| IX. Choir | 20 February |
|---|---|
| Angel of women | St Isabella |
A friend of God might dare to say that God expects a lot from man.
On this day, an angel stands before the eyes of God; he stands in the midst of another mighty angel.
This other mighty one is the centre of all angels: Saint Sederim, the angel of God’s opposites, who in one hand carries the seal of the Eternal Judge’s last word to damned humanity, Depart!, and in the other hand the seal of the last word to the friends of God, to redeemed humanity, Come! Surrounding this mightiest of all powers are, on one side, all the angels of vengeance, who avenge the sins of humanity, the insults to God. In the centre, however, in the heart region of Saint Sederim, you can see an angel glowing all over, and through and through, like iron that the blacksmith has placed in the forge.
This angel – O man, bow down low! – is the guardian angel of the foremother of the whole human race, the guardian angel of Eve. He is an angel of the IX choir, adapted to man, destined to begin the intimate relationship between angel and man on earth in great friendship.
But God, who is infinitely wise, and infinitely long-suffering, chose the right angel for this first service.
Saint Hawe
bears the power of Saint Sederim as the power of woman. But he also bears it in opposition, in contradiction to Saint Sederim’s task; he bears the entire tension between the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the earthly and lustful heart of Eve and all the daughters of Eve. He bears Eve’s guilt as well as Mary’s power. He bears all the pains that began with the word of God: ‘In pain you shall bring forth your children.’ These are pains so many and so great that it is as if the world were a great woman giving birth in pain until the end of time. But he also bears the power of Mary, who in the midst of this gigantic world is able to heal and sanctify all pain.
Is it any wonder that this angel glows, he glows in the diversity of pain, but he also glows in the greatness of the mercy of the almighty, supplicating Mother of the Redeemer?
Prayer: Lord and God, give us time to thank You, for a human life is not enough. Let us thank You eternally for the Healer of Sorrows, for our Mother Mary! Amen.