases, since "faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ" (Romans 10.17).  So the Word who is Christ enters into the gate of our soul which is guarded with eternal vigilance by our holy guardian angel (who if I may dare say loves our soul more than we do since he knows the Shepherd so much better and the value he places on us), we hear his tender knock, open to him, he enters into her soul, sups with us and we believe.  The Word is heard, we believe and obey.