3 Answers about Guardian Angels you need to know

WHEN THE ANGELS WERE CREATED?

The whole creation, according to the Bible (primary source of knowledge), originated "in the beginning" (Gn 1,1). Some Fathers thought that the Angels were created on the "first day" (ib. 5), when God created "heaven" (ib. 1); others on the "fourth day" (ib. 19) when "God said: There are lights in the firmament of heaven" (ib. 14).

Some authors have placed the creation of the Angels ahead, some others after that of the material world. The hypothesis of St. Thomas - in our opinion the most probable - speaks of simultaneous creation. In the wonderful divine plan of the universe, all creatures are related to each other: the Angels, appointed by God to govern the cosmos, would not have had the opportunity to carry out their activity, if this had been created later; on the other hand, if antecedent to them, it would have lacked their superintendence.

WHY DID GOD CREATE ANGELS?

He created them for the same reason he gave birth to every other creature: to reveal his perfection and to manifest his goodness through the goods bestowed on them. He created them, not to increase their perfection (which is absolute), nor their own happiness (which is total), but because the Angels were eternally happy in the adoration of Him Supreme Good, and in the beatific vision.

We can add what St. Paul writes in his great Christological hymn: "... through him (the Christ) all things were created, those in the heavens and those on earth, the visible and invisible ones ... through him and in sight of him "(Col 1,15-16). Even the Angels, therefore, like every other creature, are ordained to Christ, their end, imitate the infinite perfections of the Word of God and celebrate its praises.

DO YOU KNOW THE NUMBER OF ANGELS?

The Bible, in various passages of the Old and New Testaments, hints at the immense multitude of Angels. Regarding the theophany, described by the prophet Daniel, we read: "A river of fire descended before him [God], a thousand thousand served him and ten thousand myriads assisted him" (7,10). In the Apocalypse it is written that the seer of Patmos "while viewing [understood] voices of many Angels around the [divine] throne ... Their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands" (5,11:2,13). In the Gospel, Luke speaks of "a multitude of the heavenly army who praised God" (XNUMX:XNUMX) at the birth of Jesus, in Bethlehem. According to St. Thomas, the number of angels greatly exceeds that of all other creatures. God, in fact, wanting to introduce his divine perfection into creation as much as possible, has realized this plan of his: in material creatures, immensely extending their greatness (eg the stars of the firmament); in the incorporeal ones (the pure spirits) multiplying the number. This explanation of the Angelic Doctor seems satisfactory to us. We can therefore reasonably believe that the number of Angels, although finite, limited, like all created things, is incalculable human-mind.