The Angels and Guardian Angels: 6 things to know about them and understand their nature

Creation of Angels.

We, on this earth, cannot have the exact concept of the "spirit", because everything that surrounds us is material, that is, it can be seen and touched. We have a material body; our soul, while being a spirit, is so intimately united to the body, so we must make an effort with the mind to detach ourselves from visible things.

So what is the spirit? it is a being, equipped with intelligence and will, but without a body.

God is a very pure, infinite, most perfect spirit. He has no body.

God created an immense variety of beings, for beauty shines more in variety. In creation there is a scale of beings, from the lowest order to the supreme, from the material to the spiritual. A look at creation reveals this to us. Let's start from the bottom step of creation.

God creates, that is, he takes everything he wants out of nothing, being omnipotent. He created inanimate beings, unable to move and grow: they are minerals. He created plants, capable of growing, but not of feeling. He created animals with the ability to grow, move, feel, but without the power to reason, endowing them only with a wonderful instinct, for which they remain in existence and can achieve the purpose of their creation. At the head of all these things God created man, who is a being composed of two elements: a material one, that is, the body, for which he is similar to animals, and a spiritual one, that is, the soul, which is a gifted spirit of sensitive and intellectual memory, of intelligence and of will.

In addition to what is seen, he created the beings similar to himself, Pure Spirits, giving them great intelligence and strong will; these Spirits, being without a body, cannot be visible to us. Such Spirits are called Angels.

God created angels even before sensitive beings and created them with a simple act of will. Endless hosts of angels appeared in the Divinity, one more beautiful than the other. As the flowers on this earth resemble each other in their nature, but one differs from the other in color, perfume and shape, so the Angels, despite having the same spiritual nature, differ in beauty and power. However the last of the Angels is far superior to any human.

The Angels are distributed in nine categories or choirs and are named after the various offices they perform before the Divinity. By divine revelation we know the name of the nine choirs: Angels, Archangels, Principalities, Powers, Virtues, Dominations, Thrones, Cherubim, Seraphim.

Angelic beauty.

Although the Angels do not have a body, they can nevertheless take on a sensitive appearance. In fact, they have appeared quite a few times cloaked in light and with wings, to manifest the speed with which they can go from one end of the universe to the other to carry out the orders of God.

St. John the Evangelist, rapt in ecstasy, as he himself wrote in the book of Revelation, saw before him an Angel, but of such majesty and beauty, for which he believed God was himself, prostrated himself to adore him. But the Angel said to him, "Get up; I am a creature of God, I am a fellow of yours ».

If such is the beauty of only one Angel, who can express the overall beauty of billions and billions of these most noble creatures?

Purpose of this creation.

The good is diffusive. Those who are happy and good, want others to share in their happiness. God, happiness in essence, wanted to create the Angels to make them blessed, that is, partakers of his own bliss.

The Lord also created the Angels to receive their homages and to use them in the implementation of his divine designs.

Proof.

In the first phase of creation, the Angels were sinful, that is, they were not yet confirmed in grace. At that time God wanted to test the faithfulness of the heavenly court, to have a sign of particular love and humble subjection. The proof, as St. Thomas Aquinas says, could only be the manifestation of the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God, that is, the Second Person of the SS. Trinity would become man and the Angels would have to worship Jesus Christ, God and man. But Lucifer said: I will not serve him! and, using the other Angels who shared his idea, waged a great battle in heaven.

Angels, willing to obey God, led by St. Michael the Archangel, fought against Lucifer and his followers, shouting: "Salute to our God! ».

We don't know how long this fight lasted. St. John the Evangelist who saw the scene of the celestial struggle reproduce in the vision of the Apocalypse, wrote that St. Michael the Archangel had the upper hand over Lucifer.

The sorrow.

God, who until then had left the Angels free, intervened; gracefully confirmed the faithful Angels, making them impeccable, and punished the rebels terribly. What punishment did God give to Lucifer and his followers? A punishment corresponding to guilt, because He is most just.

Hell did not yet exist, that is, the place of torments; immediately God created him.

Lucifer, from a very luminous Angel, became an Angel of darkness and was plunged into the depths of the abysses, followed by the other companions. Centuries have passed and perhaps millions of centuries and the unhappy rebels are there, in the depths of hell, eternally serving their very serious sin of pride.

St. Michael the Archangel.

The word Michele means "Who like God? ». So said this Archangel in the fight against Lucifer.

Today St. Michael the Archangel is the Prince of the Celestial Militia, that is, all the Angels are subject to him, and he, according to divine will, gives orders, as the head of an army gives orders to subordinate officers. St. Michael the Archangel usually be depicted humanly, as was seen in the Apocalypse, that is, with the majestic and indignant face, with a sword in his hand, in the act of vibrating the blow against the infernal dragon, Lucifer, which is held under the foot as a sign of victory.

Clarification.

Angels have no body; consequently, having no language, they cannot speak. Why are the words of Lucifer, St. Michael and other Angels referred to in Holy Scripture?

The word is the manifestation of thought. Men have sensitive language; the Angels also have their own language, but different from ours, that is, in a way unknown to us, we communicate our thoughts. Holy Scripture reproduces the angelic language in human form.

Angels in Heaven.

What are Angels in Heaven doing? They crown the Divinity, continually paying homage to it. They love the SS. Trinity, recognizing it worthy of all honor. They continually thank her for giving them existence and many excellent gifts; they repair it from the offenses that ungrateful creatures bring it. The Angels are in perfect harmony with each other, loving each other immensely; there is no jealousy or pride among them, otherwise Heaven would turn into a sad dwelling; they are united with the will of God and do not desire and do nothing but what God likes.

Angelic Ministry.

Angelo means servant or minister. Every Angel in Heaven has his office, which he disengages with perfection. God uses this or that Angel to communicate his will to other creatures, as the master sends servants around on errands.

The universe is governed by certain particular Angels, so St. Thomas and St. Augustine teach. This happens, not because God needs help, but to give more emphasis to his Providence in the activity communicated to the lower causes. In fact in the Apocalypse certain Angels appeared in the act of playing trumpets or of pouring earth and sea on vessels full of divine indignation, etc.

Certain Angels are ministers of God's justice, others are ministers of his mercy; others are finally in charge of keeping men.

The seven archangels.

Seven is a scriptural number. The seventh day of the week is consecrated in particular to God. Seven were the lamps that continually burned in the Temple of the Old Testament; seven were the signs of the book of life, which saw St. John the Evangelist in Patmos' vision. Seven are the gifts of the Holy Spirit; seven are the sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ; seven the works of Mercy, etc. The number seven is also found in Heaven. In fact there are seven Archangels in Paradise; only the name of three is known: St. Michael, that is «Who like God? », St. Raphael« Medicine of God », St. Gabriel« Fortress of God ». How do we know that the Archangels are seven? It can be seen from the manifestation that St. Raphael himself made in Tobia, when he cured him of blindness: "I am Raphael, one of the seven Spirits who are continually in the presence of God". These seven Archangels are the senior officers of the Heavenly Court and are sent by God to earth for extraordinary errands.