Angels
The name "angel" is taken from the Greek translation of a Hebrew word meaning "messenger."
The angels are spiritual beings, created by God, and superior in nature to humans.
They are immortal beings whose role is to minister to God and to do the will of God in obedience.
They are bodiless, spiritual intelligences who have their knowledge, not as humans who acquire knowledge through their senses, but by intuition.
They do not arrive at conclusions following upon principles by a process of reason but immediately know the principles as truth.
Their intelligences are continually, eternally exercised, and while much is hidden from them, they understand and know much more than humans.
They have swiftness of movement, free will, and communication among themselves.
The number of angels is exceedingly great.
Theologians and early writers, basing their reasoning upon an enumeration given in Scripture by Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Saint Paul in Colossians 1:16, and Ephesians 1:21, list three hierarchies, each containing three orders, making nine types of classifications.
The first threesome are: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones; the second, Dominations, Principalities, Powers; the third, Virtues, Archangels, Angels.
The classes or choirs of angels differ in the degree of perfection of their nature and of grace, and this in a descending order in the listing above.
All are called "angels," yet it is also the name applied to the choir from which the "guardian angels" are usually chosen.
Veneration is given angels because of their dignity, relation to God, and excellence of nature, and petition is made to them because they minister to God and may, if God so wills, minister to us.
In the liturgy angels are memorialized on September 29, Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael and on October 2, Feast of the Guardian Angels.
Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, Saint Raphael and our Guardian Angel, pray for us.
The angels are spiritual beings, created by God, and superior in nature to humans.
They are immortal beings whose role is to minister to God and to do the will of God in obedience.
They are bodiless, spiritual intelligences who have their knowledge, not as humans who acquire knowledge through their senses, but by intuition.
They do not arrive at conclusions following upon principles by a process of reason but immediately know the principles as truth.
Their intelligences are continually, eternally exercised, and while much is hidden from them, they understand and know much more than humans.
They have swiftness of movement, free will, and communication among themselves.
The number of angels is exceedingly great.
Theologians and early writers, basing their reasoning upon an enumeration given in Scripture by Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Saint Paul in Colossians 1:16, and Ephesians 1:21, list three hierarchies, each containing three orders, making nine types of classifications.
The first threesome are: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones; the second, Dominations, Principalities, Powers; the third, Virtues, Archangels, Angels.
The classes or choirs of angels differ in the degree of perfection of their nature and of grace, and this in a descending order in the listing above.
All are called "angels," yet it is also the name applied to the choir from which the "guardian angels" are usually chosen.
Veneration is given angels because of their dignity, relation to God, and excellence of nature, and petition is made to them because they minister to God and may, if God so wills, minister to us.
In the liturgy angels are memorialized on September 29, Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael and on October 2, Feast of the Guardian Angels.
Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, Saint Raphael and our Guardian Angel, pray for us.