XXIII. OF THE ACTION OF THE GOOD ANGELS ON THE CORPOREAL WORLD.
Does God employ His angels in the administration of the corporeal world?
Yes, for this corporeal world is inferior to the angels, and in every ordered government the lower is ruled by the higher
To what order belong the angels who govern the corporeal, world?
They belong to the Order of the Virtues
What is the duty of the angels who exercise control over the corporeal world?
The angels who exercise control over the corporeal world see to the perfect accomplishment of the intent of divine providence and to the fulfillment of the divine will in all that passes among the divers beings which make up the corporeal world
Is it through the medium of these angels of the Order of the Virtues that God performs all changes which come about in the corporeal world, even the performance of miracles?
Yes, it is through the medium of these angels of the Order of the Virtues that God performs all changes which come about in the corporeal world, even the performance of miracles
When God employs His angels for the performance of some miracle, is it by the personal power of the angel that the miracle is performed?
No, a miracle is performed by the power of God only; but an angel may help therein either by way of intercession or in the capacity of instrument
XXIV. OF THE ACTION OF THE GOOD ANGELS UPON MAN; THE GUARDIAN ANGELS
Can an angel have any action upon man?
Yes, an angel can act upon man by reason of man's spiritual nature, which is of a high order
Can an angel illumine the thought and the mind of man?
Yes, an angel can illumine the thought and the mind of man by strengthening his power of vision and by bringing within his reach some truth which the angel himself contemplates
Can an angel move the will of man by influencing it directly?
No, an angel cannot move the will of man by acting upon it directly, since the movement of the will is an interior inclination which depends only upon the will itself directly or upon God who is its author
Only God then can move the will of man by acting upon it directly?
Yes, only God can change the will of man by acting upon it directly
Can an angel act upon the imagination of man and upon his other sensitive faculties?
Yes, an angel can act upon the imagination of man and upon his other sensitive faculties; for these faculties function by means of organs, and consequently they depend for their activity upon the corporeal world which is under the control of the angels
Can an angel act upon man's senses?
Yes, for the same reason an angel can act upon man's external senses; moreover he can affect them as he wills unless it is a question of the bad angels whose activity can be checked by the action of the good angels
Can then the good angels check and counteract the action of the bad angels?
Yes, the good angels can check and counteract the action of the bad angels, for the order of Divine Justice. determined that on account of their sin the bad angels should be subject to the control of the good angels
Can the good angels be sent by God to minister to men?
Yes, the good angels can be sent by God to minister to men, since God makes use of their activity in order to promote man's good, or in order to put His plans into execution with regard to men
Can all the good angels be sent by God in this way minister to men?
No, not all of them can be sent thus
Which of them are never sent to minister to men?
All those of the first hierarchy
Why are not any of these angels sent to minister to men?
Because it is the privilege of this hierarchy to stand always before God
By reason of this privilege, what are these angels of the first hierarchy called?
They are called the assisting angels
Can all the angels of the other two hierarchies be sent to minister to men?
Yes, in this wise however, that the Dominations superintend the execution of the divine plans, whereas the Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels put them directly into execution
Are there any angels sent by God to protect men?
Yes, there are certain angels sent by God to protect men, for it is a part of the ruling of Divine Providence that man, whose thoughts and wishes are so changeable and so inconstant, should be assisted in his journey towards heaven by one of the blessed spirits whose wills are for ever rooted in good
Has God deputed one and the same angel to be the guardian of several men, or has he deputed a guardian angel for each separate man?
God has deputed a guardian angel to assist each separate man; for every single human soul is more dear to God than the divers species of material creatures over which, however, presides an angel who is mindful of them, and promotes their welfare
To what order belong the angels which are thus deputed by God, separately, to be the guardian angels to men?
The angels which are thus deputed by God, separately, to be the guardian angels to men belong all to the last of the nine choirs of angels
Are all men without exception thus committed by God to the care of one of His angels?
Yes, all men without exception are thus committed by God to the care of one of His angels, as long as they live on this earth, and the reason is because of the perilous way through which all must pass before they come to the end of their lives
Did Christ our Lord, as man, also have a guardian angel?
No, it was not fitting that Christ our Lord should have a guardian angel, seeing that in person He was God; but certain angels were appointed to the great honour of ministering to Him
When is an angel personally appointed by God to be the guardian of some man?
It is at the instant of man's coming into the world that God deputes an angel to be his guardian
Does it happen that sometimes an angel quits a man to whose guardianship he has been appointed?
No, a guardian angel never leaves a man over whom he has charge, and he continues to watch over him~, without ceasing, until the last moment of his life on earth
Do the angels ever sorrow because of the sins of those over whom they have charge?
No, for after doing what lies in their power to prevent sin, should sin nevertheless prevail, they adore, in this as in all things else, the inscrutability of the divine plan
Is it a commendable thing to counsel the practice committing oneself often and in all things to the protection of one's guardian angel?
Yes, to counsel the practice of commending oneself often and in all things to the protection of one's guardian angel is an excellent thing, and should be recommend in every way.
May one be infallibly certain of this protection, should one invoke it?
Yes, provided that our demand is consistent with the eternal counsels of God, and according as our concerns are ordained to the glory of God
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