Angels are one of my favorite topics, and I have been giving various presentations on angelology for the last 5 years. People are often surprised by how much they didn’t know about their angel. I have taken a short segment of some of those presentations and put it in audio format to share in honor of our Holy Guardian Angels.
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I also created an infographic explaining the 9 Choirs of Angels»
Audio Notes
Angelology – the Study of Angels
4 Questions about Angels and Heaven
- Definition – What is it?
- Contents – What is it made of?
- Source – Where did it come from?
- Purpose – What is it good for?
How do we know?
- Jesus Told Us
- Sacred Scripture – 196 References in the Bible (103 in the OT and 93 in the NT)
- The Saints – Pseudo-Dionysius, St Thomas Aquinas (Angelic Doctor), St Bonaventure (Seraphic Doctor), St Gregory the Great,
- Human Experiences across cultures and time
Not all pf this is explicitly spelled out as Church teaching, but fairly agreed upon by theologians.
What are angels?
- Angels were never human, they are higher
- Free and intelligent creatures
- Angels have an intellect and a will
- Angels are entrusted with guarding the human race – protection and vigilance
- They can only prompt, not control people
What are angels made of?
Outside of Time & Space
- Angels don’t have bodies
- They don’t have a gender
- They are their own species
- They don’t learn like we do
- They speak through will, not language
- Angels are incapable of suffering or knowing death like us
3 Instances of Angels
- Instantaneous act of knowing their task
- Angels make their choice
- He sees the beatific vision or is damned
Choirs of Angels
- Seraphim
- Cherubim
- Thrones
- Dominions
- Virtues
- Powers
- Principalities
- Archangels
- Angels
What are Angels good for?
Angels function for Illumination and Protection
Devotion to the Holy Angels
They communicate mainly through images or memories instead of direct knowledge.
- Angels bring humility and virtue
- Reveal your faults and weaknesses
- Help you remember important things
- Help forget/suppress memories
- Inspire you
Four-Fold Service of Angels
- Adoration
- Contemplation
- Expiation
- Mission
12 Quick Facts about your Angel
- Angels are real – even if you don’t like it.
- Angels are present and know you better than anyone.
- Angels are not cute, chubby, little babies with wings.
- Angels are powerful and capable of performing miracles.
- They are more brilliant than any human mind in history.
- They can literally move the heavens and the earth.
- Demons are real – so are exorcisms. Angels protect you.
- You really do have your own guardian angel.
- You can communicate with your angel always.
- Angels usually come disguised, and interact with us in our lives.
- We are at war, and the angels are on our side. We know which side wins.
- We are the weaker beings that are protected by the angels
Heavenly Joys
- We get to spend eternity with our angels in heaven
- We will have transformed bodies after death
- Our same bodies will be resurrected at the end of time
- We will see everything the saints and angels did in our lives
Sources: St Gregory the Great, St Thomas Aquinas, Peter Kreeft, Pseudo-Dionysius, Sacred Scripture, Jewish Tradition and Kabbalah
Suggested Posts
Work of the Holy Angels (Opus Sanctorum Angelorum) – The authority on angels
Guardian Angels: 7 Interesting Facts
10 Angel Facts That Will Blow Your Mind
Why You Should Love Your Guardian Angel (And Not Name Him)