Angels - in Heaven, on Earth and in Hell

Vivificat! - A Catholic Blog of News, Commentary, Opinion, and Reflections ^ | 13 August 2006 | Fr. John Hardon

[eleni121]

In the Orthodox Christian belief system the feast of "synaxis of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel and the rest of the archangels" is celebrated as a union of humans and angels.

Angels are in the here and now not only in the afterlife...the unity starts in this world

[Teófilo]

I love that. Tis is also true of Catholicism. However, the works of angels has been deemphasized somewhat in the West because of all the Gnostic undercurrents in our culture.

The current public interest in angels does not translate necessarily into an interest in the Orthodox-Catholic view of angels, mind you.

From my limited viewpoint, a person who is not "spiritual" ("pneumatikos") cannot tell the difference between a demon and an angel, hence, guess who takes advantage of their angelic nature to lead people into perdition.

I understand the Latin Church's care to set the general interest in angels into an appropriate, albeit limited, perspective.

-Theo

[eleni121]

Your comment on the downplaying of angels in the Roman Catholic tradition reminds me of a Catholic theologian invited to speak on the film The Exorcist which my students were studying.

He summarized his lecture by promoting a psychoanalytic view of possession and downplaying the role of "evil angels"..and Satan himself.

Most of the students disagreed with his POV...and emotionally voiced their belief in angels both good and evil.

I'm afraid the good theologian was taken by surprise.

[Nihil Obstat]

>>>He summarized his lecture by promoting a psychoanalytic view of possession and downplaying the role of "evil angels"..and Satan himself.

Sad. Probably a Jesuit. Did you know that "The Exorcist" is based on an actual possession from the 1950's? -

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0137.html

[eleni121]

I teach the Blatty novel, the film, and its background every semester in a film and lit class I teach.

FYI: Another more recent film based on an actual posession is "The Exorcism of Emily Rose."

[Nihil Obstat]

Outstanding. God bless you for being one of the good educators.

[eleni121]

I thank you for your kindness. Sometimes it's like being in the belly of the beast...especially when the guest theologian dismisses angels and demons! I expected his support and The Lord showed it to me through the students. Amazing.

I keep trying.

[stripes1776]

Angels are incorporeal beings.

That idea was not universal among Christians in the Middle Ages. An angel is a creature and therefore had a body, although a much more subtle body than a human. Those angels who occupied the airy regions below the orbit of the Moon ate and drank and deficated. Those angels who populated the aetherial regions above the orbit of the moon were even more subtle creatures, so subtle and nearer to God that they could be considered to be spiritualized bodies. So the tendency to make them incorpoeal was latent in their sublte nature, and I think by the Renaissance that idea seems to become the dominant one.

[Teófilo]

Well, that priest's view was excessively negative. But heck, I've known an otherwise well-meaning priest who denied the objective reality of Christ's resurrection. A post-resurrection Docetic.

The root of all this is pride. The plague of "intellectuals."

I know. I've been there. It continues to be a clear and present temptation.

-Theo

[silverleaf]

angel ping

[Aquinasfan]

There's a movement "out there," called Opus Sanctorum Angelorum whose mission seem to be to cultivate our friendship with the angels.

Thanks for the info. After reading St. Thomas, I realize that our relationships with the angels are much neglected.

A serious danger, of course, would be any two-way communication with angels, who could be either good or bad.

[SaintDismas]

This is wonderful, thanx for posting it.

Just got back from a great little vacation to Alabama to visit with my husband's relatives near Talladega. We went through Birmingham and took a little detour over to Irondale to see EWTN and visit the chapel at Our Lady of Angels, where Mother Angelica built her first monastery in Alabama. It was so wonderful. I took a few pictures and I think I saw that there was an angel statue UNDERNEATH the altar there when we went to Mass last Thursday afternoon. (I think we were on t.v.) I can't tell you how that felt, but to say, well you know, wer'e always on God's t.v. in that He's got it recorded! Makes you think really hard about such things

[Global2010]

When I moved into our new home 20yrs ago I asked Jesus to surround our home/property with thousands of Guardian Angels and renew that prayer yearly.

No one or nothing has ever come around or into our home that I did not invite.

They are doing a great job in the supernatural home guarding dept.

[Global2010]

EWTN is a gift for the homebound who cannot get to daily Mass.

Daily mass bump.

I had a wonderful Catholic and Christian event in our home and have been reicieving Holy Communion for the home bound too.

The night after the Party I had a horrible nightmare that satan himself was strangling my son and I had to yell In Jesus name for him to release and he fled the house. Very scary.

So I have added a Prayer for bedtime to keep the jerk out of my dreams.

Me thinks he was not to happy with some Godly turn of events in the lives of freinds and family that I support.

[Alkhin]

Thats a good idea! I meant to get our priest to bless our house when we moved in...I am supposing I can still do that, but I think your idea is a good one. Sometimes I feel like being greedy asking for more than one for myself or others LOL. But you have the right idea!

[Alkhin]

Pardon for my jumping into a topic thats unrelated to the thread at hand, but my curiosity is getting the better of me. I have seen comments throughout FR regarding a distrust of Jesuits (please understand I am just a Catholic housewife with not much education in the different orders of the Roman Catholic Church). I am a bit confused by your statement that a Jesuit goes against the theological stance of the RCC...Weren't they formed in order to defend the theological stance of the RCC?

Just asking because I dont know. Best,
Alkhin

[Global2010]

I know one Jesuit Priest, Ours, who is as conservative non-bending to the Churches teachings that on can get.

No wishy washy very blunt and to the point and not a Priest to win a popularity contest but to stick to the teachings of the Church.

So being a returning Catholic and newbie in class I was under the impression that all Jesuits were like our Father.

Then I started reading things esp. about a group in Europe (Ithink it was) that even Pope XVI cautioned them on there open Liberal tendencies that could be leanings to drifting away from Church teachings.

So I went to my Priest and told him of my confusion, I thought (and why I Love Fr's' guidance) all Jesuits were "tough love, conservatives" because you are?

He jokingly (however hard to tell when he is being sarcastic, until he cracks a smiles) said "No, Why do you think the Church EXILED ME out to this little place out here on the coast." (our church is really small and the town is really far from anywhere in America on the Coast, one lil grocery store, no big name ones or fast food, very small) I even travel to it because Father does not mince words or teaching.

Hope that helps and hope others more seasoned can give you an honest non biased answer.

[Alkhin]

That is VERY confusing and distressing. Would love to know what happened.

Thank you!

[Nihil Obstat]

The Jesuits were infested with liberal new agers and relativists in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Thanks be to God that is being corrected now.

[Tribune7]

ping