Stations
of the Resurrection
By
Raymond Chapman
Vision of Angels
Station 3
V We adore thee O Christ and we bless thee
R. Because by
thy glorious Resurrection thou has given life to the world.
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid: I know
that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has
been raised, as he said. (Matthew 28:5-6)
As they stood, frightened and bewildered at the entrance to
the tomb, they were given word of guidance and comfort. God had sent his
messengers to declare his purpose and make them ready for the revelations to
come.
We give thanks for the unseen powers of goodness which
surround us and keep us in safety; for all the ways in which God’s word comes
to us; for continual leading into the right way, even when we do not know that
we are being led.
We are always more ready to speak than to listen; more ready
to be concerned with our doubts and fears than to rest in quiet confidence.
Help us always to be open to the message that may come in strange and
unexpected ways and draw us nearer to the Risen Christ.
V Christ is
risen.
R He is
risen indeed.
V Let us bless
the Lord.
R Thanks be
to God.
Angels of God, his messengers and the guardians of his
children, you were given many tasks when Jesus walked on this earth. You
announced his coming and praised the glory of his birth. You were with him
whenever the human flesh that he had taken became hard to bear, strengthening
him in the last agony. You proclaimed his rising from the tomb when the purpose
first made known in Galilee was completed in Jerusalem.
Why should God care so much for this little world when he
has all the universe at his command and creatures more exalted to do his
bidding? Why so much trouble, such divine sorrow, for people who stumble about
in error and confusion?
It is easy to imagine an angel as winged and shining,
sharing our human form but infinitely more glorious. Through the centuries of
our faith many have made live in painting and statuary. Few indeed have seen
these wonderful creatures, but perhaps we can learn to see the divine
messengers working in our kind. And they may not be in golden armour, but in
very humble, obscure lives that are touched by his grace.
Since God took our nature, the gate of life in opened and
the human form in made glorious. Angles and humanity are joined in a wonderful
order, working together in his service.
Angel of the Annunciation, strengthen my faith.
Angels of the Nativity, open my eyes to the glory of God
Angel of the Agony, bear me up in the hour of death’
Angels of the Resurrection, lead me to eternal life.
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