What are angels?

Angels are conscious beings created by God, not made of matter. They do nothing of their own accord but carry out God’s will and, by His command, govern the laws of nature.

We live surrounded by things we do not perceive. Radiation is all around us in many forms, and our eyes and ears catch only a tiny part of it. We cannot see or hear microwaves, for example, and yet they are real. If matter itself holds so much that is hidden, it is not hard to accept that there are beings our senses cannot reach at all. Angels are among them.

Angels are not made of matter as we know it. They are created by God and possess consciousness. Their task is to govern the laws of nature and keep them in order. No law of nature simply runs by itself. Behind each one, by God’s will, stands a conscious power. This is why nature works with such unity, because the angels act in unison according to the one will of God.

What does it mean that angels “descend”? An example helps. A room already has radiators installed, but they are switched off. Only an order sets them working. In the same way, the descent of angels means that hidden laws come into effect at God’s command. It is called a descent only because everything that comes from God is described as coming from above.

Believers experience this especially in hard times. Circumstances then turn in their favour, and hearts are strengthened, sometimes through a dream, a kind word or a deep inner calm. The second verse above describes exactly this message of the angels, which lifts fear and grief from the heart.

When God wills, angels can also appear in a visible form. What a person then sees is not their true nature, but an image suited to his understanding.