| IV. Choir | 27 August |
|---|---|
| Corner Pillar “Almighty God” | Gebhard, Joseph Calasanctius |
On each day of the Church year, there is not just one angel praying for us, but several. One is usually clearly recognisable, while the others can no longer be clearly perceived by frail, half-blind man. Thus, in the first year that this calendar was written, the angel who was particularly necessary for that year and that day was usually clearly visible every day. In the second year of being allowed to look into the wonderful world of the holy angels, the Merciful God usually revealed two, and later even three angels, and so it came about that a later revision of the first calendar also left a place in the monthly calendar for these angels who appeared later.
Today we can see one of the four Corner Pillars,
Saint Nezach,
the Corner Pillar, Almighty God, the third of the four Corner Pillars, whose heads already protrude into the uppermost Ring of Worship. They are known as crowns not only because they wear the most beautiful crowns of all angels through the glorious names of God’s attributes, but also because they are the highest angels of those four great corner pillars which (spiritually) represent the House of God, creation.
Standing at the four ends of creation, they rest on the Ring of Incarnation and Redemption as the foundation of creation, and with their heads they carry the uppermost Ring of Worship as the roof of creation. Around them, at the top, are the heavens of the saved and blessed; in the middle, the Corner Pillars of the Powers bear the strongest tension and contrast: God-creature.
The lowest of the four Corner Pillars mark the place of the Last Judgment for the people of earth and stand together on a single angel from the Choir of the Virtues of the Church, the Angel Mary.
The entire power of the Holy Church is gathered in the Corner Pillar, Holy God.
In the Corner Pillar, Wise God, rests the virtue of holy poverty, wisdom, and hope.
In the Corner Pillar, Just God, God’s love and justice flow down to earth, and the loving obedience of creatures rises upward.
Saint Nezach, the Corner Pillar, Almighty God, carries within himself all the power of faith and fidelity. He stands in a golden light before God’s Throne and holds, in his outstretched hands, the Word of God: “I am Who Am.” In this, God spreads His omnipotence and greatness over creation, His immutability and His faithfulness. In the depths above the earth, Saint Michael stands in this Corner Pillar with shield and sword to save mankind.
Prayer: Let us never forget Your faithfulness, O Lord. Give us the strength to be courageous and to confess You, even in everyday life, for it is through everyday life that we earn our place in Heaven on Sunday. Amen.