Vii. Of The Angels: Their Nature
VII. OF THE ANGELS: THEIR NATURE
(A)
Why did God wish there should be pure spirits in His work of creation?
He willed there should be pure spirits because they were destined to be the crowning of His work (L. 1).
Why are these pure spirits the crowning of God's work? Because they are the highest, the most perfect, and the most beautiful part of His creation (ibid.).
What is the nature of these pure spirits?
Pure spirits are substances free from all body and from all matter (L. i,z).
Are these pure spirits very numerous?
Yes (L. 3).
Is their number greater than that of all other created things?
Yes (ibid.).
But why are they so numerous?
Because the most beautiful part of God's creation ought to dominate by its grandeur all the rest of His creation (ibid.).
What are these pure spirits called?
They are called angels.
Why are they called angels?
Because they are the messengers whom God employs for the administering of the rest of His creation.
(B)
Can the angels take to themselves a body like ours?
No, the angels cannot take to themselves a body like ours; if at any time they reveal themselves to men in a bodily form, this form has only the external appearance of a body (LI. 1,2,3).
(C)
Do the angels exist somewhere?
Yes (LII. 1).
Ordinarily speaking, where are the angels?
Their ordinary place is in heaven (LXI. 4.)
Can angels pass from one place to another?
Yes (LIII. 1).
Is time necessary for their passing from one place to another?
In an instant the angels can pass from one place to another no matter the distance (LIII. 2).
Are they also able to leave one place gradually and to be present gradually in another place according to will?
Yes, they can do this, for their movement is nought else but a successive application of their power or their activity upon different things or on different parts of the same thing (LIII. 3).