We Were Taught Not to Lie
The Existence of Angels is a Truth of Faith
Photo By: Flickr/carulmare
Prison Ministry Presentation on Angels.
I can’t tell you about Angels unless I also talk about devils. When Lucifer and some of the other Angels turned away from God they lost the glory of heaven. They were privileged to live with God and to gaze upon the Beauty of God but they lost this forever through their own fault. They can never go back.
Heaven is real! Angels are real! Hell is real! Devils are real!
1. What is an Angel? Angels are pure spirits created by God. When God created the world and all people and animals God also created Angels. God created the world because He loves us. Angels are another sign of God’s great love for us. Think of God’s love as flowing unto everything He creates. Angels, created by God, are a perfect example of God’s love flowing on to His creation.
2. How are Angels a sign of God’s love for us? “It is reasonable to believe that God created Angles out of God’s concern and care for us. God create Angels with intellects and wills superior to our own for the purpose of protecting and guiding us on our journey to Him.” Veritas*
3. What do Angels look like? Think of Angels as spirits of light too bright for us to look at while alive but will be visible to us when we go to heaven. We really don’t know what Angels look like but we tend to picture them as people with wings. At times Angels have come to earth and appeared to someone as a human being.
4. Has anyone ever seen an Angel? Yes. but it is extremely rare for anyone to have the privilege of seeing an angel. Give an example from the Old or New Testament when an angel has appeared to someone.
5. What is the purpose of Angels? Angels main purpose is to glorify God. Angels can’t help but do this because they love God so much. Remember what I told you earlier? God’s love flows on to Angels and since God loves us with all His Divine love, Angels love us also. Because Angels love us, they work under the command of Jesus to help us get to heaven just as Mary and the Saints also work with Jesus to help us get to heaven. Angels protect us spiritually by trying to turn us away from temptation and sin and by showing us God’s love. Angels protect us from harm.
6. Can Angels prevent us from doing something wrong? Neither Angels nor the devil can read our minds. They can’t make us do anything good or bad. They can only give us suggestions or inclinations. Angels are with us to protect us from doing wrong but Angels can’t make us do the right thing. We decide on our own to do right or wrong. Think about this! Even though Angels can’t read our minds an Angel can see what we’re doing and hear what we’re saying. Angels are extremely intelligent and will do everything they can to protect our souls.
7. Why did some Angels turn against God? We call these Angels that turned against God, fallen angels, satan, demons or devils. Bishop Robert Barron, bishop of Los Angeles, tells us that the devil was once a good angel but pride cost the devil heaven. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus said that He saw Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Jesus said that his mission on earth is "to defeat the works of the devil" 1 John 3:8.
It’s hard for us to understand how some of the good Angels who once stood before the overwhelming Beauty of God could turn bad. However, what’s important is not why this happened but that it did happen. It’s important for us to be on guard against the devil. We let our guard down when we quit praying and quit going to Mass. Receiving the Sacraments and prayer fortifies us against attacks of the devil. The devil wants us to also lose heaven but the devil can’t take us away from God if we stay strong in the faith.
8. Why is it important to know about Angels? It’s important for us to have correct information about Angels. As Angelsbecome more popular there are misunderstanding about them. Some people try to contact Angelsbecause they believe Angels will tell them about the future. Just as it is a sin to go to a fortune teller it’s a sin to try to contact spirits including Angels. Having false ideas about Angelscan be harmful. We see God through creation. Since God created Angels, if our beliefs about Angels are not correct then we see God incorrectly as well. It’s perfectly fine and good to pray to Angels,our Guardian Angel or St. Michael the Archangel.
We hear about Angels all through the Old Testament. In Genesis, the 1st book of the Bible, God sends an Angel to stand guard at the tree of life after Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. In Exodus the 2nd book of the Bible, God says to the Israelites, “see I am sending an angel before you to guard you on your way.”
In the Book of Daniel we learn that three men who refused to worship false gods were thrown into a furnace of blazing hot fire, “Behold I see four men loose, and walking in the midst of the fire, and there is no hurt in them, and the form of the fourth is like an angel of God.” Daniel 3:25
Three Angels appearing as men visited Abraham and Sarah to let them know that they would have a son in their old age.
We hear even more about an Angelsin the New Testament. In the gospel of Saint Matthew Jesus says, “I tell you that in heaven the angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.”
We only know the names of three Angels. These three Angels appeared to men and women on earth to help them.
Do you know the names of these three Angels?
Michael which means Who is like God!
Gabriel which means Power of God!
Raphael which means God has healed.
The Catholic Church teaches that the existence of Angels is a truth of the faith**. Angels participate at every Mass. Angels are mentioned in the Liturgy of the Mass prayers and during every Mass we sing the song of the Angels found in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the Highest!” It’s possible for Angels to glorify God at every Mass. In the Old Testament Jacob dreamed of a ladder in which Angels were going up and down between heaven and earth. We know that Angels move between earth and heaven with great swiftness. That’s why we think of Angels as “flying.”
Everything the Angels do is guided by and approved by Jesus. It would be good for us to ask Jesus to guide and approve everything we do also.
Yes, Angels are present at every Mass glorifying God. During Mass, in the presence of the Angels, we remember our sinfulness and ask the Angels to pray for us. We ask Angels to protect us from sin, to protect us from all harm, spiritual, mental and physical.
Wrong way of thinking is an example of mental harm. When you’re released from prison and go home there will be people who will try to make you think in the wrong way and will try to get you to lose faith. Don’t listen to them! I pray for all of you every day. I try not to worry about you but instead I put my trust in God that he will send His Angels to protect your faith. Call on Jesus, His Holy Mother and all the Angels and Saints to help you stay firm in your Love of God.
The devil is especially afraid of the Virgin Mary. Praying the rosary every day will help keep the devil away.
When we honor the Angels we are honoring God!
* http://www.kofc.org/en/cis/booklets.html#/veritas/1/20
** https://www.facebook.com/BishopRobertBarron/
*** http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p5.htm
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About the Author
Years ago, I suffered from severe anxiety and had many worries. I suffered and was distant from God for almost two years. Finally, I accepted the grace God had been giving me. Jesus loves me unconditionally. I need to love Him unconditionally as well. Jesus and I made a covenant a few years ago when I accepted Him back into my life. I made a promise never lose sight of Jesus again, to keep Him in my life forever. Jesus to help me keep my promises by giving me reminders. Now I’m happy. I understand that every challenge God placed in my path has been for my benefit. There are no obstacles in my path to heaven, unless I choose to take what God gives me and turn it into an obstacle. And though I’m not completely where I need be in trusting Providence and in doing God’s will, this is my life goal. Everything makes sense with God. I desire to share the joy I have in knowing Jesus with others.
