1. Who are the angels?
They are purely spiritual beings created by God, endowed with immense intellect and will. They live in supreme happiness in heaven, ceaselessly praising and serving God.
2. What is the mission of angels in relation to human beings?
- Angels bestow upon us spiritual and temporal assistance. They protect us and guide our steps toward heaven. Every human person is assigned a personal guardian angel.
- Angels convey messages from God to men and from men to God. While the Lord occasionally speaks to us directly, He frequently dispatches His angels. For instance, the Archangel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth, where he announced to the Virgin Mary that she was chosen to be the Mother of God.
3. How can we speak with the angels?
Only God has direct access to our innermost intellect. If we wish to converse with the angels, we must deliberately address them. It suffices simply to speak to them through our interior thoughts.
4. Is it beneficial to converse with the angels?
It is immensely profitable to converse with and cultivate friendship with the citizens of heaven—both angels and saints. It is likewise good to ask them for favors and to thank them for their intercession. In the spiritual life, it is always wise to travel accompanied.
5. How do we hear the voice of the angels?
The voice of spiritual beings does not strike the physical eardrum like the acoustic vibrations of material things. Angels communicate directly to our thoughts, and their voice is recognized in the good and holy inspirations that arise in our soul. These wholesome promptings may come directly from God, or from our own moral reasoning—at times a judgment of conscience—but they can also be the gentle voice of the angels.
6. Do guardian angels protect us from every harm?
No, not from everything. Their primary mission is to assist us in our spiritual life and to strengthen us against temptations. However, they cannot forcibly prevent sin, because they must respect human freedom. As for physical misfortunes, they frequently avert many of them, yet they cannot eliminate all suffering, for to do so would fundamentally alter the fallen condition of this world. This brings us directly to the mystery of evil.