217. If Angels have no bodies, how could they appear?
A. Angels could appear by taking bodies to render themselves visible for
a time; just as the Holy Ghost took the form of a dove and the devil
took the form of a serpent.
Q. 218. Name some persons to whom Angels appeared.
A. Angels appeared to the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph; also to
Abraham, Lot, Jacob, Tobias and others.
Q. 219. {36} Were the angels created for any other purpose?
A. The angels were also created to assist before the throne of God and
to minister unto Him; they have often been sent as messengers from God
to man; and are also appointed our guardians.
Q. 220. Are all the Angels equal in dignity?
A. All the Angels are not equal in dignity. There are nine choirs or
classes mentioned in the Holy Scripture. The highest are called Seraphim
and the lowest simply Angels. The Archangels are one class higher than
ordinary Angels.
Q. 221. Mention some Archangels and tell what they did.
A. The Archangel Michael drove Satan out of heaven; the Archangel
Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin that she was to become the
Mother of God. The Archangel Raphael guided and protected Tobias.
Q. 222. Were Angels ever sent to punish men?
A. Angels were sometimes sent to punish men. An Angel killed 185,000 men
in the army of a wicked king who had blasphemed God; an Angel also slew
the first-born in the families of the Egyptians who had persecuted God's
people.
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