The Glories of the Holy Angels
Venerable Henri Boudon, Archdeacon of Evreux
PRACTICE FIRST
To have a singular Devotion to the holy Spirits of the First Choir—the Angels, Archangels, and Principalities.
The third or last Hierarchy of the Holy Angels is formed of three Choirs Angels, Archangels, and Principalities. They are particularly applied to the affairs of kingdoms and provinces, and in general to all that regards the happiness of man. Their goodness and kindness is so great, that we can never make them a suitable return. The principalities are so called, says St. Gregory, because they are the princes of the other two choirs, and communicate to them those lights and intelligences which they receive from the higher Hierarchies. The Archangels watch over kingdoms and provinces and the Angels are appointed the guardians of men.
Let us have a great devotion to this blessed choir, honouring not only our own Angels but also those of others. Let us honour the Angels of Infidels, and often go in spirit to the countries they inhabit, to pay our respects to them. These poor blind people know not even that there are Angels, and behold the unwearied patience and love of these blessed Spirits in guarding and defending them. Do make atonement to them, communicate sometimes, give alms, hear mass, for this intention—and let your heart often salute these holy Angels. The more they are slighted, the more they will love and acknowledge your services. If a great king, in the revolt of his subjects, received considerable services from foreigners, he would not fail to acknowledge them gratefully, when reinstated in his dominions : hence judge what you may expect from the princes of the celestial realm. Do the same for the Angels of Heretics—for those of uninstructed Catholics, the greater number of whom know as little about these holy Spirits, as Pagans and Infidels. Pray for their conversion, that knowing the adorable Jesus, whom God has sent, and Mary his amiable mother, they may also know and honour the Angels.
Be devout to the Angels of your friends; these often render you services, which you would not receive from your own guardian. As, in the number of your friends, your confessor holds the first place, honour particularly his Angel, and pray him to bear on his mind a perfect knowledge of the designs of God on those whom he directs. Honour the Angels of your parents, relations, benefactors, and- of all with whom you have to do; they have more part than you think in the favours you receive by means of those persons. Be devout to the Angels of your enemies—it is the true way to gain them—or, if God wills that you should suffer the effects of their hatred, it is the best means of obtaining grace to love them cordially and make a good use of your sufferings. In fine, revere the Angels of the Sovereign Pontiff, the Bishops, the Clergy, and all persons in authority—that they may fitly discharge their obligations.
From the Angels, let us ascend to the Archangels, who watch over empires. Let us not only honour those among them who guard our own city or kingdom, but also those of the places through which we pass—as Father le Fevre, the first companion of St. Ignatius, used to do. The Angelic Doctor teaches, that God generally makes use of the ministry of the Angels for all that he does on earth : let us invoke them in time of plague, famine, war, and other public calamities, and we shall soon perceive the effects of their charitable cares.
Our churches and altars have Angels, not only to render homage to the Divine Sovereign who resides in them in his Sacrament, but also to guard and defend them. A holy solitary once learned from the mouth of an Angel, that he had been appointed to watch over an altar, and had never departed from it since the moment of its consecration. It is to these Angels we should recur to supply our negligences and tepidities—to atone for our irreverences and disrespects before, the Divine Sacrament. It is well to unite in the love and homage which they continually render to it, and like the Psalmist, to “sing canticles of praise to our God in the presence of his Angels.”
O my Lord and my God! here permit me to bewail, in the presence of your Divine Majesty, the deplorable blindness of Christians, who are the children of light, regarding your holy Sacrament. Is it then true, that they still believe you to be really present in this adorable mystery and behave as they do ? We are seized with horror when we reflect on the irreverences committed against you by Heretics and Infidels but those offered to you by Christians, who profess themselves ready to sacrifice their lives in defence of this adorable truth, are inconceivable. We have seen, with astonishment, tabernacles full of dust and cobwebs—chalices, from which the precious blood of God is received, most mean and despicable—and these covered with such tattered linen as to excite disgust. If we enter our churches, we find them either totally deserted, or crowded with persons whose sentiments and conduct ill befit the sanctity of the place. This is not all—the sufferings which love has imposed on our Sovereign stop not here. Many, by a malice which should cause the pillars of Heaven to tremble, receive the body of the God of Heaven and Earth in the state of mortal sin, either because they conceal them in confession, or had not a true sorrow for them, or a firm purpose to avoid those occasions which would lead them anew to their commission. We weep over the passion of the Son of God—we loudly condemn Judas who betrayed him to the Jews—but the sin of the unworthy communicant is much greater, since he delivers him up to the Devil!
O ! Angels of Paradise ! I address myself to you—knowing the obduracy of men, inspire them with all that respect for the adorable body of your Sovereign, which they are capable of conceiving—give them a knowledge of the dispositions with which it should be received:—that this abominable crime, this sin more hellish than human, may be no more committed. Inspire the rich to provide churches and altars, with suitable decorations—and repair, by your unceasing homage, the insults which have been offered to this mystery of inconceivable love.
These holy Spirits, knowing so perfectly the divine excellence of that Lamb without spot whom love, incomprehensible love, has caused to take up his abode among us, have great zeal for the decoration of his altars. It is giving them as great joy to make presents which contribute thereto, as it inspires them with regret to see them so much neglected. They cannot comprehend how Christians, enlightened by faith, can be so anxious about the decoration of their houses and persons, and so utterly indifferent to the ornamenting of the house of God.
Let us also be devout to the Principalities. Man is in himself a little world; he should rule over his passions and appetites, as a king over his subjects; but, as his empire is so weakened by sin, he stands in need of support and assistance. The Principalities will render him their aid, provided he do not render himself unworthy of it by neglecting devotion to them.
