Seraphim angels – those who worship God continually

Christian dogma bases on main Truth – God Father, the Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit and three Persons in one Godhead. This Truth is called the Trinity Dogma. Incarnation is the adoption of human nature by the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. The Son of God, descending into the womb of the Virgin, became man without ceasing to be God. We presented catholic dogma related to God,

Jesus and Holy Spirit in one of our previous articles.

Holy angels in God’s presence

The highest angelic choirs closest to God are Seraphim (higher angels), Cherubim (“full knowledge”, can be also called divine understanding) and Thrones (perfectly obedient and sign of justice). They are the angels of contemplation God’s glory. The human mind cannot comprehend their purity and holiness, nor their participation in adoration of God.

Prophet Isaiah’s vision

We learn about seraphim thanks to St. Isaiah. The Prophet describes these angels with fairly high accuracy. In his vision, they appear around the throne of God as a double choir that forever praises the glory and majesty of the Lord of hosts. Isaiah also mentions that the doorframes of the temple doors shook with the powerful chant of the Seraphim: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory” (Isa. 6: 3).

How does Seraphim look like?

Prophet Isaiah gives a clear answer: “I saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne, and the train of His garment was filling the temple. The seraphs stood above Him; each of them had six wings; with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew ”(Isa. 6: 2). The temple the prophet speaks of is the Jerusalem Temple built by King Solomon around 960 BC.

Human characteristics

According to Isaiah’s vision each of the Seraphim had mostly typically human features: a face and legs, an arm and a voice, and moreover, three pairs of wings (six wings). The special closeness of God’s Throne suggests that the Seraphim had a cordial relationship with God. This image resembles a ruler surrounded by his trusted court retinue. The essential message of this description is the holiness and glory of God, surpassing any form of human greatness and power.

Burning ones

Only God knows the order and value of angelic choirs most accurately. Nevertheless, St. Paul (Hebrews 12:22) wrote that their number was “countless.” The seraphim, standing closest to the divine throne, help Isaiah to cleanse his heart before he begins his mission. This choir is associated with sacrifice and purification, sometimes also with fire, hence the Seraphim are sometimes called “the burning fire of love.”

For in Hebrew the word “Seraphim” means fiery, incandescent burning, poisonous to man; sometimes it symbolizes the creation of a copper color. One of the Seraphim even flies to Isaiah to touch his mouth with hot charcoal: “Behold, it has touched your lips: your guilt is blotted out, your sin is blotted out” (Is 6: 7). The prayer is needed for people worshiping God and want to serve God and who are aware of unclean lips and sins that they have.

Ezekiel’s vision

Ezekiel was another proper who had burning vision – related not to seraphim angels but to cherubim who were near the throne of God and were beings whose representation was associated with the image of fire. According to Ezekiel’s vision: “Among the living creatures there was something like glowing coals, like burning torches. It circulated among living creatures. The fire glowed, and the fire came out of lightning. Living things ran back and forth like lightning “(Ezek. 1: 13-14).

Travel companion

The holiness and love of the Seraphim is so great that in God and through God all creation permeates. Their love protects the universe, pours out over the remaining eight choirs and over all of reality. Each of the Seraphim is a special reflection of Lord God Almighty because he is on the purest and deepest level of his knowledge and adoration.

All the angels honor the Blessed Mother as their Queen. However, the seraphim are so high in the heavenly hierarchy that, in addition to Mary and St. Michael the Archangel, no creature has direct access to them. Mary, on the other hand, has direct access to God through Jesus, her Son, and is not indispensable for the mediation of angelic beings. Worshipers of angels, including Seraphim, can be sure that angels place their prayers in the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She, in turn, intercedes for us with God through Jesus Christ.

Sometimes it also happens that Lord Almighty God, entrusting people with a special mission to fulfill, sends them His angels to help. It was like that with St. Faustina Kowalska, an apostle of Divine Mercy. Seraphim accompanied her on the train journey, and looking out the window, Faustina saw angels on the roofs of the churches they guarded.

Serving God Lord almighty

No evil can break through the armor of the Seraphim. Angels guard those who love God and who want to do His will.

Holy angels – two wings beings who are human guardians

God, respecting man’s freedom but through his angel, whom we call the guardian, gives him discreet protection over him. Our protector is an expression of God’s love and with his whole being he tries to support us on the way to salvation. Here it must be made clear that being a guardian angel is not some kind of job that a heavenly spirit does. Mother cares for us because she loves us and is analogous to the angel who looks at us through the prism of God’s love. The Guardian Angel treats the man entrusted to him as a beloved little child, and later as his friend. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, “Aren’t they all ministering spirits sent to aid those who are to gain salvation?” (Heb 1:14). The existence of guardian angels is most clearly confirmed by the words of Jesus himself, who warned: “Take care that you do not despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in Heaven constantly look at the face of my Father who is in Heaven” (Mt 18:10). Angles are sign of God’s holiness and God’s glory. Whole earth is full of his glory and angels as invisible part of this created world also participate in God’s glory.

Works depicting angels

Fra Angelico

One of the most popular painting presenting angel is The Annunciation of Fra Angelico. Work was done between years 1430–1432. Currently the painting can be seen in Florence. In that paining the foreground is Gabriel announcing the virgin Mary that she will give birth to a son of God. The angel in his paintings looks as if he has just descended from heaven and has not yet had time to fold his colorful wings. He leans down to the virgin as if he is about to kneel down.

Hieronymus Bosch

Another one to mention is The Last Judgment Hieronymus Bosch (1480). The central part of the Hieronymus Bosch triptych was divided into two parts vertically (characteristic of the medieval faith). The upper fragment of the work is the sky – painted blue, calm, clearly distinguishable from the scenes taking place below. In its center is Christ, whose hands are placed in a gesture of judgment (right pointing up, left pointing down). Next to the Savior, there are the apostles (shown in prayerful poses), and a little further, the Mother of God. The lateral sphere of heaven is occupied by angels holding trumpets.