Last week I wrote about St. Michael, and his feast day was this past week, Sept. 29.  This past week, on Oct. 2, we commemorated all Guardian Angels.

But wait… aren’t angels just a bunch of superstition? The answer is NO!  As it says in the Catechism: “The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls “angels” is a truth of faith…With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God.” (see Catechism 327-330). Throughout His work of salvation God has used these spiritual beings to communicate his messages and revelation to the world, and to guard and protect us, and also to aid in the ordering of the world according to God’s will.  Again, as it says in the Catechism, “The whole life of the Church benefits from the mysterious and powerful help of angels… From infancy to death human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession…Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life…Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God. (see Catechism #334, 336).

The Bible names nine different kinds of angels. (see Ezekiel 10:14-17; Isaiah 6:1-7, Eph. 1:20-21)

While all angels serve the same general roles of worship, messengers of God, and as our guardians, the different kinds of angels seem to have different particular roles and functions regarding direct service to God and the ways God uses them to serve us.  Furthermore, the angels are referred to as an army, which implies a hierarchical structure or order of different roles.

While we don’t know for sure how this all works, (as angels never talk about themselves, but always point us towards God), St. Thomas Aquinas, drawing upon earlier Christian writings, proposes the nine kinds (“choirs”) of angels, are ordered into three groups, each having a different set of responsibilities.  Here is a summary of St. Thomas’ understanding of the angels:

Group 1: Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones, are the angels that make up the first and highest level of angels, whose main purpose is to contemplate God in all his beauty, glory, wisdom and power.

Group 2: Dominions, Virtues, Powers, are the angels whose purpose is to fulfill God’s providential plans for the universe (especially the forces of nature).

• Dominions (or “Dominations”) receive God’s wisdom from the higher choir and command those below them

• Virtues “run” the natural universe, so to speak – that they have power and influence over the forces of nature and the universe.
• Powers specifically battle against evil influences over the forces of nature

Group 3: Principalities, Angels, and Archangels are those who interact most directly with humanity

• Principalities are sort of the “guardian angels” of a region (over a city, kingdom, or nation)
• Archangels deliver God’s important messages to human beings (Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are al Archangels)
• Angels are the “guardian angels,” one assigned to each individual.

Peace,

-Fr. Kevin