Hearing voices…
Seeing visions.
Everyone who reads this blog knows I have major problems with a certain ”Catholic” website that may be more aptly described as a sensationalist “Catholic Tabloid” - not unlike some other Catholic sites I’ve encountered. The main problem I have with the Catholic tabloid is how the editors focus on every fake apparition, false mystic, and freak natural phenomenon that comes along as being a sign from God. This preoccupation with extraordinary phenomena and private revelations offers little for the edification of the faithful; instead, it more often excites the curiosity and imagination of many who are not mature in their faith. As an article from TimesOnline points out:
While the faithful may accept or reject such revelations, most, according to the Vatican, involve false seers who are either deluded or on the make, and these are beginning to cause problems for the Church.
First, they create tensions between the faithful who believe in them and bishops who do not. Secondly, unauthorised cults often congregate around charismatic seers who claim a direct line to God but who teach in opposition to the Church. - Appearances can be downright deceptive
All the other voices.
Obviously, there are many other natural voices out there as well. some of these are from dissident Catholics who promote new teachings in opposition to the Church, others who are enemies of the Church preaching new spiritualities, still others who are secularists who seek to undermine the Church, and so on and so forth. After these, we have the many who think they hear God speaking directly to them, or experience their own visions, often after visiting sites such as Medjugorje, or some other charismatic spot.
Over the last 50 years, there has been a plethora of supposed Marian apparitions and numerous souls who claim to have private revelations and locutions. Among these, priests, nuns, and lay people. Some of the best known have been Fr. Geno Burresi - a stigmatist purported to have ”succeeded” Padre Pio, Fr. Gobbi, founder of the Marian Movement of Priests, and Mama Rosa of San Damiano, who claimed messages and apparitions of Our Lady of the Roses. I have met all three of these people at one time or another, none of whom impressed me as mystics.
Silenced by the Vatican.
They obviously never impressed the Vatican either, because all were eventually censored to some degree. In fact, Burresi was sanctioned by Pope Benedict himself, denying the priest any benefit of appeal. The ruling forbade Burresi from preaching or hearing confessions, give interviews, publish or broadcast. Fr. Geno Burresi was a favorite amongst devotees of Padre Pio, and Fatima; one famous name among those who promoted him was Fr. Robert Fox, who wrote a book about him and led pilgrimages to his place outside of Rome. Included in the charges leveled against Burresi was that of homosexuality. (Story here.)
Fr. Gobbi’s locutions were likewise labeled as natural and not supernatural in origin, and he was forbidden to publish under the title of “Our Lady Speaks to Her Beloved Priests.” While Mama Rosa of San Damiano and her spurious apparitions was pretty much condemned from the get go. (Mama Rosa is one of the visionaries who claimed Pope Paul VI had been replaced by an imposter. LOL!)
What confuses many people (which by the way is one of the reasons the evil spirit loves fake locutions and visions), is the big events, the so-called apparitions of Medjugorje, Garabandal, and the Lady of All Nations apparitions to Ida Peerdaman in Holland, remain so uncertain. Conflicting reports claim the faithful may go to these places, while others claim the Vatican has forbidden pilgrimages. At any rate, the apparitions lack Vatican approval. Yet these sites all have a cult following, which is oftentimes in opposition to Church authorities. Nowhere is this more evident than at Medjugorje and amongst many of those who follow those apparitions - ”back-home” locutionists and others.
What St. John says.
As one would expect, John of the Cross wrote cautiously regarding locutions and devotes several sections of the Ascent of Mt. Carmel explaining what they are and why they are dangerous. He of course teaches that the soul should rather walk in the way of the pure and perfect spirit of faith. His chapters on the subject are very good for those discerning these matters. I was impressed with a section he wrote, that could well be repeated for our times:
“I knew someone who in his experience of these successive locutions formed, among some very true and solid ones about the Blessed sacrament, others that were outright heresies.
And I greatly fear what is happening in these times of ours: If any soul whatever after a bit of meditation has in its recollection one of these locutions, it will immediately baptize all as coming from God and with such a supposition say, ‘God told me,’ ‘God answered me.’ yet this is not so, but as we pointed out, these persons themselves are more often the origin of their locution.” Ascent, Bk. II, Chp. 29:4
Vain rejoicing in spiritual goods.
I also have known people with hot-lines to God. One friend, a former prioress of a Carmelite monastery, who left to “complete the reform of St. Teresa of Avila”, often spoke with me in the parlour of the monastery and indiscreetly revealed many things Our Lady supposedly told her. Being quite young and vulnerable, as well as impressed with strictly enclosed nuns, I was pleased to be privy to her supernatural revelations. Nevertheless, when she abandoned Carmel for her own project, I couldn’t help being dis-edified. Later, I discovered there were many inconsistencies about her spiritual life that suggested she may have been deluded in her mystical revelations.
Many times when religious people encounter those who claim to have special charisms from God, they become anxious to know directly what God has in mind for themselves. Not a few seek the same favors God has deigned to bestow upon the saints or chosen souls. The soul often loses much more than it gains and is no longer humble, believing itself to be good or ‘highly favored’. Rather than pleasing God, the soul offends Him by acting contrary to His will.
St. Therese of Lisieux rightly said of supernatural favors, “I prefer not to see.” Meaning she preferred the austere way of pure and perfect faith. It is the safest path for little souls.
February 19th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Excellent post, Terry! While knowing that Medjugorje has not been approved by the Vatican, I did not know that the Vatican has forbidden people to go there. Can you verify that?
February 19th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I think the “Little Flower”, had it right. For the vast majority of us, the “little way” is “the safest path for little souls” like me.
February 19th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Many poor souls wander away from the Cross in pursuit of a false idea of Our Lady. They are tricked, sent on a search for her for which there is no end, made puppets to false mystics and their ever changing messages——its pitiful when the Church makes it clear who she is and where to find her, by her Son, at the Cross.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
A number of years ago, near my hometown, people were reportedly seeing a vision of the Virgin on someone’s garden wall. This picture would appear at the same time each day, then gradually fade. One of my aunts talked my Mom (who had little use for such phenomena)into going with her to check it out. They verified that it did, indeed, look like a picture of Mary; but they both believed it would turn out to have a natural explanation. A sister who taught in the parochial grade school invited Mom to speak to her class about it, since the kids had been asking questions. Mom told of her experience; then told the kids that there was no need to seek out such things, because a much greater miracle than any apparition occurred each time Mass was celebrated. In time the “visions” faded away, without the mystery ever being solved.
February 19th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
How many apparitions do we need? Jesus Himself said that people are always wanting a “sign” and the only sign he would give was the sign of Jonah. God has given us all we need to attain Heaven already.
And Medjugorjie–IMHO are not true visions of Mary. But, even if it is, I’m not worrying about it, or following it, unless my Holy Mother Church says so. I have more than enough “private revelations” to keep me happy forever.
Hey, I saw a cross in the sky today–made by two airplanes–maybe it’s a sign–LOL!
February 19th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Hello Terry and all,
If these post and comments don’t get me upset I don’t know what does. All of us know that there are False apparitions, but there are also True apparitions and locutions.
What you are all forgetting is that Signs and Wonders from the Lord are not entertainment. The Bible is all about one sign and wonder after another. In the history of the Saints is one sign and wonder together with the martyrdoms after another. Signs and Wonders are serious things. Messages from the Lord are serious things.
In fact, the Church Teaches that if one hears from the Lord, one must Obey. Not in the “Assent of Faith” but rather according to the “Obedience of Faith”. So private revelation is not necessarily an option. This is a teaching of the Church mentioned in Vatican II.
‘The Council teaches: “‘The obedience of faith’ must be given to God
as he reveals himself. By this obedience of faith man freely commits
himself entirely to God, making ‘the full submission of his intellect
and will to God who reveals,’ and willingly assenting to the
revelation given by him.”‘
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
JOHN PAUL II
ON THE PERSON AND MISSION OF
SAINT JOSEPH
IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST AND OF THE CHURCH
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhorta tions/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_15081989_redemptoris-custos_en. html
February 19th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Also, I’ve met Father Gino. He is a Great Saint. Padre Pio had to go through the same types of sufferings.
Of course he’s not the only saint who’s had locutions and miracles. Let’s see. Mother Teresa, Saint Thomas, why! it would take all day to recount the miracles, wonders and locutions of the saints. And lest we forget the gift of Roses of the Little Flower?
We don’t need wonders and locutions and supernatural things? We should go with the “simple darkness of faith”? No Guadalupe, No Medjugorje? No Fatima? No Lourdes? No Mother Teresa and Missionaries? Maybe no Divine Mercy Devotion? No Sacred Heart Devotion?
I can assure. The list would go on and on. I think instead we should listen to the Lord as he reveals himself and not be in danger of putting the outer religion in place of the true and inner reality.
February 20th, 2008 at 12:00 am
How true what you write of these “mystics.” Some are simply living in a fantasy world filled with hallucinatory occurrences.
You reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend of mine, Father Timoney, a few years ago. He told me he once got a phone call at the parish from a lady who claimed Jesus had made an appearance under her bed. Here’s how he described the phone call:
Lady: “Father, come quick! Jesus is under my bed!
Fr. Timoney: “Madame, if you have Him, what do you need me for???”
February 20th, 2008 at 12:00 am
The way we determine if a private revelation is from God or man or Satan is it in comformity with our Church–if it’s not–it’s not from God. Yes we have Fatima, and Guadalupe–these are Church approved apparitions–Medjugorje is not.
Where I live in Utah, the Prodominant faith believes their “Prophet” saw apparitions of God Himself–and now there is a cult following of over eleven million people. They have some very peculiar teaching that are against Holy Mother Church.
Like Juan says, we should listen to the Lord as he reveals Himself–but be careful–because Satan can appear as and “Angel of Light.”
February 20th, 2008 at 2:11 am
Great post.
I think I know the online “catholic tabloid” of which you speak, and I agree. But I think it has its value, too– not necessarily for the veracity of the articles, per se, but for keeping an eye on the “wider view” of the goings on in Catholic “pop-culture”. It can be a good “pulse meter”.
February 20th, 2008 at 6:23 am
I think those comments illustrate your point, Terry.
Good post.
February 20th, 2008 at 10:22 am
Tara:
“Yes we have Fatima, and Guadalupe–these are Church approved apparitions–Medjugorje is not.”
One of my Points is that if we have the “Obedience of Faith” then we, depending on the circumstances, we cannot wait for the church to rule.
I can understand for many Catholics this is like walking a tightrope. However, it’s simply that if an Angel of the Lord appeared before you as in a Bible story and said do something right away, you simply have to Obey.
If you did not Obey because of some excuse such as my Pastor or the Church hasn’t judged my vision, then it Might not be excuse enough. You might be struck mute or struck this way or that way. In fact, at a lower level, this may happen all the time in the Spiritual Life.
February 20th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Also Medjugorje has already been Accepted by the Church. The Church has a form of acceptance in which the acceptance is on a spiritual level. Such as the “praying church”.
February 20th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Tara:
“The way we determine if a private revelation is from God or man or Satan is it in comformity with our Church–if it’s not–it’s not from God. Yes we have Fatima, and Guadalupe–these are Church approved apparitions–Medjugorje is not.”
The Church doesn’t judge in a Vaccuum! There has to be a following for the Church to judge an apparition, etc. So you can’t say that there should not be a following.
There has to be a following and the more people take it seriously, the better the Church is able to judge it.