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107. The Speech of Angels

1. Angels manifest knowledge to one another, and to thisextent they "speak" to one another. But the speech ofangels is not a matter of sounds or of uttered words. The speech ofangels is a direct communication of knowledge from spirit tospirit.

2. An inferior angel can speak to a superior angel, eventhough, as we have seen, it cannot enlighten the superior angel; acandle cannot enlighten the sun, but it can burn visibly in thesunlight. An angel speaks by directing its thought in such wisethat it is made known to another angel, superior or inferior. Suchdirecting is done according to the free will of the angelspeaking.

3. Certainly the angels "speak" to God byconsulting his divine will and by contemplating with admiration hisinfinite excellence.

4. Neither time nor place has any influence on angelicspeech or its effect. Local distance cannot impede thecommunication of angels.

5. Angelic speech is the ordering of angelic mind toangelic mind by the will of the angel speaking. Now, itbelongs to the perfection of intellectual communication that it canbe private; even a human being can speak to another person alone.Therefore, the angels who are superior to human beings, must becapable of communicating thoughts, angel to angel, without makingtheir communication known to all the other angels. The scope ofangelic communication depends on the will of the angel speaking;this will determines the communication for one other angel, or forseveral, or for all.

"Men should often renew their good resolutions, and not lose heart because they are tempted against them."
St Philip Neri

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"As the flesh is nourished by food, so is man supported by prayers"
St Augustine

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"O Lord, my God, who will seek you with simple and pure love, and not find that you are all one can desire, for you show yourself first and go out to meet those who seek you? "
St John of the Cross, OCD - Doctor of the Church

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