I was reading the thread about the Medjugorje visionaries and seers, and was wondering how a person is supposed to know WHAT to believe? There are so many 'messages and secrets' unrevealed (supposedly). Personally, I wonder why the Blessed Virgin would say anything that should be kept a secret forever -sort of defeats the purpose of the visit?!

When dear St.Bernadette was alive at Lourdes, it seemed that 'apparitions and visions' were considered very Holy and far/few between by just a handful of people across the world.. now adays, there are so many, it makes my head spin! I WISH Mother Mary would visit me!! How in the world (in the old testament) did the 'average joe' (such as Abraham) know that God was talking to him and that it wasnt just 'in his mind'? Doesnt the Bible teach against 'soothsayers and seers'? There are just so many phoney-baloneys with plausible stories to tell..and we WANT to believe!! So vulnerable are we. God help us all. Please.

-- Ima Catholic (nomailplz@home.nt), August 09, 2004

Answers

I htink you will see aparitions come and go in freqency, just liek everythign else. Star wars was all the rage a few years ago, now its settled down. Culturally,trewnd change.

As to false prophets, one has ot be ever mindful, and test th spirits, as the Bible said. Sorry I idnt give a great answer, I am out of it to-day.

-- ZAROVE (ZAROFF3@JUNO.COM), August 09, 2004.

Hi Ima,

Great questions. That's why we have the Church. Bottom line is, follow the teaching of the Church. Any true apparition will not contradict these teachings, so its safe just to follow the teachings of the Church, which are the source of truth anyway.

-- Andy S ("ask3332004@yahoo.com"), August 09, 2004.

It might be helpful to remember that real spirituality isn't about visions and "feelings". It's about loving God more than anything else. When we do this, we may be lucky enough to experience what St John of the Cross called the dark night of the soul (which is a far cry from good feelings).

I think it was St Louis DeMontfort who wrote that we should not pray for visions and miracles, but strenghten our faith in the "common" faith of prayer and sacrifice. It's easy to get caught up in the sensationism of visions and other physical manifestations of God's power. But that's not what real faith is all about. In the Bible, there were times Jesus chastised those who asked for signs. Do we really trust in Jesus if we are always looking for physical signs and miracles? Blessed are they that have not seen, yet believe.

Just my opinion.

-- Andy S ("ask3332004@yahoo.com"), August 09, 2004.

You are so right, Andy. People today tend to look for the "marvelous, the blucbusters, the showy, the grandiose, the glamorous, the "epatant" and so on" while Faith in Jesus is so more simple. He himself praised the centurion, the Canaanite woman, the woman with the hemorrage, the chief of the synagogue, the blind man, the ninth leper..and many others whose faith was just a simple trust and confidence in Jesus. Let's follow these exmaples and be very faithful (with a small f) and Jesus will be very pleased with us and and we in turn will be very happy.

God bless you

Enrique

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), August 11, 2004.