Bound in Love

Helen’s Text/Notes

Angels from A dogmatic catechism 1874 –

• original Italian, Frassennetti

How do you define the Angels ?

They are created, spiritual, complete, and intelligent substances.

• They are called created substances, because in the creation of the world they were drawn out of nothing.
• They are called spiritual , because they have no bodies, not even a most subtle body of air or light, as some of the Ancients supposed. No Catholic can now have any doubt on this head, the 4th Lateran Council having expressly declared in favour of the entire spirituality of the Angels.
• They are called complete, as differing from the human soul, which is designed, not by itself alone, but in union with a body, to form a whole, — that is, the person of man.
• They are called intelligent , because they have great force and ‘subtlety of understanding ; so that they are called simply — Intelligences .

What does the name Angel signify ?

A. Angel means messenger; therefore, the name Angel is given to the Celestial Intelligences, not as the proper name of their nature, but as the proper name of their office, when they are sent by God to discharge some embassy, or to give some counsel.

Is it an article of the Faith that Angels exist?

1. Undoubtedly it is, as is apparent from innumerable passages of Holy Scripture, and from the Chapter Fir mi ter, of the 4th Lateran Council.

Is the nature of Angels superior to human nature ?

A. It is superior, as appears from Scripture and the Holy Fathers.

Do the Angels know our thoughts, and the secrets of our hearts ?

A. They conjecture them from signs and indications which we give, even without reflection; they have not, however, a certain knowledge of them. They have certain knowledge of them, when we will that they should know our thoughts and the secrets of our hearts ; and also, when God, for His own ends, reveals these to them, even without our willing it.

How can you affirm that the Angels have not bodies, since they have often appeared in visible forms?

On such occasions they adapted to themselves a body which was not their own; they assumed it when needful, and laid it aside as soon as they had executed the commissions which God sent them to accomplish among men.

Have the Angels power over material things ?

A. They have greater power over them than men have ; with their most subtle intelligence and strength they can produce wonderful effects even in material things, such as no man is capable of. They can move the winds, cause storms, produce earthquakes and pestilences, and heal diseases, humanly speaking, incurable.

May we not believe that all these things proceed immediately from natural causes, as philosophers teach ?

1. We do not say that every wind that blows, that every storm that rages, and that every destroying pestilence, comes immediately from the action of some Angel ; such things happen ordinarily by the immediate concourse of natural causes, subject to the government of God, as we have already said (Chap, ii., Sect. 2, Providence) ; but philosophers will never be able to prove that at times Angels do not co-operate in such things. Moreover, it is apparent from many passages of Holy Scripture, from the tradition of the Holy Fathers, and from the sentiment of the entire Catholic Church that they do concur in them : hence, sound philosophers do not refuse to attribute this power over material things to the Angels.

Were the Angels created in a state of grace?

A. Certainly; they did not however enjoy the Vision of God, and it was in their own power to preserve or to lose grace, according to the good or bad use they made of their liberty.

Did they all preserve themselves in a state of grace?

A. Many preserved themselves in grace ; but a great part speedily fell into the sin of pride, were excluded from the kingdom of God, and condemned to Hell. I say speedily , because when Adam sinned, the Angels had already sinned, and had been transformed into demons. Meanwhile, the good Angels who remained humble, were admitted to the clear Vision of God, and became impeccable.

Who was the chief of the bad Angels, whom we now call demons ?

A. Lucifer : who in this way is the Chief or Prince of all the proud.

What punishments followed on the sin of the Angels ?

Four:

1.  i, blindness of mind in regard to supernatural things ; for a great knowledge of natural things they retain ;
2.  2, obstinacy of the will in evil ;
3. 3, privation of Paradise ;
4. 4, and the torment of eternal fire.

Can the evil Angels induce us to evil ?

A. They can tempt us in various ways, but they cannot do violence to our will.

Is it true that enchantments and sorcery can be wrought by the power of demons, and by their power over natural things ?

A. It is most true, as appears from many passages of Holy Scripture, as many undeniable facts demonstrate, and as is manifest from the sentiment of the Church in all ages. It is rash and ridiculous to venture to deny such a truth, which, moreover, in our days is made even more manifest and palpable by the wonders of table turning and spirit rapping, and by magnetism, the abuse of which has been condemned by the Church in two decrees, emanating from the Supreme Holy Roman and Universal Inquisition, of the 28th July, 1847, and the 30th July, 1856. Hence we may consider it certain that the devil, by permission of Almighty God, has power in many ways over the persons of men, and over natural causes.

Are there any obsessed by evil spirits ?

A. Although more than once impostors have pretended to be obsessed by evil spirits, it is most certain that, even after the death of Christ, persons have been obsessed by the devil; this has been proved by incontrovertible evidence, and cannot be denied without accusing the Catholic Church of prejudice and ignorance; for she uses exorcisms over obsessed persons, and confers an Ecclesiastical Order, and consecrates Ministers for this purpose.

‘ Still in our days many doubt it.

A. St. Thomas, speaking of those who in his time doubted these things, feared not to assert that this doubt sprang from a principle of unbelief *

What forbids our saying the same of those who doubt them in our own days? We add, moreover, that such men are lacking in logic, in criticism, and in erudition.

How many orders of Angels are there ?

1. There are nine, which constitute three Hierarchies or Choirs ; the highest containing the Seraphim, the Cherubim, and the Thrones ; the next, the Dominations, the Virtues, and the Powers ; the last, the Principalities, the Archangels, and the Angels.

Does God destine the Angels to be the guardians of men ?

A. It is a truth, clearly expressed in Holy Scripture, that men are guarded by the Angels’; but we cannot say that it is absolutely of Faith that each individual has his Guardian Angel : such, however, is the sentiment of all the Holy Fathers, and of all the Faithful, in opposition to the heretic Calvin. Moreover, theologians agree that there are Angels deputed to be the guardians of the various kingdoms of the earth, and of the different Churches or Dioceses which constitute the Catholic Church. The Archangel St. Michael, who formerly was the Guardian Angel of the Synagogue, is now the Guardian of the Universal Church.

What is the office of the Angel Guardians in regard to the men confided to them by God ?

They guard them from perils and imminent evils ; they hinder the demons from injuring them, suggest holy thoughts, pray for them, and offer their prayers to God, console the souls in Purgatory, and when they are fully purged, conduct them to Paradise.

Seraphim

These are the highest order or choir of angels. They are the angels who are attendants or guardians before God’s throne. They praise God, calling, “Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts”. the only Bible reference is Isaiah 6:1-7. One of them touched Isaiah’s lips with a live coal from the altar, cleansing him from sin. Seraphim have six wings, two cover their faces, two cover their feet, and two are for flying.

Cherubim

Cherubim rank after the seraphim and are the second highest in the nine hierarchies or choirs of angels. The Old Testament does not reveal any evidence that the Jews considered them as intercessors or helpers of God. They were closely linked in God’s glory. They are manlike in appearance and double-winged and were guardians of God’s glory. They symbolized then, God’s power and mobility. In the New Testament, they are alluded to as celestial attendants in the Apocalypse (Rv 4-6). Catholic tradition describes them as angels who have an intimate knowledge of God and continually praise Him.

Thrones

Thrones are the Angels of pure Humility, Peace and Submission. They reside in the area of the cosmos where material form begins to take shape. The lower Choir of Angels need the Thrones to access God.

Dominions

Dominions are Angels of Leadership. They regulate the duties of the angels, making known the commands of God.

Virtues

Virtues are known as the Spirits of Motion and control the elements. They are sometimes referred to as “the shining ones.” They govern all nature. They have control over seasons, stars, moon; even the sun is subject to their command. They are also in charge of miracles and provide courage, grace, and valor.>

Powers

Powers are Warrior Angels against evil defending the cosmos and humans. They are known as potentates. They fight against evil spirits who attempt to wreak chaos through human beings. The chief is said to be either Samael or Camael, both angels of darkness.

Archangels

Archangels are generally taken to mean “chief or leading angel” ( Jude 9; 1 Thes 4:16), they are the most frequently mentioned throughout the Bible. They may be of this or other hierarchies as St. Michael Archangel, who is a princely Seraph. The Archangels have a unique role as God’s messenger to the people at critical times in history and salvation (Tb 12:6, 15; Jn 5:4; Rv 12:7-9) as in The Annunciation and Apocalypse. A feast day celebrating the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael is celebrated throughout the Church Sep 29. A special part of the Byzantine Liturgy invokes the “Cherubic Hymn” which celebrates these archangels and the guardian angels particularly.

Of special significance is St. Michael as he has been invoked as patron and protector by the Church from the time of the Apostles. The Eastern Rite and many others place him over all the angels, as Prince of the Seraphim. He is described as the “chief of princes” and as the leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over Satan and his followers. The angel Gabriel first appeared in the Old Testament in the prophesies of Daniel, he announced the prophecy of 70 weeks (Dn 9:21-27). He appeared to Zechariah to announce the birth of St. John the Baptist (Lk 1:11). It was also Gabriel which proclaimed the Annunciation of Mary to be the mother of our Lord and Saviour. (Lk 1:26) The angel Raphael first appeared in the book of Tobit (Tobias)Tb 3:25, 5:5-28, 6-12). He announces “I am the Angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the throne of God.” (Tb 12:15)

Principalities

In the New Testament Principalities refers to one type of spiritual (metaphysical) being which are now quite hostile to God and human beings. (Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; Col 1:16; 2:10, 15) Along with the principalities are the powers (Rom 8:38; 1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:21; 1 Pt 3:22; 2 Thes 1:7); and cosmological powers (1 Cor 15:24; Eph 1:21; 3:10; Col 2:15);Dominions (Eph 1:21; Col 1:16) and thrones (Col1:16). The clarity of the New Testament witness helps see that these beings were created through Christ and for Him (Col 1:16). Given their hostility to God and humans due to sin, Christ’s ultimate rule over them (ibid) expresses the reign of the Lord over all in the cosmos. This is the Lordship of Christ, which reveals God’s tremendous salvation in conquering sin and death at the cross, and now takes place in the Church. (Eph 3:10)

Angels

These angels are closest to the material world and human begins. They deliver the prayers to God and God’s answers and other messages to humans. Angels have the capacity to access any and all other Angels at any time. They are the most caring and social to assist those who ask for help.

Each angel is created for a specific purpose within the cosmos.

Angels are spiritual beings created by God, naturally invisible to the human eye, but all around us and constantly carrying out the tasks God has given them.

Traditionally the angels are classified into what are called nine “choirs” or “ranks.” This division is based on nine names of angels found in Sacred Scripture.

St. Gregory the Great puts all of these “choirs” into a single list in one of his homilies. “We know on the authority of Scripture that there are nine orders of angels, viz., Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Dominations, Throne, Cherubim and Seraphim.“

It is believed that each of these choirs was given a specific task by God. Theologian and philosopher Dr. Peter Kreeft gives a nice summary of these different choirs and their roles in his book Angels and Demons:

The first three levels see and adore God directly:

The seraphim, the highest choir, comprehend God with maximum clarity, and therefore their love flames the hottest. (“Seraphim” means “the burning ones.”) Lucifer (“Light-bearer”) was once one of them. That’s why he’s still very powerful and dangerous.

The cherubim contemplate God too, but less in himself than in his providence…(“Cherubim” means “fullness of wisdom.”)

The thrones contemplate God’s power and judgments. (Thrones symbolize judicial, juridical power.)

The next three choirs fulfill God’s providential plans for the universe, like middle management personnel:

The dominations or “dominions” (…”authority”), command the lesser angels below them.

The virtues receive their orders from the dominations and “run” the universe, so to speak, especially the heavenly bodies. (“Virtue” used to mean power, might, or energy.)

The powers serve the virtues by fighting against evil influences that oppose the virtues’ providential plan.

The last three choirs directly order human affairs:

The principalities care for earthly principalities, that is, cities and nations and kingdoms.

The archangels (such as Gabriel) carry God’s important messages to man.

Ordinary angels are the “guardian angels,” one for each individual.

This traditional ordering of angels is an accepted Catholic belief, though not part of official Church dogma. St. Thomas Aquinas is another Church theologian who found these different choirs of angels throughout Scripture and sought to find a coherent way to arrange them. Aquinas devotes an entire question in his Summa Theologiae to this concept and Kreeft’s summary above is partially derived from it.

What’s interesting is that according to this arrangement, only archangels and (ordinary) angels have direct dealings with humans. The many multitudes of the other choirs of angels are either with God or govern the world invisibly. 

Angels are ranked into nine choirs, or categories, and divided into three hierarchies: seraphim, cherubim and thrones; dominations, virtues and powers; principalities, archangels and angels.

The highest orders are noted for their zeal and ceaseless contemplation of God Those in the second hierarchy are associated with the care of human affairs, and the lowest ranks are charged with announcing God’s will.

Reigning at the top of this spectrum, existing in the realm closest to God, are the seraphim, characterized by their fiery love, which is said to reflect onto the lesser ranks of angels.

Cherubim are associated with intellect. They share a deep insight into God’s secrets and understand the requirements of salvation.

Thrones symbolize submission and peace, and they help people to abide by God’s will. By tradition, God rests on them and imparts His Spirit, which they pass on to lesser angels and to mankind.

The second hierarchy is led by the dominations, who rule over lesser angels to carry out commands of God and make known God’s authority.

Virtues fulfill this work and, through them, God oversees the seasons and visible heavens.

The powers, by tradition, are the favorite of mortals, assigned to fight evil spirits and defeat their plans.

Principalities rule over the lowest hierarchy, guarding countries and charged with making announcements to mankind. They govern souls and bodies.

Archangels by tradition guard great persons and, under St. Michael, they protect the Church.

Angels form the lowest rank. They include guardian angels and stand ready to follow where God sends them.