| Choir VI | 28 September |
|---|---|
| Prince of the night, of sleep | St Wenceslaus, St Lioba |
At times the menacing might of the demonic world rises so high that even the image of the holy angel, our intercessor before God’s Throne, is lit up by it. And it will not do to wipe this glow away: God wills that we should come to know this angel in his task as well, and assure ourselves of his help.
Every one of us knows that the night is a favourite time of attack for the Evil One. Do we not speak of “riff-raff who shun the light,” and say that whoever does right need not shun “the light”? So, whoever does wrong seeks the darkness. Most burglaries and crimes take place at night; at night holy innocence is stolen, secret sin is committed and black magic flourishes. Against this evil God has appointed a helper for us. It is
Saint Orphar,
the Sealed Prince. The Choir of Principalities is entrusted with the administration of material creation. Besides this, it also has ideal tasks, which extend over the whole Ring of Redemption. There are 24 High Princes, with the 7 Archangel-Princes in their midst. And there are 4 and 12 and 7 Sealed Princes, and one more. The Silent Princes seldom call themselves by name; they are the guardian angels of the Holy Church and of the earth, of dioceses and religious communities; they serve in hiddenness.
Of the 24 Sealed Princes, the four strongest are the corner pillars: the Prince of the Storm, the Prince of Water, the Prince of Fire and the Prince of Matter. Then there are twelve entrusted with the administration of all material entities: lime and pebble, salt and oil, wood and metal, and so on. One stands in the centre: Saint Eliazim, the Prince of Grace. Then there are seven more; they are princes (administrators) of the seasons of the year and the times of the day.
Saint Orphar belongs to these seven. He calls himself “The Reclining One.” He is the prince of rest, but also of prayer by night, the prayer of rest. He is the servant whom the Lord finds ready at every hour. He is the one who drives away the wicked enemy who sows tares by night. He is the angel of self-discipline. He derives his strength from the stream of life by way of the Thrones—namely, from that Throne which pours bundled order and lawfulness into the form willed by God.
But he is also the one who, lying symbolically flat on the ground, listens for the adversary, and no scheme of the Evil One escapes him. Above all, he fights against the demons of weakness of will that work in men; against the demons of earthly “wisdom,” of falsehood and calculation, of concealment and cowardice, of lying, of suspicion and mistrust, of secret sins of the flesh, of cold-heartedness and lovelessness. He bestows upon mankind the peace of feeling secure in God, but also an alert conscience and strength of will, and the joy of nocturnal adoration as atonement for those who use the night for sin.
Prayer: Lord, let us be kept watchful by Thy great Angel, Saint Orphar, when the wicked enemy plots against us; but through him give us also the rest that the world has utterly lost: the rest of prayer, of contemplation… rest in God. Amen.