Monism

We live in a culture that embraces materialism and the philosophy of monism –or more precisely, pantheism–that attempts to squeeze all things (including our cognitive functions like imagination, memory, and will) into a world of merely physical processes.

This philosophy, which is rooted in Darwinist principles, is deceptive and limiting. It has led to the countless abuses and degradation of the human person we see today, such as abortion, biogenetic engineering, in vitro fertilization and cryopreservation, cloning, surrogacy, and euthanasia.

Dualism

Monism ignores an important truth about us–that we humans are dualist creatures, made up of both a material body and an immortal soul (CCC 362).

Reductive materialism refuses to acknowledge this. But how can we know there are things outside the confines of the material world?

One way is the existence of angels.

The light of the angels

These immaterial and immortal beings are pure spirit, endowed with both an intellect and a will (CCC 330). They were created when time began: when God said, “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3). They were the light.

God did not create the sun, moon, and stars until later (the “fourth day” of creation) (Gen 1:14-19).

By their nature, angels do not fit into a materialist’s worldview.

Since we are different creatures in the created order, we do not become angels when we die. In heaven, the saints simply join their company.

Grace or merit?

But we can merit levels of glory that belong to the angels by nature (Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Section I. Q. 108 A. 8).

Many of you may be thinking, “We are not Pelagians; we cannot earn our way to heaven!”

And you would be correct. Pelagianism is a heresy. The Catholic Church teaches that since Jesus is both human and divine (CCC 481), He has given us a way for our poor weak humanity to participate in His divine nature.

Therefore, it is not grace or merit, but both. That is–Christ’s infinite merit through His death enables us to be able to merit heaven with God’s grace.

In this way, our ability to achieve different levels of holiness is the result of both God’s grace and our merit. That means, our response and ongoing cooperation with His grace can earn us different levels of glory in heaven (CCC 1053).

It makes sense when you think about it; the martyrs who endured unspeakable evil will not be on the same level of glory as those who lived a life of sin and had a deathbed conversion.

Angels

Angelic beings transcend the material world–that is–they’re invisible. Yet they are recognized by every culture in every part of the world, regardless of religion, nationality, or social class. Why?

The evidence for their existence is overwhelming, with specific commonalities in humanities’ supernatural encounters with them.

Although they are invisible, angels can make themselves visible to us under God’s direction for our benefit (Tobit 12:15).

Yet their job is not to serve us; it is to serve God. Their duty is a noble one: to glorify, defend, and assist God in His plan of divine Providence.

They are the “shepherds” of creation, and God chooses to govern the universe through them, uniting humankind and all other creatures to Himself (CCC 336). What a beautiful reality!

Their very existence invites us to look beyond the limits of the material world and contemplate the supernatural.

Demons

After decades of the wholesale rejection of God, evidence of angelic existence is irrefutable–often in the form of demonic spirits that afflict us with temptation, infestation, obsession, and possession.

In this way, God allows us to see what happens when we push Him out and let evil flourish. Whether angelic or demonic, evidence for these immaterial entities becomes thoroughly apparent in visible ways.

The Catholic Church teaches that there are nine hierarchies, or “choirs” of angels–each with a designated “rank” and duty (CCC 335):

2. Seraphim,

2. Cherubim,

3. Thrones,

4. Dominions,

5. Principalities,

6. Powers,

7. Virtues,

8. Archangels, and

9. Angels.

But what about the fallen angels? They still retain their designated choir originally appointed to them by God.

That means, some are more powerful than others and have an assigned vice, territory, or country that is the inverse of the virtues, territory, or country they were created by God to preserve and protect.

That is one of the reasons their scope of influence can vary so much. Each particular demon now militates against the sacred task God has entrusted to him.

Many saints have said that certain people will fill the spots that the angels forfeited in their respective hierarchies in heaven.

Our place in the universe

In the Catholic Church, we celebrated the universal Feast of the Archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel. This feast day is a healthy reminder that materialism is simply inadequate and cannot define our place in the universe.

Though we are corporal (bodily) creatures, our rational souls enable us to look beyond the material and into the celestial world–a world that lies “beyond.”

In this way, we are searching for God. For it is only in Him that “all find their home” (Ps 87:7 JB).

"This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth" (Matt 13: 49-50).