The Choirs of Angels
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It is my hope that through this Rosary Podcast you will learn your Catholic faith while you develop a deep friendship with Jesus and Mary through the habit of daily meditation, and that your lives will be transformed by putting into practice a daily resolution. That is why I try to teach you the four pillars of the Catechism throughout the year. Recently we meditated on the truths about God from Part I, paragraphs 200-300 in the Catechism.
Now we come to the creation of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. And we begin with the creation of the unseen, world in paragraph 325. God created invisible beings with almost every perfection possible, who are always around us, who massively outnumber us, and who definitely outthink us! I’m not talking about aliens. I’m talking about Angels.
At the very beginning, God created all the Angels. They are immortal persons who are pure spirits, with intelligence and freedom, but with no physical body, yet they surpass in perfection all visible creation. Their mission is to help us poor humans get to heaven.
In her diary St Faustyna writes of a profound experience with an angel: (630) Then I saw one of the seven spirits near me, radiant as at other times, under a form of light. I constantly saw him beside me when I was riding on the train. I saw an angel standing on every church we passed, but surrounded by a light which was paler than that of the spirit who was accompanying me on the journey, and each of these spirits who were guarding the churches bowed his head to the spirit who was near me. When I entered the convent gate at Warsaw, the spirit disappeared. I thanked God for His goodness, that He gives us angels for companions. Oh, how little people reflect on the fact that they always have beside them such a guest, and at the same time a witness to everything! Remember, sinners, that you likewise have a witness to all your deeds.
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There are three levels or hierarchies of angels and three groups within each hierarchy – making nine categories or choirs of angels
1. The Seraphim, the Cherubim, and the Thrones.
2. The Dominions, Virtues, and Powers.
3. The Principalities, the Archangels, and the Angels.
The mission of the first and highest hierarchy of angels, the Seraphim, the Cherubim, and the Thrones is to contemplate the infinite goodness of God and the proper goal of all things. The Seraphim communicate the love of God, the Cherubim communicate the truth of God, and The Thrones communicate the purpose of all things to the next hierarchy of angels.
The Angels closest to God are the Seraphim. Their name means “the burning ones” or “the Angels of Fire” because God is a consuming fire of love. The Seraphim are set on fire by the love of God which they communicate to the others. Isaiah Chapter 6 describes the Seraphim: I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
We literally join the Seraphim in their hymn of praise in each Mass right before the consecration of the Eucharist because we are entering the presence of Almighty God with them.
The Cherubim excel in their knowledge of God. St. Thomas Aquinas speculated that Lucifer was probably a Cherub rather than a Seraph, since the burning love of Seraphim is opposite of pride, whereas great knowledge of truth, which the Cherubim possess, can more easily lead to pride.
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The second hierarchy of Angels is the Dominions, Virtues, and Powers
Their mission is to govern the material world, control the elements, the seasons, the stars, even the sun and moon – in short, all aspects of nature.
The idea of the Angels controlling the turning of the seasons or the rotation of the planets may sound farfetched to some, but keep in mind what we can call the “more the merrier principle.”
God can run everything in universe. He doesn’t need angels or us. But God wants us to not only share in His divine life, he also wants us to have the delight of sharing in divine activity, divine work. And the more God gets his creatures involved in His plan, the more He delights and, frankly, the more we delight.
For this reason, St. Thomas nicknamed the Angels, “God’s secondary causes” because God chooses to do many things in his creation through the intercession of His Angels.
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The third or lowest hierarchy of Angels is the Principalities, Archangels, and Guardian Angels
The Principalities are the “spiritual generals,” who direct the action of the Archangels and Guardian Angels in the spiritual battle on earth.
The Archangels have a three-fold mission:
I. To defend us against Satan and the demons – as St. Michael does.
II. To help us know the will of God – as Gabriel does when announcing God’s plan to Mary and telling Joseph to take Mary as his wife and to escape when Herod tries to kill the baby Jesus.
III. To heal us – as St. Raphael does
The last group of Angels are the Guardian Angels.
The Catechism teaches that from its beginning until death, every human person is surrounded by the watchful care and intercession of a Guardian Angel.
In fact, "Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life." (CCC 336)
You and I have a Guardian Angel, a purely spiritual, immortal being with an intelligence and freedom far surpassing ours, who is at our disposal at every moment.
We would be crazy if we didn’t utilize their help at every moment.
He is with you right now. All you have to do is speak to him.
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We are making a big mistake if we live as if angels do not exist
Dr. Mark Miravalle, in his book Time to Meet the Angels, shares in the insights of a mystic who relates what Jesus wants us to know about the Angels
My children, there is so much talk of the enemy and the enemy is so glorified in your world, that many souls forget that heaven is far and away more powerful than the pitiful band of bitter ones who serve darkness. These want only your misery. Conversely, the unlimited number of good and holy servants, want only your joy and safety. But your prayers are necessary to mobilize all of this power. In these times, many souls spend time with darkness through their activities and recreation. In doing so, souls are inviting the enemy’s companionship. If souls do not invite our companionship, through prayers and requests, we do not force ourselves. So surround yourself with all that is Light and the enemy will avoid you. Ask for an honor guard of My angels and you will be enveloped in powerful beings from heaven who will insure that you complete your missions in safety. Children, you are God’s little creatures. You will not be abandoned.