Catholics playing down the supernatural

[erine]

Why do a lot of Catholics either play down the supernatural and act like it isn’t real, or else know it’s real but are so concerned about anyone knowing that they believe. For example, some Catholics actually think that Saints’ lives are all myths/legends and exist to illustrate a point or allegorically. Even with modern miraculous Saints like Padre Pio. Also some people get extremely uncomfortable if you talk about angels even though they are an essential truth of our faith (not just a warm fuzzy story) and we also need them badly for spiritual warfare. Speaking of which, a lot of people act like there isn’t a spiritual battle going on even though that is a main tenet of the faith, biblical, and in fact we are called the church militant.

I guess I’m being romantic for some imaginary past society that wasn’t so secular, but I had hoped at least more lay Catholics could discuss the supernatural as a reality applied to us, not as a far out saint legend. We discuss ideas but not these realities.

Sometimes I prefer hanging out with religious because they can say things like “I hung out with St. Francis tonight at prayer” and nobody thinks they are “special” in the head.

Anyway I don’t know. It’s just one of my main areas of interest so I guess I’m sad I can’t share this huge part of my life with many. One time I overheard a catholic at an event discussing someone who was praying at adoration, and when interrupted said “hold on I’m seeing Jesus” or something. The person then said “I guess she was just crazy.” I thought that was ridiculous…I am paranoid to ever share my thoughts about supernatural realities if even Catholics think it is crazy. Aren’t we supposed to believe the church?

 

[3DOCTORS]

I don’t think all of us do. I don’t. You just have to find the right people to talk to. I recently finished reading this book Hungry Souls about the souls in Purgatory and how they once in awhile make appearances as ghosts - it’s quite thought provoking and not sensationalist like TV shows about mediums and things. It follows Church teaching.

tanbooks.com/index.php/Hungry-Souls

I also like to read about apparitions such as Fatima and about Saints who have had supernatural occurrences - Padre Pio comes to mind.

 

[RedFox0456]

A lot of people are afraid of looking uneducated because modern society has exclaimed that what we can perceive in our limited sense is all that there is and to think otherwise is to naively believe in a fairytale. Then of course you have the fact that a lot of Catholics simply don’t have faith and think religious is just an arbitrary moral code.

 

[Latinitas]

A lot of people are afraid of looking uneducated because modern society has exclaimed that what we can perceive in our limited sense is all that there is and to think otherwise is to naively believe in a fairytale. Then of course you have the fact that a lot of Catholics simply don’t have faith and think religious is just an arbitrary moral code.

I think this is the best explanation. It is hence that Bl. Pius PP. IX condemns the idea that:

All action of God upon man and the world is to be denied - Syllabus Errorum

Your concern about this is commendable.

Benedicat Deus
Latintias

 

[Dorothy]

It’s a matter of finding like-minded people that you can share such things with. There are groups that are more spiritually oriented, and discussing how the Lord is working in their lives is natural.

A prayer group or Third Order may be something for you to consider.

 

[svid2]

Pax Christi!

Couldn’t agree more. Our Lord IS present in the Eucharist. There ARE Angels and demons battling for our souls. The Poor Souls DO need our prayers and sacrifices.

So many people are distracted by UFOs and Nostradamus and mediums who do the enemy’s bidding…

God bless you for caring!

Pray.

Pray.

Pray!

 

[edwest2]

Why do a lot of Catholics either play down the supernatural and act like it isn’t real, or else know it’s real but are so concerned about anyone knowing that they believe. For example, some Catholics actually think that Saints’ lives are all myths/legends and exist to illustrate a point or allegorically. Even with modern miraculous Saints like Padre Pio. Also some people get extremely uncomfortable if you talk about angels even though they are an essential truth of our faith (not just a warm fuzzy story) and we also need them badly for spiritual warfare. Speaking of which, a lot of people act like there isn’t a spiritual battle going on even though that is a main tenet of the faith, biblical, and in fact we are called the church militant.

I guess I’m being romantic for some imaginary past society that wasn’t so secular, but I had hoped at least more lay Catholics could discuss the supernatural as a reality applied to us, not as a far out saint legend. We discuss ideas but not these realities.

Sometimes I prefer hanging out with religious because they can say things like “I hung out with St. Francis tonight at prayer” and nobody thinks they are “special” in the head.

Anyway I don’t know. It’s just one of my main areas of interest so I guess I’m sad I can’t share this huge part of my life with many. One time I overheard a catholic at an event discussing someone who was praying at adoration, and when interrupted said “hold on I’m seeing Jesus” or something. The person then said “I guess she was just crazy.” I thought that was ridiculous…I am paranoid to ever share my thoughts about supernatural realities if even Catholics think it is crazy. Aren’t we supposed to believe the church?

You’re not being romantic or imagining a fictional past. It was common at one time, to believe you had a Guardian Angel, that you could pray to deceased loved ones, and that, sometimes, people had visions of God. It was not that long ago where I read an account from a priest stating that Jesus appeared at his bedside to tell him something which led to his becoming a priest.

I guess the very strange thing is that some can reject certain Christian realities but believe that some crystals will bring them love or money or whatever. That’s not rational.

Don’t be paranoid. Talk to a priest, for example. I worked in a hospital for a while and I spoke to the chaplain and asked him if he ever saw something miraculous. He casually said, he did.

So believe all of it. One comedian, may he rest in peace, ridiculed the idea that you could pray to a dead relative and get intercession from God. He was very angry that he used to believe in that. That just tells me the God, Satan and all the rest have become symbols for too many. That, as Pope Benedict wrote, they have become indifferent. It doesn’t matter if this or that is real. And spiritual warfare is very real. The devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour. So instead of listening to the Church, we allow all kinds of wrong, immoral and unGodly things into our lives. We imitate bad behavior and bad habits we see.

It takes some effort but believe the Church and don’t be ashamed of the Word of God.

Peace,
Ed

 

[ccmcmg]

Well, I think that people sometimes look at me like I’m crazy when I mention something that they might consider ‘supernatural’, which I consider another work of God, especially the Holy Spirit. But when I’m called to share something like this, I do it. God has it figured out, then I’m going to follow His lead. It isn’t always easy though!

 

[Joseph73]

I swear I have met angels before, disguised as humans, dressed in white. They are very real and it really is sad that many people don’t believe in them anymore, or laugh at the thought of it.

 

[Tous_Logous]

I have the same issue.

I recently had an experience where I had the aroma of sweet swelling flowers (jasmine flowers) appear in my room and with no other sweet smelling things in my room, I realized that this wasn’t normal. I didn’t know what to think at first but now I truly believe I was “visited” by a Saint.

Now when I tell people I can trust about this story I say that I’m hanging out with a 17th century Spanish nun and she gave me jasmine flowers. I even thanked her on my facebook wall. I’m awaiting to see if I get any wacky replies from people asking me to elaborate on such a statement. I’m sure people would say “she must be crazy” or “she must be an idiot,” but that’s the typical response from non-believers. After all, a scientist can’t believe in God or believe in miracles, can she?

I can only wonder about Saints who did miraculous things (bi-location, levitation, etc.). I wonder how they made it through all the questioning and doubting of others that didn’t believe them, outright believing that the Saints were liars. I have a friend who is a big religious liberal and she thinks that Catholic Saints are just “leftovers” from pagan religions and were not real people. Granted, she is not Catholic, but this is the attitude that many non-religious and Protestants have towards Catholic Saints (or Saints in general). I wouldn’t be surprised if lapsed or non-practicing Catholics believed this way, especially if they have not received good catechesis.

There is also a long history of documented and true Eucharistic miracles in the Church as well. Many deal with the Host levitating or suddenly bleeding. I often wonder what other Catholics think of these Eucharistic miracles because obviously, I doubt most read or hear about them.