Catholic Apologetics Online

Choose a topic from Vol 3:

God

Man

Religion

The Religion of the Bible

The Christian Religion

A Definite Christian Faith

The Problem of Reunion

The Truth of Catholicism

The Church and the Bible

The Dogmas of the Catholic Church

Moral Teachings of the Catholic Church

The Church in Her Worship

The Church and Social Welfare

The existence of angels

590. What place have angels in creation?

Thought itself indicates the probability of angelic creatures. God has manifested in creation a most extraordinary gradation of perfections. We see a mineral world; a vegetable world; a sensitive world. Then we find man, who sums up all three worlds, and surpasses them by his possession of a spiritual and intelligent soul. But why should intelligence stop at the feeble triumphs of man? Is it not natural that there should be higher created spiritual beings, intermediary between the Supreme Spirit and the created spirits immersed in the material bodies of men? There is a purely material world. There is a blend of the material and spiritual worlds in man. It is quite reasonable to expect a created and purely spiritual world. Our human intelligence stammers in speech and discourse, arriving slowly and with difficulty at its conclusions, and often making grave mistakes. The natural act of our intelligence is intuition, the vision or sight of truth, even as the natural act of bodily eyes is the sight of material objects. Yet we fail so often to attain truth. God could be better represented in His creation. Where is perfect intelligence acting according to laws proper to itself and unfettered by matter? Is it absent from the universe? No one who really believes in God would think so. Spiritual being is normal being. It is much nearer to the Author of all being than matter. And it is not unreasonable to believe in a class of created beings more perfect than men.

591. Are not the angels spoken of in the Bible as "messages" or "influences" emanating from God rather than created spiritual beings?

That cannot be maintained. For that would be to deny them personality. But both Old and New Testaments insist upon the spiritual and personal character of angels. Isaiah VI., 3, declares that the angels worship God crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts." Christ said, "Despise not one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." Matt. XVIII., 10. Messages and influences don't see! Again, Christ said that there is joy amongst the angels in heaven when a sinner repents. Can one attribute rejoicing to messages and influences? When Christ said that in the resurrection men shall be as the angels who neither marry nor are given in marriage, did He mean that men would be like messages and influences? St. Peter says that God spared not the angels who sinned. Did impersonal messages and influences sin?

592. Are the angels in any way related to us?

Yes. I have already quoted Christ's reference to the guardian angels of children. We must remember that all phases of being are in communication. There is a mutual penetration of the various kingdoms, and mutual service. All less than man contributes to the welfare of man. And if I can plead with God for you in prayer there is no reason why angels could not plead for us all in a similar way. If I can communicate ideas to you, there is no reason why God should not employ angels for that same purpose; although angels would act in a way proper to themselves, and not subject to our limitations.

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MORE FROM VOLUME 3

• About the Author
• Preface
  - Msgr Fulton J Sheen
• Author's Foreword
  - Dr Rumble, MSC

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