Angels' Sin

[1catholic]

So I read Abbot Vonier's The Human Soul a few weeks ago and a question just came up about angels' sin so its possible i'm forgetting something of what he said


Did angels always have the beatific vision?

Is that their supernatural (as opposed to natural) state?

Did the fallen angels have their supernatural state then loose it or did they refuse to be raised to it?


Thanks!

[kafka]

Did angels always have the beatific vision?

My opinion is no. They were created by God without the beautific vision. If they always did have the beautific vision from the beginning of their existance some of them would have never sinned, since it is impossible to sin in the immediate union and vision of God in Heaven. Plus all must enter Heaven through Jesus so they would have to come to know and except Jesus before their assumption into Heaven. This was probably the nature of the test God gave them. He revealed to them his plan for humanity which included Jesus and some rejected it.

Is that their supernatural (as opposed to natural) state?

No. Their supernatural state is the same as our called the state of sanctifying grace, merited by the salvific death of Jesus on the Cross. This state if transformed into the face to face union and vision of God for the sinless angels who were assumed into Heaven after the test all angels were given.

The natural state of angels is greater than the natural state of human persons, since they are purely spiritual.

Did the fallen angels have their supernatural state then loose it or did they refuse to be raised to it?

My opinion is that all angels were created with sanctifying grace like Adam and Eve. They served God for many, many years during the unfolding of the cosmos. Eventually they were tested by God. The test in some way included the revelation of humanity and the Incarnation and perhaps Passion and Death of Jesus. Some angels sinned by rejecting this plan, lost their state of sanctifying grace and were subsequentely cast down to the Earth and to Hell. There are some fallen angels still roaming Earth in accord with God's will, grace and providence. And there fallen angels in Hell.