Victor R. Claveau, MJ
Answer: When God the Father is represented as an old man, the Holy Spirit as a dove, and the angels as winged youths, this is not done because they are really like that. As you said, they are bodiless spirits. But they are given these forms because it was under such that they sometimes revealed themselves to men.
Thus, God the Father is pictured as an old man because as an old man he appeared in a vision to the prophet Daniel (Dan 7:9); the Holy Spirit is shown as a dove because it was in that form He appeared at the baptism of our Lord (John 1:32); and the angels are represented as youths because they took that shape several times in the Old Testament (Gen 7-19). Also, you must know that pictures and statues are often intended to show us, not things as they are in themselves, but the qualities of things, or the effects which they produce. Thus, faith is represented as a lady with a chalice in her hand and charity as a lady with children about her, though we know well that faith and charity are not women but virtues. So, it is not inappropriate to say that God the Father is represented as an old man to teach us that He is “the ancient of Days” or the Eternal, who existed before the foundation of the world; that the Holy Spirit is represented as a dove to signify the gifts of innocence, purity, and holiness with which He endows our souls; and that the angels represented as young men with wings because their strength and beauty never know decline, and they are always on tip-toe to do God’s bidding. Sometimes, too, we see them in white robes and sacred stoles, signifying their sinlessness and service of the Divine Majesty.