We hear Jesus mention angels watching out for children

See that you do not despise one of these little ones.

For I tell you that in heaven

their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 18:10

We have this strong tradition of Guardian Angels, therefore, who connect us to God. Again the idea is about angels being messengers and agents of the Lord.

And all this calls to mind the image of a ladder between heaven and earth, with angels ascending and descending.

Jacob dreams of such a ladder in the book of Genesis (Chapter 28 verses 10-19). He recognises he is in an awesome, holy place and gives it the name ‘Bethel’ – ‘the house of God’.

Jesus seems to refer to this story when speaking to Nathaniel:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, 

you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

John 1:51

In this weekend’s first reading we hear from Isaiah. The prophet speaks of his vision of the angels worshipping God and chanting,

‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts'.

Why ‘holy, holy, holy’?

We could say that this is simply reporting what they sing. But that they sing these words tell us that as they gaze upon God all they can do remark on the beauty of holiness – the beauty of the holiness of God. Their worship is unceasing and expresses with wonder and praise.

We might be tempted to think it could become a little dull singing the praises of God all the time – can we not have some fun in heaven? The truth is we have no clear idea of what heaven is like. This story gives us the insight that our meeting will God will be absolutely stunning and never-ending.

Sometimes when people go on pilgrimage they express the idea that in these special places rooted in faith the divide between the sacred and secular, the space between us and holiness, the wall between heaven and earth becomes ‘thin’. We sense the nearness of God.

Our understanding of what happens at the heart of the Mass is that the great saving act of Jesus; his Death and Resurrection are present to us in that sacred time. The Lord speaks to us through the Scriptures and the bread and wine are transformed into the Presence of the living Christ.

This is the supreme place of closeness to the holiness of God. The most humdrum tin church is as majestic as the greatest Cathedral or inspiring sanctuary of Pilgrimage. As the Mass is celebrated in whatever kind of place the boundary between heaven and earth is at its thinnest.

To express this truth and recognise our closeness to the eternal worship of God as we enter the heart of the Mass we repeat the words of the angels, ‘Holy, holy, holy...’ Our custom is to sing these words at Mass. Why because they are the song of heaven.