The Angels
Are angels real?
Main teaching: De fide
The big question
Angels appear in films, on Christmas cards and in jewellery shops, usually as winged children or glowing figures. Many people treat them as decorations, or as a vague comfort. Does the Church actually teach that angels exist? And what about the devil?
What the Church teaches
God created, from the beginning of time, both spiritual and bodily creatures: the angels and the visible world. The devil and the other demons were created good by God, but became evil by their own choice (Lateran IV, 1215; DH 800; CCC 328, 391).
How sure is this? De fide. The Catechism calls the existence of angels “a truth of faith” (CCC 328).
Each believer has an angel as protector and shepherd (CCC 336).
How sure is this? Common teaching. It is firmly held and taught, and celebrated in the liturgy on 2 October, but it has not been defined.
Where it comes from
Scripture. Angels appear throughout the Bible as God’s messengers and servants. Gabriel brings the news of Christ’s birth to Mary (Luke 1:26–38). Raphael guides Tobias and calls himself one of the angels who stand before God (Tobit 12:15). Michael fights against the dragon (Revelation 12:7–9). The Letter to the Hebrews describes them: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14).
Jesus himself speaks of guardian angels: of children he says “in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).
Scripture also speaks of angels who fell. “God did not spare the angels when they sinned” (2 Peter 2:4). Jesus calls the devil “a murderer from the beginning” and “the father of lies” (John 8:44). St Peter warns: “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The early Church. St Augustine pointed out that “angel” names what they do, not what they are. What they are is spirit; what they do is to be messengers (Expositions of the Psalms 103; CCC 329).
How theologians explain it
Pure spirits. Angels have intellect and will, as we do, but no bodies. They are persons: each knows, chooses and loves. They are immortal, and more perfect in nature than human beings (CCC 330). When they appear in Scripture in visible form, they take on an appearance for the sake of those who see them.
Many and ordered. Scripture speaks of very great numbers of angels (Daniel 7:10). Following Pseudo-Dionysius, the tradition arranges them in nine choirs, from seraphim to angels. This arrangement is a respected tradition, not a defined teaching. Aquinas held that each angel is so different that it is a species of its own (Summa I, q. 50, a. 4); that too is a theological opinion.
The fall of the angels. God created all the angels good and free. Some, led by the one Scripture calls Satan, freely and radically rejected God. Because an angel chooses with full knowledge and without the hesitations and distractions humans have, its choice is final. The Catechism explains that their fall cannot be forgiven not because God’s mercy has a limit, but because their choice is irrevocable (CCC 393).
What the devil can and cannot do.
| The devil can | The devil cannot |
|---|---|
| Tempt, deceive and suggest | Force anyone’s free will to sin |
| Cause real harm, by God’s permission | Act outside God’s providence |
| In rare cases, possess a person | Stand as God’s equal; he is a creature |
His power is real but limited, and God permits it for reasons we do not fully understand but which serve his plan (CCC 395). Christ has already defeated him (1 John 3:8).
Guardian angels. Each person has an angel who protects, guides and prays for them throughout life (CCC 336). St Basil the Great wrote that beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.
Philosophy bridge
The philosophy course shows that our intellect and will are not bodily powers, even though in this life they work together with the body. An angel is a being with intellect and will and no body at all. That is why angels are called pure spirits, and why their knowledge and choices are more direct than ours.
What the Church does not claim
- Not that people become angels when they die. Human beings remain human. The saints in heaven are human souls, awaiting the resurrection of their bodies.
- Not that angels look like winged children. Wings, haloes and childlike faces are artistic symbols of speed, holiness and innocence.
- Not that the devil is God’s rival. Christianity rejects any picture of two equal powers, one good and one evil. The devil is a fallen creature.
- Not that every misfortune is demonic. Most suffering has natural or human causes. The Church treats claims of possession with great caution.
Check your understanding
- What did the Fourth Lateran Council teach about the angels and the devil?
Show answer
That God created both spiritual creatures (angels) and bodily ones, and that the devil and demons were created good by nature but became evil by their own choice.
- What is an angel, and how is it different from a human being?
Show answer
An angel is a pure spirit: a personal being with intellect and will but no body. A human being has a spiritual soul united to a body.
- Why can the fallen angels not repent, according to the Catechism?
Show answer
Not because God’s mercy has a limit, but because an angel’s choice, made with full knowledge, is irrevocable.
- Is belief in guardian angels de fide? Explain.
Show answer
No. It is common teaching, firmly held, supported by Matthew 18:10, taught in the Catechism and celebrated in the liturgy, but it has not been defined.
- Name two things the devil cannot do.
Show answer
Any two of: force anyone’s will to sin; act outside God’s providence; rival God as an equal power.