Day 55: The Fall of the Angels (391-395)


Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, we know that you are with us. We declare your faithfulness. We declare our trust in your goodness. And we ask for your protection. We ask for your protection against the wiles of the Evil One, against the snares of the Devil. We ask for your protection against all of his lies that can sneak in past our defenses. Lord God, we ask you to please be our guard. You be our shade against his onslaught. Because you are the one who has conquered Satan. You have conquered death. You have conquered evil by taking death upon yourself and by allowing it to overwhelm you. You have raised it up. You have been raised up. You redeemed us. So we know that we trust in you. And we fear nothing. While you are at our side, we fear nothing. We declare this and ask you to be with us in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen”


Scripture References & Reflections

- compiled by Andrew Adamany


Bible Translation - RSVCE


CCC 391 "Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy…"


Genesis 3:1–5 

"Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”


Wisdom of Solomon 2:23–24 

"for God created man for incorruption, 

and made him in the image of his own eternity, 

24 but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, 

and those who belong to his party experience it."


Scripture and the Church's Tradition see in this being a fallen angel, called "Satan" or the "devil". The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: "The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing."


Revelation 12:7–9 

"Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him."


CCC 392 "Scripture speaks of a sin of these angels…"


2 Peter 2:4 

"For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of nether gloom to be kept until the judgment"


This "fall" consists in the free choice of these created spirits, who radically and irrevocably rejected God and his reign. We find a reflection of that rebellion in the tempter's words to our first parents: "You will be like God."...


Genesis 3:4–5 

"But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”


"The devil "has sinned from the beginning"; he is "a liar and the father of lies".


1 John 3:8 

"He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."


John 8:42–44 

"Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."



CCC 393 "It is the irrevocable character of their choice, and not a defect in the infinite divine mercy, that makes the angels' sin unforgivable. "There is no repentance for the angels after their fall, just as there is no repentance for men after death."


Isaiah 14:12–20 

“How you are fallen from heaven, 

O Day Star, son of Dawn! 

How you are cut down to the ground, 

you who laid the nations low! 

13 You said in your heart, 

‘I will ascend to heaven; 

above the stars of God 

I will set my throne on high; 

I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far north; 

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, 

I will make myself like the Most High.’ 

15 But you are brought down to Sheol, 

to the depths of the Pit. 

16 Those who see you will stare at you, 

and ponder over you: 

‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, 

who shook kingdoms,

17who made the world like a desert 

and overthrew its cities, 

who did not let his prisoners go home?’ 

18 All the kings of the nations lie in glory, 

each in his own tomb; 

19 but you are cast out, away from your sepulchre, 

like a loathed untimely birth, 

clothed with the slain, those pierced by the sword, 

who go down to the stones of the Pit, 

like a dead body trodden under foot. 

20 You will not be joined with them in burial, 

because you have destroyed your land, 

you have slain your people. 

“May the descendants of evildoers 

nevermore be named!"


CCC 394 "Scripture witnesses to the disastrous influence of the one Jesus calls "a murderer from the beginning", who would even try to divert Jesus from the mission received from his Father. "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." In its consequences the gravest of these works was the mendacious seduction that led man to disobey God."


Matthew 4:1–11

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, 

‘Man shall not live by bread alone, 

but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” 

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, 

‘He will give his angels charge of you,’ 

and 

‘On their hands they will bear you up, 

lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”

7Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Begone, Satan! for it is written, 

‘You shall worship the Lord your God 

and him only shall you serve.’ ” 

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him."


1 John 3:8 

"He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."



CCC 395 "The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot prevent the building up of God's reign. Although Satan may act in the world out of hatred for God and his kingdom in Christ Jesus, and although his action may cause grave injuries - of a spiritual nature and, indirectly, even of a physical nature- to each man and to society, the action is permitted by divine providence which with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history. It is a great mystery that providence should permit diabolical activity, but "we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him."


Romans 8:28–30 

"We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified."