The Recapitulation of All Things in Christ

The Mystery Kept Secret for Long Ages

St. Paul, throughout his letters, speaks of the Gospel as a "mystery hidden from the ages, but now made manifest in Christ Jesus" (cf. Rom 16:25-26; 1 Cor 2:7; Eph 3:9; Col 1:26). In the Letter to the Ephesians he says more specifically, "To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places" (Eph 3:8-10). Earlier in this same letter, St. Paul also makes reference to this mystery when he says: "For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth" (Eph 1:9-10). The mystery of Christ embraces many diverse facets. But here, St. Paul is making note of one element of this mystery in particular. He is indicating that the influence of Christ does not only effect the redemption and sanctification of men. Rather, it also, in some mysterious way, influences the holy angels, and the whole of the creation. In this conference we would like to consider certain aspects of how the angels and the whole of creation is taken into the mystery hidden for the ages and revealed in Christ.

St. Augustine’s Commentary

St. Augustine provides us with a preliminary explanation of what St. Paul is speaking of when referring to the mystery of the reconciliation between things in heaven and things on earth through Christ:

Now it was not for the angels that Christ died. Yet what was done for the redemption of man through his death was in a sense done for the angels, because the enmity which sin had put between men and the holy angels is removed, and friendship is restored between them, and by the redemption of man the gaps which the great apostasy left in the angelic host are filled up.…The things which are in heaven are gathered together when what was lost therefrom in the fall of the angels is restored from among men; and the things which are on earth are gathered together, when those who are predestined to eternal life are redeemed from their old corruption. And thus, though that single sacrifice in which the Mediator was offered up, the one sacrifice of which the many victims under the law were types, heavenly things are brought into peace with earthly things, and earthly things with heavenly. Wherefore, as the same apostle says, "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell: and, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him reconcile all things to himself: by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven"….in what sense are heavenly things reconciled, except they be reconciled to us, viz. by coming into harmony with us? For in heaven there is unbroken peace, both between these and their Creator.

St. Augustine makes the following points: 1) the enmity between man and angel is removed; 2) the friendship between angel and man is reestablished; 3) the things in heaven are gathered together when men fill the places in the choirs of angels left open by the fall of the unfaithful angels and 4) the things on earth are gathered together when those who are predestined are redeemed from their old corruption. We can take a close look at each of these points.

The Enmity is Removed

To help us understand the enmity that existed between angels and men, we can consider a parallel enmity that existed between the Jews and the Greeks. St. Paul speaks about the removal of the enmity that existed between the circumcised and the uncircumcised in the following terms:

Remember that you were separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law of the commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end…. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph 2:12-22).

St. Paul speaks of the "dividing wall of hostility" which existed between the Jewish people and the Gentiles. This is a reference to the structure of the temple in Jerusalem. The court of the temple had an area in which only the circumcised Jews could enter. In addition to this there was another court separated from the first by a wall in which the non-circumcised gentiles could enter. It was a serious offense for an uncircumcised person to enter beyond this wall. This is symbolic of the division and tension which existed between the Jewish and Gentile people. But in Jesus Christ the dividing wall is broken down. For in him "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for all are one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28). Christ accomplished this union between men through his cross as he predicted: "…once I am lifted up from the earth–I will draw all men to myself" (Jn 12:32).

It is most noteworthy that St. Paul refers to this enmity principally in terms of the division of persons in the worship of God. We think in terms of political factions, social tensions, economic distinctions, or some other foundation for division. But here St. Paul is indicating the most fundamental source of division. Because creation is ultimately made to know, love and serve God, and the praise of God is one of the ultimate expressions of these, there is hardly a more fundamental cause for enmity than a division between creatures on that point.

The removal of the enmity between the Jewish people and the Gentiles points to the other reconciliation that also occurred through the blood of Christ. Just as St. Paul says that in the blood of Christ the circumcised and uncircumcised have been made one, he says the same of angels and men. "For in him all the fullness of the divinity was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in the heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross" (Col 1:20).

Dr. Scott Hahn explains this reconciliation in the following terms:

According to ancient Jewish beliefs, the worship in Jerusalem’s Temple mirrored the worship of the angels in heaven. The levitical priesthood, the covenant liturgy, the sacrifices served as shadowy representations of heavenly models.

Now, as Revelation shows, both heaven and earth participate together in a single act of loving worship. This apocalypse, or unveiling, points back to the cross. Matthew reports that when Jesus died, "the curtain [or veil] of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom" (27:51). Thus, the sanctuary of God was "apocalypsed," unveiled, his dwelling no longer reserved for the high priest alone, Jesus’ redemption unveiled the Holy of Holies, opening God’s Presence to everyone. Heaven and earth could now embrace in intimate love."

That is to say, by the blood of his cross Jesus tore away the curtain that separated men from the glorious cherubim who overshadowed the mercy seat of God in the Holy of Holies. He removed the division of enmity between angels and men. Just as Jews and Greeks are to form one body in Christ, so also the angels are brought into that same body as St. Paul says in the letter to the Colossians: "In his body lives the fullness of divinity, and in him you too find your own fulfillment, in the one who is head of every principality and power." (Col 2:9; see also Eph 1:20-23)

Establishing the Friendship with the Angels

Having removed the enmity, Christ has also established a true friendship between men and angels. As the philosopher Aristotle once taught, true friendship depends upon a certain degree of equality between persons. The angels are necessarily superior in nature to man. Nevertheless, the faithful angels have desired to follow their Lord and God, "who emptied himself, taking on the form of a slave" (Phil 2:7). Christ emptied himself, divesting himself, in a way, of his divine splendor so as to reestablish a friendship with men. Similarly, the angels willingly "empty themselves" in order to become our intimate friends. But it is not only that the angels lower themselves to our level. Christ emptied himself in order to elevate us to be closer to him. He conferred on us a dignity which makes us capable of a supernatural equality to the angels through grace, as we will discuss when we speak of the next point made by St. Augustine. Thus the angel said to St. John, "I am your fellow servant and that of your brethren who keep the testimony of Jesus" (Rev 19:10).

Aristotle also points out that friendship requires a frequent contact between friends. From the part of the angel, the contact is nearly continual. St. Joan of Arc said, "The angels come very often among Christians without being seen. I have often seen them among Christians." This may be understood to refer not only to our guardian angel, who never leaves us, but also to the many other angels who come from heaven to show their love for us.

Our guardian angel is especially occupied with trying to keep his protégé in touch with heaven, and to show him the way to please God. But from our part, the communication is much less frequent. St. Bernard made the suggestion: "That you may have confidence in the angels, constantly keep in company, by means of your thoughts and devout prayers, with those who are always at hand to guard and console you. Let us cause the angels to exult with joy, by showing them that we are not only converted, but that we advance in virtue." Here St. Bernard makes clear that we can continually communicate with the holy angels in our thoughts, and not simply in our spoken words.

Friendship is false when it is founded not upon mutual benevolent love, but rather utility. That is to say, if we are friends with someone because they are useful to us, that is not a true friendship. For our part, we must beware of the mentality of "using" our guardian angel. He is not given to us for our use, but he is given to us to be a true friend. Things are used, persons are loved. The holy guardian angel is a very holy person, who deserves our love, and with whom we should work.

Friendship is a mutual love which is expressed in benevolence and beneficence (wishing well of the other, and doing well for the other). The good will of the angel toward us is manifest in his fidelity to us regardless of how offensive our behavior is to him and his Lord. St. Thomas teaches that the angel always remains with us, despite our own infidelity. But we may ask, what can we do to please the angels? It is similar to the question: "what do you give to someone who has everything?" How can you do something to please the angel, who already possesses the beatific vision? Sounds pretty challenging, but in reality it is not so complicated. "The angels in heaven rejoice over one repentant sinner." The way that we can please the angel is by our daily conversion, and by our helping to lead others closer to Christ through conversion. This is the case because by true conversion we recognize and remove the obstacles that stand between us and the goal toward which the angel longs to lead us.

Friendship is based upon a certain concord between persons. Friends share the same tastes, the same sorrows and joys with regard to the most important things in life. This is also true with the friendship that we can develop with the angels. We must strive to put on the mind of those heavenly spirits, to see things from their heavenly perspective. In this way we can rejoice when they rejoice and grieve when they are grieved and so enjoy true concord with heaven.

The Replacement of the Fallen Angels

After mentioning the restored friendship between angel and man, St. Augustine then says that redeemed men fill the gaps which the great apostasy left in the angelic host. This is a most extraordinary teaching considering that the distinction of angelic orders and choirs follows upon the nature of the angels. According to St. Thomas, based upon the teachings of Dionysius the Areopagite, the seraphim occupy that highest of choirs not because they merited it, but because they were created with the highest of angelic natures. So also with the cherubim who have the second highest angelic nature, and the choirs of thrones and dominations, all the way down to the angels. All were created in the choir to which they belong. Their grace and glory was given them in proportion to their natural excellence. How is it then possible that men can occupy the place of the fallen angels, given that angels fell from each of the nine choirs, and man, by nature is beneath all the choirs of angels?

St. Thomas answers this question with the following explanation:

Considered only as regards the grade of nature, men can in no way be assumed into the angelic orders; for the natural distinction will always remain. In view of this distinction, some asserted that men can in no way be transferred to an equality with the angels; but this is erroneous, contradicting as it does the promise of Christ saying that the children of the resurrection will be equal to the angels in heaven (Lk 20:36). For whatever belongs to nature is the material part of an order; while that which perfects is from grace which depends upon the liberality of God, and not on the order of nature. Therefore, by the gift of grace men can merit glory in such a degree as to be equal to the angels, in each of the angelic grades. Some, however, say that not all who are saved are assumed into the angelic orders, but only virgins or the perfect; and that the others will constitute their own order, as it were corresponding to the whole society of the angels. But this is against what St. Augustine says, that there will not be two societies of men and angels, but only one; because the beatitude of all is to cleave to God alone (Civ. Dei xii,9).

St. Thomas is saying that certain saints can merit, through their faithful correspondence to the graces of Christ, to occupy the places left open by the fallen seraphim. Others will be raised to the level of the cherubim, still others to the thrones, and so forth. Most likely the majority of the saints will be at the level of the angels, that is, of the ninth choir. But he makes it clear that all men who enter into heaven will be assumed into one of the angelic choirs. This is a most overwhelming consideration: that we will not only be with the angels, but we will be "equal to the angels in heaven" (Lk 20:36). In this way the things in heaven are consolidated and recapitulated in Christ.

The Gathering Together of the Things on Earth

The next point that St. Augustine makes is with regard to the recapitulation in Christ of all the things on earth. He says, "the things which are on earth are gathered together, when those who are predestined to eternal life are redeemed from their old corruption." Here St. Augustine indicates that the relation between man and the physical creation influences the physical creation’s being gathered into its proper union in Christ.

It must be clear that the work of Christ reaches to the whole of creation. The universal restoration that he came to realize seeks to reestablish not only the unity between man and angel, but also between man and the infrahuman creation (that is to say, the physical universe comprised of animals, plants and minerals). Through Christ all things are able to fulfill their finality of praise as expressed in the Book of Revelation: "And every creature that is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all the things that are contained in the sea, I heard them saying: ‘To him who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb, blessing and honor and glory and power through the ages of ages.’" (Rev 5:13). The prophet Hosea made reference to this when he wrote: "I will make for you a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground… And I will betroth you to me forever" (Hos 2:18-19).

The Second Vatican Council made the observation: "Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely given to the Creator." Man comprises the unique meeting point between the physical and the spiritual creation. For that reason when he sins he brings a curse not only upon himself, but also upon the physical creation (cf. Gen 3:17). Contrariwise, in the blessed "revelation of the sons of God" (cf. Rom 8:19) the physical creation is blessed.

As St. Augustine said, the gathering together of the creation occurs when the predestined are redeemed of their "old corruption." The "old corruption" is twofold: the corruption of sin and the corruption of death. The corruption of death will only be fully overcome in the resurrection from the dead as St. Paul describes: "What is sown is corruptible. What is raised is incorruptible. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body" (1 Cor 15:42-44). The whole of creation will enjoy this freedom from corruption and the bondage of decay (cf. Rom 8:21).

On the other hand, the corruption of sin can be overcome already in this life. To a large extent this freedom has to do with the proper relationship in man between his body and soul. For a war has been introduced by the sin of Adam into the very unity of man. St. Paul expresses this most eloquently: "I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (Rom 7:22-25). Jesus has offered the graces needed to assist man to establish a certain harmony in man, which is founded upon the law of God. In this way man’s body becomes more fitting to be offered in spiritual worship of God (Rom 12:1). We will discuss some of the principal means that Christ has offered us through his Church.

Heavenly Jerusalem: The Meeting Place of Angel, Man and Physical Creation

In the Acts of the Apostles St. Peter addressed the Jewish people, "Turn to God that your sins may be wiped away! Thus may a season of refreshment be granted you by the Lord when he sends you Jesus, already designated as your Messiah. Jesus must remain in heaven until the time of the universal restoration which God spoke of long ago through his holy prophets" (Acts 3:19-22). The universal restoration that St. Peter predicted can be fully understood in terms of the restoration of the whole of creation in the Heavenly Jerusalem. St. John saw:

…the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Here is revealed the physical creation glorified appearing like a most radiant jewel. Here is also represented the men of the Old Covenant in the twelve tribes of Israel, as well as the men of the New represented in the twelve apostles of the Lamb. With them are represented all the angels in the twelve angels over the gates of the city. Here is revealed the full meaning of the words of St. Paul when he wrote: "…for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominations or principalities or powers–all things were created through him and for him" (Col 1:16). Not only were all things created through him, but all things were created for him. The whole of creation is destined for the Wedding Feast of the Lamb.

Our Preparation and Foretaste for the Wedding Feast

As we pass through this life God has given us the most perfect means of experiencing and preparing for the Heavenly Wedding Feast. He has given us the sacred liturgy as the place where men, angels and the physical creation all gather together to share in the worship of heaven. Each creature is to be united, each in its own way, in a participation of the glory of the divine life. Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, spoke of this in his book on the priesthood called Gift and Mystery:

In this sacrifice, on the one hand, the very mystery of the Trinity is present in the most wonderful way, and on the other hand, the entire created universe is united (cf. Eph 1:10). The Eucharist is also celebrated in order to offer "on the altar of the whole earth the world’s work and suffering."…That is why in the thanksgiving after Holy Mass the Old Testament canticle of the three young men is recited: Benedicite omnia opera Domino. For in the Eucharist all creatures seen and unseen, and man in particular, bless God as Creator and Father; they bless him with the words and the action of Christ, the Son of God.

He mentions the fittingness of praying the prayer Benedicite omnia opera Domino after Holy Communion. In that prayer, which is found in the Book of Daniel, all of creation, from the choirs of angels, to men, to all the elements of the physical creation are invoked to give praise and glory to God (Dan 3:57-88). In the divine liturgy of the Mass all are brought into the praise of God in the most Holy Sacrament. The Preface to the Fourth Eucharistic Prayer gives beautiful testimony to the fact that we offer the Mass in union with the whole of creation: "Countless hosts of angels stand before you to do your will; they look upon your splendor and praise you, night and day. United with them, and in the name of every creature under heaven, we too praise your glory" (Emphasis added).

St. Gregory the Great also expressed this truth in the following passage: "In this mystery of Jesus Christ the choirs of angels are present; the lowest beings are associated with the highest, the earthly join the heavenly, and the visible and the invisible become a single reality." Many saints witnessed the presence of the holy angels in the sacrifice of the Mass. St. Gertrude the Great had the following vision during the celebration of Holy Mass:

…Then the Son of God, the Lord and Master of all virtues, appeared to descend suddenly by a crimson ladder, and soon after she beheld him at the altar of the church of the monastery, clothed with pontifical vestments, and bearing in his hands a pix like those in which the consecrated Hosts alone are reserved, and he remained seated before the priest until the Preface of the Mass. A multitude of angels attended him, so that the whole church on the northern side, which was to the right side of the Lord, seemed filled with them; … On the left side–that is, on the south side–there was but one choir of angels, who were followed by a choir of apostles, a choir of martyrs, a choir of confessors, and a choir of virgins, each apart…between the Lord and the choir of virgins rays of light, shining like snow, which united these holy virgins more closely than the other saints to their Spouse, by the ravishing sweetness of his caresses and intimacy.

The participation of the infrahuman creation is not realized only by invocation, as in the hymn Benedicite. Rather, the physical creation plays an indispensable role in our earthly participation in the liturgy. The sacred place, the vessels, vestments, altar, incense, candles, altar linens and other such things stand in the liturgy as representatives for the rest of the physical creation. But the supreme contribution from the physical creation in the liturgy are the elements needed for the "matter" of the sacraments: water for Baptism, oil for Confirmation and Anointing of the Sick, bread and wine for the Eucharist. In these, the physical creation in not only sanctified, but it becomes the instrument necessary to convey the divine life to men in the sacraments. This is most fully realized in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as one great liturgist of our times explained:

The greatest liturgical involvement of the infrahuman world in the cosmic unity, ordered to divine life, takes place in the Eucharist. The transubstantiation of the bread and wine, presented by the faithful, into the body and blood of Jesus Christ, truly immolated though gloriously reigning at the right of the Father and presenting himself to him as a victim of infinite worth, is, here below, the most extraordinary assumption, elevation, and transfiguration of the infrahuman world to the service of the divine life. With the exception of the assumption which took place at the first instance of the conception of the body of Jesus, in the hypostatic union of the Word, there is not in the whole history of the world, a more marvelous example of the unitive significance which belongs to the cosmos itself in the plans of God.

The primary means that God has chosen to bring about the recapitulation of all things in Christ, both things in heaven and things on earth, is nothing other than the lowly and fragile elements of bread and wine. He has chosen out of the physical creation these substances to serve as the vehicle to begin about what this author calls the "cosmic unity."

St. John wrote in the Apocalypse: "And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb" (Rev 21:22). Jesus Christ had taught that his Body was the new temple when he said: "‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up’… But he spoke of the temple of his body" (Jn 3:19,21). The Body of Christ is the meeting place where God, angels, man and the physical creation all meet. The barriers that divided Jews from Gentiles are gone. The veil that separated men from angels is removed. And this is accomplished for each new generation through the physical elements of bread and wine, whereby men partake in the Bread of Angels.

The Body of Christ, which is this new temple, can be understood in terms of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. But even so, the Sacramental Body of Christ, the Eucharist, is the source of the Mystical Body as the Church states:

The unity of the Mystical Body: the Eucharist makes the Church. Those who receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ. Through it Christ unites them to all the faithful in one body — the Church. Communion renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved by Baptism. In Baptism we have been called to form one body. The Eucharist fulfills this call: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (CCC 1396).

The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God’s action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit.

St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians states that the peace between heaven and earth is established by the Blood of the Cross. This Precious Blood is offered to each new generation of men through the sacraments so that they too may experience the reconciliation won for them by Christ between men, angels and the whole of creation.

The Sacramentals

The unity of man with the lower creation in the praise of God is by no means limited to the Eucharist and the other sacraments. The sacramentals are also important means of taking the creation up into the work of disposing man for the life of God. One liturgist explains this saying:

The rededication of the infrahuman creature to the service of the divine life is surely one of the more notable elements in the liturgical world of the sacramentals: exorcism, consecrations, and blessings. Here, it is true, it takes place in a way which is inferior to that of the sacraments; but it is nevertheless most noteworthy, particularly because of its extension, embracing as it does, a very large number of elements…. The world of sacramentals can be practically extended to almost all the objects with which man comes in contact in his daily life and can pervade virtually every situation.

The graces of Christ and his holy Church are distributed through the sacramentals, making use of the physical creation which is freed and sanctified by the exorcisms and blessings of the Church. As this writer teaches, the sacramentals can extend to almost all the objects of daily life, pervading every situation. When Mass is over we are sent, "Ite, missa est." We are sent to bring the graces of Christ to the world in which we daily live and work. We do this especially by blessings. And by our blessings, the angels who have care of the various physical elements no doubt are assisted in their work of preparing it for its final transformation. In this way, once more, we participate in the mystery hidden from the ages, but revealed in Christ: the restoration of all things in Christ: things in heaven and things on earth.