Page 152 - 2nd Sword of Gilead Interior

The Sword of Gilead & The Book of Angels

They are so much more like God than we are that
their whole being reflects something of the divine
eternity, immortality, independence.
Angels are neither old or young, sick or
healthy, men or women, infants or ancients, tall or
short, fat or thin; they are the bright flames of life,
unflickering, unfading, indestructible flames that
are fed by nothing but God.
He describes the princely dignity of
Gabriel standing before Our Lady and the easy
competence of Raphael protecting the young
Tobias, the majesty of Michael with his flaming
sword guarding the gates of a lost paradise gives
us some little vision of the nobility of the angels.
We are in danger of blinding ourselves to
that vision if we forget that these were angels
stooping to our limitations, bowing to our
penchant for thinking in pictures; thoughtful
angels who delight in us as a mother delights her
infant by imitating the gurgling and chuckling of
her child. This is not a mother's normal speech;
nor is this angel's normal appearance.

152 | P a g e