I spent yesterday and today learning more about the nine choirs of angels and angels in general. I have missed a great deal of blessing, help and intercession by knowing so little about these marvels of God’s creation and their role in adoration and service to the Holy Trinity and also the angels’ role in relationship to Man and the Cosmos.
New Age teaching have polluted our understanding of these spiritual beings. We need to correct that, for we need the help of all nine choirs of angels now more than ever.
Here are some links to help you get started if you would like to begin a holy relationship with the being created just for you, your guardian angel and the three hierarchies of Angels.
Angels in the writings of the Saints
Angels Explained: What You Should Know About the Nine Choirs (well worth downloading for a pittance)
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
approved this Consecration prayer
on May 31, 2000 for use in Opus Angelorum.
O Holy Angels of God, here, in the presence of the Triune God and in the love of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer, I, N.N., poor sinner, want to make a covenant with you, who are his servants, so that in union with you, I might work with humility and fortitude for the glory of God and the coming of his Kingdom. Therefore, I implore you to assist me, especially – in the adoration of God and of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, – in the contemplation of the word and the salvific works of God, -in the imitation of Christ and in the love of his Cross in a spirit of expiation, – in the faithful fulfillment of my mission within the Church, serving humbly after the example of Mary, my heavenly Mother, your Queen. And you, my good guardian angel, who continually behold the face of our Father in heaven, God entrusted me to you from the very beginning of my life. I thank you with all my heart for your loving care. I commit myself to you and promise you my love and fidelity. I beg you: protect me against my own weakness and against the attacks of the wicked spirits; enlighten my mind and my heart so that I may always know and accomplish the will of God; and lead me to union with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We commend to Thee, Lord, the soul of Thy Deacon, Kenneth Hill, and we pray Thee, Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, that as in mercy to him Thou became man, so now Thou would be pleased to admit him to the bosom of Thy patriarchs. Remember, Lord, he is Thy creature, not made by strange gods, but by Thee, the only living and true God; for there is no other but Thee, and none can equal Thy work. Let his soul rejoice in Thy presence, and remember not his former iniquities. For although he has sinned, yet he has always firmly believed in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost; he has had a zeal for Thy honor, and faithfully adored Thee as his God, and Creator of all things. Remember not, Lord, we pray Thee, the sins of his youth, but according to Thy great mercy, be mindful of him in Thy Heavenly glory. Let the heavens be opened to him, and the angels rejoice with him. Let the archangel St. Michael, whom Thou didst appoint the chief of the heavenly host, conduct him. Let the holy angels come out to meet him, and carry him to the city of heavenly Jerusalem. Let blessed Peter the apostle, to whom God gave the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, receive him. Let St. Paul the apostle, who was a vessel of election, assist him. Let St. John the beloved disciple, to whom the secrets of Heaven were revealed, intercede for him. Let all the holy apostles, who received from Jesus Christ the power of binding and loosing, pray for him. Let all the saints and elect of God, who in this world have suffered torments in the name of Christ, intercede for him; that he may be admitted into the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who with Thee and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, world without end. Amen.Prayer to the Blessed Virgin MaryMay Mary the most merciful Virgin Mother of God, kindest comforter of them that mourn, commend to her Son the soul of this His servant , that through her maternal intercession, he may overcome the dread of death and, with her as guide, joyfully reach his longed-for home in the heavenly fatherland.R. Amen.Prayer to St. JosephTo thee I have recourse, St. Joseph, Patron of the dying; and to thee, at whose blessed death watchfully assisted Jesus and Mary, by both these dearest pledges I earnestly recommend the soul of this servant in the sufferings of his last agony, that he may by your protection be delivered from the snares of the devil and from eternal death, and may merit to attain everlasting joy. Through the same Christ our Lord.R. Amen.
It’s time once again for Sunday Snippets. We are Catholic bloggers sharing weekly our best posts with one another. Join us to read and/or contribute. To participate, go to your blog and create a post titled Sunday Snippets–A Catholic Carnival. Make sure that the post links back to here, and leave a link to your snippets post on our host, RAnn’s, site, This, That and the Other Thing.My posts :
O loving Mother Mary,
Undoer of Knots,
Look upon the jumble of my life,
And work the wonder
Graced by God to thee
It is said that He Who Is
Writes straight
With crooked lines.
May He Who is the Author of Life,
And Creator
Of my all too brief story,
Allow you to edit these pages.
Untangle the chaos
With your sweet simplicity.
Place Your Child upon my breast;
So may the beating of His heart
Set the rhythm of mine,
That it be in tune
With the eternal chorus,
Singing My God’s praises,
All for the glory
Of He of Whom the angels
Serenade in a perpetual,
“Holy, Holy, Holy! ”
Copyright 2013 Joann Nelander
All rights reserved
Today is the memorial of St. Padre Pio of Pieltrelcina. This letter comes from the book, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (Letters III). More on this somewhat difficult to obtain Italian book, in English, at the bottom.
J.M.J.D.F.C.
Dear daughter of Jesus,
May your heart always be the temple of the most holy Trinity; may Jesus increase in your soul the ardour of his love and may he always smile on you as on all souls whom he loves. May most holy Mary smile on you throughout all the events of your life, and abundantly replace the earthly mother you lack.
May your good guardian angel always watch over you; may he be your guide on the rugged path of life. May he always keep you in the grace of Jesus and sustain you with his hands so that you may not stumble on a stone. May he protect you under his wings from all the snares of the world, the devil and the flesh.
Have great devotion, Annita, to this good angel; how consoling it is to know that near us is a spirit who, from the cradle to the tomb, does not leave us even for an instant, not even when we dare to sin. And this heavenly spirit guides and protects us like a friend, a brother.
But it is extremely consoling to know that this angel prays without ceasing for us; offers to God all our good actions, our thoughts, our desires, if they are pure.
For pity’s sake, don’t forget this invisible companion, always present, always ready to listen to us and even more ready to console us. O delightful intimacy, O delightful company! If we could only understand it!
Always keep him present to your mind’s eye. Often remember the presence of this angel; thank him, pray to him, always keep him good company. Open up yourself to him and confide your suffering to him. Have a constant fear of offending the purity of his gaze. Know this and keep it well imprinted on your mind. He is so delicate, so sensitive. Turn to him in times of supreme anxiety and you will experience his beneficial help.
Never say you are alone in sustaining the battle against your enemies. Never say you have nobody to whom you can open up and confide. You would do this heavenly messenger a grave wrong.
As regards those interior locutions, don’t worry but be calm. What you must avoid is that your heart becomes attached to these locutions. Don’t give too much importance to them; show that you are indifferent. Neither despise love, nor long for such things. Always reply to these voices: “Jesus, if it is you who are speaking to me, let me see the facts and the effects of your words, that is, holy virtue in me.”
Humble yourself before the Lord and confide in him, spending your energies by divine grace, in practicing the virtues, and then let grace work in you as God wishes. It is virtue which sanctifies the soul and not supernatural phenomena.
And don’t confuse yourself by trying to understand which locutions come from God. If God is their author, one of the principle signs is that as soon as those voices are heard, they fill the soul with fear and confusion, but afterwards, they leave a divine peace. On the contrary, when the author of internal locutions is the devil, they begin with a false security, followed by agitation and an unspeakable malaise.
I do not doubt at all that God is the author of those locutions, but one must be very cautious because often, the enemy mixes a lot of his own work through them. But this must not frighten you; this is the trial to which even the greatest saints and most enlightened souls were subjected, and they were acceptable to the Lord. You must simple be careful never to believe in these locutions too easily, especially when they concern how you must behave and what you must do. But you must receive them and submit them to the judgment of him who directs you. Then you should resign yourself to his decision.
Therefore it is best to receive similar locutions with great caution and constant indifference. Behave in this way and everything will increase your merit before the Lord. Don’t worry about your spiritual life; Jesus loves you and very much, and you try to correspond to his love by always advancing more and more in holiness before God and men.
Pray vocally also; as the time has not yet come to leave these prayers, and patiently and humbly bear the difficulties you experience in doing this. Be ready, also, to undergo distractions and aridity, and you must by no means neglect prayer and meditation. It is the Lord who wishes to treat you in this manner for your spiritual advantage.
Forgive me if I end here. Only God knows how much it cost me to write this letter. I am very ill; pray a great deal that the Lord may desire to free me from this body soon.
I bless you along with the excellent Francesca. May you live and die in the arms of Jesus.
F. Pio
This is a three volume series out of Italy and is the 2nd Edition (English). It was not easy to get these books and you must read carefully anything you find at Amazon because they are selling the Italian version. Fr. Perrone originally ordered them for us after he found the books when traveling in Italy.
The letters they had for Padre Pio were broken down into the volumes, to whom they were directed. One volume covers his letters to spiritual directors, another to his spiritual daughters, and the third to his friend Rafaela.
Note that website has multiple language icons at the top, including English (I would be careful about subscribing to anything without checking the language. If anything, use the contacts page to find out if there are any vendors here in the US carrying the book. Catholic book sellers should contact them to stock the book here in the US.
I believe the Assumption Grotto Gift Shop has it stocked. You can call the gift shop and leave a message for them to contact you back. We don’t have a website, but they will ship things out if you ask. The best time to actually reach someone would be weekdays around 8:45 AM to 9:30 AM. (313) 332-4432
Be Holy! 
http://wp.me/p3NlHB-116
Mary is not a Co-redeemer, or co- redemptrix, …
Mary is not god, she is Not the saviour of the World…
Jesus christ Alone is the saviour of the world,
NO ONE comes to the father i.e.. God, But by Him,,
Acts 4:12
You need to get yourself a bible…preferably a king james bible and get a ‘reality’ check up..!!
Jesus christ Alone is the saviour of the world,
NO ONE comes to the father i.e.. God, But by Him,,
Acts 4:12
The pre-fix “co” means “with”
Luke 1: 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit”
Matt 2:1111After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Mary was the instrument of God’s chosing, whose consent God asked and honored. She is no more or less than the instrument God used to bring about Salvation when sending His Son into the world. Jesus spend 30 years with her and looked down upon her from His Cross when his friends had abandoned Him.
Jesus Christ is the sole Author of Salvation, which he purchased with HIS Blood on the Cross.
Two Other Persons participated big time in authoring Salvation and that is presented in Genesis. All Three Person are the One and Only God. Mary is not God. Mary is His lowly handmaid as she herself proclaims in all humility. What a glorious instrument in the Hands of God!
Mary, Virgin, Mother of God,
The perfectly fashioned,
And tuned instrument,
A violin,
In the hands of God,
As He plays His music
For the Son.
©2012 Joann Nelander
Mary is never described as Mother of God in the Scriptures.
The 3 magi did not worship Mary though..
You are right when you say Mary is not God and that the 3 magi did not worship Mary, neither do Catholics! According to the Catholic Church “latare” is the worship we offer only to God. “dulia” is reverence we give to those we should honor according to their office and mertit, and hyper-dulia the the reverence we owe Mary for her unique role according to God’s plan and Word. The Church is very careful in how it carries out the commandment to “honor your mother and father” as was Jesus who rightly honored His mother though He was also her God and her Son.
I do not disrespect Mary…But I will not venerate her, or attempt to pray to her, or in her name….
I agree that mary was a chosen vessel unto God,…But Mary said herself, that whatever jesus says…
that Do,…
but the catholic so called church does not do that.
I really think that not having anything to do with the catholic so called church is the best course of action..
stick to what the Bible says…
I hope you will not take offence when I say that….
Be careful when you disrespect the Catholic Church. They gave us the New Testament scriptures which we both venerate i.e. hold in high regard.
We certainly agree with Mary as she said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” I can only assume that you would agree that Jesus obeyed the commandments His Father gave and more than any other person, most perfectly, honored his motheer (4th commandment)
Honor:Synonyms:
verb: honour, respect, esteem, venerate, revere, dignify
noun: honour, credit, respect, homage, dignity, glory
The Catholic Church seeks only to imitate Christ in this and no more honor given to His mother is possible. If we can imitate Jesus in this we will be honoring the command Mary gave the servants.
I seriously doubt whether Jesus actually needed to learn anything at all from Mary..
She was born a sinner, died a sinner,
she did not die a virgin,…and she does not have it in her power to save anyone…
Mary was a disciple of jesus christ, and had to believe in jesus christ as lord, and saviour, to be saved herself…
which of course meant she would have had to acknowledge/repent of her sins, just like any other person..
Mary was indeed a blessed person,
but she was Not God, and Not to be prayed to.
(Not that I believe it possible to pray to Mary )…
Have you ever spent 9 months contemplating a single, solitary word? We’ll, Mary did! That word was “the Word”, spoken by God before all Ages for the glory of God and the Salvation on Man. That Word was taking flesh from her flesh and drawing nourishment fro her blood. Such is the Mystery of the Christ’s meekness and humility, coming forth according to the Father’s Will.
Mary “contemplated these things in her heart.”
In everything, “Mary was with child by the Holy Spirit.” Her “fiat” welcomed and began the unfolding of a divine mystery that now embraces us to be with God in the evangelization of all peoples throughout Time unto Eternity.
Joann Nelander
lionessblog.com