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TRADITIONAL TEACHING ON APPARITIONS
By Reverend William Welsh
The world today is being besieged by claims of heavenly apparitions as it has never been besieged
before. From Garabandal, Spain to San Damiano, Italy . . . from Bayside, New York, to the Little
Pebble here in Australia . . . There are literally hundreds of alleged visitations and happenings
worldwide. Nor are the seers content with simple one or two line messages. The sum total of
the volumes of heavenly messages that have been published in the last 30 years could easily
compete with the total number of words in all papal encyclicals ever issued by the Catholic Church.
Whether those messages can compare with papal teachings as to substance is another question
altogether. Moreover, the people who follow these apparitions have developed a devotion, an
avidity for these and future messages, which easily stands out as the chief characteristic of
their spiritual life. The slightest doubt expressed in their presence about the truth or holiness of
these supposed heavenly manifestations will immediately raise an emotional furore difficult to ever
completely pacify.
In an age when devotions to science fiction, eastern mysticism, use of hallucinogenic drugs, and
occult parapsychology are running rampant, it really should be no surprise that modernist Catholics
(who desire to be relevant) would want to indulge in the possibility of current supernatural
phenomena that is "Catholic-oriented". But when Catholics, who purport to hold fast to the
traditional teachings of the Church in a world gone-mad, when these are the ones who are
whole-heartedly and unquestioningly embracing the validity of these visitations, one wonders if
they truly understand the responsibility that corresponds to the name Catholic, the responsibility
that is, of upholding the traditional teachings of the Church on private revelation, visions, and
locutions. Apart from the authenticity of the apparitions themselves, the very attitude of these
Catholics in their approach to apparitions must be questioned. Why, one must ask, are the
traditional teachings of the Church being ignored?
All Catholic theologians concur that private revelations, visions, and locutions must be approached
with great caution, always keeping in mind the strong possibility of human illusion, self-deception,
diabolical influence, and even outright fraud. Fr. Tanquerey, in his treatise on Ascetical and
Mystical Theology (no. 1509), summarizes the proper attitude of a Catholic towards private
revelations:
"We cannot do better than to imitate the judicious reserve of the Church and the saints. The
Church accepts no revelations except after long and careful investigations
. . . We must not therefore pronounce with certitude on the existence of a private revelation
until we have had convincing proofs which, are well summarized by Pope Benedict XIV in his work
on Canonisations . . . When a spiritual director is told by a penitent of his supposed revelations,
he should carefully refrain from showing any admiration, for this would lead the seer at once to
consider these visions as true and perhaps to take pride in them. He must rather explain that
such things are of far less importance than the practice of virtue, that one can easily be deceived
in these matters and that one must therefore suspect, and at the beginning discount, such visions
rather than take stock in them. This is the rule laid down by the saints."
We need but to cite a few passages from St. John of the Cross to illustrate the dangers of
self-deceit and diabolical illusions. Here is the sound teaching of one of the greatest Doctors of
the Church on the subject of mysticism. Why haven't Catholics of today asked themselves about
these dangers, before running headlong into accepting, approving, and promoting current alleged
locutions?
In his "Ascent of Mt. Camel", St. John says:
"I am appalled at what happens in these days-namely, when some soul with the very smallest
experience of meditation, if it be conscious of certain locutions of this kind in some state of
recollections, at once christens them all as coming from God, and assumes that this is the case,
saying: 'God said to me . . . '; 'God answered me . . . ', whereas it is not so at all, but as we
have said, it is for the most part they who are saying it to themselves."
And in Book 2, Chapter 11 of the same work, he warns of diabolical illusion, especially when the
soul is gullible and doesn't even consider the possibility of such illusion:
"There is always ground for fear that they proceed from the devil rather than from God; for the
devil has more influence in that which is exterior and corporeal . . . As they are so palpable and
so material they excite the senses greatly and the soul is led to consider them the more important,
the more they are felt. It runs after them and abandons the secure guidance of faith, thinking that
the light they give is a guide and means to that which it desires, union with God. Thus the soul,
the more it makes of such things, the more it strays from the perfect way and means, i.e., the
faith. Besides, when the soul perceives itself subject to these extraordinary visitations, self-esteem
very frequently enters in, and it thinks itself to be something in the eyes of God, which is contrary
to humility. The devil also knows too well how to insinuate into the soul a secret, and sometimes
open, self-satisfaction. For this end he frequently presents to the eyes the forms of saints, and
most beautiful limits; he causes voices well-dissembled to strike the ear, and delicious odours the
smell; he produces sweetness in the mouth, and thrills of pleasure in the sense of touch; and all
to make us long for such things that he may lead us astray into much evil. For this reason, then,
we must always reject and disregard these representations and sensations."
In Book 2, Chapter 16, he summarises his warnings; and it is interesting to note that the refusal
to accept these apparitions is the proper attitude even in the case where they are truly from God,
for as he explains, this is the way to test that they really are divine:
"I say, therefore, with respect to all these impressions and imaginary visions, and others of
whatever kind they may be, which present themselves under forms or images, whether false as
coming from the devil, or known to be true as coming from God, that the understanding is not to
perplex itself about them, nor feed itself upon them; the soul must not willingly accept them, nor
rest upon them, in order that it may be detached, naked, pure, and sincerely simple, which is the
condition of the divine union."
In spite of the abundance of such warnings found in the treatises on mysticism written by St. John
of the Cross and St. Theresa of Avila, there still remain thousands of devotees of contemporary
seers who have never entertained the slightest doubt about the authenticity of modern-day
apparitions. St. Theresa, who climbed through all the mansions of the contemplative life, often
excercised caution and doubt about the authenticity of the visions and voices she herself
experienced. But not the adepts of our day. They're certain that their "voices" are truly
divine . . . No need to follow the traditional teaching of the Church. . .
A further scandal in this regard is the sight of Catholics passing out literature and messages from
various contemporary apparition sites. The printing presses roll all around the apparition sites as
soon as the seer claims to have heard or seen anything new. And the devotees are all too eager
to disseminate the latest news from Heaven . . . The rule given by St. Theresa is that a seer
should tell no one but her spiritual director about her supposed locutions, and then he is to be
all-careful in seeing that only the proper ecclesiastical authorities examine and pass judgement
on the case. Not so with the seers of our day. Messages and prophecies are published without
permission and without reserve.
When confronted with the traditional legislation of the Church against publishing private revelations,
some Catholics will respond: "Oh, haven't you heard? Pope Paul VI revoked that legislation. Now it's
all right to publish these messages." For 350 years, since the decree of Pope Urban VIII in 1625,
the Church has severely forbidden any publication of accounts of private revelation and visions
without special ecclesiastical approbation. The reasons are those cited above in the works of St.
John of the Cross and Pope Benedict XIV. The decree of Pope Urban VIII went so far as to impose
on all a great reserve even in private conversation relative to supernatural facts which are not
very authentic. Thus, the Christian people were protected from the dangers inherent in "apparition
enthusiasm", dangers of attachment, curiosity, delusion, etc. Above all, these laws enshrine the
traditional teaching of the Catholic Church on exercising judicious reserve with respect to all
reports of private revelation. It is incredible that a Catholic would ignore all this with the
statement, "It's only a disciplinary decree. Popes can change those kinds of laws." . . . Catholics
who truly understand what it means to uphold Catholic Tradition in every aspect of life will never
publish, read, or pass on any accounts of alleged visions or supernatural messages.
Finally, it is imperative to insist on the great harm done to the spiritual life by all such curiosity,
enthusiasm, and attachment to apparitions. It is absolutely necessary for Catholic priests
everywhere to take up the writings of St. John of the Cross and St. Theresa of Avila and warn
their flocks against this grave error of our time. In his "Three Ages of the Interior Life" (Ch. 54),
Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange lists the evil effects of having a desire for revelations. This most renowned
twentieth-century theologian cites St. John of the Cross in saying that the desire for revelations
is at least a venial sin, even when the soul has a good end in view. He writes:
"St. John of the Cross strongly reproves the desire for revelations. On this point he is in complete
accord with St. Vincent Ferrer, and shows that the soul desiring revelations is vain; that by this
curiosity it gives the devil the opportunity to lead it astray; that this inclination takes away the
purity of faith, produces a hindrance for the spirit, denotes a lack of humility, and exposes it to
many errors . . . All this clearly shows the error of imprudent directors who, impelled by curiosity,
are concerned with souls favoured by visions and revelations. This curiosity is a deformation of
spirit which casts the soul into illusion and trouble, and turns it away from humility through vain
complacency in extraordinary ways."
Sad to say in our day not only seers but large numbers of ordinary lay people are violating these
rules by their curiosity and avidity for hearing "what Our Lady said." Indeed, some of these
apparition sites are turning into oracles in that large numbers of the people are frequenting them
and turning to them as the surest source on earth for knowing God's Will. Such a pagan practice
is unheard of in the history of Christianity. Jesus Christ established a visible Church and said to
the Apostles, and through them to their successors, the bishops, "He who hears you, hears Me."
If Catholics try to replace that Magisterium with oracles, they will be inviting Satan to run their
lives. St John of the Cross concludes his chapter on this subject with the following:
"The devil rejoices greatly when a soul seeks after revelations and is ready to accept them; for
such conduct fumishes him with many opportunities of insinuating delusions, and derogating from
the faith as much as he possibly can; for such a soul becomes rough and rude, and falls frequently
into many temptations and unseemly habits." (Ascent of Mount Camel, Book 2, Chapter 11.)
Catholics must remain attached, not to oracles as the pagan Romans and Greeks, but to Catholic
Rome - the 2,000 years of teaching under an infallible Magisterium established by Jesus Christ.
We can never go back to the darkness of Delphi.
Catholic" April 1985
Edited by F. John Loughnan April 14, 2002
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