Aquinas tells us that “angels are always announcers of divine silence.” Silence is surely one of the deep ways into the human heart and into divine mysteries, and it is integral to many forms of meditation in both the east and the west. But Aquinas gives credit to angels for bringing silence alive.
He is also being somewhat paradoxical in calling angels “announcers of divine silence.” Isn’t announcing always an act of speaking? Not necessarily, Aquinas is saying—not when it comes to the divine silence, which is so deep and speaks to us deep to deep, depth to depth, heart to heart.
But Aquinas also says that the angels don’t stop with the announcing; they also assist us to understand and interpret the divine silence derived from the divine mystery. It is necessary after something is announced to someone that they understand the announcement. In addition, therefore, because we can understand by the intellect the things that are announced to us through the angels, they themselves by the brightness of their own light help our intellect grasp the secrets of God.
Lorna Byrne, an Irish peasant woman who has been experiencing angels ever since she was two years old, says that today “there are many unemployed angels in the world.” They are here because “God knows how much trouble humans are in today and is sending many angels to earth to assist us. But no one is asking them for help.” Thus, unemployment reigns among the angelic host.
Is it time to ask them for help once more?
A time of a burgeoning new cosmology like ours is a time for revisiting awareness of angels and spirits that operate in the cosmos. It is a time for awakening our seventh chakra therefore—to our Allies called ancestors; and our allies who are co-building community with us around the earth; and to angels who are busy assisting the evolution of the cosmos. Indeed, homosapiens, the last hominid standing (we have counted about 14 other species such as Neanderthal, Dennersons and many more in southeast Asia), needs all the help we can get if we are to survive and survive with grace and truth, light and harmony, balance and justice. Otherwise our extinction is inevitable.
Adapted from Matthew Fox, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas, pp. 162-164.
See also, Matthew Fox and Rupert Sheldrake, The Physics of Angels, pp. 2f.
To read a transcript of Matthew Fox’s video teaching, click HERE.
Banner Image: Encircled by silence and stillness at dusk. Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash.
Queries for Contemplation
What does it mean that angels are “announcers of divine silence”? How would it change things in our lives if we were more aware of this? Do you agree with Lorna Byrne that it is time to put more angels to work in the task of humans becoming more evolved
Recommended Reading
The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times
A stunning spiritual handbook drawn from the substantive teachings of Aquinas’ mystical/prophetic genius, offering a sublime roadmap for spirituality and action.
Foreword by Ilia Delio.
“What a wonderful book! Only Matt Fox could bring to life the wisdom and brilliance of Aquinas with so much creativity. The Tao of Thomas Aquinas is a masterpiece.”
–Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit
The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science & Spirit Meet
By Matthew Fox and Rupert Sheldrake
When was the last time a scientist and a theologian discussed angels together? What are angels? Many people believe in angels, but few can define these enigmatic spirits. Now visionary theologian Matthew Fox and acclaimed biologist Rupert Sheldrake—pioneers in modern religious thinking and scientific theory—launch a groundbreaking exploration into the ancient concept of the angel and restore dignity, meaning, and joy to our time-honored belief in these heavenly beings.
11 thoughts on “Are Angels “Announcers of Divine Silence?””
Matthew, Again I loved your interview with Lorna Byrne. And so today you have three Queries for Contemplation and first is: “What does it mean that angels are ‘announcers of divine silence’?” Aquinas says that the angels assist us in order to understand and interpret the divine silence derived from the divine mystery. In addition, therefore, because we can understand by the intellect the things that are announced to us through the angels, that they by their own light help our intellect grasp the secrets of God.
“Do you agree with Lorna Byrne that it is time to put more angels to work in the task of humans becoming more evolved?” Lorna Byrne says that today “there are many unemployed angels in the world.” They are here because “God knows how much trouble humans are in today and is sending many angels to earth to assist us. But no one is asking them for help.” Just think how it would change things in our lives if we were more aware of this? It would definitely change the world we see the world and reality, and it would give us more confidence to face the things we must as we walk the Via Negativa to the Via Transformativa.
In the first paragraph after sharing that Aquinas says that “angels are announcers of divine silence,” you mention how this is in meditation, and I would add in contemplative prayer, Lectio Divina, and in solitude, but beyond this, to recall yesterday’s meditation, I would once again say intuition–which come as voiceless words or senses of what we should, or should not, do…
Are Matthew Fox, Rupert Sheldrake, Lorna Byrne, and Richard Reich Kuykendall incarnated angels or descended masters here to assist us?
Thank you so much, for allowing us to tarry and to drink from these deep wells of living water through these DM’s the past few days. The first thing that arose to the surface in pondering the words, “The Angels are the announcers of Divine silence,” was the image and story of the “Annunciation.” Today’s teachings provide a deeper understanding of what was unfolding and emerging, between Mary and the angel Gabriel.
This deeper understanding, speaks to me of the Divine Silence one encounters, through meditation and contemplation… within the womb of
the Divine Feminine… the Cosmic Mother… in which there is a creative mutual sharing… of womb-womb, heart-heart, light-light, intution-intuition, and truth-truth… that wonder of the deep mystery unfolding, evolving and emerging within our understanding and our imagination.
Like Richard, I too seek this announcing silence, through the mystical/prophetic spiritual practice of both Lectio Divina and Visio Divina… which is the ancient art of subtle meditative, contemplative listening, that has withstood the test of time. I also see the connection of this spiritual practice within the four pathways of Creation Spirituality that Mathew has referenced in today’s DM… a link I had not made until now. Thank you for this Mathew.
This spiritual practice of seeking the announcing silence is what my sacred journalling entails. Throughout this process I continue to learn, through personal experience the mutual sharing that takes place… between my soul/spirit self and the spiritual community that I am apart of… and the reality of being and living in relationship with… in the many ways that Mathew has spoken of in today’s DM.
I can choose to engage with this spiritual practice of seeking the announcing silence, in many pathways… either alone, or with others… through being in nature, through these DM’s and the images and words they contain, other spiritual reading, working with the images of the Tarot, wandering through an art gallery or museum, soaking in the vibrations of instrumental music, or remembering a dream. All of these engagements, then become experiential sacred encounters with the community of benevolent spiritual beingness… and the mutual sharing of giving and receiving… of all that unfolds, evolves and emerges from within this deep mystery. Seek this announcing silence, and you shall find this too! Simply open the door of your heart, in Trust… and ask in the words of a humble prayer uttered… and it will be given you. Remember also, that community, both in the natural realm and the spiritual realm is all about relationship!
Jeanette, Thank you for adding the spiritual practice of sacred journaling !!! In addition to regular spiritual journaling, Jeremy Taylor, the master Dream Worker (God rest his soul) taught his students to keep Dream Journals. Dreams truly speak in the wordless language of symbols. And dreaming all takes place in the realm of silence. If you are interested, check out my book, THE DREAM LIFE OF JESUS–which is a fictional dream journal of Jesus before he began his ministry (though rooted in the history of the time)…
The word “universe” means ‘to turn around on one thing.” Light is that one thing. Pure being is light in which all things consist, dwell, have their being, and are held (drawn) together in complexity, union, and communion. God said in the beginning, “Let light be.” That is, let my Presence (essence) “Be” within the field of space-time on a spectrum at all scales, from photons and subatomic light waves and particles, to the complexity of the entire created order, to the highest hierarchies of light beings, angels. Vibrating at the highest and purest of frequencies, light (or Being) precedes sound and any form of activity ending in “ing,” including being itself. As Light, divinity streams from itself as Source. Like a cascading waterfall, it descends from on high into a multitude of created forms, images and sounds, and is our deeper identity. All that IS, is light, the silent ambience that fills all things in which (whom) they live, move, and have their being. Our being and all that exists is enwombed, enfolded, and swaddled in divine Being, shrouded in an electromagnetic jacket (aura) of light. Light is silent. In it, as the price of admission, we must fall silent as well. In the thunder of that silence, when listening, divinity speaks volumes. Said Persian poet and mystic, Rumi, “the language of God is silence, everything else is but a footnote” — including the above commentary.
Joe, Great Rumi quote for this DM! Thanks for sharing!
Question: Are angels then emissaries of the Holy Spirit? Is it the Spirit working through angels?
It is an open question. I experienced an angelic presence as a child when I suffered a traumatic head injury. Not sure of such experiences since then, but I suspect their presence has been “hidden” as plants and animals? The one who came to me when I was that child was in the form of a human woman.
“Angels as announcers of divine silence” — another profound loving spiritual role of Angels/spirit guides in our daily lives that we need to be more aware of on our spiritual journeys that will help us deepen our experience of intimacy/Presence of God’s Loving Oneness within and among us in All conscious co-Creation~Evolution… They remind us of this Loving Presence if we set aside spiritual time in our daily life for quiet silent contemplative prayer/meditation. This spiritual discipline of daily silent prayer/meditation is essential for our continued spiritual healing, development, and transformation~evolution of our eternal souls within Divine Love on our earthly dimension, with love and support from our spirit guides and Angels of our other multidimensions, whom we’re not visibly aware of with our physical senses. In human history, up to the present day, our narrow egocentric minds have kept most of us in ignorance, limited, and separate from God’s Loving Presence (including our unemployed spirit guides/angels), with all our consequent personal and human social problems, destructive behaviors, evil, and suffering… Fortunately for lightworkers and people of genuine faith/contemplative prayers, we maintain our daily compassionate Being and actions with-in God’s Love, Wisdom, Truth, Justice, Mercy, Creativity… with one another knowing that we’re not alone on earth nor in our other spiritual multidimensions… Our conscious evolution of our Beloved Cosmic Christ Consciousness is always ongoing within God’s Loving Multiverse Oneness….
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Thank you, Matthew, for this respite. It is helping me to stay grounded in the midst of the perceived devolution of culture and politics we are now living through. For the first time in my life, I feel I have very little hope to pass on to younger generations. How can I tell my adult children that they will probably have to live through a worldwide dark night of the soul for their entire lifetimes before, at best, humanity comes out on the other side with an understanding that we are all in this together–that justice is for all creatures or it is for none? Yet, being honest, I cannot think of anything else to tell them. Is it enough to tell them that it will be better for their children or their children’s children because while the long arc of history takes a long time to bend toward justice, it does eventually bend that way?
I also worry about my grandchildren and all future generations, but then I am reminded and try to remind them, that all we have is the now, really, all we have is this beautiful, full moment of breath and life to be with those whom we love in all the abundance and generosity and awe that are there for the noticing and enjoying. Everything passes, the tragic and the joyful. And all we can do in our own place is do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with out God or source or whatever keeps us going. Maybe this is what the unemployed angels are trying to tell us and help us with.
Thank you, Sue. It’s a good message. I will try to make it real for myself this day.