Good morning.

Before creating the material world, God created angels.

I understand that they weren’t yet in heaven at that time; so where were they?

Some of the angels then rebelled, and there was a battle between the good and the fallen angels. I understand that it was after this battle that the good angels entered heaven and the fallen ones did not.

Apparently, God subjected the angels to a test; did this test occur before the battle?

I’m not clear on the temporal dimension between rebellion, battle, and test.

Still on the subject of angels, after the holy souls are reunited with their bodies, what will happen to the angels? Will they remain alone in heaven or hell while humans go to a new world?

Thank you.

Marco

Priest’s answer

Dear Marco,

1. The numbers don’t add up because you think of angels with our human categories, which are space-time related.

In fact, you ask where they were, presupposing a before that in fact never existed.

St. Thomas, speaking of the creation of the angels, distinguishes the moment of creation when they were not yet in the beatific vision from the immediately subsequent moment when they found themselves in perfect communion with God or in rebellion.

2. St. Thomas writes: “The angel is above the time of corporeal things; hence the various instants regarding the angels are not to be taken except as reckoning the succession of their acts. Now their act which merited beatitude could not be in them simultaneously with the act of beatitude, which is fruition; since the one belongs to imperfect grace, and the other to consummate grace. Consequently, it remains for different instants to be conceived, in one of which the angel merited beatitude, and in another was beatified” (Summa Theologiae, I, 62, 5, ad 3).

3. He also says: ” Consequently they were all of them good in the first instant; but in the second the good were set apart from the wicked” (Ibid., 63, 6, ad 4). 

4. From Sacred Scripture it also appears that “(the dragon) its tail swept away a third of the stars” (Rev. 12:4).

Here too, the succession of time must be excluded.

St. Thomas says: “Although the demons all sinned in the one instant, yet the sin of one could be the cause of the rest sinning. For the angel needs no delay of time for choice, exhortation, or consent, as man, who requires deliberation in order to choose and consent, and vocal speech in order to exhort; both of which are the work of time. And it is evident that even man begins to speak in the very instant when he takes thought; and in the last instant of speech, another who catches his meaning can assent to what is said; as is especially evident with regard to primary concepts, “which everyone accepts directly they are heard” [Boethius, De Hebdom.]. Taking away, then, the time for speech and deliberation which is required in us; in the same instant in which the highest angel expressed his affection by intelligible speech, it was possible for the others to consent thereto” (Ibid., I, 63, 8, ad 1).

5. At the same time, the battle mentioned in the Apocalypse also took place.

You write: “The temporal dimension between rebellion, battle, and trial is unclear to me.”

The answer is simple: there was no temporal dimension because the angels are outside of time.

6. To the last question (what do guardian angels do after their charges are saved or lost), St. Thomas answers: “Man while in this state of life, is, as it were, on a road by which he should journey towards heaven. On this road man is threatened by many dangers both from within and from without, according to Psalm 141:4: “In this way wherein I walked, they have hidden a snare for me.” And therefore as guardians are appointed for men who have to pass by an unsafe road, so an angel guardian is assigned to each man as long as he is a wayfarer. When, however, he arrives at the end of life he no longer has a guardian angel; but in the kingdom he will have an angel to reign with him, in hell a demon to punish him” (Summa Theologiae, I, 113, 4).

7. We can also add that just as the Guardian Angel in heaven rejoices in the victory achieved by his ward, so the ward rejoices in the presence and company of his Guardian Angel.

With the hope that this may happen for all of us, I bless you and remember you in prayer.

Father Angelo

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