on harps; or again, the holy archangel Gabriel is represented as a youth with wings, holding a lily in his hand, and with a glory round his head. Why should they be drawn like that? They are represented as boys or youths, because they never grow old, but are everlastingly young, and are immortal. The wings signify that the angels are swift as thought, and fulfil God's commands quickly and willingly. The harps are to remind us that the angels ceaselessly sing God’s praises. The lily signifies their purity, and the glory, their heavenly splendour. Very often angels are pictured as children’s heads without bodies, to signify that they have understanding and free-will, but that they are spirits without bodies.
God is good. Of His love God created the angels, and loaded them with natural and supernatural gifts.
God is just. God’s justice is manifested by the punishment of the bad angels and the reward of the good. How did God punish the bad angels? For how long must they remain in hell? For ever and ever! They must suffer everlasting torments! They are rejected by God and are banished from Him for ever and everl They hardened themselves against Him, therefore repentance was impossible. “God spared not the angels that sinned: but delivered them, drawn down by infernal ropes to the lower hell, unto torments to be reserved unto judgment” (2 Pet. 2, 4).
The evil of mortal sin. God punishes us according to our deserts: He never punishes us too severely. If, therefore, He condemned the fallen angels to the eternal torments of hell, we can see what a terrible evil sin is in His sight. One single mortal sin deserves everlasting punishment.
The consequences of sin. Just think what befell the angels through sin! Before their fall they were the friends and beloved of God, most beautiful, most holy, full of the love of what is good, and rich in their happiness and glory. But since their fall they have been enemies of God, horrible, hideous, and eternally miserable devils! Who, after contemplating this ruin caused by sin, could possibly think that sin, and especially mortal sin, is a trifle which God will not deal with severely? Nol mortal sin, far from being a trifle, is the greatest of all evils. It changed angels into devils, and cast them into hell!
Pride. What was the cause of the fallen angels’ disobedience? Instead of giving glory to God, from whom they had received all things, they became proud of their great gifts, and, with their leader, said: “We will ascend above the heights of the clouds, we will be like the Most High” (Is. 14, 14). Therefore, Holy Scripture says: “Pride is the beginning of all sin” (Ecclus. 10, 15).
Happiness of the Angels. Almighty God richly rewarded those angels who remained faithful. They gaze upon Him face to face, they
