Introduction

    There are many passages in the Holy Scripture where angels intervene: for example, when Jesus is born an angel announces the good news to the shepherds; the Archangel Raphael appears in the story of Tobias and the Archangel Gabriel announces to the Virgin that God wants her to be His mother; another angel releases Peter from prison; etc.

    This text aims to help you learn about angels, as well as demons and evil spirits.

A. Answer with one word

1. The existence of angels and demons, the truth of faith

    Sometimes there are things that are told which are fables, for example, when talking about witches, horoscopes and the like.

    We know that those things are not true; they are just stories.

    When speaking of angels and demons, however, it is not a story; angels and demons really do exist.

   God, who cannot deceive us, has told us about them, and not just to make us better. God always tells the truth.

    We believe, therefore, that angels and demons exist, just as we exist, because God revealed it to us.

2. Demons are spirits who sinned against God

    God created all spirits as naturally good and made them His sons by grace. However, led by Lucifer, many of them rebelled and said: "We do not want to serve God". The Angels were faithful to God, and said: "We want to serve God." Saint Michael was in charge of the angels. There was a battle fought in heaven and Saint Michael and the good angels won. The rebel spirits or demons, along with Lucifer, were eternally damned to hell because they disobeyed God and gravely sinned against Him.

B. Choose the correct answer within the parentheses:

3. Demons tempt man

    Demons, from the moment they sinned, hate God as well as all those who love God. That is why they want men to offend God and be condemned to hell. This is why demons tempt men. There are many examples in the Holy Scripture: for example, in the temptation of Eve when the devil appears in the form of a serpent (Genesis 3.1-24.); Jesus' temptations in the desert (Matthew 4: 1-11.); etc.

    We are also tempted by many other ways, for example, by inviting us to do something that is wrong. The usual way they tempt us is by inciting our evil inclinations or taking advantage of them. Temptation is not sin; it becomes sin if we obey to what the demons tempt us to. Therefore, when we become aware of a temptation, we must turn to God and say from the heart: "Be gone, Satan." We also must turn to Mary, our Mother, and our Guardian Angel.

4. The Protection of the Guardian Angel

    In the Old Testament, there is a very beautiful book that tells the story of Tobias the son who had to make a long and dangerous trip. So, he looked for a traveling companion and God sent him the Archangel Raphael, who accompanies him, teaches him the way and returns him home happy.

    We are also on our way to heaven; however, throughout the way there are many dangers that can afflict our soul and body. God gives us a partner who is always on our side even if we do not see it: he is our Guardian Angel.

    Our Angel loves us as a best friend. He protects us night and day, and speaks to our hearts inviting us to do good. When we pray, He transmits our prayers to God. Our Guardian Angel is a great friend!

5. Using holy water

    The Church encourages Christians to use holy water, which is sacramental. It serves to implore for forgiveness of venial sins and attain God's protection against the wiles of the devil. Saint Teresa of Avila believed that holy water was the only thing to make the devil run away the most.

Catechesis Course. Don Jaime Pujol Balcells and Don Jesús Sancho Bielsa. EUNSA. Navarra. 1982. With the permission of the authors.

C. Choose the correct answer within the parentheses

Catechisms Questions

1. What are angels?  Angels are pure spirits created by God, highly intelligent and free, who serve as messengers in the exercise of Providence in the history of salvation.

2. Why did God create angels?  God created angels to praise and serve Him, as well as to help men achieve salvation and reach the eternal happiness of heaven.

3. Who is the Guardian Angel?  The Guardian Angel is the angel that God assigns to each of us as a friend and protector to enlighten and defend us, helping us get to heaven.

4. Who are the demons?  Demons are spirits who sinned against God and were condemned to hell.

5. What do the demons do?  Demons hate God and tempt men away from the path to heaven.

D. Press the button to choose the correct answer. Below are the possible answers:

  Purposes of Christian Life

- Learn the prayer of the Guardian Angel (See the "prayers and practices of Christian life" section) and recite it in the morning when you wake up.

- Realize that in the Lord's Prayer we ask God, to "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Therefore, you must fight against temptations.

 Educational applications 

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®Arturo Ramo García.-Record of intellectual property of Teruel (Spain) No 141, of 29-IX-1999 Plaza Playa de Aro, 3, 1º DO 44002-TERUEL