| IV. Choir | 12 August |
|---|---|
| Angel of the vow of obedience | Clare of Assisi |
The four mighty corner pillars at the ends of creation symbolize the stability of the structure of creation in all four directions. But they also symbolize the four great divine directions of the essences of God, which radiate throughout all creation in all directions:
- the holiness of God,
- the wisdom of God,
- the omnipotence of God, and
- the justice of God.
In these four great Corner Pillars of all the essences of God, which radiate from the love of God and flow back into the love of God, all the other attributes of God are included:
- the eternity and immutability of God,
- the omniscience and truth of God,
- the omnipresence and faithfulness of God, and
- the mercy and long-suffering of God,
and many, infinitely many, other essences that we can recognize in the mirror of the holy angels.
The four Corner Pillars, which—formed by the angels—connect heaven with earth, have their foundation in the one angel: Mary, who, as the angel of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, receives all four streams of the divine essences within herself and radiates them over the whole Church as the Bride of Christ and is the angel of the whole Corpus Christi Mysticum.
The Corner Pillars have their crown in the Ring of Adoration in the four highest angels of the pillars, which form the connection between the first Ring of Adoration and the second Ring of God’s Order and Omnipotence and formally form the base of the first ring.
The Corner Pillar, Holy God, extends above the Angel of Divine Measure, above the bearer of the holy vow of purity, and the angels of the Holy Church, and down to Saint Sadiel, the Archangel-Prince.
The Corner Pillar, Wise God, extends above the angels of Divine Wisdom and Truth, above the bearer of the holy vow of poverty, and the Angel of Hope, and down to Saint Gabriel, the Archangel-Prince.
The Corner Pillar, Almighty God, extends above the Angel of God’s Power, the bearer of the vow of fidelity, the angels of faith and courage of confession, and down to Saint Michael, the Archangel-Prince.
Finally, the Corner Pillar, Just God, extends above the Angel of the Call of Divine Love, the bearer of the holy vow of obedience, the Angel of Contradiction, and down to Saint Raphael, the Archangel-Prince.
All four archangel-princes stand above the Angel, Mary.
Saint Jephtha,
the angel from the Choir of the Dominions of Lower Power, stands before God’s Throne today. He carries the vow of man’s bond to God in the promise of obedience. He stands between two flame bearers and is thus showered with fire from above and below: above him stands the angel who carries the flaming call of God’s love to mankind; below him stands the angel who carries the bound love of the Triune God, the bound power of God’s love for mankind. Saint Jephtha himself carries all his inner fire upward with his fiery wings.
He wears the white band of the servant on his forehead: the sign of obedience and of the creature’s voluntary, vowed bond to the Creator. The holy angels are completely anchored in God. They can no longer sin since they chose God in the unique test that had eternal value at this created height. This is the reward of the angels who are faithful to God, included in the visio beatifica: never to be able to sin again. They have responded to this truly God-worthy reward with their voluntary courage to serve. Since then, no angel calls himself “son” or “lord,” as they were called in the past, but they always call themselves “servant” (see Rev. 22:9), as the angel says to John: “I am only a fellow servant with you and your brothers, the prophets.”
Thus, this outward symbol of voluntary submission, which the angel bears, is a symbol for mankind, for which Saint Jephtha stands here. And this is how holy obedience should be, as God shows us today:
- full of the inner fervor of love, so that it itself becomes a burning, loving obedience;
- winged, to carry out the word with lightning speed;
- with the headband of submission, always clearly aware of its position as a servant in clear humility;
- awake through the wake-up call from above, from Heaven, and thus alert and attentive to the soul;
- illuminated by the love of God, which comes from below, from the humiliation of God in the Most Holy Bread, and takes us back into the love of the Triune God.
Prayer: Again and again, Lord and God, you set before us shining examples in your holy angels, who show us the meaning of our lives and the glorious goal. Grant us, O Lord, the grace not only to understand these holy angels correctly, but also to follow their admonitions. Through this angel, Saint Jephtha, grant us the grace of winged, holy obedience, nourished daily by the Most Holy Eucharist and driven by our guardian angels for your glory and your pleasure. Amen.