The Lord of Spirits Podcast
Episode: “Your Skin Makes Me Cry”
Date: February 28, 2025
Hosts: Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick (B), Fr. Stephen DeYoung (C)
Theme: The Seen and Unseen World in Orthodox Christian Tradition
Episode Overview
This episode explores the activity of angels in the world and their relationship to human beings within the Orthodox Christian tradition. Building on the previous episode’s discussion of demons, the hosts shift focus to angels—who they are, what they do in the Bible, how glorified humanity relates to them, and the purpose of intermediary beings in God's creation. The episode delves into spiritual anthropology, the nature of the noetic (spiritual) realm, the communion of saints, intercessory prayer, and the ‘crowded spiritual world’ of Christian cosmology.
Tone:
- Warmly humorous, patristically rigorous, and gently critical of reductionist or “efficient” theological ideas.
Key Topics & Discussion Points
1. What Are Angels? — Ranks and Roles (04:29–12:40)
- Recap: Angels are not “species” or hierarchical in the sense of job promotion or natural kind. Each angelic being is unique (“sui generis”).
- Nine Ranks (St. Dionysius the Areopagite): Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, Angels.
- These “ranks” are roles or jobs, not kinds or evolutionary stages.
"It's not like you start out as an angel, get your wings, and work your way up to archangel. There are roles or jobs that they have." – C (07:16)
- Glory & Hierarchy: The hierarchy relates to proximity to God—not spatially, but through participation in His glory.
2. Angels in Scripture – OT and NT (12:45–16:34)
- Angels are active administrators of the world in the Old Testament, serving as intermediaries in delivering the Law, messages, and serving as protectors.
- In the New Testament period, Protestant traditions in America often downplay angelic action, wrongly assuming a “reduction in force” of the heavenly hosts after Christ's ascension.
"There's this kind of flattened hierarchy…as if angels had all these jobs until Christ came, got laid off, and now just God does everything directly." – C (14:04)
3. The Elevation of Humanity and the Communion of Saints (16:35–23:23)
- Christ’s Incarnation exalts humanity above the angels.
- The Theotokos (Mary) as exemplum of glorified humanity: “More honorable than the cherubim, more glorious than the seraphim.”
"The things we say about the Theotokos in this regard are true of glorified humanity in general." – C (18:06)
- Saints participate in the angelic hierarchy, taking on similar or greater tasks than angels: guiding, protecting, delivering messages.
- "Saints assume the kind of duties that we see angels doing in the Old Testament." – B (23:06)
- The Theotokos (Mary) as exemplum of glorified humanity: “More honorable than the cherubim, more glorious than the seraphim.”
4. Why Does God Use Angels and Saints? (29:35–34:32)
- Efficiency is not a divine priority: God acts through others out of love, not necessity or efficiency.
"Yes, God doesn't need angels, he doesn't need us... But he's given me that privilege out of love." – C (33:45)
- Intermediary beings are an expression of God’s sharing and love, not obstacles or inefficiency.
5. Guardian Angels and the Fluidity of Roles (49:12–53:05)
- Every person is believed to be assigned a guardian angel at baptism (or becoming a Christian), but angelic assignments can change.
- Guardian angels guide, protect, and lead us to God; we pray for their help not because of spiritual bureaucracy, but because of dynamic, loving relationship.
"The guardian angel's most important task: to help guide toward Christ." – C (51:21)
6. Angels, Agency, and Communion (53:20–60:31)
- Angels have free will and their own agency.
- Alignment with God’s will is voluntary, not robotic.
- Angelic “falls” are always connected to communion with human will—when angels and humans together align themselves against God, fall occurs.
"Angelic falls happen in communion with humanity." – C (58:29)
- Holy humans can even play a role in the “restoration” of fallen angels, per Desert Father stories.
7. The Noetic World and Angelic Activity (62:08–65:18)
- Angels operate primarily in the “noetic” (world of thoughts)—implanting divine, good, and pure thoughts, guiding the human mind/heart toward God.
"Angels come with positive thoughts, with godly thoughts … thoughts that we can choose to focus on." – C (64:27)
- Humans inhabit both material and noetic realms, bridging spiritual and physical realities.
8. The Holy Spirit vs. Angelic Inspiration (66:10–77:02)
- Critique of attributing every good feeling or idea to the direct action of the Holy Spirit—a common Evangelical tic:
"The Holy Spirit told me this... and then they say something that's just absolutely incorrect about the Bible… that wasn't the Holy Spirit, bro." – C (66:54)
- Most “thoughts” are angelic in origin; as humans, turning these into ideas & actions involves our own subjectivity and participation.
Memorable Exchange:
"There should be a whole lot more, a whole lot less of 'God laid it on my heart' and a whole lot more 'it seems to me.'" – B (72:54)
9. Angels, Material Reality, and Spiritual Geography (78:15–80:12)
- Angels are assigned to elements of the physical world: stars, nations, places. There is no hard division between “spiritual” and “physical.”
"These aren't two different realities. This is one created world, one creation of God." – C (79:13)
10. Angelic Intercession, Intermediaries, and Spiritual Community (84:02–103:21)
- Angels and saints continue to have a role as intercessors, presenting the needs and prayers of people to God.
- Critique of the "one mediator" objection (1 Tim 2:5): Paul’s point is not to prohibit intercession, but to encourage it based on the unique mediation of the God-Man, Jesus.
"Those who quote that against the idea of intercession are abusing Scripture. You are quoting St. Paul out of context to say the exact opposite of what he is saying." – C (99:31)
- The communion of saints and intercessory prayer are expressions of love and spiritual connectedness, not attempts at spiritual efficiency or bypassing God.
11. Spiritual Warfare: The Real Battlefield (108:36–113:16)
- “Warfare” between angels and demons is not swordplay in the heavens, but a matter of thoughts, decisions, and the human will.
"The battlefield between angels and demons is your mind, your heart, your thoughts." – C (112:26)
- The ultimate purpose is either one’s alignment with God (eternal life) or destruction (cooperation with demonic suggestion).
12. The Crowded Spiritual World and Loneliness (113:49–116:47)
- Modern Westerners suffer from a sense of isolation, exacerbated by a theologically "flat" world stripped of angels and saints.
- The Orthodox vision offers a “crowded spiritual world”—full of angels and saints asking for their prayers is a true antidote to loneliness.
"There's this whole, well as Scripture says, great cloud of witnesses, right? The angels, the saints who are present with us all the time." – B (114:43)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Angel Ranks and Roles:
"There's this idea of, oh, it's this kind or it's that kind. ... Angels don't have species. Technically, every angel is sui generis." – C (06:39–07:12)
- On Efficiency:
"Try running your family with ruthless efficiency. ... Open up to love if you want to escape the Nazis." – C (33:12–33:27)
- On the Intercession of Saints:
"Is it necessary? OK, we're not saying necessary. Here's that efficiency thing rearing its ugly head again." – C (104:04)
- On Guardian Angels:
"Guardian angels' most important task: guide them in their life toward God, toward Christ." – C (51:21)
- On Spiritual Warfare:
"The battlefield between angels and demons is your mind, your heart, your thoughts." – C (112:26)
- On the 'Flat' Spiritual World:
"I do think that that theological outlook isn't helping and maybe is the context for some of this sense of isolation. ... There's this whole... great cloud of witnesses—the angels, the saints who are present with us all the time." – B (114:16–114:43)
Timestamps for Major Segments
- 00:00 – 04:29 — Introduction & icebreaker
- 04:29 – 12:40 — Angelic ranks, uniqueness, role vs. species
- 12:45 – 16:34 — Angels' function in Scripture and post-Christ cosmology
- 16:35 – 23:23 — Glorification of humanity, saints, and angelic hierarchy
- 29:35 – 34:32 — The inefficiency of love; why God works through angels, saints, and people
- 49:12 – 53:05 — Guardian angels, their changing assignments, and our prayers
- 53:20 – 60:31 — Free will, agency, and the intertwining of angelic and human actions
- 62:08 – 65:18 — Operation of angels in the world of thoughts
- 66:10 – 77:02 — The Holy Spirit vs. angelic inspiration, and pitfalls of “God told me”
- 78:15 – 80:12 — Angels in material reality, spiritual geography
- 84:02 – 103:21 — Angelic intercession, human intercession, 1 Timothy 2:5 in context
- 108:36 – 113:16 — The true meaning of angelic-demonic warfare: the battle of thoughts
- 113:49 – 116:47 — Spiritual community as a balm for loneliness
Calls to Action
- Engage with the spiritual world: Cultivate relationship with angels and saints; ask for their prayers as an act of love and community.
- Remember that prayer is communion: Whether to God or through saints/angels, prayer is not about meeting efficiency metrics but about communion and love.
- Combat isolation by discovering the “crowded” world: The Orthodox tradition offers a path from spiritual loneliness to living among a great cloud of witnesses.
For follow up or questions, listeners are invited to contact the show via email, Facebook, or voicemail, and to check out resources at orthodoxintro.org.
Summary prepared for those interested in the theological, spiritual, and practical significance of angels, saints, and spiritual intercession in Orthodox Christianity.