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| The goal of every spirituality is to lead men to this communion of life with the Triune God through the Incarnate Son. Though the holy angels are not the central message of our faith, nevertheless, they are messengers of God and servants of Christ, "sent to aid those who are to gain salvation" (Heb 1:14). |
| Four Fundamental Directions |
| Just as the four points of a compass direct us towards our goal when traveling, in the same way in the spiritual life the four fundamental directions lead us towards heaven in the company of the holy angels. |
| The principle governing attributes of God are holiness, wisdom, justice and omnipotence (cf. Dionysius, Commentary on the Divine Names, Bk IV Ch. 12). Each one of us is called to participate in these divine attributes and to be transformed into the likeness of God. By living the four fundamental directions of adoration, contemplation, expiation and mission, we follow this call. |
| Adoration |
| We are called to correspond to God’s holiness through adoration of God especially in the Most Blessed Sacrament in union with the holy angels who unceasingly sing about the throne of God, "Holy, holy, holy!" in profound adoration (cf. Rev. 4:8). |
The Holiness of God and Adoration ~ March 2000
The Stream that Gives Joy to God's City ~ Fall 2004 |
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| Contemplation |
| We are called to participate in divine wisdom through the contemplation of His Word and salvific works in union with the holy angels who "continually behold the face of God in heaven" (Mt 18:10). |
The Word and Wisdom of God and Meditation ~ June 2000
In Your Light We See Light ~ Advent 2004 |
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| Expiation |
| We are to satisfy God’s justice through making expiation for our sins and the sins of the world by carrying our crosses in union with Christ and with the help of the holy angels. |
God's Justice and Our Little Way of Expiation ~ April 2000
Draw Water with Joy from the Font of Salvation ~ Lent 2005 |
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| Mission |
| We are called to participate in God’s omnipotence by persevering with fortitude in our God-given mission through His strength and the strength of the holy angels. |
The Omnipotence of God and Our Mission ~ May 2000
Stream of Mission from the Heart of Christ ~ Summer 2005
Holiness and Mission ~ Summer 2006 |
| Seven Characteristics of Members of OA |
| The holy angels are characterized by seven virtues in particular: fidelity, humility, obedience, charity, silence, temperance and imitation of Mary. In order to collaborate with them for the good of the Church and the salvation of souls, members of Opus Angelorum must strive to imitate the holy angels in these virtues. |
| Fidelity |
| In the beginning the angels were separated into faithful and unfaithful angels (demons). Therefore, fidelity is the first mark of the holy angels. Members of the Work of the Holy Angels also strive to be firmly rooted in fidelity to God (the Blessed Mother, the angels and saints) and to Holy Church. |
Fidelity ~ Advent 2002 |
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| Humility |
| In contrast to the fallen angels who said "I will not serve", the holy angels through their profound humility remained faithful under trial in the service of God. In order to work with the holy angels, we should also be willing to serve God in a joyful spirit of humility, for ”God loves a cheerful giver”. |
Humility: A Virtue for All Seasons ~ Lent 2003 |
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| Obedience |
| The holy angels are "mighty in strength and attentive, obedient to every command" (Ps 103). We grow in union with God by willingly subjecting ourselves in the grace of the Holy Spirit to God, the Church and all legitimate authority to the glory of God. |
Holy Obedience: A Felicitous Lot ~ Summer 2003 |
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| Divine Love |
| "The Seraphim are called ‘burning ones’, yet all the [choirs of angels] burn in the same way with love for their Creator" (St. Gregory the Great, Homilies on the Gospels 34, 14). Love for God and neighbor should be at the center of all our thoughts, words and actions as the heart is the center of our being. |
Charity: On Divine Love ~ Fall 2003 |
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| Silence |
| The angels continually "behold the face of God" (Mt 18:10). Hence, though they have exterior ministries, they are "never absent interiorly through contemplation" (St. Gregory, ibid., 13). In the same way, through holy silence we strive to remain always interiorly recollected and to empty ourselves of vain desires in order to be able to hear and heed the voice of God. |
Holy Silence: The Secret of the Saints Advent 2003 |
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| Temperance |
| As God’s holy ministers, the angels do all things with measure and order. Members of the OA also strive for order and measure in both their exterior and interior life, ordering the passions and avoiding sensuality. |
Temperance: Restraining Strength ~ Lent 2004 |
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| Imitation of Mary |
| The angels serve Mary as their Queen and Lady. Mary is given to the Church as Mother and model (Lumen Gentium, nn. 63-65). Every member of the Work of the Holy Angels should be totally Marian. For Mary in her "fiat" is the model of silent listening and obedience to the word of God which came to her through the angel. We strive to imitate her, therefore, in her silence, listening, obedience, poverty (humility), purity and fidelity in the following of Christ, even beneath the Cross (see Basic Dispositions for Collaborating with the Holy Angels). |
Imitating the Blessed Virgin Mary ~ Summer 2004 |
| Six Basic Traits for Collaboration with the Holy Angels |
| Every actual grace from God is mediated to us through the angels, His messengers. In order for the angel to be able to communicate these graces to us, therefore, members of the Work of the Holy Angels strive to cultivate in themselves those dispositions and virtues which are particularly helpful for the reception of grace. Mary, as the "the model of the acceptance of grace by human creatures" (John Paul II, Vita Consecrata, 28), is also at the Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38) the model for collaboration with the holy angels. |
| Silence |
| Mary was first of all silent, always interiorly resting in God and seeking only to be filled by Him. She was a woman of few words, but her words were full of meaning and helpfulness. If we are filled with the noise of daily life—radio, television, internet, video games—we will never be open for God or the angel. If we enjoy to gossip or to empty ourselves through much talking, we will never have the capacity to remain interiorly recollected for God. |
The Practice of Silence and Solitude ~ June 2000 |
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| Listening |
| Through silence and recollection, Mary was ready and listening for the word of God at all moments. To be open for the angel and the call of grace, we must also listen for it, waiting for God to speak to us at any given moment. “Be watchful! Be alert! For you do not know when the time will come” (Mk 13:33). |
Docility to the Holy Angel ~ July 2000 |
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| Obedience |
| Grace comes to fruition only through our cooperation. Through her obedience to the word of the angel, Mary became the mediatrix of the grace of the Incarnation for all humanity. If we are preoccupied with ourselves, self-pitying and moody, we will not be open to obey the word of God. In order for grace to bear fruit, we also need to learn to accept the call of grace to sacrifice, to selflessness and service through obedience to the inspiration of the angel. |
Obedience as a Corner-Pillar in the Life of the Church |
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| Poverty |
| Mary’s silence and continual orientation towards God was rooted in her poverty of spirit, her emptiness of self. She was “among the poor and humble of the Lord who confidently hope and receive salvation from Him” (Lumen Gentium, 55). We, too, must strive to be detached from our possessions, our work, our own opinions or desires in order to be free for God and the call of the angel. |
Education in Holy Poverty ~ January 2001 |
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| Purity |
| Mary in her Immaculate Conception was pure and transparent for God, without disorder or interior disturbance or restlessness. We, too, must learn to become pure, truthful and simple, without ulterior motivations or desires, full of discipline in body and soul. In this way we will become tranquil and ready for the call of the angel. |
On Holy Purity ~ November 2000 |
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| Fidelity |
| Mary was faithful unto the Cross, and hence became “the Mother in the order of grace” (Lumen Gentium, 61) for all Christ’s members. In order for grace to bear fruit in us, we must remain faithful and firm in the storms of life through a strong faith and living hope. In this way the angel can mediate to us the most precious graces, those which come to us through suffering. |
On Holy Fidelity |
| Passio Domini |
| On the first Holy Thursday, Our Lord went into the garden to pray, signaling the beginning of His divine Passion. He said, “Father, if it be Thy will, take this cup from Me: nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him coming down from heaven to give Him strength. Just as the angel from heaven strengthened and nourished Our Lord, the Eternal High Priest, we gather in the presence of the Holy Eucharist to strengthen and spiritually nourish our priests, through the intercession of the Holy Angels. My Soul is sorrowful even unto death. Stay here and watch. (St. Mark XIV-34) |
The Passion of Christ |
| Consecrations |
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The Consecration to the holy angels as a covenant corresponds to the Biblical theology of the covenant: It is a sacred contract, a solemn promise, in which our mutual relations and obligations are stipulated and agreed upon. |
The Consecration to the Holy Angels
Theological Foundations for a Consecration to the Holy Angels
Consecrations in the Confraternity of the Holy Guardian Angels |
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| contact@opusangelorum.org |
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