Can private revelation be credible if it goes against the Church?

[rl316]

I am currently reading “Get Us Out of Here” by Maria Simma. My parish Religious Education Leader gave it to me and other PSR teachers as a gift. As I read it - though - she expresses (on page 52-54) that God isn’t happy with use of Eucharistic ministers, or the sign of peace, and called the “People’s Alter” the delight of Satan.
(Page 66) She said that the “modernizations that people so erroneously think were God given fruit of the (Vatican II) council, I can assure you were not…”

I am having a hard time feeling like she is credible with such strong opinions against the church…

I know private revelation is for her…and we are free to believe or not. But can God tell her this…and then lead the Church in the opposite direction?

Thanks,

Randy

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

As far as I can tell Maria Simma’s visions/messages have never been approved by the Church. Therefore it is highly inappropriate for a parish leader to be handing out such a book.

While it is indeed possible that a private revelation might tell an individual that some matter of church discipline is problematic, I can hardly see the purpose of the vision to be to sow discord. Even St. Francis did not presume his private revelation to “rebuild my church” to be an order to ignore or challenge legitimate Church authority. St. Francis was fully obedient to Church authority and permitted God to guide His Church.

Any private revelation that contradicts the teachings of the Church on faith and morals should be immediately rejected.

Catechism:

**67 **Throughout the ages, there have been so-called “private” revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ’s definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the Magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.