38 articles from the existing collection.
Catholic theology defines angels as spiritual, non-corporeal beings created by God to serve specific purposes in His divine plan. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that angels are distinct from humans, possessing intelligence, will, and immortality, yet they remain creatures subordinate to God (CCC 329). Their existe…
The Catholic Church affirms that God, as the sole creator of all that exists, brought into being both the material and spiritual realms. This includes the creation of angels, who are distinct from human beings and the physical world. Angels are purely spiritual beings, meaning they lack physical bodies and are not bound by the l…
The Catholic Church traces its origins to Jesus Christ, who established it as the foundation of His salvific mission. In Matthew 16:18 , Christ declares, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” This passage underscores Peter’s role as the first pope, a position the Church has maintained through apostolic succes…
The concept of the “thousand years” originates from Revelation 20:1-6 , where St. John describes a vision of an angel binding Satan for a thousand years, during which the saints reign with Christ. In Catholic theology, this passage is not interpreted literally as a future earthly kingdom lasting exactly one thousand years. Inste…
The holiness of the Catholic Church is not a human achievement but a divine gift, established by Jesus Christ as the means of salvation for humanity. The Church is described as the Body of Christ, with Christ as its head, guiding it through the Holy Spirit. This divine origin sets the Church apart from any institution that could…
Angels are purely spiritual beings. A brick is a purely material being. Man, with body and soul, is partly material and partly spiritual. God has no material body, and is purely spiritual. To complete the external manifestations of His perfections, He created beings of a purely spiritual nature—angels. The angels, then, are defi…
Then she is a very poor agent indeed. She would be far more efficient if she cried out, “Sin does not matter—go ahead. Confession is nonsense. Eat anything you like on Fridays, the day on which Christ died. Marriage does not bind, divorce yourselves whenever you like. Continence is absurd. Artificial birth-control is progress. D…
The text means that Christ will destroy the power of the devil over the souls of the redeemed. Satan will never be personally destroyed. And in any case he does not keep the fire of hell going. If Satan had anything to do with it that fire would have been destroyed long ago. He has never enjoyed it. However, the torments of hell…
Yes. St. John tells us that Satan was cast out of heaven, and that his angels were thrown down with him. Rev. XII., 9. The devils besought Christ, “If thou cast us out,” Matt. VIII., 31, and said that they were legion. Mk. V., 9.
The word Satan in Hebrew means one who is adverse, and it can refer to any adversary. In that sense Christ said on one occasion to Peter, “Go behind me, Satan, thou art a scandal unto me.” Matt XVI., 23. Satan therefore does not always refer to the devil. But since the devil, once Lucifer or the angel of light, is the greatest o…
Indirectly, yes, for he caused the fall of our first parents. Directly, no. Scripture tells us that the three great enemies of man’s soul are the world, the flesh, and the devil. Men sin for mere worldly prosperity, or induced by sensual passion. At times, however, Satan directly tempts them. But Satan can do no more than sugges…
God cannot be carried anywhere. He is a Spirit, and not subject to local transportation. Nor is it honest to attribute to God, making no mention of his incarnate human nature, that which happened to that human nature. The Son of God in His assumed human nature was subjected to this temptation. There is nothing repugnant in the d…
I certainly cannot. But then, God did not create the devil. Let me explain. God did not create the devil as a devil. In other words, God did not create any evil spiritual being as evil. The angels, as created by God, were good beings of a spiritual nature, endowed with intelligence and freewill. Goodness alone is the terminus of…
No. Angels are not supposed to stop earthquakes. They co-operate in the work of our salvation, inspiring good thoughts, and making us uneasy when temptations suggest themselves. I do not disbelieve in angels because they do not do what they are not supposed to do. A guardian angel could, were it God’s will, prevent temporal cala…
No. He is a natural angelic being, in a state deprived of supernatural grace.
Christ, being God, knew all things. Your minister lacked either knowledge of Scripture, or any real belief in the divinity of Christ.
Yes. Christ took an ordinary little child and said, “Despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father.” Matt. XVIII., 10. There is no reason why one child should have an angel appointed to guard it rather than any other, and no reason why an angel, once appointed…
It is certain that Satan and God did not meet and make a wager. That is but a literary expression, driving home the truth that Satan is opposed to God and resents that others should serve Him. Job was a good man, devoted to God. Satan wished to rob God of the honor and glory given by such an adherent, if necessary by special and…
The ordinary laws of justice which prevail between men cannot be applied to Christ in this matter. It would perhaps be unjust for an ordinary man to do such a thing, granting that he were capable of such power. But God alone is capable of such things, and the very divinity of the power Christ exercised on that occasion is proof …
You may follow what you think to be the truth, but how do you know that it is the truth? If because you think so, is there no possibility of mistake? If you accept ideas because wise men have uttered them, remember that equally wise men have denied them. You need not be afraid of gods, devils, or clergymen, if you are sincerely …
He is quite content to seem a mythical being. He has no desire to be detected in his operations, and is not likely to inform you that evil suggestions are from him.
Christ did not die to save men from their earthly masters. The Jews rejected Him precisely because He did not offer to save them from Roman tyranny. If He had died to deliver men from earthly masters, be sure that the Jews would have been delivered from the Roman oppressors. Christ accomplished that for which He died. And He die…
Polytheism teaches several gods. Christianity teaches but one God. The three Divine Persons share the one Divine Nature, and are but one God. The other beings you cite are declared by the Church to be creatures, and cannot be used as an argument for the plurality of gods. If we taught that they are gods, you could rightly accuse…
No. But he could quite well tempt an apparently human being whom his finite intelligence did not know for certain to be God, and in order to test his conjecture that he might be.
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