Readings of Sunday Ordinary Week 5. Excerpts: I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above. They cried one to the other, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” Isaiah 6
In the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name. Because of your kindness and your truth, LORD. Psalm 138 Jesus said: “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” (Perhaps Jesus put His hand into the water and stirred it.)
Simon said in reply, “Master…at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so great number of fish that their nets were tearing. Luke 5.
Homily: God created angels and intends to use them to the Glorious Divine Purpose. You need to believe (or keep on believing) that God has plans to help you with His angels. You’d benefit by being greatly open to this promised heavenly aid.
We have a Sunday Liturgy of the Word with angelic references. Isaiah chapter 6 teaches us that God wants to help you to be in Praise and Worship. Isaiah has a vision of heavenly things, and it comes with him also hearing heavenly song. He sees angels and he hears them singing: “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts” The prophet sees a Temple of God with God’s throne there and these many angels are in glad-song around Him. It’s pure adoration going on!
Our own Catholic liturgy provides room for this praise with the angels. As Isaiah can’t help but join in with praise of God, neither should we resist in any manner with praising God with the angels. The angels about this altar, and at the altar of God, sing “Holy Holy Holy Lord.” Are you in praise of God as we get to this point of the Mass? Are you not here to praise and worship God? The angels are already into it.
Some people come to church for what thing that want to be getting from it. That’s the wrong orientation. Take it from the angels—we’re here to give praise to God. The Mass is about giving something to Someone. Giving praise to God. We give praise to God, and we do it as He desires it to be given. It is purpose #1 at Mass.
In the Isaiah 6 text (of today) it mentions how the Lord is seated high up on His throne. Thus, Seraphim angels go directly into praise (since they are positioned by His Mercy Seat). Now we can take to account our own moment at Mass upcoming. Jesus is Lord and is seated high on His Seat in the Heavenlies. He is Victorious. We are brought close to Him as by the altar of Christ on earth in His Church. What response is better to that divine invitation than in singing: Holy, Holy to the Lord God Sabaoth—?—and then inviting His Spirit to bring the Body and Blood of Christ down among us—as by the way He set up for us to experience?! Wow.
Somebody recently said in excuse for their in-attendance at Mass. I don’t go for “organized religion.” So I speculated—then they’d rather have disorganized, make-yours-up-as-you-go religion?! That’s an awful plan. Jesus has organized for us a Way to the Father via Him. He has given us a means to present Him to the Father, as is the Holy Mass, and it may bring together believing people and angels into fitting and acceptable worship to God. I am opting for this organized, orderly choice that Jesus offers!
There are people in Catholic liturgy work across the land who try to come up with the best adaptation to the angelic song. They write some very blessed Sanctus songs, or Holy Holy songs, in versions meant to have the congregation get excited about in prayer-song. I’ve been at a few liturgy conventions where they introduce their new compositions and have the whole attendance try them out and practice them over and over again. I will sign a memorable one to me. Heaven and earth are full of Your glory! Heaven and earth are full of Your Glory!! Hosanna in the Highest!! (I sing it here ☺)
Here is Tony Alonso’s Holy Holy version. https://youtu.be/QTrOh1eDE9E
Here is Jeffrey Corey’s Holy Holy version https://youtu.be/lOqP8BEjnOQ
Here is the Mass of Creation—done here. https://youtu.be/irkzSjvVp48
- The 138th Psalm is also in today’s Liturgy of the Word. “In the presence of the angels, I sing to You, O God.” This is a most pleasant prayer utterance. It reminds us, again, that the angels want to join humanity in wonderful worship to God, now and forever. In a book off my office shelf, Massey Shepherd’s Psalms in Christian Worship, Shepherd celebrates how the Sacred Liturgy of recent times has had people praying together in song these 150 hymns. Not said, sung! Not listened to only of a choir only doing it—but of all God’s people joined in with it—and with angels of God. It is like King David envisioned for people Israel, of them joined in worship at the holy temple. Earth could imitate heaven’s laud of God. For the great Ark of the Covenant, which David had brought to Jerusalem for use in worship, this most famous ongoing object of the Hebrew Covenant inspired people with its depiction of cherubim of hammered gold on its container’s sides. God had instructed it to be so done in Exodus 25. The angel wings touched the walls of the inner chamber of the Ark, with a mercy seat of gold, where God could appear. As Exodus tells us. The two cherub angels had faces and were facing one another, with room left in between them for God to talk in that space. King David wrote Psalm 138, with his pointing to the intimacy which God wants to have with us, indeed that He presently has with the angels. They are at His Temple in Heaven. Yet the liturgy on earth, from Jerusalem’s one with David, to the Church’s one of today, is important to God. Here is here to meet us in holy liturgy.
- Can you catch on here that we today have more than the Ark with us in the Church? The Sacred Liturgy is available wherever it may be celebrated, and Christ is the Treasure and He is the Priest and the Holy One of God. Present to us.
- This homily is about angels and their involvement to have us bring praise and worship to God. Angels know all about the Real Presence of Christ, so they would certainly favor this approach of the Eucharistic Lord to be adored and received.
- Now in turning home with this homily on angelic participation and inspiration for us—I should cite that angels were likely used by Jesus in His miracle in the stirring up and gathering forth the fish into the fishermen’s nets in this Gospel today. Angels are involved in the works of God. Angels serve God to have all sorts of events and situations take place. Angels were in the bookends of Jesus’ life—in announcing Him come and announcing Him raised from the dead—and the good angels ministered to Jesus in the wilderness at His ministry start and in the Garden of Gethsename to comfort Him in His affliction. That’s angelic participation.
- In angelic inspiration, I think you could find it most in everything, as in the love shared by people (as helped on by angels), and in creative works done or talents exercised, and there are even angels in the kitchen, angels in the garden, angels in the bedroom, angels in the outfield, angels watching over folks traveling, and more.
- Don’t rule out angels in leading forth social justice efforts, or inspiring family’s in cohesiveness with a secret service performed in their homes, or angels watching over the planet with how far humankind will go on using or abusing it. Today I emphasize them as helping us to worship, but there are a myriad of ways they are included in our lives. Pray a little prayer today: “O God, thanks for any help given by Your angels, and I welcome it in my life, and ask for it in our parish. Amen.”