Who or What are Angels? Created, spiritual beings Possess intellect - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Who or What are Angels?

• Created, spiritual beings
• Possess intellect & will
• Immortal
• Persons, individual &

unique

• “Angel” = Messenger

Angels & the Creed

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth,

• f all things visible

and invisible.

Angels & the Catechism

328 The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal b ei n gs th a t S a cred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith. See: 328 - 336

Angels & the Bible (OT)

Genesis 3:24 Exodus 12:23 Genesis 32:22

Angels & the Bible (OT)

Tobit 6:1 2 Kings 6:27 Isaiah 6:7

Angels & the Bible (NT)

Luke 1:26 Luke 2:8 Luke 1:5

Angels & the Bible (NT)

MaOhew 25:31 MaOhew 28:2 Luke 22:43

Angels & the Bible (NT)

Acts 5:17 Acts 12:1 Acts 10:1

Angels & the Saints

"If you remembered the presence of your angel and the angels of your neighbors, you would avoid many of the foolish things which slip into your conversaPons."

• St. Josemaria Escriva

Angels & the Saints

"We should show our affecPon for the angels, for one day they will be our coheirs just as here below they are our guardians and trustees appointed and set

• ver us by the Father."
• St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Angels & the Saints

"Since God oWen sends us his inspiraPons by means of his angels, we ought frequently to offer him our aspiraPons through the same

• channel. ... Call on them and honor

them frequently, and ask their help in all your affairs, temporal as well as spiritual."

• St. Francis de Sales

Choirs of Angels

Seraphim

• Is. 6:1-7

Contemplate God’s love Cherubim

• Ex. 25:18-21

Contemplate God’s wisdom Thrones

• Ezk. 10:17

Contemplate God’s power Dominions

• Eph. 1:21

Govern the lower choirs Virtues

• Eph. 1:21

Govern planets, seasons, nature Powers

• Eph. 3:10

Conduct spiritual warfare PrincipaliPes

• Eph. 1:21

Govern naPons, states, regions Archangels 1 Thes. 4:16 Govern human affairs & deliver God’s messages Angels

• Heb. 13:2

Minister to individual humans, guardian angels

Guardian Angels

“See that you do not despise

• ne of these lible ones, for I say

to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” Mabhew 18:10

Things We Can Do That Angels Can’t

• Offer RedempPve Suffering
• Act with Bravery
• Exercise PaPent Endurance
• Receive the Eucharist

Who or What are Demons?

• Fallen angels
• IdenPcal to angels except

they rebelled against God

• Seek the ruin of souls and

despise all that is good or holy

Demons & the Catechism

391 “The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing.” See 391 - 395

Demons & the Bible

Genesis 3:24

• Lev. 17:7, Deut. 32:15, Psalm 106:37

Demons & the Bible

Mabhew 4:1 Mark 5:12

Demons & the Bible

RevelaPon 12:1 RevelaPon 12:7

Demons & the Saints

“We need to be especially alert to the evil subtlety of Satan. His one desire is to keep people from having a mind and heart disposed to their Lord and God. . .He wants to exPnguish the light of the human heart, and so he moves in by means

• f worldly busyness and worry.”
• St. Francis of Assisi

Demons & the Saints

“How unhappy we are, my children, thus to be the sport of

• demons. They do whatever they

please with us; they suggest to us evil speaking, calumny, hatred, vengeance; they even drive us so far as to put our neighbor to death.”

• St. Maximilian Kolbe

Demons & the Saints

“The evil spirits, because of their pride, anger, and envy, will abempt to turn your gaze away from God through either temptaPons or harassments.”

• St. FausPna Kowalska

Spiritual Warfare

“But then a hand touched me, raising me to my hands and knees. “Daniel, beloved,” he said to me, “understand the words which I am speaking to you; stand up, for my mission now is to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up trembling. “Do not fear, Daniel,” he conPnued; “from the first day you made up your mind to acquire understanding and humble yourself before God, your prayer was heard. Because of it I started out, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia[e] stood in my way for twenty-one days, unPl finally Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. I leW him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia, and came to make you understand what shall happen to your people in the last days; for there is yet a vision concerning those days…“Do you know,” he asked, “why I have come to you? Soon I must fight the prince of Persia again. When I leave, the prince of Greece will come; but I shall tell you what is wriben in the book of truth. No one supports me against these except Michael, your prince, and in the first year of Darius the Mede I stood to strengthen him and be his refuge.”

Daniel 10:10-14, 20-21

Spiritual Warfare

1) There are angelic powers that rule over naWons 2) God’s angels engage in baOling against demons 3) Resistance from demon delayed answer to pray fro Daniel 4) We are affected by spiritual warfare 5) Spiritual warfare is constantly going on around us 6) Angels can be assisted by our prayers

Spiritual Warfare

“Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty

• power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to

stand firm against the tacPcs of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principaliWes, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.”

• Ephesians 6:10-13

Kingdoms in Conflict

• Spiritual bable in the heavens when Lucifer

rebelled against God

• Through sin, the world was subject to Satan
• Jesus came proclaiming, “Repent & believe the

Good News! The Kingdom of God has come!”

• “Kingdom” = baslileia, the rule of the King

Kingdoms in Conflict

• Marks of the Kingdom of God – no pain, no

sickness, no death

• Jesus healed sick, cast out demons as proof of

the Kingdom of God

• We pray “Thy kingdom come…on earth as in

heaven”

• We live in the now & the not yet

Demonic Influence

• TemptaWon – abempts to get us to sin
• Oppression – persistent external abacks
• Obsession – overcome/focused on demonic
• Possession – willful surrender to demonic, body

is possessed by demon(s)

• InfestaWon – affects places or objects

Open Doors to the Demonic

• Willful persistence in mortal sin, addicPons
• Physical, spiritual, emoPonal abuse
• ParPcipaPon in occult or witchcraW
• PracPcing divinaPon (astrology, ouija boards,

tarot cards, etc.)

Our Spiritual Weapons

‘Spiritual combat’ is another element of life which needs to be taught anew and proposed once more to all ChrisPans today. It is a secret and interior art, an invisible struggle in which (we) engage every day against the temptaPons, the evil suggesPons that the demon tries to plant in (our) hearts.

• Pope St. John Paul II

(VaPcan Archives: Address of the Holy Father 5/25/02)

Our Spiritual Weapons

• Prayer & FasPng
• Reading/MeditaPng on Scripture
• Frequent recepPon of sacraments
• Pursuing personal holiness
• Sacramentals (holy water, blessed objects)

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel

• St. Michael the Archangel,

defend us in baOle. Be our protecWon against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen..

• Pope Leo XIII, 1886

Exorcism

• May only be done by a

bishop or priest appointed by a bishop

• Individual subjected to

series of medical & psychological tests first

• Not as flashy as movies, but

spiritual manifestaPons do

• ccur

Exorcism

• OWen done over a period of

Pme in conjuncPon with spiritual direcPon & counseling

• “Major” exorcism rite is

reserved for possession

• “Minor” exorcism prayers

are used to break influence

• ver people

What About Ghosts?

• Many exorcists believe in ghosts
• Disembodied human souls
• Most likely souls in Purgatory

seeking our prayers

• Evil spirits can also “haunt”
• Should never communicate

with the dead

Guardian Angel Prayer

Angel of God, my guardian dear, To whom God's love commits me here, Ever this day, be at my side, To light and guard, Rule and guide. Amen.

November Into the Deep

Resources & References

• hbp://www.religiousdemonology.com/index.html
• hbps://churchpop.com/2015/10/07/a-beauPful-explanaPon-of-the-9-choirs-of-

angels-in-one-simple-infographic/

• hbp://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals/

sacramentals-blessings/exorcism.cfm

• hbp://www.vaPcan.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p5.htm
• hbp://www.vaPcan.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p7.htm
• hbp://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Angelology/Angelology_027.htm
• hbp://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/FICFACT.htm
• hbp://saint-mike.org/warfare/library/wp-content/docs/7ghosts.html
• hbps://www.amazon.com/Angels-Demons-What-Really-about/dp/0898705509