O holy Guardian! At thy feet these wreath of humble flowers I lay; O that their odor were as sweet as He desires who sings the lay, Protect me at death's awful hour, Receive my soul to thine embrace, Rich with the wonders of thy power, To thank, to praise thee, face to face.Amen
In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they hovered. One cried out to the other:“ Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” Isaiah 6:1-3
When I was younger, we’d often go to the home of one of my mom’s friends. She had a bit of an angel collection obsession. The thing is, the angels she always collected were the chubby little baby looking angels, and they certainly weren’t like anything in today’s passage from Isaiah.
Very different than the description of the Seraphim having six wings, only two of which they needed to fly! These are the angels who attend to God’s throne, hence their proclamation of, “Holy, Holy, Holy,” in today’s passage.
Seraphim are the highest order of Angels, which makes sense with their duty being attendants or guardians of God’s throne. Later in this chapter, one of the Seraphim takes a hot coal from a fire and touches it to Isaiah’s lips, thus purifying him and his speech.
The Lord used his angel to help purify Isaiah so that Isaiah may do the Lord’s bidding. This is the only reference we have in Catholic scripture to the Seraphim, but the fact that they are mentioned specifically indicates the importance the Seraphim play in the Lord’s plan.
How has God purified your lips to do his bidding for him? Please share in the comment box, I would really love to hear.
To Jesus through Mary-Mandi Fenn
