The Other World We Live In

A Catholic Vision of Angelic Reality

Of all the invisible realities we live among — from virtual networks to rays of sunshine — none are more overlooked than the world of angels, which most relegate either to fundamentalist religion or to elitist cults. But there is another option. We stand with all three Abrahamic faiths (as well as with the majority of the world’s traditions) in acknowledging that God’s creation consists in a threefold, ascending order: cosmic, human, and angelic. This hierarchy may seem to dethrone our sensitive egos from the pinnacle of creation, but in truth it assigns our human nature a far more dignified, intermediate station that Aquinas calls a “marvelous connection,” serving to join the world of matter and the realm of pure spirit. Furthermore, the vexing problem of evil takes on a new dimension when we realize there is mischief not only in us but in the spiritual order as well. When angelic reality is factored into our view of creation and our moral struggles, that view matures and broadens. The “plane” of humankind and cosmos will lack three-dimensionality until intersected by the companion world of the pure spirits.