The Angels and the Eucharistic Tradition

+ Maurice Warnon, Belgium

If we wish to understand the nature and the work of the Holy Angels, we must begin by accepting the fact that they exist. We must realise that we are dealing with facts in nature, and that facts in nature remain always the same. It is true that we do not know much about the angelic kingdom, but we must try to learn what we can. (The Christian Gnosis, Charles W. Leadbeater, ch.23. 1)

If we are to consider the existence of the angels as a fact, we should be able, at least, to perceive their existence. But because we live in this rudimentary vestment of flesh when we are awake, we often consider what we see and sense through our body as the only reality. We forget all the invisible things that are also part of reality, but hidden to our physical, emotional and mental awareness by our own limitations and we push them outside our normal consciousness and baptise them "esoteric".

The ability to consider a fact, even invisible, is within the realm of our powers as human beings. Do we question the existence of the sun at night, simply because it is dark, or the existence of the moon during the day? The existence of the angels is a fact, inasmuch anything else we are dealing with in our lives is a fact. It is also a fact that humanity is by no means the only path of evolution in this world, not even the highest form of evolution; for the great angelic kingdom stands far above us and also far below. It behoves us to be humble in our study of these matters and to try to understand the reality of the universe as its Creator made it. Because the angelic hosts do not manifest themselves all the way into the dense physical level of consciousness, most of us know nothing about them. The scriptures of all religions report that sometimes these angelic entities manifest themselves, so that men can see them for a few brief moments. All those having had such experiences report them with gratitude, as a special privilege and a grace.

Through the centuries however, man has accumulated knowledge about the angels, and about various methods to contact them. A special branch of the so-called "esoteric" sciences, theurgy, is specially concerned with these matters. It seems however that in the last centuries, the majority of the people have lost the traditional knowledge about the angels. In the past, their presence was considered as a normal occurrence. Mary, at the annunciation, was not surprised, or afraid; the Apostles don't report the presence of the angels at the Resurrection as an abnormal apparition; and Jacob was so unimpressed by the angel he met, that he challenged him to an all night wrestling match...

The Christian and Islamic writings simply copied the Jewish tradition as regards the angelic kingdom; often making mistakes through ignorance. The Hebrews classified the different angelic orders many centuries ago. The Christian scriptures name only three Archangels: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Therefore the Catholic tradition does not mention or celebrate festival days in honour of the others. The Oriental churches and Islam have kept the Archangel Uriel.

But all traditions give a great importance to the names of the angels, as the most efficient method of becoming aware of their presence. Calling their names will "force" them to appear, says the ancient tradition; and this is probably the reason for the warning: "Thou shall not call the name of the Lord in vain".

The name Michael means: "the one before God", "the one who stands before God", or "the one who is as God". In the biblical and post-biblical lore, Michael ranks as the greatest of all angels, whether in the Jewish, Christian or Islamic writings. He was first known by the Chaldeans, by whom he was worshipped like a God. Even the monotheist Hebrews included el, which means 'god', in His Name, ['el' as in 'elohim']. Michael is the chief of the order of the Archangels, the prince of the Divine Presence. His mystery name is Sabbathiel and he is called Mika'il in the Islamic writings. The Midrash Rabba, a biblical exegesis in rabbinical literature, credits Michael with the authorship of Psalm 85. He has also been identified with the angel who stopped the hand of Abraham, when about to sacrifice his son Isaac.

According to Grinsberg's The Legend of the Jews (Chapter 2, verse 303), the fire that Moses saw in the burning bush was Michael, who had descended from heaven as the forerunner of the Shekhinah, the 'Divine Presence'. In the Talmud (Berekot 35, which is a comment of Gen. 18, 1-10), Michael is recognised by Sarah as one of the "three men" entertained by Abraham.

Legend says that Michael assisted four other great angels in the burial of Moses: Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael and Metatron. In Baruch chap. 3, Michael "holds the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven" and as such, at least in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church, he is the predecessor of Saint Peter and his successors on the throne of the Vatican!

The earliest traditions in Muslim lore, place Michael in the seventh heaven "on the border of the Full Sea, crowded with an innumerable array of angels". It also describes Michael's wings as having the colour of green emerald. In ancient Persia, Michael was called Beshter, which means "one who provides sustenance for mankind" and would, therefore, equate him with Metatron, the chief of the angels on earth, the early appearance of Michael. Christians honour Michael as Saint Michael, the most pictured angel in Christian iconography. He presides over the deliverance of humanity, over immortality and "leads the souls of the faithful into eternal Light". He is truly the angel of Redemption, of the Reintegration of creation into the unity of the original Light.

If Gabriel is the angel of the first Annunciation, when he appeared to Mary to announce the Incarnation of our Lord, Michael is the angel of the second one. Raphael is represented, at the first Annunciation, standing on the right side of Mary, wearing white lilies or a branch of palm. Mary is kneeling or sitting in a passive attitude, and giving the wonderful reply of the Magnificat. But for the second annunciation, Michael, the angel of the Return, now kneels before her, presenting a taper. He announces to the standing Mary her approaching death and her elevation into heaven as the Queen of the angels. But of what order of angels is she to become the Queen? Is it of all orders of angels, or only of the order of the 'Ishim', those angels who are not as yet part of the Kingdom, who are the imperfect human souls incarnated in this world? When reaching perfection the Ishim will be recognised by their peers, introduced by their own tenth Archangel named Emmanuel, into the full brotherhood of the angelic hosts.

The forerunners of humanity are those advanced souls: the Hierarchy of Men made perfect. Who are already members of that order of angels "in becoming"? Is this the path followed by the great soul we remember as Mary, the mother of Jesus? The souls who became Queen of the 'Ishim' angels, co-operating with the soul of her Son, of Emmanuel, the Archangel of the tenth Order, which is rarely mentioned, as it is the order of the angels of the Kingdom (Malkut)? (Es. 7:14 & Matt. 1:23)

During the Holy Eucharist, during the Preface, we invoke the nine other orders or hierarchies of angels. Tradition assigns to each order one Fruit of the Tree of Life (Sephirots). Let us concentrate on those orders of Angels we co-operate with during the Holy Eucharist.

The word angel comes from the Latin angelus and the Greek aggelos, both meaning 'messenger'. The word is at the same time a generic name for all the beings of the angelic kingdom, and also for one of its orders, the one closest to the 'Ishim', the human souls. According to the Jewish tradition, the Chief of the order of the angels is the Archangel Gabriel, named Shaddai by the Hebrew. The order of the angels is supposedly organised into nine legions, in harmony with the main subdivisions of the angelic kingdom. Eight directing angels head every legion, one for each major direction in space. Thus the total number of directing angels is seventy-two. Their names are derived from three verses in Exodus (19:19 to 21). It should not be a surprise for us to read that these verses relate Moses' vision of the burning bush, which is, according to tradition, the appearance of Michael. In Hebrew, these three verses contain exactly 72 letters each. The name of the first of the ruling angels is made by taking the first (right-hand) letter from verse 19, then the last (left-hand) letter from verse 20, then again the first (right-hand) letter of verse 21. The names of the other ruling angels are formed simply by shifting one letter until all have been used. A terminating syllable 'el' (masculine) or 'iah' (feminine) is then attached, following a simple key. Another surprise: there are no duplicated names in the entire series of seventy-two names. In our services we co-operate with all the orders of the angelic kingdom and we invoke the entire kingdom at the Preface. We also invoke very specific angelic beings at the Asperges, at healing services, and at Complin. But often, we also invoke them in a less obvious way, when our liturgy translates some names into the vernacular. Sometimes the names are 'coded'. Our founders, the Bishops J.I. Wedgwood and C.W. Leadbeater were both students of the traditional doctrine of the angels, and they made sure that the assistance of the angelic beings was invoked repeatedly during the Holy Euharist. By way of example let us examine an Invocation of the Trinity, the Ascription and the Sanctus.

We often repeat the invocation '...to Thee be Honour, Might and Glory...'. The Hebrew translation of these key words relate to the three major Fruits of the Tree of Life, the Sephirots: Honour = Malkut, Might = Chesed, Glory = Kether). By just naming these qualities, we invoke the angelic energies related to the three major levels of manifestation, where humanity has its being: the world of created forms (personality: physical up to the mind), the world of created energies (soul) and the world of the incarnated divine life (spirit). At the Solemn Benediction, just before the blessing of the world with the Holy Eucharistic Presence, we salute the Holy Trinity, the seven mighty spirits before the Throne, and the assembly of just men made perfect (the Ishim): the Watchers, the Saints and the Holy Ones. As we know, the Kingdom (Malkut), like all the other Fruits, holds within itself a 'miniature' version of the entire Tree of Life. The hierarchy of the 'Ishim' angels, those just men made perfect are invoked as Watchers (Malkut/Hod), guided by Michael/Elohim; the Saints (Malkut/Yesod), guided by Gabriel/Shaddai; and the Holy Ones, headed by Emmanuel/Metatron. There is of course much more that might be said about this, but further explanation has its place in the study of the work performed during the Solemn Benediction.

The Sanctus is certainly the simplest and most obvious case of 'coded' invocations of the Eucharist. We know that this powerful invocation calls upon the great Angel of the Presence in the Eucharist. He is the true celebrant of the work of Transubstantiation. He is able to operate in this physical world by standing behind the priest and using the priest's features. The chapter on the consecration in C.W.Leadbeater's The Science of the Sacraments is a wonderful explanation of the inner work of this holy Sacrament. We salute the Angel of the Presence in the Benedictus qui venit. But who is that great Angel? Can we find any indication of his name, his order or his function in the Liturgy? The Sanctus is a mighty word of power or 'mantra'. "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts" is translated from the Hebrew text: "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, Adonaļ Elohim Sabaoth." In a letter to a student of theurgy, the French Theosopher Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin recommends: "Take a great care, when you are calling the Great Angel, to include the prayer Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh (Holy, Holy, Holy) in your operation...". But there is more: The first letters of each word of this invocation form the word KAES, which is the name of one of the eight seraphim, "eternally present before the Face of God". The Seraphim belong to the highest order of the angelic kingdom. KAES is also called KAEL, as in Mi-KAEL. These angels are so elevated, as attributes of God, that it is difficult for us to distinguish what they are, what they do and what is done through them. St. Thomas Aquinas spoke of God as the Primary, and of the angels as the Secondary, explaining that God produced all visible effects through the mediation of these planetary Spirits. In the same way, Basilides, a gnostic writer, speaks of the lowest order of angels as the builders of our material world, associated with the daimones, so well described by the Rev. Van der Stok.