Friday, November 20, 2009
Apparitions
http://www.spiritdaily.com/bishopsversusseers.htm I thought this was an interesting article regarding apparitions and seers. When the Church asks people to refrain from visiting certain sites that have been condemned, we, as Catholics, should listen. People are in an uproar over a few seers whose messages have been condemned over the past few years, but no one should lose their peace of heart over such things, including the seers themselves. Our faith is in God, not in a specific site or visionary. I believe that Mary is appearing to many people around the world and some of the messages I read are very helpful and uplifting. All the apparitions cannot be false, but it is likely that a number of them are. If the messages are in line with Catholic teaching and it bears good fruit then I cannot see the harm in following it until the Church makes a decree on it. I become concerned when the visionaries and followers are outraged when the Church makes a negative decree. Where is the humility in this? God is omniscient, we should trust Him completely and so should the followers of the apparitions that are condemned. I really don't understand when the seers themselves get upset as that just shows that they haven't abandoned themselves completely to the Lord. If they had, it wouldn't matter either way...right?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Amen, and seventy seven times Amen! Thanks for this. It's so true!
ReplyDeleteRight. Obedience is so hard, isn't it? I suppose if they really believe they are having visions it is hard to accept someone telling them that it is false.
ReplyDeleteI love more specifics about the visions you are speaking about.
Anne,
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't always mean the visions are false, they could be from God, Satan, a mixture of the two, or a figment of the persons imagination. Or sometimes the person could be mentally ill and have hallucinations. This is why the church is very careful with apparitions. Apparitions and visions are two different things, though they are often used interchangeably. An apparition is when Mary, Jesus, a saint or angel appears to a person in a physical way, the person can see them with their eyes. A vision is usually interior or in dreams; these are far more common. The Church isn't against apparations, they just try to use care discerning them. There have been cases of apparitions being condemned by the Church and later reversed. It can be very confusing for people. Some sites or seers that have received the approval of the Church are Fatima, Lourdes, St. Faustina, and I believe the apparitions in Rwanda were accepted in some case. Medjugorje is under investigation but pilgrims are allowed to go there. I'll see if I can find a list online of approved and condemned sites and if I can I'll print it on my blog.
I don't really know what to call what happened to me as I believe my soul was taken out of my body and brought before the Lord. Whatever it was, I am always thankful for it because it brought me back to the Lord, it changed me forever. It does not offend me if someone doesn't believe me. It was the truth, so I printed it and then I put it in the Lord's hands. I am more concerned with what the Lord thinks and how I can be more responsive to the Holy Spirit who rests within me:)
Thank you Mary. You are very knowledgeable and I am grateful that you are so open to sharing your experiences on this blog. I am learning so much from you!
ReplyDelete