Rev 2:1

“In many places, and especially in the Psalms, you will find speech addressed to the angels. Power has been given to man—at least to him who has the Holy Spirit—to speak even to the angels. I shall give one example from these instances, so that we might realize that angels too can be taught by human voices. It has been written in the Apocalypse of John, "Write to the angel of the church of the Ephesians, 'I have something against you.' " And again, "Write to the angel of the church of Pergamum, 'I have something against you.' " Clearly it is a man who writes to angels and enjoins something.”

“And unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write: These things saith he, who holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience. In this place, blessed John, either in his own person or in that of preceding preachers, writes the Lord's words at the latter's bidding to the universal Church, which is represented by the angel. In this angel, sometimes the whole body of the elect, which consists of holy preachers and good listeners, is extolled by the proclamation of its merits, sometimes a part in particular is censured as wicked. So, what does it mean that the Redeemer Lord holds stars in his right hand, if not that he has predestined his elect to the blessedness of success? What does it mean that the same walks in the midst of the candlesticks, if not that he is present everywhere by bestowing the grace of gifts on every one of the saints through his inward discernment? If by the stars and candlesticks we understand the whole body of the Church, which consists of the elect and of the reprobates, by the right hand of Christ we should understand the power of his divinity, which no one can escape, for in his hand are all the ends of the earth; [Ps. 94:4] and he walks among the candlesticks, visiting the just and forsaking the unjust. The Lord says he knows the works, labor, and patience of the saints, which means that he approves them by the grace of choosing. But then the speech turns back to a specific weak part of the body when it is said after that, and how thou canst not bear them that are evil: for it is not a sign of merit, but of great weakness, that the angel cannot bear them that are evil. It is also to be noted that he says below to the same angel, Thou hast endured for my name: [Rev. 2:3] which is not incompatible with this passage, because in the one is indicated the weakness of some limbs, and in the other the strength of others. And thou hast tried them, who say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars. It is to be believed that false apostles had then spread in the Church of Ephesus, whom the same John calls Antichrists in his epistle, [1 John 2:18] and in whose persons is denoted the perfidy of all heretics. As for trying, it is sometimes done with a view to approbation, as in The Lord your God trieth you. [Deut. 13:3] So the Church tries the false ones when, through the preachers, it interrogates the heretics about faith, to see whether they are disciples of the truth or of falsehood.”

“The first act of my words and interpretations has indeed been accomplished; now again another target must be struck, showing what is the exhortation to the churches. Therefore, first to the church in Ephesus, as presiding over the rest of Asia, it is commanded to write. He referred to the church in Ephesus in an indirect way as the angel of the church in Ephesus. For his angel, the protector of the church, has not sinned in a way that requires repentance upon hearing; he is the most holy one and, because of this, being at the right hand of the Lord, he bears this sign of his natural purity and radiant brilliance. Why was it necessary to say to the one who was exchanging words to write to the evangelist? For the divine angel was present and heard the things being said; for he was on the right hand of the one speaking, and finally, the holy one himself, interpreting the vision shown to him, says: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. For he did not say this to the angels of the churches, but to the churches themselves. Therefore, in the other visions wherever you find them, write these things to the angel of this church, that the words are not about the angel, but about the church. What does he command to be written to the church in Ephesus? It is similar to saying, "this is what the one who surrounds, holds sway over, and binds together both the holy angels in heaven and the men on earth," for these are the seven stars. For these are the seven lampstands, as has been said before; because He walks in the midst of those who worship Him, and through the prophet He says: "I will dwell among them and walk among them." (Lev. 26:12)”