Just
as I said before, Lucifer was the most favoured angels because he was endowed
with greater gifts and greater beauty of nature and grace than the other
inferior angels. What then urged Lucifer and his confederates to sin and what
was the occasion of their disobedience and fall? This is what the bible
says:
Isaiah chap.14
verses “[12] How
art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, who didst rise in the morning? how
art thou fallen to the earth, that didst wound the nations? [13]And thou saidst in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt
my throne above the stars of God, I will sit in the mountain of the covenant,
in the sides of the north. [14] I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the
most High. [15] But yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, into the depth of the
pit.”
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| An imaginary beauty of Lucifer before the fall |
Following the bad inclinations which from that time on filled
Lucifer, he fell into a most disorderly self-love, which arose from the
consciousness of being endowed with greater gifts and greater beauty of nature
and grace, than the other inferior angels. He tarried with inordinate pleasure
in this consciousness; and thus self-satisfied he became lax and remiss in the
gratitude, which was due to God as the sole cause of all that he had received.
Turning again and again in admiration toward himself, he took pleasure in his
own beauty and grace, attributing them to himself and loving them as his own.
This disorderly self-love not only caused him to exalt himself on account of
the superior virtues, which he had received, but also induced him to harbour
envy and covetousness for other gifts and for excellences not his own. Then,
because he could not attain them, he conceived a mortal hatred and indignation
against God, who created him out of nothing, and against all his creatures.
 |
| Lucifer induced other angels to follow him against God |
Hence
arose his disobedience, presumption, injustice, infidelity, blasphemy, and
perhaps also a certain kind of idolatry, for he coveted for himself the
adoration and reverence due to God. He blasphemed the divine magnificence and
holiness, he failed in the trust and loyalty due to Him; he plotted to destroy
all the creatures, and presumed to be able to do all this and much more by his
own power. Thus his pride ascends continually and perseveres, though his arrogance is
greater than his strength, for in this he cannot increase (Is. 16, 6) and in
sin, one abyss calls the other. The first angel who sinned was Lucifer, as is
described above in the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah. He induced others to
follow him and therefore he is called the prince of the demons; not on account
of his natural gifts, for these would not secure to him that title, but on
account of his guilt. Those that sinned were not all of one order or hierarchy,
but among all hierarchies there were many who sinned.
