The world we live in is full of technological advances. Often times though, these advances leave us demanding proof for everything. But, as humans, we’re still fascinated by mystery. We desire mystery in our spiritual life and we’re fascinated by the presence of angels in our world today.
We celebrate our advances in technology and medical inventions that have changed our lives – but we don’t tap into the power of the angels who can heal, renew, and strengthen us. We are proud of our human intelligence, but we forget about the multitude of angels that have incredible levels of intelligence. We see evil that surrounds our world today, but we don’t take time to acknowledge the fact that there are evil spirits battling for our souls.
In their latest publication, EWTN has combined five of Mother Angelica’s books into one volume – Mother Angelica on God, His Home, and His Angels. Do you want to know more about the angels? Here are eight incredible thoughts from Mother Angelica on the sons of light:
1. The Bible tells us about the creation of angels
Does Scripture tell us anything about the creation of angels in the very beginning? Mother Angelica argues that we can learn a lot about the beginning of the angels in the book of Genesis. Genesis 1:3 discusses the first day of creation, where God said: “Let there be light, and there was light.” Then He divided the light from the dark.
“Could it be that the light mentioned on the first day was these pure spirits?” Mother Angelica asks. “Can it be that the separation of the light from the darkness was the battle of the heavens, a battle that was the consequence of the test that was given?”
2. Angels can travel at the speed of thought
“They are beings, finite and yet pure spirits, who can converse with God as spirit to spirit,” Mother Angelica writes, describing the angels. “Their intelligence possesses all that God desires them to possess – without effort. Their knowledge is infused and unhampered by laborious process of learning inherent to human nature.”
She goes on to write about angels as intelligent, strong, and enlightened spirits. “Being pure spirits, they are able to travel at the speed of light,” Mother Angelica said. “They are governed by a will that is strong and enlightened. Since their source of knowledge is God, they continually learn new mysteries for their source is limitless.”
3. Some angels were tripped up by their pride
Angels, who by a mere act of their will, could converse with another spirit, were asked to accept God’s plan for salvation for mankind. “But,” Mother Angelica writes, “before God announced His future plans it would seem some of the angles must have begun to weaken. The sin of pride is a gradual thing – a slow process of deterioration that is hardly noticed until it is too late. Perhaps some of the Angels began to look at themselves and concentrate on their own beauty and grace, so much so that they slowly began to spend more time thinking of themselves than God.”
And then God proclaimed that the Second Person of the Trinity would become man. “Man!” Mother Angelica exclaims, “For a moment there must have been silence and shock. God made man! Man was so inferior to the nature of a spirit. God would become Man, and as the God-Man, would be their Superior.”
For some, this was too much and the battle of the angels ensued. But the root of their fall? Pride.
4. The battle of the angels didn’t involve swords
Although popular depictions of Saint Michael include him holding a sword, the Heavenly battle of the angels wouldn’t have involved weaponry as we know it today. “The battle they fought was not one of swords – swords that make one bleed and die,” writes Mother Angelica. “No, it was a more deadly battle – a battle of intellects, of wills, of ideas and loyalties.”
Read more: 10 Facts about Angels That Will Blow Your Mind
The results of the battle were irrevocable – angels had to make a permanent and eternal decision. Who would they serve?
5. Satan stalked Mary and Jesus
“From the moment of his fall,” Mother Angelica writes, “the Angel of Death stalked the earth looking for the Son and the Woman. He must have thought he had conquered when he successfully instilled pride and rebellion into Adam and Eve. What was his surprise when God had mercy on them, and once again he was reminded of the Woman and her seed.”
Satan prowls the earth, looking for those who follow Christ and His Church, tempting them to sin and leave behind the way of God.
6. We each have a guardian angel
What are we to do as humans with the devil seeking our eternal souls? “In His infinite mercy and justice, God would be obliged to give each of us an angel – an angel who would be equal in every way to the spirit of evil ever working for our defeat,” Mother Angelica writes.
Read more: 9 Things Your Guardian Angel Wants You to Know About Him
But why do we each receive our own guardian angel? “The angel would have to be our own because, as Saint Paul says in his Epistle, the devil goes around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour,” Mother Angelica explains. “Yes, we would need one of the glorious spirits to fight many an invisible battle for the possession of our souls – battles that are as real as the air we breath and just as invisible.”
7. The word ‘angel’ means messenger
Although Scripture mentions angels as pure beings, the Bible also sometimes refers to God Himself as an angel. Why is this? It is usually a reference to God when He appears to man and gives him a message.
“Since the nature of an Angel is pure spirit, man has come to call him angel because the word means messenger,” Mother Angelica explains. “Since both God and His created spirits often gave messages to man, they were both simply referred to as an “Angel of the Lord.” But we have to be careful to not mistake one for the other, or deny the existence of angels. In her book, Mother Angelica goes on to examine many different passages from Scripture, pointing out differences between how God is written about, and how angels are described.
8. Some angels are guardians of nations
“God, in His infinite goodness, has not only given each one of us an angel to guard us, but He has also given nations their own angels to intercede for their welfare before the throne of God,” Mother Angelica writes.
Read more: 10 More Fascinating Angels Facts That Will BLOW. YOUR. MIND.
In the book of Daniel, the angel Gabriel visits Daniel. Gabriel says that the guardian of the Persians held him back from twenty-one days, trying to slow down the message the Gabriel had to give – a message that wasn’t so great for the Persian people. “This may seem strange to us,” Mother Angelica comments, “but we must keep in mind that the charge of Angels received to guard these nations came from God, and each angel decided to convert his nation or at least obtain time for them from the Most high – time to seek the one true God.”
Want to know more about Mother Angelica has to say about the three archangels, angels as intercessors, and how angels can comfort us during our time here on earth? Check out this latest publication from EWTN at your local Catholic bookstore or online here.
