| II. Choir | 16 July |
|---|---|
| Angel of silence | Mary of Mt Carmel |
Wherever we feel the Breath of God, the presence of God, the world of God, there is silence… holy silence. Not only in nature, in the quiet forest and on the wide heights, but also in front of the Tabernacle in the lonely church, in the cloisters of the monasteries, and yes, also in the death chamber, because there the world of life ends and eternity reaches in.
The Angel of Silence is one of the most silent angels, and yet, at the same time, he is one of the greatest angels of whom you cannot get enough, and under whose mantle you want to be safe forever:
Saint Hagiel.
All the saints and founders of religious orders have known that “out of silence and prayer grows the form of new life.” Silence is the necessary resting of the soul, just as sleep is necessary for the body. A man without sleep dies… and a soul without silence withers away.
How infinitely wise and caring God is! He has appointed a cherub to be the bearer of silence, a cherub of His Son. The cherubim are bearers of power; the stream of the Power of the Word flows over them in the first fullness. It is a sovereignty of God to allow an angel of the Word, of the power of the Word, to carry silence. Moreover, an angel – not of the Holy Spirit, but of the Son, Who says: “I have not come to earth to bring peace, but a sword.” And yet, silence is also an eternal force. Silence is also a sword that strikes for recovery. An order that can no longer remain silent has lost its eternal goal; even the most charitable members of the order must be able to remain silent.
“And Mary kept the words silent in Her Heart.” Mary is the Queen of Angels. Thus the great, silent angel, under his wide, blue mantle, which is so large that it seems to envelop the entire blue heavens together with mankind, bears on his breast, carefully protected with his two hands, the symbol of Mary’s Heart, pierced by the sword, the symbol of silent, sacrificial, holy love. She was the greatest disciple of silence and the holiest creature. In this power of silence She becomes the Strong Woman, the organised army of war, the Help of All Christians.
So too, in the power of silence, the Cherub, Saint Hagiel, will raise his trumpet at the end of days and the last trumpet blast will emanate from the Angel of Silence, tearing open the heavens. Even now, he is the silent guardian of all those who pray. He is the guide to all security in God. He is the shining bringer [of souls] home to the Heavenly Father’s House. Even now, the stream of power flows through him to the angels of power: the angel of the divine Come! and the angel of worship from the depths.
The brothers of Saint Hagiel – they are always united in threes as a reflection of the Triune God – are Saint Chesed, who carries the mild, benevolent will of the Father to help and forgive, – and Saint Zaphkiel, Descent of God, the angel of the places of purification.
Prayer: Lord and God, let Your Angel of Silence, Saint Hagiel, dwell with us, so that we may become inwardly silent, that we may gladly contemplate in silence, looking into eternity’s vastness, that we may learn to hear You, keep Your words and find You in silent, sacrificial, holy love. Amen.