Hierarchy in the Angels, Part 1

I was planning on going through all the choirs of angels in this post but have decided that that is going to take way too long so this will be in multiple parts.  I recently found this site which goes into the nine choirs of angels and so am adding it on now.

Catholic Exchange, the Choirs of angels, part-1

“My daughter, do you want to know why the Angels are Angels – why they have kept themselves beautiful and pure, as they came out of my hands? Because they have always remained in that primary act in which they were created. Therefore, being in that primary act of their existence, they are in that single act of my Will which, not knowing succession of acts, does not change, it neither decreases nor increases, and contains within Itself all possible imaginable goods. And the Angels, keeping themselves in that single act of my Will which issued them to the light, maintain themselves immutable, beautiful and pure. They have lost nothing of their original existence, and all their happiness is in maintaining themselves, voluntarily, in that single act of my Will. They find everything in the circuit of my Will; nor do they want, in order to be happy, anything other than what my Will administers to them. But do you know why there are different choirs of Angels, one superior to the other? There are some which are closer to my Throne - do you know why? Because, to some, my Will manifested one act alone of my Will; to some, two; to some, three; to some, seven; and in each thing pertaining to the additional act which my Will manifested, some were made superior to others, and were rendered more capable and worthy to be close to my Throne. So, the more my Will manifests Itself, and they keep themselves in It, the more they are raised, embellished, made happy and superior to others. See, then, how everything is in my Will, and in their keeping themselves, without ever going out, in that same Will from which they came. And from their greater or lesser knowledge of my Supreme Will are the different choirs of Angels constituted - their distinct beauties, the different offices, and the celestial hierarchy. If you knew what it means to know my Will more, to do one more act in It, to keep oneself and to act in that Will of Mine which one has known, by which the office, the beauty, the superiority of each creature are constituted – oh! how much more would you appreciate the different knowledges I manifested to you about my Will! One more knowledge about my Will raises the soul to such a sublime height, that the very Angels remain stupefied and enraptured, and they confess Me, incessantly:‘Holy, Holy, Holy’. My Will manifests Itself and calls things from nothing, and forms beings. It manifests Itself and embellishes; It manifests Itself and raises the creature higher; It manifests Itself and expands more the Divine Life in the creature; It manifests Itself and forms in her new portents, never before known. So, from the many things I have manifested to you about my Will, you can comprehend what I want to make of you and how I love you, and how your life must be a chain of continuous acts done in my Will. If the creature, like the Angel, never went out of that primary act within which my Will issued her to the light - what order, what portents would not be seen on earth? Therefore, my daughter, never go out of your origin, in which my Will created you, and let your primary act be always my Will.”

Vol. 17, Oct. 20, 1924

I've often contemplated on the Angels and the different choirs.  Below are some of the thoughts
I've put together.  Some are mine, some are from talks by Fr. Robert and some I seem to remember are from the Internet.  My notes are too old and incomplete now for me to tell which is which or where it came from.

There are nine choirs in total further divided into three groups of three each.  The first group of three are the Seraphim, the Cherubim, and the Thrones.

1 The Seraphim

Isaiah 6:1-7

"The Seraphim are Love Angels of the purest love.  They are sometimes referred to as "burning fires of love."  The intensity of their love is so great that it fills all creation in and through God.  They reflect God's goodness, His Absolute Holiness.  Each Seraphim reflects God in a special way, as do all angels.  The Seraphim are angels of the purest and deepest created level of adoration.  The intense love of the Seraphim protects the whole cosmos.  It spills over and guards the entire world as it pours down through the lower Eight Choirs of Angels."

Seraphiel, Jahael, Metatron, Michael

 

Each choir is also associated with the planets and due to their proximity to God the Seraphim are represented by Mercury.

The Seraphim are also associated in more ways, although all choirs share in this, with God the Father, his Will and Love and therefore fire.

'Then He added:  “Upon two crosses do I consume souls – one is of pain, the other is of love.  And just as in Heaven all nine choirs of Angels love Me, though each one has its distinct office – as for example, the special office of the Seraphim is love and their choir is positioned more in the front in order to receive the reverberations of my love; so much so, that my love and theirs, darting through each other, correspond continuously – in the same way, I give to souls on earth their distinct offices:  some I render martyrs of pain, and some of love, as both of them are skillful masters in sacrificing souls and in rendering them worthy of my satisfactions.”'
Vol. 4, March 8, 1901
 

2 The Cherubim

"Voices of Divine Wisdom"  Genesis 3:24, Exodus 25:17-22, 2Chronicles 3:7-14, Ezekiel 10:12-14, 28:14-16, 1Kings 6:23-28, Rev. 4:6-8

"Cherubim are the second highest Choir of Angels in all creation.  The illumination they possess is beyond the human mind to comprehend.  The higher the Choir of Angels, the greater is their wisdom and knowledge of Divine Truth.  Such illumination operates like a beam of light.  The source is God.  Those angels closest to God are able to absorb and possess the greatest intensity of Divine Light.  They, in turn, beam their light to those lesser Choirs of Angels below them in capacity and receptivity.  Only the unfathomable Seraphims contain more capacity to love, more wisdom and knowledge, power and might, humility and graciousness, than the glorious Cherubims.  Is it any wonder that those who encounter an angel of the highest Choirs are temporarily blinded?"

 Ophaniel, Rikbiel, Cherabidi, Raphael, Gaberiel

I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord.
Tobit 12:14-16


The Cherubim likewise are linked to the manifestation of God the Son and therefore wisdom, intellect, light and truth.  Their representative planet is Venus which shines the brightest of them all with the sun's reflected light.

 

3 The Thrones

Colossians 1:16, Rev. 11:16

"The Thrones are the lowest-ranking angels within the highest group of the Nine Choirs.  As Angels of Pure Goodness their primary characteristic is pure humility.  It is their glorious humility that allows God to dispense His Magnificent Favors to creation through the Thrones.  They are named Thrones because the very power of God that emanates to all that is created in the heavens and the cosmos and the earth "rests" upon the Thrones.  All the lower Choirs of Angels are dependent upon the Thrones to access God.  The Thrones are so filled with humility that God, who presides over them, carries out His Divine Justice through them.  God has so ordered His Creation that the wicked are punished by the very actions they perform.  The Thrones, angels of God's justice, see Truth clearly.  They mete out God's Will.  Every cosmic entity, from the smallest submicroscopic speck to the greatest celestial body, depends for its very existence on the power of God.  God is Truth.  The humble Thrones are quite busy dispensing the justice and power of God to the Angelic Court in charge of the cosmos and the earth.  Many of humanity's finest moments have been steeped in the benevolence of the Thrones.  History has been touched also by the justice of the Thrones.  How sad a Guardian Angel must be to have the sorry duty of carrying out an assignment from the Justice of God given through the powerful Thrones.  God has clearly given the angels authority to inflict punishment upon us.  God is slow to anger and warns us always.  Those who access Angel Power are usually able to discern God's Will.  They spare their Guardian Angel much pain.  Those who spare their Guardian Angel pain will be spared."

“Angels of peace and submission, -reside in the area of the cosmos where material form begins to take shape."

The Thrones, as the name implies are the seat of God's justice and power.  It is in direct proportion to the power that they govern that they are therefore also humble before such power.  In the Volumes it talks about how the angels rejoice in the good works of mankind so on the other side I'm sure they must sorrow over the bad as well but they always carry out their office in either regard.  The Thrones are in correspondence with the Holy Spirit.  They represent the heat of his love and are the seat of justice and his manifest virtues.  Earth is the symbol of the Thrones and being that they "reside in the area of the cosmos where material form begins" it makes sense to me that the Earth with all of it's order, beauty and life would represent them.

“The Angels, whether they obtain something or not, always do their office; they do not withdraw from the work entrusted to them by God, of the custody of souls.  Even if they see that, almost in spite of their continuous cares, divergences, industries and assistances, souls are miserably lost, they are always there, at their places.  Nor do they give greater or lesser glory to God if they obtain or do not obtain, because their will is always stable in carrying out the work entrusted to them.  The victim souls are human angels who must repair, impetrate, protect humanity, and whether they obtain or do not obtain, they must not cease their work, unless they were assured about it from on high.”

Vol. 5, October 7, 1903

 

"...since my Throne is composed of virtues, the soul who possesses virtues provides Me with arms and with the Throne to be able to reign in her heart, keeping Me continuously embraced and courted, until I delight with her. "

Vol. 4, June 2, 1902


There is no beauty that equals suffering for God alone.

I felt impressed in my interior by what I had written above, as if it were not according to the truth; so, as soon as I saw blessed Jesus, I said: ‘Lord, what I have written is not right; how can there be all this through mere suffering?’

And He: “My daughter, do not be surprised. Indeed, there is no beauty that equals suffering for the love of God alone. Two arrows come from Me continuously: one from my Heart, which is of love, and wounds all those who are on my lap – that is, those who are in my grace; this arrow wounds, mortifies, heals, afflicts, attracts, reveals, consoles and continues my Passion and Redemption in those who are on my lap. The other comes from my throne, and I entrust it to the Angels who, as my ministers, make this arrow flow over any kind of people, chastising them and exciting all to conversion.” Now, while He was saying this, He shared His pains with me, telling me: “Here in you also, is the continuation of Redemption.”

Vol. 6, Nov. 23, 1903


It seems to me in this first tier of angels that we can see those that most closely resemble God in spirit.  The Seraphim reflect the attribute of the fire of God the Father or his Will which manifests in pure love.  The Cherubim reflect the attribute of the intellect/wisdom of the Son which illumines with the light of truth making it possible for us to understand, in our limited capacity who God is.  The Thrones are the seat of his power and associated with the virtues containing the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  They are the heat from the fire which warms and fecundates.  They correspond to the memory which conserves, renews, numbers and orders all things.

 

Hierarchy in Creation

In one of today's readings it reminded me of the repeated pattern of God in all his works.  There is a Hierarchy, a pattern, which can be found in all things physical and spiritual and even repeated down on smaller and smaller levels or larger as well.  As I understand it, like a fractal, or maybe that's just another example as well.

 

 

⁴ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵ and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; ⁶ and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. ⁷ To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

¹² For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

¹⁴ Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹ If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many members, yet one body. ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; ²⁴ whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, ²⁵ that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. ²⁸ And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

 1 Corinthians 12:4-31

 

 

There's an interconnectedness between everything and everyone that makes us one through the differences even as the body is one.  The offices are different but as long as all is done in virtue of the Divine Will all share in the common reward.

 

 

     “My blessed daughter, every created thing has a distinct office that it occupies, and although the will of all is one, not all however do the same thing, it would not be order, nor virtue of Divine Wisdom, that one created thing might repeat that which the other does, but since one is the Will that dominates them, the glory that one receives, I give the other, because all the substance that they possess and the good and the value with which they are invested, is that they can say:  I am one continuous act of Will of my Creator, glory, honor, virtue more great he could not give me, than to be one single act of Divine Will, so much so that the little blade of grass, with its littleness, the little space that it occupies of the earth, it seems that it does nothing, no one looks at it, and yet, because thus my Will wanted it, nor does it seek to do more than that which a blade of grass can do, in order to do my Will equals the glory that the sun gives Me, that rules with so much majesty over the earth, that one can call it continuous miracle of all the Creation.  And since all created things are united between themselves, the sun with all its majesty, with its light kisses and warms, the little blade of grass, the wind caress it, the water waters it, the earth gives the little spot where to form its little life, and yet what thing does a blade of grass do?  One can say nothing, but since it possess my Will, it will hold its virtue of doing good to the human generations, because having created everything for love, and in order to do good to creatures, all hold a secret virtue to give the good that they possess.

     “You see therefore that everything is in doing my Will, to never go out from his Divine and interminable enclosures; already with doing my Will, although it seems that one does nothing, it is not true, already one finds oneself together with the Divine work and one can say:  that which God does, I do.  And to you it seems little?  God does everything and the soul takes part in everything.  So that it is not the diversity of the actions or of the offices that the creature can say that she does great things, but my Will that confirms, annuls them, puts them in the Divine order and puts there his image, as seal of his works.

     “In regards to the diversity of offices and of action instead it is order, harmony of my infinite Wisdom, also in Heaven there is diversity of choirs of Angels, diversity of Saints, one is martyr, one is virgin, one is confessor.  Upon the earth my providence maintains so many diverse offices, one is king, one is judge, one priest, one is people, one commands, one is under, if everyone might do one single office, what would be of the earth?  A complete disorder.  Oh!  If everyone might understand that only my Divine Will knows how to do great things, and although they might be little and insignificant, oh, how content everyone would be, and each one would love the little spot, the office in which God has put her, but since they let themselves be controlled by the human volition, they would like to give of themselves, to make great actions, that they can not do, therefore they are always discontent with the conditions or posts in which the Divine Providence has put them for their good.  Therefore content yourself to do the little united with my Will, and not the great without Him, more so than being immense you will find yourself in all his acts, and you will find yourself in his love, in his power, in his works, in a way that you can not do anything without Him, and He can not do anything without you.  Behold therefore that with living in my Volition such prodigies race together that it gives of the incredible, the nothing of the creature in the power of the all, the nothing in prey of a Will that can do everything.  What thing wouldn’t this nothing do?  She will do works worthy of a Supreme Fiat.  Hence the most beautiful act, most solemn, most pleasant for Us is the nothing of the creature, giving us freely in order to let us do that which we want.”

Vol. 33, Oct. 4, 1935


His lessons are all right before us, broadly displayed in the universe.  The harmony of the spheres that composers glimpsed, the uniqueness or certain souls, the difference between the creature acting in the Divine Will verses the creature acting under grace are all visible in his Creation.

 

“My daughter, all the Creation symbolizes God, the order of the diversity of the Saints and of souls.  His harmony, the union that all the Creation possesses, the order, the inseparability, it symbolizes the Celestial Hierarchy with its Creator at (the) Head.  Look (at) the Sky that extends itself everywhere and holds under its azure vault all created things, reigning over everyone, in a way that no one can escape from its sight and from its empire; oh, how it symbolizes God, who extends his dominion everywhere and no one can escape from his sight!  This Sky while it contains all, one sees however a great diversity in created things, some are as immediate to the Sky, and they are the stars, that although from the base they appear little, beyond they are so very great and with such variety of colors and beauty, and they have a symphony in their dizzying course with all the Creation, as to form one of the most beautiful musics, their motion sounds so sweet and vibrating as to not be able to compare to any of the most beautiful musics of down here.  These Stars it seems that they live of the Sky, they are so identified with It, symbol of the souls that will live of the Divine Will:  they will be so very immediate and identified with God, as to receive all the varieties of the Divine qualities and to live of them in a way as to form the most beautiful ornament to Heaven of their Creator.  My daughter look still:  under this Sky, but as detached from it, between the Sky and the earth one sees the Sun, star put forth to the benefit of the earth; its light descends into the base and elevates itself on high as if it might want to embrace Heaven and earth, hence one can say that its light touching the Sky it lives of Sky, symbol of those souls chosen by God in order to make graces descend from Heaven, and to make them descend upon the earth in order to recall them to live in the Divine Will, and the first one is my Celestial Mama, unique as the Sun, who stretches forth her wings of light, and this light raises itself on high, descends into the baseness, in order to reunite God and man, in order to reconcile him and to conduct him through means of her light to her Creator:  the stars it seems that they live by themselves, united with the Divine Sky, instead the Sun lives of God but gives itself to everyone, and its mission is to do good to everyone; such is the Sovereign Queen, but this Sun won’t be alone, so many other little suns will arise that will draw light from this great Sun, and they will be those few ones that will have for mission to make my Divine Will known.  Whence the baseness of the earth, the sea, the plants, the flowers, the trees, the mountains, the forests in bloom, they symbolize the Saints, the good souls and all those that enter in the door of salvation.  But see the great difference:  the Sky, the stars, the Sun don’t have need of the earth, rather they give much to the earth, they give life to it, they sustain it; not only, but all things created by us that are in the heights are always at their post, they never change, nor do they increase nor do they decrease, because they have such fullness that they don’t need anything.  Instead the earth, the plants, the sea and so on, they change, now they take on a beautiful appearance and now they arrive to disappear entirely; they have need of everything, of water, of light, of heat, of seed in order to reproduce.  What difference, created things that are in the heights can give and they need God alone in order to be conserved; instead the earth not only has need of God but of everything, and if the human hand might not work it, it would remain sterile, without making any great good.  Such is the difference; one who lives in my Will feels only the need of God in order to live her life, instead one who doesn’t have His life for beginning goes begging support and help from everyone, and when she doesn’t find them she remains as earth, that doesn’t know how to produce anything great of good.  Therefore let your life and the beginning of all your acts be my Divine Will alone, if you want to feel only the need of your Jesus, you will always find me ready, I more desirous to give you him than you to receive him; instead the helps of creatures become given hardly and unwillingly, so much so that one who receives them feels the bitterness of the help that becomes given by the creature.  Instead my helps bring joy and happiness.”

Vol. 29, March 16, 1931

The Triumph of the Queen

Well I began today wanting to continue on the topic of the Creation and the hierarchy of God displayed within it and echoed on the spiritual level as well in the Redemption and Sanctification and the Choirs of the Angels too.  But in my study it seems that Jesus wants this one placed today.  There is so much in this reading; the desire of God to have the creature able to love with equal love, the elevation of the creature living in the Divine Will to the likeness of her Creator, the reason behind the greatness of Mary, the renewed pattern of the hierarchy of God endowed to the Queen manifest in the children of God living in the Divine Will (i.e. her triumph.)  I think this one by itself is more than enough to chew on.

     “Daughter of my Will, do not fear; (for) one who lives in him there is (the) highest accord in love.  Possessing his life in the creature, he duplicates his love: when he wants to love, he loves in himself and loves inside of the soul, because he possesses the life of her.

                “In my Volition love is in highest accord; the joys, the felicity of pure love, are in full vigor.

                “Our paternal goodness is so much for one who lives in our Volition, that we number the breaths, the heartbeats, the thoughts, the words, the movements, in order to exchange them with ours and to fill them all with love; and in our emphasis of love we say to them:  ‘She loves us, and we must love her’; and while we love her we make such a show of gifts and graces as to make heaven and earth dumbfounded.

                “We did this with our Queen, we showed off so much.  But do you know what this means our showing off?  We look at ourselves, and we want to give that which we are and that which we possess.  Dissimilarity would put us in pain, and the creature, seeing itself dissimilar from us, (there) would not be with us that trust of a daughter and that command of when one possesses the same goods, the same gifts.  This disparity would be an obstacle to forming only one life and to loving us with one love alone; while the living in our Divine Volition is just this, one Will alone, one love alone, common goods; and all that which could be missing from the creature we give of our own in order to supply everything for her and to be able to say:  ‘That which we want, she wants; our love and hers is one alone, and as we love her she loves us.’

                “My daughter, the force would be lacking to not elevate the creature to the level of our likeness and to make her possess our goods because she lives in our Will.  So very true (is this), that my Celestial Mother, since she lived, she possessed the life of my Divine Fiat, we love each other with one love alone, we love souls with a twin love.

                “And our love is so much for her that, as we hold the hierarchy of the angels in heaven, the diversity of the orders of the saints, with her being the Celestial Empress the heiress of the great inheritance of our Will, when this Kingdom will be formed on earth, the great Lady will call her children to possess her inheritance, and we will give the great glory to them to have them form the new hierarchy, similar to the nine choirs of the angels; so that it will have the choir of the seraphim, of the cherubim, and so on, as it will also form the order of the saints (that) lived in her inheritance; and after that (having) fully formed them on earth, she will transport them to heaven, surrounding herself with the new hierarchy, regenerated in the Divine Fiat, in her own love lived in her inheritance.

                “This will be the conclusion of the work of creation, our ‘consumatum est’, because we will have had the Kingdom of our Volition in creatures, in virtue of the Celestial Heiress, who wanted to give (her) life for each in order to make him reign.  And oh, how we will remain glorified, felicitated, because the Sovereign Lady holds her hierarchy as we hold ours; much more so ours will be hers and hers ours, because all that which one does in our Volition is inseparable.

                “If you might know how much this Celestial Queen loves souls!

                “She, faithful copy of her Creator, looks in herself and finds his seas of love, of grace, of sanctity, of beauty, of light; she looks at creatures, and wants to give all herself with all her seas, so that they might possess the Mama with all her riches.  To see the children poor, while the Mother is so rich, and only because they don’t live in the inheritance of the Mother, is a sorrow.  She would like to see them in her seas of love, that they might love their Creator as she loves him, hidden in his sanctity, adorned with his beauty, full of his grace; and not seeing them, if she had not been in the state of glory, where sufferings have no place, for pure sorrow she would have died for each creature that did not live in the Divine Volition.

                “Therefore, she prays incessantly; she puts into prayer all her seas, in order to implore that the Divine Will be done as in heaven so on earth.

                “Her love is so much that, in virtue of our Volition, she bilocates herself into each creature in order to prepare the interior of their souls, she places them side by side to her maternal Heart, she embraces them between her arms, in order to dispose them to receive the life of the Supreme Fiat, and oh, how she prays in each heart (to) our adorable majesty, saying to us:  ‘Do it quickly: my love can no longer contain itself; I want to see my children living together with me in that same Divine Will that forms all my glory, my riches, my great inheritance.  Entrust yourselves to me, and I will know how to defend so many children in as much as your own Will which is also mine.’

                “The love of this Celestial Queen and Mother it is unsurpassable, and only in heaven will they know how much she loves creatures and what she has done for them; and her most exuberant, magnanimous and greatest act is wanting that they might possess the Kingdom of my Volition as she possessed it herself; and oh, what this Celestial Lady would do in order to obtain the intent!  You also, unite yourself with her and pray for a purpose so holy.”

Fiat!!!

Vol. 35, Aug 9, 1937

Divine Exposition

I wanted to return to the idea of God in Creation and in yesterday's mass and the priest's homily I seemed to see a connection to this.

Yesterday the priest was speaking of the three celebrated Epiphanies of the Lord.  This was in conjunction with the gospel reading.  The three are the Visit of the Magi where Jesus manifests himself to the Gentiles.  The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordon is the second in which he manifests himself to the world as the Son of God.  The third as found in yesterdays gospel is the wedding of Cana in which Jesus again manifests himself in the beginning of his public ministry.

1	On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;
2	Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples.
3	When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."
4	And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come."
5	His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
6	Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
7	Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim.
8	He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast." So they took it.
9	When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom
10	and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now."
11	This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

John 2:1-11

These Epiphanies, or manifestations, point towards the Divinity in the Humanity of Jesus.  They point toward God in the work of redemption.  These three were expositions of Jesus' divinity but there are other expositions of God in his Creation which we have with us on a daily basis but who is it that acknowledges them.

“My daughter, for you there is no need to expose [the Blessed Sacrament], because for whoever does My Will, It has the greatest and most continuous exposition in all of creation.  Actually, every created thing, because it is animated by It, forms as many expositions for as many things as exist.  What forms My Divine Life in the Eucharist?  My Will.  If the Sacramental Host were not animated by My Supreme Will, Divine Life would not exist within it; it would be a simple white host not meriting the adoration of the faithful.

“Now, My daughter, My Will has Its exposition in the sun, and just as My Will is veiled in the Hosts, hiding My Life, so It has the veils of light in the sun which hide My Life.  Yet who is it that genuflects, who sends an act of adoration, who says a ‘Thank You’ to My Will exposed in the sun?  No one - what ingratitude!  But even with all that It is not inhibited, It is always stable in doing good within Its veils of light.  It follows man’s steps, empowering his actions; whichever way he takes It’s light is to be found in front of and behind him, carrying him in triumph, carrying him in Its womb of light to do him good It is disposed to do him good and to give him light, even when he does not want it.

“Oh Will of Mine, how invincible, lovable, admirable, and unchanging in good, untiring without ever retreating [You are]!  Do you see the great difference between the exposition of the Eucharist and the continuous act of exposition which My Will has in all created things?  In the exposition of the Eucharist man must be bothered - he must go, draw near, dispose himself to receive the good; otherwise he receives nothing.  On the other hand in the exposition of My Will in created things It goes Itself to man to eliminate his bother, and in spite of the fact that he is not even disposed, My Will is very free and drowns man with Its goods.  But there is no one who adores My Eternal Will and all It’s expositions.

“The sun, symbol of the Eucharist, gives its light, its heat, its innumerable goods, but always in silence, it never says a word, never chastises, in spite of the many horrendous evils it sees.  In the sea, however, under the veils of the water, It gives Its exposition in a different way.  It speaks as It forms Its whisperings in the veils of the water, It strikes fear in the tumultuous breakers and in [the sea’s] rumbling waves.  If It overwhelms boats and people, It can bury them in the depths of the sea without anyone being able to resist.  My Will in the sea makes an exposition of Its Power and speaks in the whisperings, speaks in the breakers, speaks in the highest waves, calling man to love It and fear It, and seeing Itself not listened to makes an exposition of the Divine Justice, changing those veils into storms which unfurl unavoidably against man.

“Oh!  If the creatures paid attention to all the expositions which My Will makes in all of creation, they would need to stay always in an act of adoration to adore My Will exposed in the flowered fields with its radiant scents, in the loaded fruit trees with their variety of sweet flavors.  There is no created thing which does not have its special Divine exposition, and because the creatures do not bestow the honors upon [My Will in creation] as they should, it’s up to you to maintain perpetual adoration in the exposition that the Supreme Fiat has in all of creation.  My daughter, let it be you who offers herself as a perpetual adorer of this Will, for now It is absent of adorers and receives no exchange of love on the part of the creature.

Vol. 21, Feb. 26, 1921

It always amazes me that atheists can seem to be blind to the presence of God when surrounded by such magnificence and harmony in the Creation.  But I must also confess that I too can be so wrapped up in my own little existence that I too miss the opportunity to see truly the expression of God all around me.

The Fruitful Land

In today's first reading at mass I saw in the passage a glimpse of God's creature not only redeemed but sanctified and justified.  Jerusalem, the image of God's chosen spouse becomes his delight again.  God works tirelessly to win us back to him and vindicate us, taking us into a covenant of marriage.  We are the land and we become fruitful once again.

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
and her salvation like a burning torch.
² The nations shall see your vindication,
and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.
³ You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
⁴ You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
    and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
    and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
⁵ For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.
Isaiah 62:1-5

The land and earth are common images of the creature.  The name Adam means red/fair earth.  An even clearer example is found in the book The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will where she speaks of her birth.

'Child of my Heart, my birth was prodigious; no other birth can be said to be similar to mine.  I enclosed within Myself the Heaven, the Sun of the Divine Will, and also the earth of my humanity - but a blessed and holy earth, which enclosed the most beautiful flowerings.  And even though I was just newly born, I enclosed the prodigy of the greatest prodigies:  the Divine Will reigning in Me, which enclosed in Me a Heaven more beautiful, a Sun more refulgent than those of Creation, of which I was also Queen, as well as a sea of graces without boundaries, which constantly murmured:  “Love, love to my Creator.” '

The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will, Day 10

Mary was immaculate from the moment of her conception not containing the stain of original sin and therefore it's effects.  Because of this all her acts were holy and fruitful animated by the Divine Will as her human will was kept sacrificed to God.  These are the types of fruitful acts that we were created to do and because of original sin and it's effects we are then prevented from doing them so.

"You must know that I knew my human will only to keep it sacrificed in homage to my Creator.  My life was all of Divine Will; from the first instant of my Conception, I was molded, warmed and placed into Its light, which purified my human seed with Its power, in such a way that I was conceived without original sin.  Therefore, if my Conception was spotless and so glorious as to form the honor of the Divine Family, it was only because the Omnipotent Fiat poured Itself upon my seed, and I was conceived pure and holy.  So, if the Divine Will had not poured Itself upon my seed more than a tender mother, in order to prevent the effects of original sin, I would have encountered the sad destiny of the other creatures, of being conceived with original sin.  Therefore, the primary cause was, entirely, the Divine Will; to It be honor, glory, thanksgiving, for my having been conceived without original sin.

In the Our Father one line is often translated, "...on earth, as it is in Heaven."   If one looks at the King James Bible and in some other christian religions and languages that line is instead translated "...in earth, as it is in Heaven."  It's such a small word that it can be overlooked yet it has significant meaning.  We, ourselves, are the earth that Jesus is referring to in the prayer of the Our Father.  He is praying that his Kingdom will reign in the earth of each creature and in that way it will then become manifest upon the earth as well.

It is in allowing God permission to reestablish his Kingdom in us by giving him our will so that his might reign that we become fruitful again with our acts pleasing to God.  This also is the marriage of the creature to her "builder," God.  God can not live and reign in a divided kingdom but only in one where one Will reigns.  When this happens it is as marrying the creature and the permanent indwelling of God in his creature then occurs bringing with him all his manifold effects.

"My child, listen to Me:  look for nothing else, if you want to have everything in your power, and give Me the contentment of being able to make of you my true child, and child of the Divine Will.  Then will I take on the commitment of forming the marriage between you and the Fiat; and acting as your true Mother, I will bind the marriage by giving you the very Life of my Son as dowry, and my Maternity and all my virtues as gift."

The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will, Day 25

 

God in Creation

I awhile ago I worked with someone who had told me that he didn't consider himself religious, didn't go to church but felt he found God when he spent time in nature and in the woods.  I remembered that through the years and have often found God in creation myself.  It's in the volumes that I found the confirmation for this and even a greater meaning behind it.

“My daughter, look at the creation:  the sky, the countless stars, the sun, the wind, the sea, the flowered fields, the peaks and the valleys - they are all rooms which I formed, and in each room I formed My court so that I could live there.  This I did so as to give man the easy possibility of wherever he wanted to come he could find his God.  I made it easy to find [God] immediately, and everywhere.  And God placed Himself in each room in an act of waiting for him, [and] left all the rooms open so man wouldn’t have to bother with knocking, but thus could enter freely as often as he wanted; God was ready to receive him.

“The Creator of heaven and earth didn’t place Himself in one single place, but everywhere, so that man could find Him everywhere.  He placed these rooms very close together to form many shortcuts, because there must not be any distance between Creator and creature, but closeness and communion.  So all these rooms were and are relations, ties, and ways between God and man.

“But who was to have maintained these relations active, who was to have consolidated these ties, ordered the ways, and opened the doors?  Our Will reigning in the soul was to have had this responsibility so important in maintaining the order of creation just as we put it forth.  When man withdrew from the Divine Fiat, the relations were no longer active, the ties were undone, the paths barricaded, and the doors closed.  [Man] lost his dear inheritance, remaining stripped of all goods, and each step was a loose shoestring between his feet which made him fall.  Not doing Our Will he lost everything, and there was no good which remained.  By doing It he acquires everything; there is no good that is not restored to him.

“What did the Paternal goodness of the Creator not do in creation for love of man?  Not only did He form many rooms but they were different one from another so that He could be found in many different ways, by [man] whom He loved.  In the sun He let Himself be found invested in light, all majesty, burning with love, waiting for man to give him His light, to make Himself understood, [and] to give him His love so that man, entering into this room to find his God, would himself become light and love.  In the sea He let Himself be found as the strong God to give man strength.  In the wind He let Himself be found ruling and dominating so as to give man rule and dominion.  In other words, in each created thing God was waiting for man so that He could make him participate in all of His qualities.”

Vol. 21, May, 26, 1927


Each aspect in the Creation contains a specific attribute of God made manifest for the purpose of teaching man about God.  Each created thing is as a book which when we study brings us further knowledge of God and therefore closer to Him and not only that but this is designed so that we might possess these attributes in ourselves in order to make us more like our Heavenly Father.  In the Divine Will we can enter these rooms, learn and grow, and then return to God all that he has given us in each room for ourselves and all people and generations.

“Besides that, all Our Divine qualities are spread out in creation, and each created thing occupies an office of Our Attributes.  One is a child of Our Power, another of Justice, another of Light, another of Peace, another of Goodness - each created thing is a child of one of Our Attributes.  So when you bring Me all of creation, you are the bearer of My happiness which is scattered in it, and I recognize My child of the light, of the sun, and my child of justice.  In the sea I recognize the child of the surging wind, and the child of peace in the flowering earth.  In other words I recognize each part of My Attributes in all created things, and I rejoice in recognizing My children which the little daughter of My Volition brings to Me.  I do just as that father who has many children and each one of them occupies an office of love ‑ one is prince, one is judge, one is a representative, one is a senator, one is a governor.  The father feels happier as he recognizes each of these offices in the very fruit of his loins, and the honored nobility of his own children.

“All things were created to flow before and delight the children of the Supreme Fiat, and as I see you bring back to Us Our works We recognize in you Our design; and oh, how We rejoice seeing you make your rounds to gather together all Our works to again give Us Our joy which is dispersed in all of creation.  So let your flight in My Will be continuous.”

Vol. 21, Feb. 3, 1927


"...Such is our Divinity, we have extended our Paternity in an infinite way in all the Creation, as Father we are all eyes over our children, so that they lack nothing, our arms feel the extreme need of love of pressing her to our bosom in order to give her love and to receive love, and when we see the creature who races to us, wants our embraces, oh, how happy we feel that our Paternity is recognized and can develop the office of Father for our children!  Our generation is almost innumerable, and yet few children surround us, all the others are distant from us, distant with heart, with will, far from our likeness, and in our sorrow in seeing few children around us we say:  ‘And our other children where are they?  How (is it that) they don’t feel the need to have a Celestial Father, to receive our Paternal caresses, to possess our goods?’  Therefore be attentive, recognize our goods, our works, and you will feel our Paternity in the Sky bombarded with stars, that calls you daughter in their gentle twinkling and attests to you of the love of your Father.  Our Paternity extends itself in the Sun, that with its vibrant light calls you daughter and says to you:  ‘Recognize in my light the great gift of your Father, that loves you so much, that he wants that you be the possessor of this light.’  Our Paternity extends itself everywhere, in the water that you drink, in the food that you take, in the varieties of beauties of all nature, [our works] have a common voice, that all call you daughter of the great Celestial Father, and as his daughter they want to be possessed by you.  Now what would be our contentment, if in all things created by us, to our tender voice (that) calls you daughter, we might hear your voice that might call us Father, and might say to us:  ‘This is gift of my Father, oh, how he loves me!  And I want to love him a great, great deal.’”
Vol. 29, June 23, 1921


Each created thing is as a book, full of the knowledge of the Divine Will, of God himself.  And the interior of the creature is to be a great volume, a mirror of all the Creation and the Redemption and of Sanctification.  He desires that we be full and complete.

“My daughter, one who does my Will and lives in Him forms in her soul the book of the Divine Fiat, but this book must be full, no void, or else some (partially) written page; if it is not full she will immediately finish reading it, and not having that to read she will occupy herself with other, and hence the life of my Divine Will will be interrupted and as broken in the creature. Instead if she is full, she will always hold (something) to read, and if it seems that she finishes, I will add on other pages more sublime, in order to make that she never lacks the life, the always new knowledge and the substantial food of my Divine Volition.  So that the interior must be as so many pages in order to form this book, pages the intelligence, pages the will and the memory, page the desire, the affection, the heartbeat, page the word that must know how to repeat that which has been read, otherwise it will remain a book that won’t do good for anyone, while [for] one who forms a book the first purpose is to propagate it.  Hence the entire interior must be written with pages of my Divine Will, and this book must be so very full, as to not be able to find other to read if not my Will alone.  Now when the soul has her interior book full, she will know much good (of) the exterior book of the Divine Will:  all the Creation is none other than (a) book of Him, every created thing is a page that forms a most great book and of many volumes.  Whence having formed her interior book and (having) read it very well, she will know how to read very well the exterior book of all the Creation, and in all things she will re-find my Divine Will in act to give her his life, his most high and sublime lessons, and his dainty and holy food.  It will happen, to one who has formed in her interior this book of the Divine Fiat and read it very well, as [to] one who has possessed a book, has read it and reread it, has studied well the most difficult things, has smoothed out all the difficulties, made clear the most obscure points, in a way that she has consumed her life over that book, if a person of outside might bring her another similar book, she will most certainly know it and will recognize in that book hers.  More so that my Divine Will has enclosed the creature in his Most Holy circle and has put in the depth of (her) soul the book of his Fiat, and in the Creation he has repeated his divine book, in a way that the one makes the echo in the other and they understand each other admirably.  Behold therefore it is necessary to recognize the book of the Divine Fiat in the depth of one’s own soul, to read it very well in order to make perennial life of it, and thus with facility she can read the beautiful pages and the great book of my Will of all the Creation.”

Vol. 29, July 6, 1931


It calls for attention and gratitude and so love springs forth and God's game of love continues in us.


"...Therefore, my daughter, if you will be attentive to always live of my Will, He will entrust all the secrets of the story of the Creation to you, he will make the deposit in your soul of all his joys and his intimate sorrows, and as his secretary, with his vibrant light, transforming itself into brush he will paint in you the Sun, the Sky, the stars, the sea, the beautiful flowerings.  Because when He speaks he is not content with words alone, to his inextinguishable love and his interminable light words are not enough for him, but he wants to do deeds, and therefore with his creative virtue, while he entrusts his secrets, he speaks and forms the new creation in the creature, he is not content to speak his secrets, but he wants to make for her works that contain his secrets.  Hence new Heavens, Suns more brilliant than the Creation itself will be seen in the creature that lives in my Will.  Because you should know that He holds a longing, an ardent desire to always want to work, but he goes finding one who wants to listen and one who wants to receive his creative virtue, in order not to expose his works to uselessness, and in order to be secure he goes finding his same Will in the soul, and finding him he finds his works guaranteed by his same Divine Fiat, therefore he does not spare anything and he makes for you the most beautiful works and the greatest prodigies.  Oh, Power of my omnipotent Volition, if everyone might know you, they might love you and might let you reign, earth would be changed into Heaven!”
Vol. 29, Aug. 22, 1931

Baptism

Today where we celebrate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordon I wanted to explore this sacrament a bit.  I remember a talk given by Fr Robert where he talked about how there where 3 baptisms available to people in which they might enter heaven; water, spirit, and fire.  It lists in the Bible these three baptisms very clearly.

⁴Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him ⁶and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, ⁹and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ¹⁰And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ¹¹I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹²His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Mat 3:4-12

John baptised with water a baptism of repentance which prepares man to receive the Will of God.  While Jesus' baptism is of the Holy Spirit and fire.

²⁹And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. ³⁰But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

Lk 7:29-30

 

The Pharisees and lawyers reject the Will of God because they never got to the point of resignation through repentance which open the door of the soul to the Will of God.  In the Volumes Jesus speaks to Luisa about how crosses also prepare a soul to this point.

This morning, on coming, blessed Jesus told me: “My daughter, crosses, mortification's, are as many baptismal founts, and any kind of cross which is dipped in the thought of my Passion loses half of its bitterness and its weight decreases by half.”
Vol. 6, June 5, 1905
The second baptism of the Holy Spirit comes through Jesus and the Holy Spirit and restores the soul, purifying it of the stain of original sin and allowing the action of grace to move in the creature. 


²he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

 

So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

³And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”

So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”

⁴Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

⁵When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

Acts 19: 2-6 

 

 

But in the Volumes Jesus laments over the sorrows that he receives in this Sacrament. How it can be administered disrespectfully and how souls can still be lost despite the greatness of it.

 

 

If I see a newborn being baptized, I cry with sorrow, because, while through Baptism I restore his innocence, I find my child again, I give back to him the rights over Creation which he had lost, I smile at him with love and satisfaction, I make the enemy flee from him, that he may no longer have any right over him, I entrust him to the Angels, and all of Heaven makes feast for him – soon my smile turns into sorrow, the feast into mourning. I see that the one who is baptized will be an enemy of mine, a new Adam, and maybe even a lost soul. Oh! how my love moans in each Baptism; especially, then, if one adds that the minister who is baptizing does not do it with that respect, dignity and decorum which befit a Sacrament that contains the new regeneration. Ah! many times they pay more attention to a bagatelle, to whatever show, than to administering a Sacrament. So, my love feels itself being pricked by the baptizer and by the one who is baptized, and it moans with unutterable moans. Would you not want, then, to give Me a requital of love, a loving moan, for each Baptism, so as to keep company with my sorrowful moans?

Vol. 18, Nov. 5, 1925

  

The third baptism, that of fire, is mentioned in the gospels the reference being taken to foreshadow the crown of the death the apostles were to receive.

  

 

³⁶And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

³⁷They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”

³⁸But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

³⁹They said to Him, “We are able.”

So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; ⁴⁰ but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."

Mark 10:36-40

 

 

In the Volumes it speaks of the limitations of sacrament of baptism and how the baptism of fire/victim is more perfect.  I remember Fr. Robert cited this as the baptism that aborted babies received which gave them access to Heaven.

 

 

“My daughter, the baptism at birth is by water, therefore it has the virtue of purifying, but not of removing tendencies and passions. On the other hand, the baptism of victim is baptism by fire, therefore it has not only the virtue of purifying, but of consuming any passion and evil tendency. Even more, I Myself baptize the soul, bit by bit: my thought baptizes the thought of the soul; my heartbeat baptizes her heartbeat; my desire her desire, and so on. However, this baptism is carried out between Myself and the soul, according to whether she gives herself to Me without ever taking back what she has given Me.

Vol. 11, March 13, 1912

 

 

 

The best way to maintain the gifts of baptism is to live in his Divine Will.  As he says below, his Will is the source and therefore contains the fullness of the gifts of Baptism, which is not limited to being received only once but is constantly renewed overcoming the inherent weaknesses of the creature in which his baptism by grace is limited. 

 

 

“My daughter, I recommend that you not get out of my Will, because my Will contains such power as to be a new Baptism for the soul - and even more than Baptism itself.  In fact, while in the Sacraments there is part of my Grace, in my Will there is the whole fullness of It.  In the Baptism, the stain of original sin is removed, but passions and weaknesses remain.  In my Will, since the soul destroys her own volition, she also destroys passions, weaknesses and all that is human; and she lives of the virtues, of the fortitude and of all the Divine qualities.”

Vol. 9, March 23, 1910