Angels
October 20, 2024
Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Forever.
This Wednesday at 6pm at Holy Redeemer, there will be a Mass of the Holy Angels. The Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Wolfgang, a priest from Opus Angelorum, a missionary order that spreads devotion to the Holy Angels. There will be an opportunity after that Mass to start a process to consecrate yourself to your guardian angel. We can all use the protection and help that heaven’s angels want to give us.
In light of Fr. Wolfgang’s visit, I thought I’d write on the holy angels. Almost all of the information in this pastor’s column comes from two sources: New Advent (an excellent on-line Catholic encyclopedia found here http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01476d.htm), and from The Catholic Source Book, edited by Fr. Peter Klein and published by Our Sunday Visitor (an excellent resource for all things Catholic).
Angels are heavenly beings; they are genderless, of a fixed (although huge) population, and neither marry nor are given in marriage (Mark 12:25). They are pure good, so there is no evil found in them. The word “angel” does not represent a species as “human” does, rather the word angel denotes an office. For example, I am a pastor, but that denotes an office not what I am, a priest or man. Each angel, of billions or trillions, is its own unique species, with its name denoting both the name of the individual and the name of its species. They are distinct from saints, which humans may become and are mentioned nearly 300 times in the Bible. I mention only some of these below. They surround our life from infancy to death, and we should pray to them for help (examples Mt 18:10; Lk 16:22; Ps 34:7, 91:10-13; Job 33:23-24; Zech 1:12; Tobit 12:11-15).
There are nine Choirs of Angels in three triads of celestial hierarchy:
1. Counselors (angels of the Presence of God) – Seraphim (Isaiah 6:2), Cherubim (Exodus 10), Thrones (Dn 7:9-10; Ps 96:7; Ps 102:20; Is 6; Job 1:6; 2:1; Mt 18:10; Tb 12:15; Rv 8:2-5; Is 63:9; Ezekiel 10).
2. Governors (angels over forces of nature) – Dominations, Virtues, Powers (2 Sam 5:23-24; 24:15-17; 1 Chronicles 14:14, 15; Jn 5:1-4; Ezekiel 1; Dn 10:12-21).
3. Messengers (angels ministering directly to humans) – Principalities, Archangels, Angels. Messengers (Gn 16; Judges 13; Dn 8:16; 9:21; Lk 2:9; Lk 22:43; Zech 1:9-14; 2:3; 4:5; 5:10). Guardians of Nations (Ex 14:19; Baruch 6:6; Dn 10:13-21; Acts 16:9; Dt 32:8; 2 Sam 14:17-20; 14:27; 1 Sam 29:9; Esther 15:16; Acts 6:15). Guardian Angels (Gn 24:7; Mt 4:6; Judith 13:20; Gn 16:6-32; Hosea 12:4; 1 Kings 19:5; Acts 12:7; Ps 33:8; Mt 18:10).
Specific traits of each of the nine Choirs of Angels
1. Seraphim (plural of seraph, “to burn”): shown with six red wings and eyes; highest choir of the angels, named for the seraphim of Isaiah 6:2; distinguished by their burning zeal and love for the Trinity.
2. Cherubim (plural of cherub): angels of wisdom, guardians and protectors, stationed at Eden (Gn 3:24), image erected in gold on the ark of the covenant (Ex 25:18), bore God to rescue of David (2 Sam 22:11); pictured as four-eyed, blue-winged, and presenting a book, representative of their great knowledge.
3. Thrones: shown in a kneeling posture of adoration; referred to also in Psalm 9:4, “… you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgement.”
4. Dominations: shown in royal robes and crowned for their authority, movers of stars and planets.
5. Virtues: charged with dispensing celestial miracles and accomplishing stupendous works.
6. Powers: shown with swords; given their name because of their special power in restraining the assault of the evil spirit.
7. Principalities: depicted as carrying scepters with which they direct God’s commands. With Archangels and Angels, they are the heavenly multitude that is in God’s ordinary and immediate service in what pertains to the visible world. Countries are assigned to certain Principalities.
8. Archangels: chief angels, mentioned twice in the New Testament (Jude 6, 9; 1 Th 4:16) as distinct from Guardian Angels; messengers from God in significant matters.
9. Angels: various symbols associated with them: musical instruments, thuribles, shields, scrolls, Passion emblems.
The Presence and Ministry of Angels
1. Closed the earthly paradise (Gn 3:24)
2. Defended Lot (Gn 19)
3. Delivered Hagar and her child (Gn 21:17)
4. Stayed Abraham’s hand (Gn 22:11)
5. Communicated the law by their ministry (Acts 7:53)
6. Led God’s people (Ex 23:20)
7. Announced vocations and births (Judges 13)
8. Helped the prophets (Is 6:6; I Kg 19:5)
9. Announced (Gabriel) the birth of forerunner and of Jesus himself (Lk 1:11-20, 26-38)
10. Directed Joseph about Mary (Mt 1:20)
11. Evangelized the shepherds at Jesus’ birth (Lk 2:9-12)
12. Praised God at Jesus’ birth (Lk 2:13-14; Hb 1:6)
13. Protected Jesus in his infancy (Mt 2:13, 19-20)
14. Served Jesus in the desert (Mt 4:11)
15. Constantly ready to deliver Jesus (Mt 26:53)
16. Strengthened Jesus in his agony in the garden (Lk 22:43)
17. Evangelized Jesus’ followers at the resurrection (Mk 16:5-7)
I know this is a lot, yet as you can see above, the angels are very important to our salvation history. They have been with us since the creation of Adam and Eve, and will continue to be with us for eternity. They are very important to God’s plan for our salvation. Again, please pray to the angels for help, especially your Guardian Angel. They want to help us, and by God’s grace, they are good at it.
Christ’s Peace and Love,
Fr. Thomas Nathe
