The title of this book comes from one of the most important works of angelology and mystical theology—Celestial Hierarchy, by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, a fifth- or sixth-century Syrian monk. Dionysius’ seminal work laid the foundation for later thinkers, such as Saint Bonaventure, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Saint John of the Cross. Many consider Dionysius to be the foremost authority on the angels.
The subtitle comes from Saint Matilda of Hackeborn who experienced a mystical vision that is recorded in the book, Book of Special Grace, Book I, Chapter 16 (see Appendix). In her vision, she “beheld a golden staircase composed of nine steps, with a multitude of angels surrounding it on either side.” She understood the nine steps to signify “the conversion of men.” Each step represents an ascending level of conversion and corresponding heavenly glory in which we are invited to share. Our goal in life must be to ascend to the ninth step, that of the Seraphim, so as to arrive at Divine Union in this life and to share in the glory of the Seraphim—Seraphic Glory—forever in Heaven and in the New Heaven and new Earth to come.
This book was initially inspired by the late Pope Benedict XVI, who spoke about the nine orders [choirs] of angels in a 2010 General Audience as modeling a path to heaven for the faithful:
Pseudo-Dionysius speaks of nine orders of angels whose names he had found in Scripture and then organized in his own way, from the simple Angels to the Seraphim. Saint Bonaventure interprets these orders of angels as steps on the human creature’s way to God. Thus they can represent the human journey, the ascent towards communion with God. For Saint Bonaventure there is no doubt: Saint Francis of Assisi belonged to the Seraphic Order, to the supreme Order, to the choir of Seraphim, namely, he was a pure flame of love (March 17, 2010).
Pope Benedict identified something that we all need to understand—while on earth, we must climb the steps on the Christian journey to reach the highest heights of glory in Heaven. Many great mystical theologians have articulated this journey in various ways. The two most notable saints are John of the Cross and Teresa of Ávila. Saint John of the Cross’ mystical theology relies upon and developed the traditional journey through three main stages, known as the Purgative, Illuminative, and Unitive Ways. His profound mystical theology contained in his four greatest works (Ascent to Mount Carmel, Dark Night of the Soul, Spiritual Canticle, and Living Flame of Love) especially focuses on the transitions between each stage, which he refers to as “Dark Nights.” Though his theology is challenging to understand, many point to him as the greatest theological master of the spiritual journey.
In The Interior Castle, Saint Teresa of Ávila, a contemporary and close friend of Saint John of the Cross, provides her own description of the soul’s journey to the heights of holiness, based primarily upon her personal experience. She analogizes the soul to a castle in which the Great King lives in the centermost dwelling place. To reach God’s Presence Chamber, where Mystical Marriage occurs, the soul must journey through six dwelling places to reach the seventh.
Saint Bonaventure offers his own description of the soul’s journey to the heights of holiness in his works, The Journey of the Mind to God and The Triple Way. In each, he describes various ways to delineate the ascending journey, including using the traditional understanding of the Nine Choirs of Angels as analogous to nine steps leading to Seraphic Glory. Though he did not expound upon those steps in great detail, he does present them according to Dionysius’ ordering. Saint Thomas Aquinas also relied heavily upon Dionysius’ teachings for the basis of his systematic teachings on the angels in the Summa Theologica.
Of all the beautiful mystical theologies that have come down to us through the ages, the fundamental and most important guide to the heights of glory is the human life of our Lord Himself, as found in the Holy Gospels. Jesus came not only to save us, He also modeled the way to holiness through His actions, by the unfolding manifestation of His divinity in His human life. Therefore, studying His life in detail is an infallible guide.
The purpose of this book is twofold. First, we will examine the nine choirs of the Celestial Hierarchy as taught by the Doctors of the Church and other saints. In keeping with Saint Bonaventure and other mystics, we will analogize those nine choirs to nine steps on our journey toward God. We will also parallel them with the traditional Purgative, Illuminative, and Unitive Ways, which provide us with a threefold process of deepening conversion through which we must all travel to attain the highest heights of holiness. Second, because the human life of Christ is our surest guide to Heaven, we will reflect upon His life using the twenty mysteries of the Rosary for our reflections. The Rosary takes us on a chronological journey from the moment of Jesus’ conception in the Blessed Virgin Mary’s womb, through His Ascension into Heaven, His outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, His reception of His mother into the Beatific Vision by her Assumption, and her coronation as Queen of Heaven and Earth.
Paperback – Kindle eBook – Google Play – Apple Books – and more!
