And another one! To go along with the already-known and commonly-used chaplets for Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, I wrote up a chaplet for Jehudiel, sometimes known as Raguel, the archangel of praise or glory of God. While he presides over the praise, thanksgiving, and glorification of God, he also presides over the realm of labor, work, and toil. As the angel watching over all those who work, Jehudiel helps us in our day-to-day lives in carrying out our tasks, jobs, and errands, no matter what they may be. This is because there’s a strong tie between working and glorifying God: by doing our work down here, we do our Work Up There. The two are essentially the same, since our lives are our own Great Work, and by doing what we need to do properly and timely, we live in line with our True Will, which is to carry out the will of God, which is the highest manner of glorifying God. After all, to live in accordance with God is to respect, honor, and glorify the plan of God. Thus, Jehudiel helps us figure out what it is we need to be doing as well as helping us to get things done. This is especially true for those who are rulers, such as kings or presidents, since their work affects countless people; further, as Fr. Rufus Opus has waxed so much on since getting on his Jupiter kick several years ago, to be king of your own sphere is part and parcel of the Great Work itself.
As Jehudiel is the praise of God, I went through one of the densest collections of prayers and hymns to God in the Bible: the Psalms. Although a number of these are lamentations or calls for retribution against Israel’s enemies, given the context in which they were written (and I can’t blame them for that, either), many of them are full of pure, honest praise in the glory and service of God. Psalm 150, the last psalm of the canonical Judeo-Christian scripture, is a short and sweet hymn praising God, and one of the few instances in Scripture where “Hallelujah” (Praise the Lord) is used. I used this six-verse hymn as a basis for the chaplet of Jehudiel, since I thought the connection in praise was fitting for the angel. While many other prayers and hymns are used throughout Christianity to praise God (Gloria in Excelsis Deo, Magnificat, Alleluia, Prayer of Azariah, inter multa alia), I wanted to keep this short; after all, if Jehudiel is the angel presiding over work, he’s also the angel of timeliness and getting shit done effectively and timely. Without sacrificing temporal quantity for spiritual quality, I wanted to keep this chaplet simple and short.
The chaplet beads consist of a lead chain of three beads attached to (you guessed it) a cross or general representation of angels, since I don’t know of any Jehudiel medallions easily obtainable, though you’re free to use one if you can find or make one. The lead chain is attached to a ring of six sets of three beads each.
Initial prayers done on the medal/cross:
Saint Jehudiel the Archangel, angel of praise to God, pray for us, that in every act, in every job, in every work, and in every labor we may constantly carry out the will of the Lord gladly and in praise for all He has given us. Amen.
On each of three lead beads, pray the Ave Maria in honor of Mary, Queen of Heaven and of Angels.
On the first bead of each set of three on the ring, pray:
- Hallelujah! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise Him in the firmament of His power. Hallelujah!
- Hallelujah! Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His abundant greatness. Hallelujah!
- Hallelujah! Praise Him with the blast of the horn; praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Hallelujah!
- Hallelujah! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and the pipe. Hallelujah!
- Hallelujah! Praise Him with loud-sounding cymbals; praise Him with clanging cymbals. Hallelujah!
- Hallelujah! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah!
On the second bead of each set, pray the Pater Noster; on the third, pray the Gloria Patri.
Concluding prayer:
O merciful Archangel, Saint Jehudiel dispenser of God’s eternal and abundant mercy, because of our sinfulness, we do not deserve God’s forgiveness. Yet, He continually grants us forbearance freely and lovingly. Help us in our determination to overcome our sinful habits and be truly sorry for them. Bring each one of us to true conversion of heart, that we may experience the joy of reconciliation which it brings, without which neither we as individuals, nor the whole world can know true peace. You who continually intercedes for us, aid us in our work, labor, and toil, that we may continually praise God in this world as the angels praise God in Heaven, that all we do may be right in intent and right in method, that the will of the Lord be done and not our own lest it be in accordance with His. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.
