One Church in Heaven and on Earth; Angels: Day 344

When we recite the Creed, we say that we believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. That doesn’t just mean the Church on Earth, says St. Au– gustine: the angels above are also members, and we will all make up one eternal choir for the proper praise of God.

The order of the Creed rightly demands that the Church be made subordinate to the Trinity—in the same way that a house is subordinate to whoever lives in it, the temple is subordinate to God, and the city is subordinate to its founder.

“The Church” here means the whole Church. It’s not just the part sojourning here on Earth “from the rising of the sun to its setting” (Mal. 1:11), praising the Name of the Lord, singing “a new song” of deliverance from its ancient bond- age. It’s also the part in Heaven, which from the moment of creation has always clung to God, and never felt the pain of falling. This part, which is made up of the holy angels, remains in blessedness. It gives its help to the other part still on pilgrimage, as indeed it ought to do. Both parts together will make one eternal choir (already they are one by ties of love), the whole thing founded to worship the one God fittingly.

–St. Augustine, Enchiridion, chapter 15

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .

Am I singing in tune with the celestial choir? How can I make my own praise better match theirs?

CLOSING PRAYER

Lord, let me always  have the opportunity to give you praise and prayer along with all your angels in Heaven.

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