Feel free to comment as usual. If you have a specific comment or question for me, I will respond as always, but it may take me a bit longer to do so this week.
Last year, during this very month, I wrote about our greatest foe, the devil. It wouldn't be right to not speak about our greatest remedy towards this foe which is our greatest friends; the angels. From the world's viewpoint, October is a month in preparing for Halloween, talking about scary stories, and seeking out the unknown. It's certainly a strange fascination but people want answers and a little thrill to pump up the adrenaline. Sadly, forbidden subjects receive much more attention than they deserve when in fact October and the month preceding it have many feasts dedicated to the Holy Angels. Therefore, in the Catholic world or at least in those who are still Catholic, this season should be a good reminder of those who are ready to assist us at any moment so long as we call upon them and BELIEVE in their extraordinary help. We also need to familiarize ourselves with them and their purpose here on earth and vice versa instead of worrying about things that pertain to demons.
Fr. Paul O'Sullivan has a strong rebuke for the human race for ignoring these blessed spirits when he writes, " 'Make friends with the angels' is the advice which the great Pope St. Leo gives every Christian and it is advice that everyone should follow. If we make friends with the angels-and nothing is easier-we shall receive innumerable and great favors which otherwise we shall never obtain. Our angel friends, too, will shield and protect us from countless dangers, evils, sickness and accidents which without their help, we could not possibly avoid. In a word, these all powerful and loving protectors will secure for us a degree of happiness that, without their assistance, we could not hope for in this vale of tears! Another reason we should make friends with the angels is that they are our dearest and best friends. A good friend, a friend who is able and always ready to help us, a friend to whom we can have recourse in all our troubles and sorrows, is one of the greatest blessings God can give us. Our human hearts thirst for love and sympathy.
Among men we rarely or never find such a friend, but this is not so with the angels. They are most desirous to be friends and they love us with all the intensity of their angelic natures. Since they are all powerful and generous we can have the fullest confidence in their help and friendship... The teaching of the church about angels is most beautiful and consoling but unfortunately many Christians have scant knowledge of the great world of the angels. They know little about these blessed spirits, love them little and seldom pray to them. Worst of all, they do not realize their presence. They show no confidence in them and they do not call on them for help when dangers and difficulties press around. As a result they forfeit a thousand blessings that they might easily enjoy and fall victim to a thousand accidents that they might easily have avoided."
He goes on to say that the reason people ignore angels is because they are never mentioned or if so are only mentioned in a vague hazy sense which waters down their credit. He also mentions how it's a strict obligation for parents and teachers to inform the young about them.
Hierarchy
Just as in the Church there is a hierarchy, so too is there among the angels. They are: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Powers, Virtues, Principalities, Archangels, Angels. Of these nine choirs of Angels, Fr. Henri Boudon wrote extensively in his book Devotion to the Nine Choirs of Angels; especially to the Angel Guardians which deserves attention. Below he writes:
THE first hierarchy is composed of the Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones; it receives its lights immediately from God, which by it are communicated to the two other hierarchies. The Seraphim excel in the pure love of God only, their very name signifying ardor and burning. All the angels are admirable in the love of God, but the Seraphim are incomparable therein. All these angelic spirits love exceedingly, but when we speak of the love of the Seraphim, we mean a fervor of love which is beyond compare always excepting the most holy Virgin, the Queen of holy love. Seraphic love signifies intense love, which is ever burning and consuming. The great St Denis mentions eight properties which belong to it, and which he compares to those of fire. Fire is in constant motion, and the spirits of the Seraphim are continually tending in an ineffable manner towards God.
Fire is ever active, and the Seraphim are incessantly intent on God only, never being occupied, even for the space of the briefest moment, either with themselves or with any created thing. Fire is inflexible, and the love of the Seraphim is invincible; nothing can prevail against it. Fire is intensely hot; and the love of the Seraphim is a burning love. Fire, so long as it flames, never loses its light, and the strength of Seraphic love abides ever in its fullness. Fire is penetrating; and the love of the Seraphim, not satisfied with an ordinary degree of union with God, desires the closest and most intimate. Fire not only penetrates what is combustible, but permeates it throughout; and Seraphic love plunges, loses, and engulfs itself in the abyss of the Divinity by a glorious transformation. Fire communicates warmth and purifies; the Seraphim carry love and light into all the choirs of the inferior angels.
Light is attributed specially to the Cherubim, as love to the Seraphim. They are not only styled learned in the divine science of Heaven, but St Gregory affirms that they have the very fullness of it. Divine light imparts to them admirable knowledge, and the holy effulgence with which they are replenished is reflected in abundant streams upon the other hierarchies. They are represented by the Prophet Ezekiel (i. 18) under a sensible figure, with eyes on all sides, because these spirits are all light and brilliancy.
The Thrones are thus styled with a reference to the thrones of the sovereigns of the earth, because as these material thrones are raised above the ground, so also these celestial Thrones are exalted to a most sublime height, into a close vicinity to the glory of the Majesty of God; with this difference, that the great ones of the earth are seated, support themselves, and repose upon their thrones, whereas, on the contrary, the Thrones of Heaven derive their firmness and all their repose from the Sovereign of Paradise. We are told, it is true, as St. Bernard remarks, that God is seated upon these spirits of peace, whence also they are styled Thrones; but God (continues this Father) would not be seated upon them if they did not repose upon Him: hence flows that incomprehensible peace which they possess, surpassing all that we can possibly conceive. We must add, that, like as kings sometimes cause themselves to be borne in their royal chair, so also God in a certain manner conveys His Spirit by these angels, and communicates It to the inferior angels and to men; as kings give judgment upon their thrones, so also it is from the midst of these Thrones that God pronounces His decrees: it is there that the Domination learn them; it is there that His Divine judgments and counsels are manifested.
If this be so, we may well say that we are in every way bound to love the Thrones, the Cherubim, and the Seraphim; and, if it be most meet that we should feel respect and love for all the angels, for these we must entertain unparalleled reverence and surpassing love. The Lord, says the Scripture (Ps. lxxv. 3), has chosen His abode in peace. In time of war, then, let your devotions be offered to the Thrones, to obtain that peace which the world cannot give.
Beseech of them that you may enjoy it with yourself, with God, and with your neighbor. "If I did yet please men," said the great Apostle (Gal. i. 10), "I should not be the servant of Jesus Christ." There are certain persons, preachers, superiors, men who hold offices in the Church, who have so great a dread of displeasing creatures, and so great a desire to content them, who fear so much the censure of the world and the judgment which may be passed upon them, who are so alarmed at contradiction, that they allow those who are under them to wage war against God by sin and infidelity to their trusts. This is the peace which the Son of God protests aloud (Matt. X 34) that He came not to bring upon earth; and thus our amiable Lord was ever on earth a sign of contradiction (Luke ii. 84); men would not endure His presence among them, and it cost Him at last His Divine Life.
In order to be firmly established in this divine peace which all devils and men united cannot disturb, we must (to express it in a few words) fear nothing and hope nothing from any living creature. In these few words is comprehended a peace which is beyond all thought. To this we may add, Believe only in God, hope only in God, love but God only; never believe the world, or its arguments, or its maxims; never hope for anything from the world, from its honors, its pleasures, or its goods; never love the world, and behold you are settled in a profound peace.
No longer make account of any created things; never look at them save in their nothingness; never desire any share in the esteem or in the heart of any one; banish the good from your heart as well as others; make no exception; be ready to suffer at the hands of all creatures without reserve, of your nearest friends as well as of your enemies; never believe that any injury can be done to you, but live in a state of entire abandonment to Divine Providence, prepared to enter upon ways the most distressing, be they exterior or interior; make no reservation with respect to any particular cross; entertain no longer any desires; lose them all in the good pleasure of God; let God alone suffice you, and behold you already enjoy the peace of Paradise! And here you must remember that disturbance in the inferior part is quite compatible with the peace which resides in the depths of the soul, and which sometimes even remains hidden from us; thus it frequently happens that we are never in a better state than when we think ourselves in the worst. The devil gives us a false peace, which sooner or later fails to keep out disquietude and trouble. However, if peace is the gift of gifts, and if our Lord ordains it through the ministry of the blessed Thrones, no doubt can remain but that we ought to have a very singular devotion to these spirits of peace.
I say the same with respect to the Cherubim, since they are the angels of the most brilliant lights of Paradise, who best know how to instruct us in the excellent science of the Saints. It is said with truth, that we already know more than we perform; that in the ways of virtue light abounds more than practice; nevertheless, it is also true, though you will scarcely believe it, that perfect light is rare. I speak not here of that light of human science which learned men derive only from their books we all know that such light is common enough in our day but of that of the Saints, which is more often to be found in some poor lay brother, or some poor simple woman of truly mortified life, than among the learned. Oh, how rare it is, not only to love contempt, abjection, poverty, self- renunciation, the hidden and unknown life, but even to be thoroughly persuaded of the excellence of these things!
It is true you will hear people occasionally talking about them because they have been reading of them, or have heard the subject treated in a conference, but this does not spring from any thorough conviction of the mind; or, if the soul is touched with these truths, it is but very superficially. It is at the feet of Jesus Christ Crucified that this science is learned; and this, not so much by means of the exercise of the understanding in prayer, by the discursive method, or by meditation, as by a bright supernatural light which is vouchsafed, and which is scarcely ever given save to the poor, the abject, and the humble. Few, even among those who make profession of devotion, learn this great lesson of the school of God that it is good for us that men should not so much as know that we are in the world; that we should live therein utterly unknown, or known only to be crucified, and to be held in utter contempt; that there is nothing greater than to be trodden underfoot; that the highest consolation is to suffer terrible crosses, both interior and exterior; that everything in the world is nothing.
Scarcely are directors to be met with who, esteeming no longer any- thing save God only and Jesus Crucified, and being intimately persuaded that there is nothing on earth- neither honors, nor pleasures, nor riches which de- serves to occupy the attention of a Christian, help souls to walk in the safe path of self-annihilation. If peradventure some are to be met with, instantly all hell con- spires against them; it excites a dread of them; they are feared, no one knows why; it causes a thousand rumors to be circulated about them; it endeavors to create mistrust of them; a thousand other directors or preachers do not alarm the devils so much as one of this sort. A devil, constrained by the authority of Holy Church, confessed that the person on earth he feared most was that holy man, Father John of the Cross, because, said this spirit of hell, he teaches men to go to God only by the road of nothingness; accordingly, the effects of the rage of these diabolical spirits against the man of God were soon evident in the calumnies they raised against him, in the inquiries which superiors instituted into his life, and in the ill-treatment which he received at their hands.
As the Cherubim are the sacred ministers of the light of God, so are the Seraphim of His love. Whoever, then, aspires to pure love, ought to feel an extraordinary love for these amiable spirits, and to cultivate a special intimacy with them. The saints who have excelled the most in pure love received marvelous aid from them; as, for instance, St Francis and St Teresa. It was a Seraph, as we have already noticed, who imprinted on St Francis the Wounds of the Savior; it was a Seraph who lovingly pierced with a sacred arrow the generous heart of the great Teresa. All the great lovers of the Son of God, those who have excelled even among the greatest saints, can have no higher glory in Heaven than that of being placed in the choir of these spirits who are all love. It is to their blessed company that the souls most eminent in perfection may aspire.
The late M. Gallemant, a most apostolic man, and one of the first superiors of the holy Order of the Carmelites in France, said that this Order was destined to fill up the choir of the Seraphim, if it made good use of the super-excellent grace it employs. In the miraculous apparitions with which the Blessed Virgin favored the Venerable John of the Cross, this Queen of Angels was seen holding a casket, or, as it might be, a book, of marvelous whiteness, which rested on the head of a Seraph, and which she presented to St Teresa, and to this man of God, who was kneeling at her feet. Now this casket evidently signified the Carmelite rule; it was laid on the head of a Seraph, to intimate that they who were called to observe it were under obligation to live as Seraphim on earth; and this Seraph appeared without a crown, because he represented those who are yet in the way; above were to be seen others with their crowns on, to show at the same time that, after this life, these earthly Seraphim should share the crowns of the heavenly Seraphim, and fill the seats from which the apostate spirits of this choir were miserably precipitated.
THE second hierarchy is composed of the Powers, the Virtues, and the Dominations, or, according to some who place the Virtues in the last hierarchy, the Principalities, the Powers, and the Dominations. The Dominations, as lords or primates of the second hierarchy, give orders in the things of God; the Virtues impart strength to obey them; and the Powers resist the devils who oppose their execution, overthrowing their might, and removing all the obstacles that stand in the way.
It is, then, the Dominations who communicate the commands of God, and make known to us His holy will. Oh, happy we, if we could well discriminate between the Divine will and our own! How often does the love of ourselves and of creatures, the invariable effect of which is to darken the mind, deceive us, and cause us to mistake our will for that of God! A soul which is but even slightly touched with Divine love would with difficulty bring itself to oppose the will of God when it fully recognizes it; but our corrupt nature insensibly glides in, and easily persuades us that what we wish is what God wills. We would wish the will of God to be done, but we should be well pleased that our own should be done also; and so we endeavors to reconcile the Divine will with our own will. This disorder is much greater among spiritual persons than is commonly supposed. Now devotion to the Dominations is a great remedy thereto, since it is the special office of these spirits of light to make known to us the commands of God; they are, so to say, the secretaries of state of the great King Jesus.
But it is not sufficient to know the commands of God, we must proceed to execute them. He who knows the will of his master, and performs it not, shall be severely punished. O my God! how meet it is that Thy creatures should be perfectly subject to Thee! O Lord, who is like unto Thee! Who can appear in Thy Divine Presence and be worthy of regard? The whole universe before Thee is but as a drop of dew, and all the nations are as nothingness. What a wretched thing it is not to fly at the least intimation of Thy good pleasure! Oh, the good pleasure of God! May it be for all eternity our only pleasure! Come, my soul, let our movements be ever in that direction; let the world, and everything in the world, be always an abomination to thee. O my God! May Thy will be done, as in Heaven, so on earth!
Nevertheless, with all our good purposes we accomplish nothing of any worth; our eye reaches farther than our arm. From the summit of a tower we can survey a very difficult road we have to traverse, and the view of it is unquestionably easy in comparison with the toil to be endured in actually proceeding along it so it is with our reasonings; it seems to us as if nothing would stop us; and when the hour of combat arrives, they who in imagination have discomfited giants and monsters, are disheartened at the sight of pigmies. We are naught but sheer weakness; we are ruled by our senses, by our inclinations. You will see devout persons, who seem to be working wonders, lay down their arms to some slight inclination, and allow themselves to be overcome by the merest nothing: it is a most pitiable spectacle; and yet, after all, we are not really aware of our own utter powerlessness; we are much more feeble than our imaginations can ever conceive.
Let devotion to the Virtues, then, be our resource, that we may be sustained by these mighty Intelligence; let us invoke them in our weaknesses; let us recommend this devotion to those who so constantly fall, notwithstanding all their good desires'; let us call them to our aid; let us love them and bless them when we have overcome some attachment, or resisted some natural inclination. St. Gregory is of opinion that it is through the instrumentality of the Virtues that God ordinarily performs most of His miracles. Have a special love, then, for these angels; and in extraordinary necessities of mind or body, in times of epidemics and other public afflictions, have recourse to them. It is by them also that God governs the seasons, the visible heavens, and the elements generally, although angels of the lowest hierarchy have the special charge of them. In times of plague, inundations, and other such like evils, one of the best things we can do is to invoke and honor them.
We have elsewhere detailed the different temptations of the devils, their stratagems, their malice, and their might, and we said that of ourselves we are unable to resist these invisible powers; we also said that the holy angels have been given to us to enable us to triumph over them. But here we must remark, that it is to the particular choir of the Powers that God has given a special strength to bring to naught all the efforts of these malicious spirits; and one of the greatest secrets of the spiritual life is to apply ourselves assiduously to honor the blessed spirits of this choir. It is not within the limits of my capacity nor of that of any other man to exalt sufficiently the marvelous effects which result therefrom. According to the little light I possess, this devotion to the Powers ought to be encouraged as one of the most necessary and most profitable. When we see storms gathering either in the Church or in the State, combinations to resist those who are working for the glory of God, extraordinary conspiracies to defeat some great good which is being planned in dioceses, towns, country districts, and provinces then it is that we ought to perform frequent devotions in honor of these Powers of Heaven, that they may overturn and destroy all the might and miserable plotting of hell.
THE three orders of the third and last hierarchy of angels are composed of the Angels, the Archangels, and the Principalities, or, according to some, the Virtues. This last hierarchy is specially engaged in the care of men, of kingdoms and provinces, and of other things, which peculiarly regard the good of men. Our Guardian Angels are generally taken from the third order of this hierarchy; the Archangels watch over empires and provinces; and the Principalities communicate to the Angels and Archangels the orders of Divine Providence which they receive from the second hierarchy. They are called Principalities, according to St. Gregory, because they are the princes of the heavenly spirits of the two inferior orders of their hierarchy.
The Angels manifest the Divine will in ordinary matters; the Archangels make it known in such as are of greater moment; and both are informed and enlightened therein by the Principalities, who represent in a special manner the empire and sovereignty of God. Now the loving charity of the blessed spirits of this hierarchy towards men is so exceedingly great and so admirable, that we shall never be able to make any adequate return either of gratitude or of homage; but at least let us love them as much as is in our power. I well know that this love will never equal their merits; God grant that it may be to the utmost of our ability, according to what God requires of us, and in such a manner as is pleasing to Him.
Let us, then, have a singular devotion to our good Angel Guardians and indeed it is difficult not to have it, and we must be utterly blind and heartless not to entertain towards them all those sentiments of perfect gratitude which we are capable of feeling. Let us honor much the Guardian Angels of the heathen, and let us from time to time go in spirit to converse with them and bear them company, to express the regret of our hearts at the unbelief of those of whom they have the charge. Alas! so far from thanking them for their loving care, these poor infidels do not even know that they are assisted by them. Admire these princes of heaven, and their unwearied patience; consider how many millions of them there are in barbarous lands, who keep untiring watch over these unhappy beings, without ever experiencing from them the least token of gratitude; endeavor to compensate, according to your poor ability, for their neglect; let their ingratitude or their ignorance touch your heart with feelings of love towards these spirits of love. Communicate from time to time in honor of them; practice mortification, give alms, hear Mass, and have Masses offered for the same object; above all, as we have said, in spirit bear them company, and go often to visit them.
Ah! if the princes of the earth, the kings of this world, were in some place where you could enjoy the honor of saluting them, conversing with them at your ease, gaining their friendship, and thus insuring their favor, how would you act? Now here are princes and kings of the empyrean, whom you may salute whenever you please, whose good graces you may gain, and who will be certain to recompense, sooner or later, the affection which you have shown them. As they are so utterly neglected, they will have the greater reason to love you all the more. A great and generous king who, when banished from his kingdom, and deserted by his subjects, should receive some important services, would not fail to requite them conspicuously when he was peaceably restored to his dominions; judge hence what you may expect from these noble spirits. Perform devotions in their honor, to obtain from the Divine Goodness the conversion of the nations under their care, in order that, learning to know the Adorable Jesus, and Mary His sweet Mother, they may also know and honor these nobles of the court of Heaven. I say the same with respect to the Guardian Angels of heretics, and of all those poor country people who have scarcely any more knowledge of the holy angels than have those who live in the midst of heathen lands. Adopt the same practices with reference to these, and pray often that, being known and loved, they may also be duly honored.
Be devout to the Guardian Angels of your friends; they render you in many instances greater services than you are aware; and sometimes they even give you assistance which you do not receive from your own Angel Guardian. There are occasions on which they interest themselves in your behalf for the sake of those of whom they have the care, knowing that your friendship is profitable to them for the good of their souls. As there is nothing of which these holy spirits have a greater horror than of bad or dangerous friendships, so also one of the things which affords them most consolation is a holy union in the interests of God. The devils do all they can to make men contract evil friendships, and the good angels to break them. The holy angels labor to unite those who are seeking God, and the devils neglect nothing to part them, and to create disunion between them. A holy person having contracted a truly Christian friendship with another, the devil, envious of the good which it was producing, seized one of them, and threw him down some steps to the ground. The Guardian Angel of the friend came speedily to his help, and preserved him from injury; but what is remarkable is this, that it was the friend's Angel-Guardian, and not the Guardian of him who was cast down by the devil.
In the number of your friends, spiritual directors ought to hold a very prominent place; beseech their good angels to inspire them with such counsels as are purely conformable to the Divine will. You should also highly honor those of your father and mother, of your relations, and of other persons with whom you are connected, and who render you, or may render you, some service. The honor which you pay to their angels will not be without fruit, and you will obtain through their means what you would never gain in any other way. Remember, also, the Angel-Guardians of all those persons who are kind, or have been kind to you; these angels have more to say than you think to the benefits you have received from them. Honor the angels of your enemies, of those who are opposed to you in any way whatever this is the true means to soften their hearts; or, if it be more for the glory of God that you should suffer at their hands, these glorious spirits will obtain you special graces to make a good use of your sufferings, and cordially to love those who hate you or cause you trouble. Do not forget to pay your homage to those princes of Heaven who guard the Sovereign Pontiff, the Bishops, and other persons who preside over the Church, as well as kings, princes, governors, and other administrators of temporal things.
The Archangels of kingdoms and of provinces must also be objects of your devotion, as also those of the towns and villages in which you dwell and through which you pass. This was a devotion practiced by that holy man, Father Peter Faber, first companion of St. Ignatius, and St. Francis de Sales makes honorable mention of it in his "Introduction to a Devout Life." St. Francis Xavier, when going to the Indies, paid his devotions to the holy Archangel of those countries, and while he was still at Rome he was visited, and powerfully urged to pass over to these foreign lands, by an angel in the garb of an Indian. That Macedonian who appeared to St Paul (Acts xviii. 9), and pressed him to go into Macedonia to preach the gospel there, was doubtless the Archangel of that country.
We have already observed that there are angels who have the care of the heavens, of the sun, of fire, of air, of the waters, of the earth, and even of the other creatures in the world; and the Angelic Doctor is of opinion that God employs the ministry of these heavenly spirits in all that He ordinarily works here below. It is through their instrumentality that the scourges of His divine justice are averted; that fires and conflagrations are extinguished; that inundations subside; that pestilence is abated; that the air is purified; that lands become fertile; in fine, that we receive all sorts of good things, and are preserved from a multitude of evils, and all this often without our perceiving it, without our knowing the obligations we are under to the holy angels.
Let us, then, to-day form a good resolution to thank them sometimes for these services, and to invoke them, and cause them to be invoked, by public and private prayers, in time of famine, war, or pestilence, as well as in other sicknesses and necessities; for fair weather, and for rain, for the fruits of the earth, and in all our various needs. We have also said that they are the protectors to whom we must have recourse in all things, and the most mighty whom Heaven has given us to destroy all the power of our adversaries.
Our churches, and even altars, have angels who guard them; and they gather in troops around the tabernacles where reposes the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, to pay their court to their Sovereign. Many Saints have beheld them paying their adoration to their great King and ours. A holy hermit was told by an angel himself that he had the guardianship of an altar, and that he had never left it since its consecration. It is to these angels we ought often to have recourse, that they may supply for our negligence, our tepidity, and our want of respect in presence of a God of Infinite Majesty in the Most Blessed Sacrament; that they may appease His anger, justly irritated by so many irreverence committed in our churches, and that they may open the eyes of Christians, and those the greater number, who give such little heed to the veneration due to our temples. It is good to associate ourselves with these heavenly spirits, uniting our reverence and love with theirs, and, after the example of the Psalmist (cxxxvii. 1), sing the praises of God in their sight.
And here, O my Lord and my God, suffer me to sigh and pour forth my heart before Thy Divine Majesty, because of the deplorable blindness of Thy people, who are the people of light. Is it, then, Thou, O God, Infinitely Adorable, who art hidden with all Thy perfections under the veil of the Eucharistic species? Is it Thy Body, Thy Blood, Thy Soul, Thy Divinity which is really and truly present in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar? Is it possible that men still retain any faith in these most indubitable truths? Or is it an illusion that is so visible and palpable to us every day in the treatment Thou receives in this august mystery? Our hair stands on end, and our whole body trembles with dread, when we consider the abominable profanations of this Sacrament of love committed by sorcerers, and the impieties practiced by heretics towards this adorable mystery. But who could have conceived the irreverence of the faithful, of those who believe and who fear, and who declare themselves ready to die for this truth, that Thou, O my God, O Adorable Jesus! art most truly present in the Divine Eucharist? Ye angels of Heaven, what a spectacle does such blindness present to you! Ah! we may well say that your patience takes its rule from that of the meek Savior, for you to be able to endure such irreverences.
No, we must declare it before the face of Heaven and earth: we cannot recover from our astonishment, we are lost in amazement, when we consider darkness so appalling. O my God, O my God! are we living in a Catholic country? Are our churches and altars in the possession of the faithful? Have these people, whom we see trooping in crowds to them, any vestige of faith? Is there anything to give us pleasure in what we there witness? And if there be any truth in all we believe, can we live, can we possibly continue, in a place where our Master is so unworthily treated?
Listen, O Christians and listen attentively. It is an indubitable truth that in the minutest particle of the Most Holy Sacrament the great God of everlasting ages is really present. All Catholics confess this. But what care is taken to prevent the profanations which hence may occur? Oh! how many priests are there, little instructed in the holy rubrics, or little intent on the care of the Adorable Body of a God, who give scarcely any heed diligently to collect the particles which may remain on the paten, or on the corporal! The generality of portable altars are so small that the sacred chalice cannot be moved a little on one side or backward, in order to allow the paten to be placed further on the corporal, and the corporal itself to be raised, so that the particles which adhere to it may fall easily on the paten; hence it frequently happens that the Body of the Son of God remains there, and falls to the ground, or is carried away with the corporals when they are taken to be washed. How often may one see corporals so ragged or so dirty as to send a revulsion to the heart!
Experience shows that in religious houses, where a paten is used at the grate in time of communion, or some red or green taffety because upon linen the particles of the Sacred Host, being also white, would be indiscernible experience, I say, shows that often many particles are imperceptibly detached from the Blessed Sacrament; consequently, in places where there is only an ordinary linen cloth, they either fall on the cloth or on the ground, unless the priest takes extreme care to carry the ciborium in such a manner as that it shall always be underneath the Sacred Host, which is often almost impossible. If they fall on the cloth they also fall to the ground; for at each fresh communion the cloth is dropped, and no further attention is given to it; it is afterwards folded up without being examined, and were it otherwise, these little particles, which are well-nigh imperceptible, could not be discovered on account of the linen being white. Here, then, is the Body of a God trodden underfoot and sometimes under the shoes of a vile creature!
How many tabernacles are there in which spiders and dust are allowed to harbor, and which are so imperfectly closed that people would not endure to have in their houses wardrobes containing the most trifling things so in- secure and so dirty! How many priests leave the tabernacle key in the church, instead of locking it up by another key, and carrying that key away, which they ought to do, if they do not take away the key of the tabernacle itself! And how many profanations result from this want of care! We speak advisedly. How often are miserable rags shamelessly employed to cover ciboriums in which are contained the Divinity, the Soul, the Body, and the Blood of the Adorable Jesus! And yet Christians know and see these things, and scarcely any one thinks of providing a remedy. You hear people say-O my God! how often have I heard it! how often has it been said to me" We have no money to buy a little linen to make corporals and purificatories;" the poorest peasants will contrive to have enough for their shirts and collars; but as for Thee, my God, Thou hast not credit enough to raise as much!
Oh! ye gentlemen and ladies, who have so much fine linen, so much handsome furniture, so much silver plate, and that sometimes even for the meanest uses, what will you say at the day of judgment? Ye pastors, who are entrusted with the care of this Adorable Body, what will you answer Him? Will it be a sufficient excuse for you to allege on that dreadful day that the Church was too poor to provide corporals, or to pay for a decent ciborium or chalice? The retrenchment of a banquet, of a few dinners, or of some other expense, would more than suffice-I mean, for ciborium and chalice, for as to the corporals, two crowns or less would be enough, and indeed they are sometimes so narrow that the priest, after consecration, can scarcely keep his hands on them. You will see a pewter chalice in a gentleman's private chapel; and in the chapels of not a few ecclesiastics who are in the receipt of good revenues, we see the same thing, and a very scanty supply of linen and ornaments for the sacred altar. But is it possible that what we are saying is true? Is there any faith in the Most Holy Sacrament still surviving among Christians? Is the thought not enough to rend the heart in twain with grief? Who will give me a voice of thunder, that I may call aloud to the children of men throughout the whole earth, and reproach them with their hardness and deadness of heart?
O angels of Paradise! I turn to you, knowing well the insensibility of men: do you take charge-I conjure you, I entreat this favor of you, prostrate at your feet, in the bitterness of my heart, and bathed in tears do you take charge of the Body of our Sovereign. Watch over every particle of the Sacred Host; inspire priests with a holy solicitude to preserve them in perfect cleanliness before consecrating them, and to use every possible means to prevent the profanation of those that are re- served after consecration. Stimulate all prelates, arch- deacons, and other visitors of churches, to give most diligent heed that the Body of a God may be both treated and preserved with all possible respect. Enlighten more and more the minds of those who have the training of ecclesiastics in the seminaries, that they may give the necessary instructions in a matter of such high importance. Order it so that the subject may be introduced and discussed in clerical conferences, and counsel taken concerning the needful remedies to be applied.
Touch the hearts of such as are possessed of the means, that in the different dioceses associations may be formed for collecting funds to provide ciboriums, chalices, and corporals. I know from my own personal experience, derived from the great number of visitations which my office obliges me to make in the course of the year, that with a little zeal it would be easy in a few years, through the exertions of the bishop, the archdeacons, the parish priests, the nobility, and a few other persons in easy circumstances, to provide decent tabernacles, ciboriums of silver, or, in places liable to be robbed, ciboriums of copper, into the interior of which a sort of silver cup might easily be fitted with perfect exactness, wherein to deposit the Sacred Hosts: the cost would be small, two crowns or thereabouts sufficing. This sort of ciborium is quite as suitable as the little silver boxes commonly employed, and is better adapted for use, because it holds a larger number of Hosts, which are not exposed, as in the little boxes, to sundry risks which occur when they are used for giving communion at Easter and other solemn festivals, at which times a great concourse of persons approach the Holy Table; it would be easy, I say, to have decent tabernacles as well as ciboriums, to make use of none but silver chalices, and to furnish every church and chapel with proper corporals and purificatories.
Sublime intelligences, loving guardians of chapels, make known the miserable state in which they are left; cause them to be carefully visited, for very often they are quite neglected, and it is the parish church alone which is visited; the consequence of which is, that the very names of the incumbents are scarcely known, who frequently never set foot in them, eat up the revenues with impunity, disregard the charges attached to them, or acquit themselves only of a part of them, and expend nothing on the maintenance of these chapels or priories, but leave them in a lamentable condition, without ornaments, without furniture, so that they look rather like barns or stables than sanctuaries appropriated to the consecration of the Body and Blood of a God.
Oh! what a reckoning shall prelates have to give of these places, where the most august of our sacred mysteries is treated with such habitual irreverence through their want of care and here I must not omit to mention a circumstance which I have observed during my visitations. If a church lacks a banner or a pall, great eagerness is shown to obtain the money to provide one; if the subject be mentioned, everybody listens, and is ready to lend his aid; all exclaim against the disgrace; and although the expense may be pretty considerable, means are found to meet it. But let a couple of crowns be wanted to put a ciborium in decent order, after the manner described above, or to purchase corporals, every one is silent, no one cares to listen. Such is the utter blindness of Christians, proof sufficient of the hardness of hearts and the want of faith.
Sometimes people will object to having a ciborium or chalice of silver; they will insist that a pewter one will answer the purpose very well, that it has been hitherto deemed sufficient; and a wish will be expressed to convert the church plate into money. I earnestly commend the matter to pious souls, that they may devise some means of remedying such a deplorable state of things; and I conjure with tears all whose hearts are touched with zeal for the glory of the Adorable Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, to practice frequent devotions in honor of the holy angels, and especially of those who abide in our churches, who encompass the Most Holy Sacrament, and who keep watch over altars, that they may ask pardon of the Divine Majesty for our irreverence, our coldness, our blindness, our insensibility; and that they may inspire us with the knowledge of the suitable means to obtain for this Mystery of Love the respect which is Its due.
What Father de Bary, a Jesuit, relates in his excellent book on "Devotion to the Angels," plainly proves that Communities and Confraternities have their angels also who watch over them. He affirms that he was informed by the confessor of a young man of the town of Eu, who lay dangerously ill, that towards the hour of noon, on a certain Wednesday, two angels, all-resplendent with majesty and beauty, appeared to him, and consoled him to the very moment of his death, which occurred on the following Saturday, as they had predicted to him. Now one of these angels told him that he was his angel-guardian, and the other the tutelary angel of the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin established in that city, in the College of the Company of Jesus.
The angel of the Confraternity, moreover, said to him that they were sent by the command of the most holy Mother of God thus to assist him, on account of the patience with which he had borne some ill-treatment which he had suffered from his father and mother, especially as he might have avoided it if he had so willed, and also because he had faithfully observed the rules of the Confraternity. It is a holy practice to implore the aid of the angels of the diocese in which we reside, and of the guardian angels of its bishop and of those under him, that they may succeed in establishing the reign of Jesus Christ in the hearts of the faithful who dwell there, that they may destroy the empire of Satan, and receive the lights and strength necessary to maintain holy discipline in the diocese; and that they may defeat the malice and wiles of the devils, who are ever laboring to counteract the means which God is pleased to employ for the promotion of His divine interests.
Finally, we must be devout to the Angels, to obtain through them purity of mind and body, charity towards our neighbor, and also patience; to the Archangels, to obtain through them a zeal for the interests of God, both for ourselves and others, especially for those who govern in Church and State, for all who are vested with authority, and for the spiritual and temporal good of kingdoms and provinces; to the Principalities for the reformation of our own interior. Man is a little world in himself, and he is bound to govern his passions, and rule as a sovereign over them. But since his power is marvelously weakened by sin, he needs support, that he may not let himself be overcome by himself. The Principalities, who bear this glorious title on account of the rule which God has given them over the inferior angels, will render him powerful assistance if he strives to make himself not unworthy of it; but to this end he must honor with profound reverence these great princes of Paradise.
Stories of Angels
We read in Holy Scripture numerous stories of the assistance of angels. To deny their existence is to deny reality.
In the Old Testament, when the prophet Elias was fleeing queen Jezabel, an angel came to his aid. Worn out in the depths of grief he laid down under a tree and begged God to let him die. When he fell asleep an angel awoke him and gave him bread and heavenly sent water to quench his thirst. The prophet being refreshed by the food the angel gave him once more fell asleep. When he rested enough the angel once more made him eat and drink to prepare him for his long journey. Renewed in body and soul by the angel's ministry the prophet walked for forty days and nights on the strength of this angelic food where he finally reached Mount Horeb.
Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago were saved by an angel. King Nabuchodonsor of Babylon built a golden statue 60 cubits high and commanded his subjects to adore it under pain of being thrown into the fiery furnace. The three youths refused and bravely told him that their God could deliver them from his hands. In great fury the king made the furnace heated seven times more than what was usual and had the three cast into the flames. The king's servants continued to heat the furnace with brimstone, pitch, and dry sticks but the fire did not harm them because an angel came and stood by them so they could praise God whereas those who cast them in were themselves caught on fire and burned alive. Astonished at this the king said, "Did we not cast the three men into the fire and flames, and there is no hurt in them; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." When they were lifted out the three were seen unharmed and the king broke out and exclaimed "Blessed be the God of Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who had trusted in Him. There is no other God who can save in this manner."
Anybody ever read the book of Tobit? St. Raphael was sent by God to help Tobias on his long treacherous journey to seek help for his father who was blind and needed a sum of money that he loaned to a friend. The book is full of adventure. He is an unknown guide who disguised himself by the name Azarius before he met him before starting his journey. While his companion follows him Tobias, the first attacked is by a fish and his guide rescues him and tells him to save the heart, gall, and liver for future medicinal uses. Next he helps Tobias find a holy and beautiful woman named Sarah who had seven husbands murdered by a demon named Asmodeus. They get married and St. Raphael puts to flight this awful demon. With so much happy news on his return, more happy news followed when he learned that the parts of the fish were parts which cured his father's blindness. Wanting to repay him for his deeds he then reveals who he really is when he said, "Bless ye God of heaven; give glory to Him in the sight of all that live: because he hath shown His mercy to you. When thou didst pray with tears, and didst bury the dead, I offered thy prayer to the Lord. For I am the Angel Raphael, one of the seven who stands before the Lord."
In he New Testament we read in the beginning of the Gospel how Zacharias was made mute by an angel for not believing that his wife St. Elizabeth who was older in years could bear a son (St. John the Baptist). The angel St. Gabriel is the one who we imitate in our prayers to the most blessed Virgin Mary "Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee." And was it not an angel who told St. Joseph to go to Egypt in his dream. In the garden of Gethsemane, Our Lord Jesus corrects St. Peter when He said "Thinkest thou that I cannot ask my Father, and He will give me presently more than twelve legions of angels" (St. Matthew 26:53) And speaking of St. Peter was he not delivered by an angel when cast into prison by King Herod of Agrippa. One night the Apostle's prison was filled with light and the angel appeared before him. Peter fastened with chains was sleeping among the soldiers. The angel touching his side awoke him and said "Gird thyself and put on thy sandals and follow me." After passing the first two guard houses they came to an iron gate that opened to the city. It flew open of its own accord and going out the angel disappeared as soon as they had gained the top of the street. Peter coming to himself said, "I see now that the Lord has sent His angel, who has delivered me out of the hands of Herod."
In the lives of saints we see hundreds of inspiring stories of angels helping those in need. St. Thomas Aquinas was tempted by some of his own family members sending a lewd woman to his chamber to tempt him to sin against holy purity and after chasing out the lady with a torch an angel girded him with a cord as a reward which delivered him from ever being tempted in that manner again.
St. Nicholas of Tolentino heard for six whole months before his death the sound of angels singing around his bed.
St. Isidore the farmer was accustomed to hear daily Mass before going to work every day. People complained to the gentleman by who whom he was employed to that he gave to much time to prayer which interfered with his work schedule. He had no reason to complain because St. Isidore's work was always done well. Nevertheless he went to see for himself at a distance the yoke of oxen ploughing through the land led by a man whom he thought to be Isidore. On approaching he saw not Isidore but an angel. On many occasions this happened.
Lastly, I would like to end with a more modern story that we can all appreciate that happened not to a saint but to a regular average Joe in the military who happened to say his prayers that he was taught which paid off for him. The story is as follows:
Dear Mom,
I am writing to you from a hospital bed. Don’t worry, Mom, I am okay. I was wounded, but the doctor says that I will be up in no time.
But that’s not what I have to tell you, Mom. Something happened to me that I don’t dare tell anyone else for fear of their disbelief. But I have to tell you, the one person I can confide in, though even you may find it hard to believe.
You remember the prayer to Saint Michael that you taught me to pray when I was little: “Michael, Michael of the morning,…” Before I left home for Korea, you urged me to remember this prayer before any confrontation with the enemy. But you really didn’t have to remind me, Mom. I have always prayed it, and when I got to Korea, I sometimes said it a couple of times a day while marching or resting.
Well, one day, we were told to move forward to scout for Commies. It was a really cold day. As I was walking along, I perceived another fellow walking beside me, and I looked to see who it was.
He was a big fellow, a Marine about 6’4” and built proportionally. Funny, but I didn’t know him, and I thought I knew everyone in my unit. I was glad to have the company and broke the silence between us:
“Chilly today, isn’t it?” Then I chuckled because suddenly it seemed absurd to talk about the weather when we were advancing to meet the enemy.
He chuckled too, softly.
“I thought I knew everyone in my outfit,” I continued, “ but I have never seen you before.”
“No,” he agreed, “I have just joined. The name is Michael.”
“Really?! That’s mine, too.”
“I know,” the Marine said, “Michael, Michael of the morning….”
Mom, I was really surprised that he knew about my prayer, but I had taught it to many of the other guys, so I supposed that the newcomer must have picked it up from someone else. As a matter of fact, it had gotten around to the extent that some of the fellows were calling me “Saint Michael.”
Then, out of the blue, Michael said, “There’s going to be trouble ahead.”
I wondered how he could know that. I was breathing hard from the march, and my breath hit the cold air like dense clouds of fog. Michael seemed to be in top shape because I couldn’t see his breath at all.
Just then, it started to snow heavily, and soon it was so dense I could no longer hear or see the rest of my outfit. I got a little scared and yelled, “Michael!” Then I felt his strong hand on my shoulder and heard his voice in my ear, “It’s going to clear up soon.”
It did clear up, suddenly. And then, just a short distance ahead of us, like so many dreadful realities, were seven Commies, looking rather comical in their funny hats. But there was nothing funny about them now; their guns were steady and pointed straight in our direction.
“Down, Michael!!” I yelled as I dove for cover. Even as I was hitting the ground, I looked up and saw Michael still standing, as if paralyzed by fear, or so I thought at the time.
Bullets were spurting all over the place, and Mom, there was no way those Commies could have missed at that short distance.
I jumped up to pull him down, and then I was hit. The pain was like a hot fire in my chest, and as I fell, my head swooned and I remember thinking, “I must be dying…” Someone was laying me down, strong arms were holding me and laying me gently on the snow.
Through the daze, I opened my eyes, and the sun seemed to blaze in my eyes. Michael was standing still, and there was a terrible splendor in his face.
Suddenly, he seemed to grow, like the sun, the splendor increasing intensely around him like the wings of an angel.
As I slipped into unconsciousness, I saw that Michael held a sword in his hand, and it flashed like a million lights.
Later on, when I woke up, the rest of the guys came to see me with the sergeant.
“How did you do it, son?” he asked me.
“Where’s Michael?” I asked in reply.
“Michael who?” The sergeant seemed puzzled.
“Michael, the big Marine walking with me, right up to the last moment. I saw him there as I fell.”
“Son,” the sergeant said gravely, “you’re the only Michael in my unit. I hand-picked all you fellows, and there’s only one Michael. You. And son, you weren’t walking with anyone. I was watching you because you were too far off from us, and I was worried.
Now tell me, son,” he repeated, “how did you do it?”
It was the second time he had asked me that, and I found it irritating.
“How did I do what?”
“How did you kill those seven Commies? There wasn’t a single bullet fired from your rifle.”
“What?”
“Come on, son. They were strewn all around you, each one killed by a sword stroke.”
And that, Mom, is the end of my story. It may have been the pain, or the blazing sun, or the chilling cold. I don’t know, Mom, but there is one thing I am sure about. It happened.
Love your son, Michael
Conclusion
God has given us those whom we can have recourse to at any time. All we need to do is make an effort to pray and talk with these glorious creatures who are ever ready to serve us. Happy is the man who does so.
