Demons are fallen angels whose only goals are to interfere with the good of God and to keep humans from going to Heaven.
Like angels, demons are created as pure spirit with no body, occupying a higher spiritual realm outside of time and space.
Even though they were created good, some angels abused their free will and followed the devil, or Satan. These demons rejected God’s love and rebelled against Him out of envy and pride.
Demons retain their angelic powers, with the ability to affect people through temptation, obsession, and oppression. In extreme cases, demons may even take over, or possess, a person’s body.
From their beginning, humans have been influenced by these supernatural forces of evil who have a tendency toward destructive attitudes and actions.
Sacred Scripture contains many stories about Jesus exorcising demons. He gave his Apostles power and authority over all demons, equipping his Church for spiritual battle.
Catholics should strive to strengthen their faith, build virtue, and trust in God’s grace to resist evil and battle against demonic activity.
Demons are fallen angels:
Angels who have fallen into sin:
Then war broke out in Heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in Heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to Earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.
Revelation 12: 7-9
Demons are angels who rebelled against God:
Angels who rejected God’s gift:
Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out of envy. 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.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church 391
Demons still have the power of angels:
Catholics have battled demons throughout history:
Dealing with demons with faith:
Christian faith teaches that in taking the risk of saying “yes” or “no”, which marks the human creature’s freedom, some have already said no. They are the spiritual creatures that rebelled against God’s love and are called demons. What happened to them is a warning to us: it is a continuous call to avoid the tragedy which leads to sin and to conform our life to that of Jesus who lived his life with a “yes” to God.
Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 28 July 1999
Demons cannot be happy:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
Confident in God’s goodness:
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