LESSON 8: The Creation of the Angels
1. Did God make all things?
Yes, God made all things from nothing.“look at the heavens and the earth and see all that is in them; then you will know that God id not create them out of existing things.” (2 Maccabees 7:28) God not only created, but He continues to sustain everything in existence. God “in fact is not for from any of us, since it is in Him that we live, and move, and exist.” (Acts 17:28)
2. Did God have to create the world?
No, God did not have to create the world.
God created the world, not because He needed the world, but because the three divine Persons wanted to share their love with created persons.
3. What are the chief creatures of God?
The two chief creatures of God are angels and men. Both angels and men are persons.
4. What is an angel?
An angel is a spirit who does not have a body. That is why we cannot perceive the with our senses, just like the human soul, or the essence of God. An angel is a person. He has knowledge and free will. He thus is free to love and receive love.
An angel is immortal. He was created by God, but will never die. An angel is far more intelligent and powerful than any human being in this world.
5. Who is the angel who helps me?
The angel who helps me is my guardian angel. He loves me. He keeps me from danger. He helps me to think of God. I am to listen to him and obey him. “See that you despise not one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly father.” (Matthew 18:10)
“Besides each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.” (St Basil, cited in the CCC, #336)
6. How many angels are there?
Concerning the number of angels, the book of Daniel says, “thousands upon thousands were ministering to Him, and myriads upon myriads attended Him.” (Daniel 7:10)
7. How do we know that angels exist?
God has revealed to us that they exit through the Church. The angels are mentioned about 300 times in the Bible. The angels are often mentioned in the Church’s official prayer called the liturgy.
8. What do the angels do?
They worship God; and they serve Christ and the Blessed Virgin in the work of our salvation. They want to help us to reach heaven. They are present every time we celebrate Mass. We join them to adore God.
Lucifer and the Devils
9. Who are devils?
Devils are bad angels. God created them good. They made themselves bad by sin, which is disobedience to God.
10. How did the devils’ sin?
All the angels underwent a trial. IT was revealed to them that the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was going to become man, and that they would have to serve human beings. “Those who would become the greatest among you must become the servants of the rest.” (Matthew 20:27) Humans are naturally inferior to angels. Filled with pride, Lucifer, which means “Carrier of Light,” rebelled. He, the most beautiful of the angels, and his followers refused to serve. The said, “We will not serve. We will not obey.”
11. Who is St Michael the Archangel?
Michael, who’s name means “Who is like God”, arose to fight for God. With God’s power, he and the other good angels cast Lucifer and the bad angels into hell. From beautiful and attractive angels filled with peach and light, Lucifer and the bad angels became ugly and repulsive creatures filled with darkness and despair.
“War broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer an place for them in heaven.” (Revelation 12: 7-9)
12. Will the bad angels ever repent?
No, the bad angels will never repent. They will remain evil for all eternity. They will never see God. They will never be happy. It is what they themselves chose.
13. Will the good angels ever sin?
No, the good angels will never sin. After the trial, they received the vision of God. When one sees God, who is infinite Good, it is impossible to choose sin.
14. What is the ordinary activity of the devil against us?
The ordinary activity of the devil against us is temptation. The devils know how much God loves us, so they seek to hurt us through sin, in order to hurt God. They want us. To go to hell.
“Put on the armor of God that you may be able to withstand the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11) The devil is far more powerful than we are. We will never resist him without the power of God that comes from prayer and penance.
15. What is the extraordinary activity of the devil against us?
The extraordinary activity of the devil against us is obsession and possession.
Obsession is a very strong and persistent temptation. Fervent prayer, penance, and receiving frequently the Eucharist and Confession can overcome obsession. Another practice that is very helpful is a Confession of all the sins of one’s life in the Sacrament of Confession, also called General Confession. This is a profound act of humility, which is always very frightening to the devil.
When a person is possessed the devil has control of the person’s body, but not the intellect and the will. Some signs of possession are speaking in unknown languages’ extraordinary physical strength; and knowledge of things the person could not have naturally known. A person is freed by means of the Rite of Exorcism performed by a Bishop or a priest who has received permission from the Bishop to do so. The Rite of Exorcism is only partially effective. The rest of the work is to be done by the person who is possessed. To be freed the person will have to live a fervent Catholic life of prayer, penance, charity, and the frequent reception of the Sacraments.
16. Are cases of true possession rare?
Yes, true possession cases are rare, but they are more common today than they were in the past. This increase is due to the greater diffusion of the occult, witchcraft, and the new age movement, and an increase of immorality. Both involvement in the occult as well as a very sinful life style, such as involvement in homosexual activity, gives the devil a great deal of power over a person.
17. Who is the devil especially afraid of?
The devil is especially afraid of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and our prayers to her.
HE fears one small sigh from her more than from the prayers of all the angels and saints in heaven. If someone has a devotion to Mary, it is the first thing he seeks to remove from the person’s heart.
God told the devil: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; she shall crush your head and you shall lie in wait for her heal.” (St Jerome’s translation of Genesis 3:15) It is because of this text that a serpent is often shown beneath the feet of Mary
