The Special Endowments of The Angels

"Star differeth from star in glory" (1 Cor. xv. 41). There are differences between the heavenly spirits; they have received various kinds and various degrees of grace from God. Amongst them, no doubt, as amongst men, their Lord has singled out some for special favour and for higher place. To some He has assigned a peculiar vocation, and duties which require greater capacities and graces. Some, possibly, like some of us, have responded with greater ardour, generosity and love to the advances of God, or may have used their opportunities to better effect than others. To all this must correspond a more abundant outpouring of divine favour. Moreover, the angels are arranged in different orders and choirs, and this involves differences of dignity, activity and glory. Your present sanctity and future reward depend partially on the free generosity of the Almighty, partially on the task and position assigned to you here, partially on your own efforts and fidelity to grace. Be content with God's arrangements for you, and strive to do the best with such graces as you have. The last often becomes first; the humblest and the least endowed have risen to high spiritual perfection and glory, above those who seemed to be the wise and the strong according to nature and even according to grace.

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The General Endowments of The Angels

The Old Testament speaks of Lucifer under the figure of the King of Tyre, and makes known to us something of the first state of the angels. "Thou wast the seal of resemblance, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. Thou wast in the pleasures of the paradise of God. . . . Thou wast a cherub stretched out and protecting, and I set thee in the holy mountain of God. Every precious stone was thy covering. . . . Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day of thy creation, until iniquity was found in thee" (Ez. xxviii. 12-15). It may be reasonably presumed that the case of Adam was parallel to that of the angels; and God created him in grace, spoke with him familiarly, and communicated to him both natural and divine knowledge. Hence has arisen the opinion prevalent in the Church and supported by the Fathers, that the angels were not created in an imperfect state, and on a lower level than the one they were destined to occupy; but that they were from the first placed on the supernatural level, clothed with sanctifying grace, and adorned with the infused habits of faith, hope, charity, and the other virtues required of them. How magnificent is the generosity of God to His rational creatures! It is far beyond the lavishness with which, as we know, He endows the material creation. It is beyond all our claims and desires. He so equips us for our career that we cannot fail except by the fault of our own malice.

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The Creation of The Angels

The angels were created by God in the beginning. They were not from all eternity; they could not be, for none is eternal except the One Infinite, i.e. God. They were created therefore, and they had a beginning. We know that their creation took place before the sin of Adam, for it was a fallen angel that tempted him. Whether they were created in time, or outside of time and in eternity, we cannot say; nor whether their creation was an instantaneous act of God or extended through successive periods; nor whether these periods were moments or numberless millions of years. All we can do is to bear in mind, without drawing any inferences, the enormous magnitude of the scale on which God carried out those works which we have been able to investigate. 

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The Movements of The Angels

Some of the heavenly spirits have the special function of being the messengers of God. This is signified by the word Angel, and Scripture tells us of their being sent to execute the decrees of God and to convey revelations and graces to men. Jacob saw them in vision ascending and descending constantly between heaven and earth. They are spoken of in Scripture as having wings, and so we represent them in pictures: this figure represents to us the instantaneous promptitude with which they obey the commands of God. In a sense we may say that the angels move from place to place, and we may speak of the rapidity of their flight. But this is speaking according to the material conditions of our lives. In reality the angels are not subject to the laws of space and to the three dimensions of length, breadth and thickness. They do not pass through intervening spaces, nor, strictly, do they pass from place to place. They become present here or there by acting or appearing in such a place or places. As forces are more immaterial they move with greater velocity. Sound is rapid; light, electricity and nerve impulsions are much more so; gravitation acts instantaneously, it has no rate, and cannot be said to travel between two bodies. The angels are much more immaterial. Learn hence to be prompt in acting on the inspirations of grace. When God makes known His will, it must be carried out at once, whatever the cost. If you attempt to choose your own time He may withdraw from you His inspiration, or the grace or strength or opportunity to carry it out.

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The Will & Love in The Angels

The angels possess the power of free-will, as do men, but in a more perfect manner. Their intelligence is not obscured, partially enlightened and partially blinded like ours; their will, in proportion, is deliberate in its motions and firm in its determination. They know clearly, resolve firmly, and abide forever by their decision. You too have this great power; it is not perfect in you; it needs to be carefully cultivated. You can increase its force and its propension to good. You can neglect it till it becomes impotent. You then fall under the dominion of the primary bodily appetites : you reject the restraining influence of grace: reason alone does not suffice as a check: you have not the restraint of instinct like the animals: and your perverted will carries you head long to destruction.

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Things Unknown to The Angels

The angels cannot read the secrets of our hearts, and still less can the evil spirits do so. They may indeed discover them, as our fellow-men do, by the indications which we give either consciously or unconsciously, but not otherwise. God has given us complete mastery over our wills and thoughts. He alone, the absolute Lord of all, has the power and right to penetrate into the secret recesses of our interior: according to the words, "Thou alone knowest the hearts of the children of men" (2 Par. vi. 30). If we keep our determinations strictly to ourselves, no one is able to intrude within our domain. The knowledge of thoughts, like the knowledge of the future, is peculiarly the sign of divine power. As God has allowed no other but Himself to penetrate into the domain of your thoughts, you in like manner should exercise your dominion by preventing any other from ruling there but God. He has made it your sanctuary; do you make it also His.

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The Intelligence of The Angels

The angels, being pure spirits, have an activity that is spiritual; their first faculty therefore is that of the understanding. As they are so much superior by nature to men, so is their intelligence more acute and their knowledge more extensive. The first and chief object of their knowledge is the supreme truth, God, and the truths of the divine sphere of existence. They live in the immediate presence of God, they see Him clearly, face to face, and they penetrate more thoroughly than we can at present into the understanding of His attributes, His power, His works. Seeing God, they see all things in Him. The image and model of all things is reflected in the consciousness of God; all events past, present, future, are for ever present to the thought of God. The beatific vision of God is found in the immediate communication of the created mind with the divine mind; the vision of divine truths thus made manifest involves the vision of created truths; so are all things seen in God by the heavenly spirits, whether angels or human souls. The angels thus have a knowledge of created things, of the course of events, of the secrets of nature, which is far superior to that of men; they can anticipate the contingent future more surely than we, and can even foresee some future free acts of men by the permission and assistance of God. Endeavour to lead the life of the angels on earth, and you will acquire an insight into the things of God beyond what study can communicate. This will furnish you with practical guidance for the conduct of life, and promote your happiness more than any mundane attainments.

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