"Twelve things to know about angels"

Insight Scoop ^ | September 29, 2012 | Peter Kreeft

[NYer]

As today is the Feast of of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, archangels, here is a popular post years I am "recycling" for those who missed it before. It is an excerpt from Angels (and Demons): What Do We Really About Them? (Ignatius Press; 2004, sixth printing) by Peter Kreeft:

The Twelve Most Important Things to Know About Them

1. They really exist. Not just in our minds, or our myths, or our symbols, or our culture. They are as real as your dog, or your sister, or electricity.

2. They’re present, right here, right now, right next to you, reading these words with you.

3. They’re not cute, cuddly, comfortable, chummy, or “cool”. They are fearsome and formidable. They are huge. They are warriors.

4. They are the real “extra-terrestrials”, the real “Super-men”, the ultimate aliens. Their powers are far beyond those of all fictional creatures.

5. They are more brilliant minds than Einstein.

6. They can literally move the heavens and the earth if God permits them.

7. There are also evil angels, fallen angels, demons, or devils. These too are not myths. Demon possessions, and exorcisms, are real.

8. Angels are aware of you, even though you can’t usually see or hear them. But you can communicate with them. You can talk to them without even speaking.

9. You really do have your very own “guardian angel”. Everybody does.

10. Angels often come disguised. “Do not neglect hospitality, for some have entertained angels unawares”—that’s a warning from life’s oldest and best instruction manual.

11. We are on a protected part of a great battlefield between angels and devils, extending to eternity.

12. Angels are sentinels standing at the crossroads where life meets death. They work especially at moments of crisis, at the brink of disaster—for bodies, for souls, and for nations.

Why do people think it's stupid to believe in angels?

One reason is a mistake about themselves: the failure to distinguish between (1) sense perception or imagination (which is a kind of inner sensing) and (2) reason, or intelligence, or understanding. We don't see pure spirits, and we can't imagine them. That doesn't mean we can't know or understand them. We can see and imagine the difference between a five-sided figure (a pentagon) and a six-sided figure (a hexagon), and we can also intellectually understand that difference. We cannot, however, sense or imagine the difference between a 105-sided figure and a 106-sided figure. Both look to us simply like circles. But we can understand the difference and even measure it exactly. So we can understand some things we can't see. We can't see qualities like good and evil either. What color or shape or size is evil? Yet we can understand them. We can imagine our brains, but not our minds, our personalities. But we can know them.

Many who deny angels deny or are uaware of the spiritual half of themselves. Angels are a touchstone of "know thyself". So are animals.

Aren't angels irrelevant today? This is the age of man, isn't it?

Yes, this is the age of man, of self-consciousness, of psychology. And therefore it is crucial to "know thyself" accurately today. The major heresies of our day are not about God but about man.

The two most destructive of these heresies—and the two most popular—are angelism, confusing man with an angel by denying his likeness to animals, and animalism, confusing man with an animal by denying his likeness to angels.

Man is the only being that is both angel and animal, both spirit and body. He is the lowest spirit and the highest body, the stupidest angel and the smartest animal, the low point of the hierarchy of minds and the high point of the hierarchy of bodies.

More accurately stated, man is not both angel and animal because he is neither angel nor animal; he is between angels and animals, a unique rung on the cosmic ladder.

But whichever way you say it, man must know angels to know himself, just as he must know animals to know himself, for he must know what he is, and he must know what he is not.

A free 80-minute lecture,"Aquinas and the Angels," by Peter Kreeft can be accessed here.

[NYer]

Catholic ping!

[OrangeHoof]

Perhaps this explains how I was able to drive from Houston to Austin today without my driver’s side windshield wiper working during the rain. Thanks, angels.

Thanks, Jesus.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Pretty thin gruel there, NYer... thoughts without support, largely.

[SampleMan]

Scripture tells us very, very little about angels. Most of this list cannot be substantiated. Might be correct, might not be correct.

I think the biggest misstake about angels is the assumption that human souls become angels. There is no reason to believe that is the case (although, again scripture doesn't totally preclude it).

Angels are the messengers, servants, and warriors of God, that is about all we know.

[NYer]

Pretty thin gruel there, NYer... thoughts without support, largely.

Support? The author presumes the reader is familiar with scripture; hence the lack of references. But, to thicken the gruel ... here are some resources.

Angels appear in the Bible from the beginning to the end, from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation. The Bible is our best source of knowledge about angels - for example, Psalms 91:11, Matthew 18:10 and Acts 12:15 indicate humans have guardian angels.

Read More - Angels in the Bible

[NYer]

And here is one of my favorite stories, along with its representative icon.

The Three Angels Appear to Abraham And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, "My lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant."

[NYer]

Scripture tells us very, very little about angels. Most of this list cannot be substantiated. Might be correct, might not be correct.

On the contrary ... see my post #6.

[vladimir998]

Greatest single book on angels ever written (with plenty of scriptural support):

http://books.google.com/books?id=SLQCAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Notes+on+the+Angels:&source=bl&ots=whYvTWPNEo&sig=vupHCh7z5pr_if5S3PeeRmvqUTc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xGtnUJClI-u30AHn_4DoDA&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Notes%20on%20the%20Angels%3A&f=false

[MNDude]

Most modern day beliefs about angels (like that demons are fallen angels) comes from the Book of Enoch, not the Bible.

[Scarpetta]

I thought the sentiments were beautiful.

[SampleMan]

for example, Psalms 91:11, Matthew 18:10 and Acts 12:15 indicate humans have guardian angels.

Psalms 91:11 is the only one of those that suggests anything approaching guardian angels being assigned to each person. And that is a short quip of a song that we must assume is a bit less than literal, as I have never met a Christian that never stubbed their toe.

[Elendur]

interesting! thanks !

[ravenwolf]

After reading i know exactly the same about angels as i did before, very little

[encm(ss)]

Exactly.
If God wanted us to know more, he’d tell us. Maybe we aren’t able to handle more and this is God’s way to protect us.

[Salvation]

The Archangel Gabriel appearing to Mary, Luke 1: 26 and onward.
The Archangel Michael in the book of Revelation
The Archangel Raphael in the book of Tobit.

The three angels that visit Abraham.

You meet many angels each and every day, in disguise. How do you treat others?

[Salvation]

Thickening the gruel for you:

"Twelve things to know about angels"
Thinking through “angel time” (the aeon) in an orderly fashion
Catholic Catechism on the Angels
ANGELS: Their Meaning for Our World
Returning Angel [Michael Voris video]
Papal Visit to Portugal: Apparitions of the Angel
St Gemma Galgani and her Guardian Angel [Catholic Caucus]
God Sends His Angels to Watch Over and Guide Us
Angels, Part 3

Angels, Part 2
Angels, Part 1
Angels Among Us Today
God Created the Angels as Individual, Immortal Spirits with Intelligence and Free Will
The Angels in Sacred Scripture
Angels in the History of the Church
Angels - in Heaven, on Earth and in Hell
Catholic Q&A: Angels and Demons (Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer)
GOD AND THE ANGELS
Question: “Are there really such things as guardian angels?”

[Salvation]

And even more gruel, really thick now.

Archangels and Guardian Angels
Angels are Awesome. But Please, Let’s Have a More Biblical Understanding of the Them
Quis resistet Sancti Michaelis gladio? [on St. Michael the Archangel]
The Archangels - Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (from a homily by Pope Saint Gregory the Great)
Listst Every Catholic Should be Familiar With: The 9 Choirs of Angels
Angels bring us great help and consolation, Pope Benedict reminds
Who Is Like Unto God? (Fr. Euteneuer on Holy Michael the Archangel)

The Archangel Raphael
The Archangels and the Oceans
Explanation of the Prayer of Saint Michael [Father Robert J. Altier]
Act of Consecration to St Michael the Archangel (for the Feast of St Michael, September 29)
St. Gabriel Archangel
Feast Day of Michael,Gabriel and Raphael[Michael's Battle With The Dragon]
Saint Michael The Archangel
THE THREE ARCHANGELS: [St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael]
Feast of St. Michael the Archangel
St. Gabriel Archangel

[Salvation]

From the Bible -- support for Angels and Choirs of Angels

Who woulda thunk it?

ANGELS

 

---

Characteristics and Duties

The word “angel” (in Hebrew (singular/plural), malak/malakim; in Greek, aggelos/aggelois) means “messenger” or one who is deputed.”  Angels are pure spiritual and immortal beings created by God “in the beginning” (Gen. 1:1), who glorify God without ceasing (Rev. 4:8) and help carry out God’s plan of salvation of the human family (Heb. 1:14).  The angels, like humans, have intelligence, will and emotion (Luke 2:10; 15:10).  Angels can see God (Matt. 18:10), are called sons of God (Job 1:6; 38:7) and are ministers of God’s will (Psalm 103:20; Matt. 4:1; 13:49; 26:53).  While the angels are spirits, they can assume bodily form (John 20:12; Heb. 13:2; Acts 6:15).  Angels also have their own language (1 Cor. 13:1). There is a prodigious number of angels (Luke 2:13; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 5:11; Dan. 7:10; Psalm 67:18). 
 
Through salvation history, angels have appeared to human beings, such as Zechariah (Zech. 2:3), Samson’s mother (Judges 13:3), Joseph (Matt. 1:20; 2:13-19), Zachariah (Luke 1:11,19-20), the Blessed Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26-38), the shepherds (Luke 2:9,15), Jesus during His agony in the garden (Luke 22:43), the apostles after the Resurrection (Matt 28:2) and after the Ascension (Acts 1:10).  Angels have also assisted human beings with affairs on earth, such as Abraham (Gen. 18; 22:11), Hagar (Gen. 16:7; 21:17), Lot (Gen. 19), Jacob (Gen. 28:12), Elijah (1 Kings 19:5), Daniel (Dan. 6:22), Tobit (Tobit 5:6-22), Peter (Acts 10:19; 12:7-11), Cornelius (Acts 10:3; 11:13), and the eunuch (Acts 8:26-39).
 
As the angels are emissaries or messengers of God, they observe our behavior closely and report back to God what they observe.  While God already knows how we behave, He is moved when His creatures beseech Him.  Thus, the angels can report to God our good and bad behavior, and God in return will dispense both graces (Rev. 1:4; Heb. 1:14) and punishments through the angels (2 Kings 19:35; 1 Macc. 7:41; 2 Macc. 3:24-27; Acts 12:23; Rev. 1-20).  In light of this, Paul tells women to put a veil on their heads for worship “because of the angels” (1 Cor. 11:10).  If a woman does not wear this symbol of submission when she prays (and particularly at the Holy Mass, where the angels intimately assist), then the angels will report to God their non-submission.
 
The angels are not only judging our behavior on earth, but will also come with Christ to judge the world at the end of time (Matt. 16:27; 24:31; 1 Thess. 4:16; 2 Thess. 1:7). Some of the angels rebelled against God, were cast out of heaven and condemned to hell (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6).  One of these fallen angels named Apollyon in Greek (Abaddon in Hebrew) is the king of the infernal abyss (Rev. 9:11).
 
One of the principal duties of angels is to serve as guardians for the baptized. There is little Scriptural evidence supporting the view that un-baptized people have guardian angels, but the early Fathers had differing opinions on the question and the Church has not addressed the issue.  Here are some Scriptural verses that demonstrate the truth of guardian angels:
 
 Ex.23:20-23 – “See, I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. Be attentive to him and heed his voice. Do not rebel against him, for he will not forgive your sin. My authority resides in him. If you heed his voice and carry out all I tell you, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites; and I will wipe them out.”

Judith 13:20 – “As the same Lord lives, his angel has been my keeper both going hence and abiding there, and returning from there here; and the Lord has not suffered me his handmaid to be defiled, but has brought me back to you without pollution of sin, rejoicing for his victory, for my escape, and for your deliverance.”

Psalm 34:8 – “The angel of the LORD, who encamps with them, delivers all who fear God.”

Psalm 91:11-13 – “For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways. With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the asp and the viper, trample the lion and the dragon.”  God reveals to David that the angels will guard and protect him.  Since this Psalm was written about 1,000 years before Christ, the belief in guardian angels was well-established among the Jews. 

Dan. 10:13 – “but the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood in my way for twenty-one days, until finally Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. I left him there with the prince of the kings of Persia…”  See also Dan. 4:17; 10:10-21; and Acts 16:6 where angels serve as guardians of entire countries. 

Matt.18:10 - "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” Jesus’ use of “their angels” (hoi angeloi auton) in reference to “one of these little ones” (enos ton micron touton) indicates that each “little one” has an angel to guard and protect the little one.

Acts 12:14-15 – “She was so overjoyed when she recognized Peter's voice that, instead of opening the gate, she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate. They told her, "You are out of your mind," but she insisted that it was so. But they kept saying, “It is his angel.”  This demonstrates that adults also have guardian angels.  The phrase “they kept saying” also shows that the belief in guardian angels was common in the early Church. 

Acts 16:9 – “During the night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and implored him with these words, "Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  See also Acts 5:19; 8:26; 10:3,22; 11:13).

Heb. 1:14 – “Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”  This verse clearly indicates that God created the angels to help us achieve salvation.

Rev. 1:20 – “This is the secret meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand, and of the seven gold lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

Rev. 3:1 - "To the angel of the church in Sardis, write this: 'The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this: “I know your works, that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” See the presence of the “seven angels” also in Rev. 1:4,20; 3:1; 8:2,6; Isaiah 63:9 and Tobit 12:15.

Gen. 16:6; 24:7; Judith 13:20; Hos. 12:4; 1 Kings 19:5 – other references to guardian angels.