Confused about private revelations

[PathDiagnosis]

Hi all,

Please assist me with understanding private revelations. I know that public revelation (the Deposit of Faith) ended with the death of the last Apostle (St. John?)
I read the CCC but it still does not answer the following:

When the Catholic Church approves a private revelation it is stating:

A.) The event for sure happened and a Catholic is free to believe or reject it . By “for sure happened” I mean it happened just as the Resurrection of Christ or Assumption of Mary happened (according to Catholic dogma).

or

B.) The event may or may not have happened, but the message of the revelation does not contradict the Deposit of Faith and a Catholic is free to believe or reject it and/or take up or not take up the private devotions mentioned (Divine Mercy Chaplet, Miraculous Medal, wearing of the Brown Scapular, etc).

Peace.

 

[thistle]

Hi all,

Please assist me with understanding private revelations. I know that public revelation (the Deposit of Faith) ended with the death of the last Apostle (St. John?)
I read the CCC but it still does not answer the following:

When the Catholic Church approves a private revelation it is stating:

A.) The event for sure happened and a Catholic is free to believe or reject it . By “for sure happened” I mean it happened just as the Resurrection of Christ or Assumption of Mary happened (according to Catholic dogma).

or

B.) The event may or may not have happened, but the message of the revelation does not contradict the Deposit of Faith and a Catholic is free to believe or reject it and/or take up or not take up the private devotions mentioned (Divine Mercy Chaplet, Miraculous Medal, wearing of the Brown Scapular, etc).

Peace.

If a message, vision, apparition is deemed worthy of belief it means:

• A supernatural happening took place
• Nothing in the messages contradicts Church teachings
• Nothing in the messages say anything against the Pope, bishops and priests

However, it does not necessarily mean that everything in the messages are correct. A visionary may misunderstand or misinterpret what is being shown to them. Even those private revelations deemed worthy of belief get things wrong or even contradict each other.
We are not bound to believe or even accept any of them.
However, in my view we should not simply dismiss them out of hand.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

The Catechism has this to say on “private revelations”.

"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.

Christian faith cannot accept “revelations” that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such “revelations”."

I suppose I could say I’ve had a few “private revelations” myself, including my father turning up the night he died in my room. I also can’t see how this contradicts Catholic teaching, since it was clear he was in the process of being judged.

His apparitional appearance agreed with Church teaching in that -

1. We are judged immediately after death. And obviously there is life after death.
2. My father said I needed to forgive him.
3. He said he “served the devil”, which would have been correct as a lapsed Catholic in mortal sin, and he had never sought reconciliation as far as I know.
4. He “judged himself” with comments such as “I can’t believe how cruel and stupid I’ve been! What was I trying to prove??” etc. This lined up with Christ’s comment - “By your (own) words you will be acquitted, and by your (own) words you will be condemned”.
5. He made some accurate predictions.

However i would hardly expect the Church or other Catholics to take it as confirmed revelation. They can take it or leave it.

Private revelations that I would expect the Church to endorse would be the approved Marian apparitions, stigmata on people like Padre Pio etc.

Private revelations I wouldn’t expect the Church to endorse would be individual messages aimed mainly at just one person eg. my father’s apparition. Or those which attempt to add to the “deposit of fatih” eg. an adulterous conman supposedly digging up two gold plates, and proclaiming himself of equal authority to Christ, or relegating Christ to just one of several brothers, including Satan. Or alleged Marian apparitions which come loaded with political overtones.

 

[frteatao]

Shalom

Private revelations are real and supernatural in nature. It is willed by God just like the resurrection and the assumption. There are private revelations in words and in signs internal and external which has been approved by the Church and recorded and preserved.

I am receiving such phenomena in words and signs internal and external as I called it. I don’t see it a confusion and a contradiction to any dogma or teaching of the Church. It is God’s will. It is understood that it is not to be praised and believed by all as it is a private revelations but if it. It is over a year now that I have this private revelations.

As for you, just continue to allow yourself to be open to the will of God and let God use you for whatever private revelation it may be. My prayers for you to be strong and faithful to the will of God.