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<\/a>Even angels don\u2019t see the essence of God<\/strong><\/p>\nAngel<\/em>s are spiritual beings that live in the presence of God. Yet <\/em>ev<\/em>e<\/em>n they <\/em>n<\/em>e<\/em>v<\/em>er\u00a0<\/em>s<\/em>a<\/em>w God until Christ was manifested in the flesh, says St. John <\/em>Ch<\/em>r<\/em>ys<\/em>ostom. <\/em>C<\/em>reated beings simply \u00a0a<\/em>r<\/em>e<\/em>n<\/em>\u2019<\/em>t<\/em> c<\/em>a<\/em>pa<\/em>b<\/em>l<\/em>e of \u00a0gazing on the Uncreated, but <\/em>God <\/em>lo<\/em>v<\/em>e<\/em>d us so much that he came to us in a way we could see and <\/em>und<\/em>e<\/em>r<\/em>s<\/em>ta<\/em>nd<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n Since his Son was about to appear in the flesh, God had been preparing the prophets for a long time to see the substance of God, as far as it was possible for them to see it.<\/p>\n But not only have the prophets not seen what God really is, but not even angels or archangels. If you ask them, you won\u2019t hear them answer anything about his essence, but only singing, \u201cGlory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased\u201d (Luke 2:14). If you want to learn something from the Cherubim or Seraphim, you\u2019ll hear the mystic song of his holiness, and that \u201cHeaven and Earth are full of his glory\u201d (Isa. 6:3). If you ask the higher pow- ers, you\u2019ll find out that their only task is to praise God. \u201cPraise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host!\u201d says David (Ps. 148:2).<\/p>\n Only the Son and the Holy Ghost see him. How can any created nature even see the Uncreated? We can\u2019t even see any incorporeal spirit at all, even the cre- ated ones, as we\u2019ve often proved with the angels. Then how could we discern the incorporeal and uncreated Essence?<\/p>\n This is why Paul says, \u201cwhom no man has ever seen or can see\u201d (1 Tim.\u00a06:16).<\/p>\n Furthermore, Paul shows that he is invisible not just to us, but also to the powers above: after he says, \u201cHe was manifested in the flesh,\u201d he adds that he was \u201cseen by angels.\u201d So he became visible even to the angels when he put on the flesh, but before that time, they didn\u2019t see him that way, because even to them his essence was invisible.\u00a0\u2013St. John Chrysostom, Homily 15 on the Gospel of John<\/em><\/p>\n IN GOD\u2019S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .<\/strong><\/p>\n Do I love the Lord\u2019s incarnation all the more because it is a gift to angels as well as to human beings?<\/p>\n CLOSING PRAYER<\/strong><\/p>\n Ho<\/em>l<\/em>y Guardian Angel, let us look together on the glories of redemption. Let us praise <\/em>God <\/em>togethe<\/em>r<\/em>. Let us thank god together. May we do this together through all <\/em>ete<\/em>r<\/em>nit<\/em>y<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n Remember to subscribe to my feed so you will not miss a day! This recurring feature at The Catholic Blogger is possible through the cooperation of author Mike Aquilina and publisher Saint Benedict Press. To get your own copy of this book, click below.
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