Questions about Angels

[Aristotle_1]

I have alot of questions about Angels that I should probably know the answer to. I’m just going to list them so please answer any one of them.
What do Angels do?
Can you ask your gurdian angel to pray for you?
Are angels able to preform miracles?
Do angles ever sin?
How long have the angels been alive?

 

[ZDHayden]

I think I can answer a few:

You can ask your guardian angel to pray for you, and in my book of prayers, there is a pre-formatted one.

St. Michael the Archangel is the patron of the sick, and a defender of mankind against the enemy, there are prayers to him as well.

Satan is a fallen angel, so that was a very BIG sin committed by Satan.

Gabriel was a messenger.

Hope this helped in some way

 

[Bluegoat]

I have alot of questions about Angels that I should probably know the answer to. I’m just going to list them so please answer any one of them.
What do Angels do?
Can you ask your gurdian angel to pray for you?
Are angels able to preform miracles?
Do angles ever sin?
How long have the angels been alive?

The main job of angels is to contemplate the Divine perfection and to worship God. Some also seem to be given special jobs - like guardian angels, or angels that take messages to people from God. In fact, some theologians think that any time God speaks to a human being, he does it through an angel.

Yes, you can ask any angel to pray for you, especially your guardian angel.

I guess it depends what you mean by miracle. I think one could say that angels could do things that would seem like miracles to us, but they do it through the power given by them by God. However, this is my own thought on this subject, not any Church teaching.

Well, demons are fallen angels, so they are angels who sinned. But because angels are not in time, but exist in an eternal state, all the angels who sinned did so at the moment of their creation. Those that did not will remain sinless eternally.

This also answers your last question - there is no “how long,” angels are eternal creatures.

 

[ljubim]

Can you ask your gurdian angel to pray for you?

Yes!! And you should

Are angels able to preform miracles?

Only the more important angels are given such abilities, like the ones you’ll read visiting people, or making things known to them, in the bible and otherwise, like to saints. There have also been ‘apparitions’ of angles like St. Michael

Do angles ever sin?

There are good angels and bad angels (demons) They all got one eternal choice, for or against God. The ones who chose to rebel in effect chose sin, and since they’re in eternity it’s one final sin, or state of sin.

How long have the angels been alive?

The beginning of time And they’re not alive, they just exist, like we won’t technically be alive when we’re in heaven or hell, that’s more of an earthly term.

 

[AndrewA]

This also answers your last question - there is no “how long,” angels are eternal creatures.

I think it is more appropriate to say they where created at the beginning of time.
Remember that only God has always been.

 

[Vico]

I have alot of questions about Angels that I should probably know the answer to. I’m just going to list them so please answer any one of them.
What do Angels do?
Can you ask your gurdian angel to pray for you?
Are angels able to preform miracles?
Do angles ever sin?
How long have the angels been alive?

Current partial Indulgence prayer (from No. 18 Enchridion Indulgentiarum 4th edition, in Manual of Indulgences, USCCB, 2006):

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom his love entrusts me here, enlighten and and guard, rule and guide me. Amen.

From Baltimore Catechism No. 3:

Q. 216. What are angels?
A. Angels are pure spirits without a body, created to adore and enjoy God in heaven.
Q. 217. If Angels have no bodies, how could they appear?
A. Angels could appear by taking bodies to render themselves visible for a time; just as the Holy Ghost took the form of a dove and the devil took the form of a serpent.
Q. 218. Name some persons to whom Angels appeared.
A. Angels appeared to the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph; also to Abraham, Lot, Jacob, Tobias and others.
Q. 219. Were the angels created for any other purpose?
A. The angels were also created to assist before the throne of God and to minister unto Him; they have often been sent as messengers from God to man; and are also appointed our guardians.
Q. 220. Are all the Angels equal in dignity?
A. All the Angels are not equal in dignity. There are nine choirs or classes mentioned in the Holy Scripture. The highest are called Seraphim and the lowest simply Angels. The Archangels are one class higher than ordinary Angels.
Q. 221. Mention some Archangels and tell what they did.
A. The Archangel Michael drove Satan out of heaven; the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin that she was to become the Mother of God. The Archangel Raphael guided and protected Tobias.
Q. 222. Were Angels ever sent to punish men?
A. Angels were sometimes sent to punish men. An Angel killed 185,000 men in the army of a wicked king who had blasphemed God; an Angel also slew the first-born in the families of the Egyptians who had persecuted God’s people.
Q. 223. What do our guardian Angels do for us?
A. Our guardian Angels pray for us, protect and guide us, and offer our prayers, good works and desires to God.
Q. 224. How do we know that Angels offer our prayers and good works to God?
A. We know that Angels offer our prayers and good works to God because it is so stated in Holy Scripture, and Holy Scripture is the Word of God.
Q. 225. Why did God appoint guardian Angels if He watches over us Himself?
A. God appointed guardian Angels to secure for us their help and prayers, and also to show His great love for us in giving us these special servants and faithful friends.
Q. 226. Were the angels, as God created them, good and happy?
A. The angels, as God created them, were good and happy.
Q. 227. Did all the angels remain good and happy?
A. All the angels did not remain good and happy; many of them sinned and were cast into hell, and these are called devils or bad angels.
Q. 228. Do we know the number of good and bad Angels?
A. We do not know the number of the good or bad Angels, but we know it is very great.
Q. 229. What was the devil’s name before he fell, and why was he cast out of heaven?
A. Before he fell, Satan, or the devil, was called Lucifer, or light-bearer, a name which indicates great beauty. He was cast out of heaven because through pride he rebelled against God.
Q. 230. How do the bad Angels act toward us?
A. The bad Angels try by every means to lead us into sin. The efforts they make are called temptations of the devil.
Q. 231. Why does the devil tempt us?
A. The devil tempts us because he hates goodness, and does not wish us to enjoy the happiness which he himself has lost.
Q. 232. Can we by our own power overcome the temptations of the devil?
A. We cannot by our own power overcome the temptations of the devil, because the devil is wiser than we are; for, being an Angel, he is more intelligent, and he did not lose his intelligence by falling into sin any more than we do now. Therefore, to overcome his temptations we need the help of God.

 

[FirstCalled]

I have alot of questions about Angels that I should probably know the answer to. I’m just going to list them so please answer any one of them.
What do Angels do?
Can you ask your gurdian angel to pray for you?
Are angels able to preform miracles?
Do angles ever sin?
How long have the angels been alive?

From Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma
The Primary task of the good angels is the glorification and the service of God.
The secondary task of the good angels is the protection of men and care for their salvation.
Every one of the faithful has his own special guardian angel from baptism.(many theologians say that everyone has one from birth)
The council of Trent teaches as to the invocation and veneration of saints, may also be applied to angels. The rejection of the veneration of the angels by St. Paul(Col. 2,18) refers to a false, exaggerated veneration of Gnostic false teachers.
The angels were subjected to a moral testing. They were first in a state of pilgrimage, in which they, through their free co-operation, with grace were required to merit the Beatific Vision of God. The good angels, who passed the test, entered as a reward therefor into the blessedness of heaven, while the bad angels, who did not pass, fell under the ban of eternal damnation.
As the angels in their nature are superior to all other creatures, they also possess a higher perfection of power than other creatures. According to 2 Peter 2, II, the angels are superior in strength and power to men. However, the angels do not possess the power of creation and the power of working miracles in the strict sense. These powers belong to God alone.

Great book.
Dr. Ludwig Ott
amazon.com/Fundamentals-Catholic-Dogma-Dr-Ludwig/dp/0895550091

 

[FirstCalled]

How long have the angels been alive?

I believe since creation. They are spiritual beings and as such fall outside of time as we know it. That doesn’t means that they can’t be imbued with power from God over creation.
Their appearances are evident that they can manipulate matter.
A spirit, as we are, is said to be where the effects of it’s influence can be observed(in creation). So our spirits effect creation in our bodies. Spirits can manipulate matter without bodies, the effects they make on creation aren’t limited to a body.

From Dr. Ott’s book, he states that evil spirits(angels) can take over a human beings physical body, and the lower part of their soul, but not the upper part of their soul [in reference to demonic possession]. He also states though, "Man’s will is not forced to sin by the temptation of the devil, but retains it’s natural freedom. The evil enemy can tempt man only to that extent, which God in His wisdom permits.

 

[Aristotle_1]

Thanks for all the help

 

[Bluegoat]

I think it is more appropriate to say they where created at the beginning of time.
Remember that only God has always been.

I considered putting it that way; but really, that isn’t accurate either; it is probably less accurate.

Time is part of the created universe. Time begins for those of us in the universe at creation.

But it is not accurate to say time begins for God then; that he creates the universe at the beginning of time. For God creation of the universe - both the beginning, middle, and end of it - is an eternal and timeless act. God lives in an eternal now.

Angels are also an eternal creation from God’s perspective. But they are not in time (unlike us), so they are an eternal creation from their own perspective too - that is what it means when we say they exist eternally.

The difference between God and angels, and even creation, is not that only God has always been. Temporality has no meaning outside of the created material universe. It is that God God alone has existence or being according to his own nature. All creatures derive their existence from him. God has logical priority rather than temporal priority.

This is a rather tricky thing to discuss, since the very structure of our language assumes a temporal POV.

 

[Sandalwood]

this thread has me wondering:

We had to have our home blessed by our Priest because of some supernatural presences in our home, they were visible in things happening and audible. He contacted the diocese exorcist and then came here and with Holy Water and Prayers, blessed every part of our home, us, our animals, etc.

He said prayers to rid our home of demons and to release any who were here that should be in Heaven. My question that this thread has brought to my mind then is; those actions and prayers would not have sent away our Guardian Angels, would it? I certainly hope not!

 

[Vico]

this thread has me wondering:

We had to have our home blessed by our Priest because of some supernatural presences in our home, they were visible in things happening and audible. He contacted the diocese exorcist and then came here and with Holy Water and Prayers, blessed every part of our home, us, our animals, etc.

He said prayers to rid our home of demons and to release any who were here that should be in Heaven. My question that this thread has brought to my mind then is; those actions and prayers would not have sent away our Guardian Angels, would it? I certainly hope not!

No, only darkness. If you have doubts pray:

“Angel of God my guardian dear, to whom his love entrusts me here, enlighten and guard rule and guide me. Amen.”

(This is a partially indulgenced prayer given in the USCCB book 2005, Manual of Indulgences.)

 

[Joan_Anderson]

Love this discussion on angels—and on my birthday too! Just wanted to add a few things to the questions that came up:

God apparently felt that angels were important, (they are mentioned over 300 times in Scripture) and He encourages us to follow ours, so we needn’t worry about giving them attention or asking them to be involved in our lives. Mother Angelica once pointed out how sad it would be if we wasted such a wonderful friend! Getting in touch requires nothing more than simply starting a dialogue.

Angels have no bodies, but they frequently take on the appearance of a human, an animal or something else to fit into the scenario that is currently happening. Many people have encountered a dangerous situation and while they’re trying to handle it, a stranger comes by, peaceful (most of the time), helps out and when the person has calmed down and looks for the stranger to thank him, there is no one there, nor has anyone else seen the helper. I believe this happens constantly in our world, but we aren’t alert enough to sense the possibility or the presence of heaven.

Children, even small babies, are a little more aware of angels, and often take them for granted. A Down Syndrome child told me not too long ago that a “pretty lady” often visited him in his room. Later, as we leafed through a magazine, he pointed to a picture of an angel as the “lady.” If your children are telling you stories about their imaginary friends, you might want to ask a few questions before dismissing it all as “pretend.”

If you’d like to check more such stories, I have a website devoted to angels with many such episodes posted, at joanwanderson.com

 

[Vico]

Happy Birthday Joan Anderson. That is an interesting website you have.

I noticed that in 1215 the Church clarified some thing related to angels, in that they are created “at once from the begining of time”.

Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 (Definition directed against the Albigensians and other heretics):

“… one beginning of all, creator of all visible and invisible things, of the spiritual and of the corporal; who by His own omnipotent power at once from the beginning of time created each creature from nothing, spiritual, and corporal, namely, angelic and mundane, and finally the human, constituted as it were, alike of the spirit and the body. For the devil and other demons were created by God good in nature, but they themselves through themselves have become wicked. But man sinned at the suggestion of the devil.”

Denzinger, Sources of Catholic Dogma, 428