The Good Angels

    Whoever we are, wherever we are, each of us has always a guardian angel at our side. He sees everything we do: both good and evil. We should always be very careful not to offend or hurt him. We should often thank him for his love and care. We should ask him to intercede with God for us in our necessities. We should pray to him often, especially in temptation or danger.

    The chief creatures of God are angels and men. God created angels and men for His own external glory. Their creation was a reflection of His wisdom and greatness. By reason alone we cannot know that angels exist. However, reason indicates that in the orderly sequence of creatures from the lowest to the highest, there would be a greater gap between man and God, did not the angels exist.

    God created angels and men for their good and happiness. They find their happiness in their union with God. God did not create angels or men for His own happiness; He is perfectly happy in Himself alone. Angels are created spirits, without bodies, having understanding and free will. Angels are spiritual beings superior to man and inferior to God; this is of faith. We do not know the number of angels, but we can infer from Holy Scripture that their number is very great.

    Before the creation of man, God created hosts of angels. They are pure spirits, without bodies, in contrast to men, who have both body and spirit. When angels or devils appear to men, they assume human form or some other visible shape. Thus the angels that appeared to the Blessed Virgin and to Zachary assumed human form. The devil that tempted Eve appeared as a serpent.

    Even demons are pure spirits. They were angels before they became devils. Even the devils do service to God, since God always turns the attacks of the devil to show forth more brightly His Own glory. When God created the angels He bestowed on them great wisdom, power, and holiness.

    Angels are the most excellent beings created by God. They are nobler in nature than men. They know more, and have greater power. Of all God's creatures, angels resemble Him most. We can imply the knowledge of the angels from the words of Our Lord: "But of that day (the day of Judgment) and hour no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, but the Father only" (St. Matthew 24:36). The power of angels was shown in Egypt when one destroyed all the first born of the Egyptians; another angel destroyed the hosts of the Assyrian King, for blaspheming God.

    The angels were not created equal. They rank according to the amount of gifts given, and the work assigned to them. In the Bible, nine choirs of angels are mentioned: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. Not all the angels remained faithful to God; some of them sinned.

    God gave free will to the angels, as He did to men. He put them to a test, in order to make them earn the happiness of Heaven. We do not know the exact nature of the test which God gave the angels.

    In this trial,many angels, using their free will, refused to submit themselves to God; for this serious sin they were punished. "For God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but dragged them down by infernal ropes" (2 Peter 2:4). Wherever the devils were later permitted to go, they had in a way their hell with them, for they were forever deprived of the love of God. The angels who remained faithful to God entered into the eternal happiness of Heaven, and these are called good angels. "See that you do no despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in Heaven always behold the face of My Father" (St. Matthew 18:10).

    The good angels behold the face of God continually, praise and glorify Him, and are perfectly happy in His presence. Angels are commonly represented with wings to show the speed with which they pass from place to place. They are also shown as small children to show their innocence and perpetual youth. They have harps, to indicate their perpetual prise of God, and lilies, to symbolize their perfect purity.

    When we say that the angels were in Heaven before their test, we do not mean that they saw God. They were very happy where God had placed them, but they did not see God until they had been proved. The good angels help us by praying for us, by acting as messengers from God to us, and by serving as our guardian angels. Again we repeat what Our Lord Himself said of little children: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in Heaven always behold the face of My Father in Heaven" (St. Matthew 18-10).

    The good angels are God's messengers, and often reveal God's will to man. The angel Raphael accompanied Tobias on his journey. The angel Gabriel was sent to the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Annunication. Angels appeared to the shepherds at the Nativity. An angel was sent to Saint Joseph after the departure of the Magi, and after the death of Herod. Angels appeared to the women at Christ's sepulchre, and to Mary Magdalen. In Tobias there is a reference to the seven angels, but only three are identified in Sacred Scripture.

Guardian Angels

    Certain angels have special charge of nations, communities, churches, etc. Our Lord Himself several times spoke of angels, especially the guardian angels. Our guardian angels help us by praying for us, by protecting us from harm, and by inspiring us to do good.

    Our guardian angels are given special care of us, watching over each from birth to death. We should always love and pray to our Guardian Angel who never leaves our side. The Church celebrates the feast of the Guardian Angels on October 2.

    Our guardian angels put good thoughts into our minds, moving our will to what is good. They protect us in dangers of soul and body. They offer our prayers and good works to God. They pray for us. They help us in our work and needs. "He hath given his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways" (Psalms 90:11). For instance, angels kept Daniel safe in the lions' den, and the three young men in the fiery furnace. We often hear of little children meeting with accidents and escaping unhurt. But the chief work of our guardian angels is to keep us safe from the devil.

The Bad Angels

    Ah, yes, the devil. It was the Archangel Michael who led the good angels: "And there was a great battle in Heaven; Michael and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels. And they did not prevail, neither was their place found any more in Heaven" (Apocalypse 12: 7 8).

    The angels who did not remain faithful to God were cast into hell, and these are called bad angels, or devils. "Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels" (St. Matthew 25:41).

    We also call them demons or fallen angels. Led by the most excellent of the angels created by God, lucifer or satan, the bad angels refused to obey God when He tested them. God did not give them a chance to repent, but cast them at once into hell. "How are thou fallen from Heaven, O lucifer… Thou saidst in thy heart: 'I will ascend into Heaven,…I will be like the Most High,'" (Isias 14:12-14). Jesus said, "I was watching satan fall as lightning from Heaven" (St. Luke 10:18).

    God did not create devils, but glorious angels. The rebel angels turned themselves into devils by their sin. By one grave sin against God these angels of light became vile demons, and were condemned to hell for all eternity. We should draw a lesson from this and determine never to sin. The chief way in which the bad angels try to harm us is by tempting us to sin.

    The bad angels tempt man and try to draw him away from God. Often the devil appears as an angel of light, and we are tempted by evil which appears good. Under this guise the devil is most dangerous. "Be sober, be watchful! For your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5: 8-9).

    Without God's permission, the devil can do us no harm. God sometimes permits the devil to tempt just men, to cleanse them from imperfections. Our Lord Himself was tempted by the devil. God permitted Job to be harmed bodily by the devil. Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Teresa of Avila, and many other saints suffered from the temptations of the evil one. But these temptations only drive the just to greater love of God. "The life of man is a warfare" (Job 7:11).

    Sometimes devils are permitted to enter the body of a man, exercising power over his faculties; this is called diabolic "possession." At other times devils torment one from without; and this state is called diabolic "obsession." When God permits diabolic obsession or possession, it is to show in some way His glory, or to punish sin, convert sinners, or provide some means for the practice of virtue.

    In cases of diabolic possessionor obsession, the aid of the Church should be sought; for the Church received from Christ the power of exorcism. This is the act of driving out or warding off evil spirits. It is only with the permission of his bishop that a priest is permitted to exorcise evil spirits.

    The Church forbids Catholics to have anything to do with spiritism. This is calling up the spirits of the dead. Some manifestations are spirit-rapping, table-lifting, slate-writing, apparitions, communications through mediums in a state of trance. Most of the spiritist seances are fraudulent, but sometimes the devil manifests himself. God can permit the souls of the dead to return to earth. But there is no indication that He permits Himself to obey mediums. The devil may sometimes impersonate the spirits of the dead. Satan is old and skillful in deceit, and can assume the appearance of an angel of light. This is another reason new-ageism is so dangerous.

    The adage, "misery loves comapany" is illustrated in how hard the fallen angels work to capture souls. That is why it is so vital to realize that the wicked in hell suffer dreadful torments that never end. Think about that. They feel despair, remorse, envy, and hopelessness, because they know that they can never obtain the one thing necessary for happiness. They can never see and enjoy God. They are tortured with envy of the blessed in heaven. They are tormented with shame because their sins will be known to all entirely and completely. After the general judgment their bodies will share the pains of their souls. They will be in torments for all eternity.

    Those are punished in hell who die in mortal sin; they are deprived of the vision of God and suffer dreadful torments, especially that of fire, for all eternity.

    Christ Himself, in fifteen places in Holy Scripture, refers to the punishment of hell, the horrible abode of the wicked. Scripture calls hell "a place of torments" "an unquenchable fire," "everlasting fire" "the bottomless pit," everlasting punishment," "outer darkness."

    All who die in mortal sin, even with only a single unrepented and unforgiven mortal sin, are sent to hell.

    God is continually calling sinners to repentance by numberless graces. He instituted a Church to teach them the way to Heaven, to show them what to avoid. He instituted the Sacrament of Penance to cleanse from all sin, to assure the sinner that without any doubt God forgives him. He stands as the loving Father, awaiting with anxiety the return of the prodigal. If after all these graces the sinner persists in sin, he has only himself to blame when he is sent to hell.

    God does not wish to send anyone to hell. His only desire would be to have all His children with Him in the bliss of Heaven. The sinner forces God to punish him in hell, by defying Him and refusing to recognize His authority. When a vile creature defies his infinite Creator, no punishment is too great.

    Not one single sinner is sent to hell except by his own fault. No one is sent to hell unless he has wilfully, deliberately, and knowing refused to obey the commands of God. We can truly say that the fetters of hell are of man's own fashioning. If a man is given a bright light, and he purposely blows it out, can he blame anyone else for the dark?

    The condemned in hell will suffer the pain of loss and the pain of sense. But no one can ever describe or understand adequately the torments of hell, just as no one can realize the bliss of Heaven.

    The pain of loss. The wicked in hell know what they rejected and lost: God. This pain will be the greatest torment of hell, for the human soul is made for God. They feel despair, remorse, envy, and hopelessness, because they know that they can never obtain the one thing needed for happiness: they can never see God.

    The greater the value of what is lost, the greater is the pain of loss. But the sinners in hell have lost God, of infinite worth. Their pain of loss must be in proportion.

    Instead of God and the angels and saints, the sinners in hell have devils and loathsome criminals for eternal companions. Hell contains nothing good. St. Paul truly says: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31).

    There is no love in hell. The damned hate God, hate each other, and hate themselves. Saint Chrysostom says: "Insupportable is the fire of hell. Who doth not know it? And its torments are awful; but if one were to heap a thousand hell-fires one on the other it would be as nothing compared with the punishment of being excluded from the blessed glory of Heaven, of being hated by Christ, and of being compelled to hear Him say, "I know you not!"

    There is an extreme pain of sense. The wicked will suffer from fire and the torments inflicted on all the senses, the sight, the hearing, the smell, the taste, the touch. After the resurrection, the bodies of the damned will suffer with their souls. In this life sinners sin by their senses. In the same way they will be punished in hell. "By what things a man sinneth, by the same he also is tormented."

    Christ calls hell an "unquenchable fire". The sensation of burning is the greatest pain man can conceive of. If one cannot stand for a brief instant putting his finger in the flame of a candle, how can he endure the fire of hell?

    Christ calls hell "the outer darkness"; it is fire that gives no light, because in hell the damned never see God, the source of eternal light. Hell is the place where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth", where the "worm never dies."

    The punishment in hell is not the same for all. Each sinner will be punished according to the measure of his offenses. Just as in Heaven the bliss and glory of the saints differ, so in hell the torments and pains of the wicked differ. God is just; He will not punish a man who has committed only one mortal sin in the same measure that He punishes one who has lived a long life of wickedness.

    The pains of hell will last for all eternity. If the punishment of hell were temporary, many sinners might prefer to gratify their passions on earth, no matter at what cost and penalty in hell, if it were to have an end. The fear of hell should urge us to lead a good life. Nothing on earth is worth one moment in hell; and do we choose to suffer it for all eternity?

    Just as the bliss of Heaven will last for all eternity, so will the pains of hell; and on and on and on, without end, forever. "And the smoke of their torments goes up for ever and ever; and they rest neither day or night" (Apocalypse 14:11). Christ Himself said: "And if thy hand or thy foot is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off and cast it from thee! It is better for thee to enter life maimed or lame, than, having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire" (St. Matthew 18:8).

    The sinner is a traitor to God Who created him. God created this world and all creatures. He owns them. They must therefore be absolutely obedient to His will. If a creature revolts and defies God, then he must be treated as an enemy.

    It is the opinion of the Doctors of the Church that no one in hell is punished as much as he deserves. God sent us His own beloved Son, to suffer incredible agonies and death, so that we may be saved from eternal damnation. Can such a God be anything but merciful?

    We know the mercy of God. We know how glad He is to receive back the repentant sinner. The parable of the Prodigal Son shows this. We therefore know that He will not punish too severely, that whatever punishment He metes out will be just.

    We shoud have no fear of hell if we know and fulfill our duty. God will not send us to hell, unless we force Him. It is important to remember that our Judge will be Jesus Christ, Who so loved us that He died on the cross for us. He is more eager to pass a favorable sentence on us than we are to receive it. We should have confidence in Him, as little children. "The Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them" (St. Luke 9:56). The Lord "is long-suffering, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

    We should constantly remember to plead with God for our souls. We can refuse God, but God can never refuse us: on this account salvation is in our hands.

Next: Step Seventeen: Judgment Day

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Previously: Step Fifteen: Seven Ways to Lose One's Soul