| IV. Choir | 14 August |
|---|---|
| Bearer of God’s love as grace | Vigil of the Assumption of Mary |
We know that the nine choirs of holy angels are divided into three rings (or ternaries). Together they form a wise symbol of the structure of the House of God, namely, the entire creation, in such a way that the three lowest choirs, as the Ring of the Incarnation, form the floor of this house, the firm foundation from which the Cross of Victory and Redemption rises.
The three highest choirs of holy angels form the roof or crown; and the three middle choirs provide four of their strongest, most powerful angels from each third, who, standing on top of each other, form the four corner pillars between the floor and the roof, which are perhaps the largest distinctive group within the angelic choirs.
There are four pillars consisting of angels:
- the pillar of God’s holiness,
- the pillar of God’s justice,
- the pillar of God’s wisdom, and
- the pillar of God’s omnipotence.
With their highest angels, they already rise into the Ring of Worship and stand with their lowest angels in the Ring of the Incarnation. In each pillar there are nine angels standing one above the other:
- three from the Choir of Dominions,
- three from the Choir of Powers, and
- three from the Choir of Principalities,
always one from each of the three thirds of each choir.
Thus there are nine times four angels in all, and each group of four has a very special characteristic. This is most noticeable in the second highest and second lowest groups of angels of the corner pillars, as if a spiritual architecture were connected with them:
- The second-highest group—from the Sealed Dominions—are those four sealed in the love of God who carry life, wisdom, power, and the call of God into creation, who are also known as The Four Winds, The Four Waters, The Four Spirits, and The Four Flames.
- The second lowest group—from the Sealed Princes—carries four seals, four words according to which mankind will be judged, and they are also known as the Prince of Storms, the Prince of Water, the Prince of Matter, and the Prince of Fire.
Today,
Saint Saddim,
who is also known as The Four Waters and carries the love of God as wisdom… as a bound, silent secret… stands before the Throne of God, from the uppermost capital of this corner pillar.
Saint Saddim is an angel of love. The divine duality is reflected in him in heavenly light, for he stands for the divine mystery of silent, loving wisdom as well as for the wisdom underlying the symbol of flowing, rushing water as the life of creation. He stands here both for water as the life of creation in all four directions and for the water of eternal life.
He stands here for the omniscience of God as an eye over all creation, and for sanctified human wisdom as a response to the Creator.
He carries a banner: “Wonderful are your ways, O Lord, and great is the wisdom of your deeds.” But this banner is like a body of water, moving in waves and sparkling in a thousand colors in the sunlight of God’s love. He bears the seal like two large tears above his deep and wonderfully clear eyes, incomprehensible to us, just as the loving wisdom of God in this closeness to God is no longer comprehensible to us.
Prayer: Great Angel, Saint Saddim, the wisdom of God who created you and keeps you bound is as unfathomable as your mirror-clear eyes. May it be our nourishment and our light. Pray for us that we may draw from this wisdom. Amen.