CATHOLIC PICTORIAL    -  FOOD FOR THOUGHT	CHOIRS OF ANGELS
	Fr Francis Marsden
	for 29/9/91

In our church porch we have two stone statues of angels, about four feet high, holding the holy water bowls. A teacher was telling me about one little girl who had not been taught about angels. As she was going into church she turned to her teacher and said “I’m just going to go and get some water from the fairy.” And she trooped over to the angel statue holding the stoup.

For this reason it is important to teach children clearly what the angels are. Otherwise they will get all mixed up between real spiritual beings (angels) and unreal, imaginary beings (fairies, goblins, elves, pixies and leprachauns).

Although they are still around in church decorations, the angels do not get mentioned as much as they used to. This Sunday, 29th September, is the Feast of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. On Wednesday, 2nd October, we have the feast of the Guardian Angels. It is a most comforting thought that so much does God value each one of us, that He has appointed a heavenly spirit to watch over us, guard us from danger, encourage us in doing good and in prayer. All too often we ignore our guardian angel.

Just as God has made a great deal of variety in the animal and plant world — the material world, it is quite reasonable to suppose that there is an even greater variety in the spiritual world. The angels are pure spirits, whereas we humans have both a spiritual and material dimension, soul and body. The angels are therefore inaccessible to our senses, invisible to our sight, intangible to our touch, unless God on particular occasions ordains otherwise. The angels possess sheer intelligence and will and are unfettered by a material body.

“If we saw an angel clearly, we should die of pleasure,” said St Bridget of Sweden.

The angels appear throughout the Bible. Daniel the prophet in his vision sees ten thousand times ten thousand of them before the throne of God, worshipping Him. Jesus’ conception was announced by an angel, they sang at his birth, ministered to Him during his temptations in the desert. At any time he could have appealed to His Father to send him “more than twelve legions of angels”. In Gethsemane He was consoled by the Angel of the Agony, and on Easter morning an angel rolled away the stone from the tomb.
It was an angel who enabled Peter to escape from prison, and it is the angels who will return with Christ on the clouds of heaven on the Last Day, sounding the trumpets and collecting the just from the four ends of the earth.

To think of the angels, to pray to the angels nourishes our spiritual imagination. We need a strong sense of the supernatural. Nature abhors a vacuum, and when the population of heaven has been banished from our souls, the dark powers see their opportunity.

There is an old saying, Lex orandi, lex credendi. What we pray shows what we believe. The angels are mentioned in every Mass in the Preface, and we echo their heavenly song in the “Holy, holy, holy.” On Sundays the Gloria repeats their choiring over Bethlehem. Eucharistic Prayer I after the consecration asks “May your holy angel take this sacrifice to your altar in heaven.”

Theologians speak of nine Choirs or Orders of angels: an angelic hierarchy of Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Principalities, Powers, Strengths, Highnesses, Archangels and Angels. The existence of a celestial hierarchy no doubt helped to validate the existing earthly hierarchy of King, feudal Lord and Bishop in the mind of medieval man. This democratic age is less keen to classify its angels.

All the same, angels do seem to be allocated particular duties. The six-winged cherubim and seraphim surround the throne of God and worship Him continually. The other angels are sent out on missions:
Raphael is the Healer of God by name, Gabriel the Strength of God, Michael a soldier who challenges the enemy with his name: “Who is like unto God?” It was Michael and the faithful armies of angels who cast Lucifer and the rebel angels, become demons, down into hell.

It seems that cities and countries have their own Angel Guardians:  St Peter Faber, co-worker of St Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first Jesuits, never entered a town without first invoking its guardian angel to help him to convert those who heard him to the Faith or to strengthen them in faith. The Angel who appeared a year before Our Lady to the children at Fatima, then aged 9, 5, and 4, described himself
as the Angel of Peace and the Angel of Portugal.

Jesus himself said of little children that “their angels are constantly in the presence of my Father in heaven.” St John Bosco advised us: “When tempted, invoke your angel! He is more eager to help you than you are to be helped! Ignore the devil and do not be afraid of him: he trembles and flees at the sight of your guardian angel.”
The Curé d’Ars suggested, “If you find it impossible to pray, hide behind your good Angel and charge him to pray in your stead.”

When we are praying for someone who is lapsed, perhaps a son or daughter or grandchild, do not forget to ask their Guardian Angel to guide them and to protect them from the devil’s snares. Many people remember the hymn they learnt as children:

“Guardian Angel, from Heaven so bright, 
Watching beside me, to lead me aright, 
Fold thy wings round me, O guard me with love, 
Softly sing songs to me, of heaven above.

Beautiful Angel, my guardian so mild
Tenderly guide me for I am thy child.

“Angel so holy, whom God sends to me,
Sinful and lowly, my guardian to be.
Wilt thou not cherish the child of thy care?
Let me not perish — My trust is thy prayer.

“O may I never, forget thou art near; 
But keep me for ever, in love and in fear, 
Waking and sleeping, in labour and rest, 
In thy sweet keeping, my life shall be blest.”

One day, finally, at our Requiem Mass as our body is carried in the coffin from the Church, the priest and congregation will pray for us:

“May the angels lead you into paradise
The martyrs welcome you as you draw near,
And lead you into Jerusalem, the heavenly city.

“May the choirs of angels welcome you and lead you to the bosom of Abraham. And where Lazarus is poor no longer, there may you find eternal rest.”