Spiritual Journey
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre

Chapter IV

The Angels

The existence of the angels, their perfection, their activity, the fall of the bad angels, the influence of the angels near us and in the world - all of this is revealed to us by Holy Scripture and Tradition, and is a part of the object of our Faith.

How great is the harm caused to our souls by our forgetfulness of this spritual world of angels more numerous than men, more perfect than men. The influence of good or bad angels on our souls is much more important than we think it is. The sole fact that we have a guardian angel who watches over us whilst he contemplates the face of God should encourage us to converse with him, to call on his help that he may help us to win eternal life and to share his happiness.

We are more tempted to believe in the influence of the bad angels than the good. Let us strive to penetrate the marvelous world of these spirits filled with the light and the charity of the Holy Ghost, burning with love for God, and for one another.

These angelic spirits have an intelligence and a will much more perfect than ours. That is why their acceptance or refusal to share in the glory of God was final and irreversible. The pride of those who believed they could attain this glory by themselves cast them into Hell forever.

What a lesson on the gravity of sin! How the sinners who remain in sin should tremble with fear and resolve to distance themselves from sin by the grace and Blood of Our Lord. It is still possible, for we are yet voyagers here below, but it will no longer be possible after our death.

Let us love to live in the company of the holy angels. Every day at the Preface of the Holy Mass, the Church invites us to imitate the holy angels, singing the glory of God, "Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus ..." and also, "Gloria in excelsis Deo ..."
The liturgical offices of the Archangels, St. Michael, St. Raphael and St. Gabriel, are marvelous and heavenly indeed. What beautiful lessons they give us by their example and by their words! Nothing is as celestial as the Office of the Dead, which places us in the hands of the angels, "Subvenite, angeli Dei - Come to our help, O angels of God", and "In paradisum deducant te angeli - May the holy angels carry you into paradise". How encouraging is the Church's faith in the holy angels! Let us preciously guard it and communicate it to the faithful.

The fact that some of the angels fell is too important in itself and in its consequences for us not to consider it. For all men suffer the terrible consequences of the sin of angels, and therefore, each soul must take account of this event if he is to be saved.

Original sin and all of its disastrous consequences, and the evil action of devils on human beings, are the result of this abominable sin of the angels.

In what did the sin of the angels consist? God justly requires that the intelligent and free spiritual creature merit eternal happiness and spontaneously manifest its love of God by directing itself towards the happiness for which God created it, under the influence of divine grace.

The angels, much more perfect than men, aided by the sanctifying grace with which they were endowed at their creation, grasped with perfect understanding the happiness of the Beatific Vision to which God invited them. A choice, morally obligatory but free in itself, was proposed to them. This choice being proposed to each angel as clearly and luminously as possible, it had to receive an instanteous response and final acceptance. All should have responded: "Quis ut Deus? - Who is like God?" To not do so was to fail to love Him and to refuse to submit themselves to the manifestation of the infinite charity of God for His spiritual creatures which was proposed to them.

Alas, the pride and self-sufficiency of a certain number of angels led them towards a negative choice. "That which we are is sufficient for us, we choose to glory in ourselves." The result was immediate. They lost sanctifying grace and they were thrown down into the darkness, fire and hatred of Hell forever, because they remain forever in their evil choice.

Was this supreme happiness proposed to them by the intermediary of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by requiring of them to adhere to the Mystery of the Incarnation? It is likely, for how could Our Lord be King of the Angels if they had not consented to His reign? This is the best way to understand all the expressions of Scripture: "Rex coeli et terrae - King of heaven and earth", "Rex universorum - King of all things", "Data est mihi omnis potestas in ceolo et in terra - All power has been given to Me in heaven and on earth", "Omnium creaturarum dominatum obtinet essentia sua et natura - He obtains by His essence and nature the governorship over all creatures" (Mass of the Feast of Christ the King). The letter of St. Paul to the Colossians (Col 1: 3-23) is explicit on the reign of Our Lord over the angels.

Thus can be also explained the devils' hatred for Our Lord.

We cannot be indifferent to the reality of the existence of myriads of angelic spirits and - alas! - also of myriads of devils, neither to the influence over us of good angels which is willid by the Providence of God, and that of bad angels, which is permitted by God. We must take all this into account for our judgments regarding our spiritual lives and even regarding the events of everyday life.

The second thought of the holy angels should be second nature to us, and should thereby prepare us for the celestial reality. Likewise we should do everything we can to avoid the bad influence of the fallen angels.

Our attitude towards the devils, be it in our interior personal life, or in our pastoral activity, should be conformed to the thought and Tradition of the Church. On this subject, let us delight in rereading the prescriptions of the Ritual, which gives precious and wise cousel.

The increased influence of the devils in this time of disorder, and the abandonment of the practice of performing exorcisms on the part of the progressive clergy, has provoked a surge of requests for help from traditional priests.

Our attitude in this domain will be one of great prudence and wisdom: first, eliminate the cases which are really medical; then request traditional religious practice, especially frequent assistance at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacrament of Penance, the recitation of the Rosary, the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel; then, the little exorcism of St. Michel; and finally, rarely, the full exorcism.

In the course of exorcisms, never ask indiscreet questions, never enter into conversation with demons, but command them imperatively in the manner of the prayers of the full exorcism.

The devils are very intelligent and deceitful. They excite curiosity, so as to slowly but surely hypnotize the exorcist-priest and finish by making him accomplish their will. This they do by suggesting, at first, acts which are generally good, so as to bring about bad acts when they dominate wills.

We must then refuse all dialogue; it is in such a way that Satan perverted Eve, who accepted this dialogue.

Be careful to limit this pastoral activity so that it does not become overwhelming. This is but one of the goals of the devils, so as to prevent us from accomplishing our apostolate. Thus this pastoral activity will contribute to our sanctification, and not trouble us or attract us to sin. "