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.