SECRETS OF THE SPIRITUAL REALM: 12 Angelic Facts Every Christian Must Know

Secrets of the Spiritual Realm: 12 Angelic Facts Every Christian Must Know

by ChurchPOP Editor - Dec 26, 2016

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5.8

Are humans alone in the universe as intelligent beings? The Catholic Church has always believed and taught that the answer is no: the universe is in fact filled with many kinds of intelligent, other-worldly beings that we call angels. And they are up to all sorts of amazing things!

Here are 12 important things for all Christians to know about these mysterious beings from another realm:

1) Angels are absolutely real

Angels are not just a pious fiction or a superstition: they are absolutely, positively real – as a real as you and me and anything else. They are actively involved in our world and play a crucial role in human history. (CCC 328)

2) Every Christian has a guardian angel

The Catechism quotes St. Basil saying “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.” (CCC 336)

3) Demons are also very real

All angels were originally created good, but some angels made a choice to disobey God. These fallen angels are called “demons.” Hell was originally prepared as a place for demons. (CCC 391ff; Matthew 25.41)

4) There is a dramatic spiritual war going on for human souls

The choice to fall away from God was irrevocable for demons. But humans, at least as long as they are alive on earth, still have a choice. Angels and demons are engaged at this moment in a dramatic spiritual war, battling to influence human souls either toward or away from God.

Satan tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and demons continue to tempt human beings away from God today. (CCC 391ff)

5) St. Michael the Archangel is the leader of the Lord’s angelic armies

St. Michael is a faithful angel who leads good angels in spiritual battle against fallen ones. His name literally means “Who is like God?,” which represents his faithfulness to God when other angels rebelled. (cf. Revelation 12.7)

6) Satan is a leader of the fallen angels

Like all demons, he was originally a good angel who chose to turn away from God. As a creature, he remains finite and subject to God’s providence. (CCC 391, 395)

In the Gospels, Jesus resisted Satan’s temptations (Matthew 4, Luke 4), called him the “father of lies,” a “murderer from the beginning” (John 8.44), and said Satan came only to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10.10).

7) Any involvement with the occult or demonic forces is gravely sinful

Demonic forces are nothing but evil and humans should have nothing to do with them. Any involvement in the occult – whether it be divination, horoscopes, clairvoyance, mediums, etc – even if with “good” or “innocent” intentions, is gravely sinful and highly dangerous. (CCC 2116-2117)

8) Exorcism remains an active practice of the Church

In the Gospels, Christ and his Apostles regularly make explicit battle against demons, often exorcizing them from possessed individuals. The Church continues this act of spiritual warfare for the good of souls.

A minor exorcism is included in the baptismal rite. In the case of demonic possession, priests with special permission from their bishop can perform solemn exorcisms. (CCC 1237, 1673, 550)

9) We can also engage in spiritual battle through prayer and other spiritual practices

The Our Father prayer, given by Christ himself, includes a request to “deliver us from evil.” The Church also encourages the use of the Prayer to Saint Michael. Written by Pope Leo XIII, it calls for the final imprisonment of Satan to hell. Fasting has also been traditionally used as a spiritual weapon.

But the best way to aid the fight against demonic forces is to simply live a holy life following after Christ.

10) Many saints have engaged in explicit, even physical, battles with demons

Beating them up, appearing as terrifying beasts, making dreadful sounds, even setting things on fire; you can read the incredible stories of St. Anthony the Great, St. Padre Pio, St. Gemma Galgani, St. John Vianney, and St. Teresa of Avila in this article.

11) Satan was definitively defeated by Christ

In his passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus definitively defeated the powers of Satan. This fact is progressively manifested in the history of the Church until the Second Coming of Christ. (cf. CCC 550)

12) Christ is the King of the whole angelic world

Jesus Christ is the King of the Universe, and that includes the spiritual realm. Angels were created by Christ at the beginning of the world to be his servants. Even demons, who have chosen to disobey God, ultimately remain under the control of God’s providence. (CCC 331)

St. Michael, please protect us in battle!

The Mysterious Origin of the Prayer to St. Michael

by ChurchPOP Editor - Jun 16, 2016

There is a real spiritual battle going on all around us. Our faith teaches us that humans aren’t the only intelligent creatures God made, that God also made angels and that some of those angels fell away in rebellion. The two sides continue to fight for human souls today.

A popular prayer that references this battle very explicitly is the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel. Composed by Pope Leo XIII in the 19th century, there is a short version that many Catholics have memorized, and then a longer version used for exorcisms.

What makes this prayer particularly interesting, though, is its supposed origin story.

One day after celebrating Mass, Pope Leo XIII was found staring blankly. A moment later, he suddenly snapped back to the present and quickly shut himself into to his private office. A half an hour later, with his attendants knocking to see if everything was okay, he emerged having composed the Prayer to St. Michael. From that day forward, he was known to regularly recite the prayer.

What did he see that inspired the prayer? In one account, he had a vision of demonic forces circling Rome. In another account, Leo actually heard a conversation between God and Satan, in which God allowed Satan to choose one century in which to do his worst work. And what century did the evil one choose? The 20th century.

Since the 1930s, various articles in Catholic publications have recited stories like this. Unfortunately, it’s not clear if there’s any truth to them, since the earliest account don’t appear until about 45 years after Leo XIII composed the prayer. At least one article published in the 1950s credits Leo’s personal secretary as a source, but it’s unclear how accurate it is, since no sources from the 1880s refer to the story.

Either way, the lesson is the same: don’t be naive, spiritual warfare is all around, and keep praying!

Here’s the Prayer to St. Michael:

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly hosts,
by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

CREDIT:

https://churchpop.com/2016/06/16/mysterious-origin-prayer-st-michael/

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