Does God Still Talk Directly to People?

[MCMcG12]

Does God still talk directly to people? You hear about all those people from the middle ages and the early Church having eye opening dreams and visions but why doesn’t that happen any more? My sister says that God talks through people. That makes scence but I really don’t think God loves us any less than the people of the middle ages.

Also, if God started talking to somebody how would they know? Would a good Catholic be hesitant because they knew God wouldn’t ever talk to them because they weren’t good enough or would a good Catholic believe it right away?

Also, I saw that on the site we aren’t allowed to talk about private revelations. I honestly don’t have anything to say on the topic but I am sincerely confused. In no possible or concievable way am I trying to offend any one in the least. Here goes. If somebody did talk to God, and they didn’t know who to tell or trust, wouldn’t this be a good place to go to get help? And what if they did send a question to the AAA and they didn’t get a response. (I know they’re really busy and this kind of stuff could happen.) And what if they didn’t know if the right thing to do would be to keep it to themselves or tell someone?

Do you see where I’m coming from? It’s just a bunch of hypotheticals but I’m 15 and confused as heck and just need some answers from somebody.

 

[fhansen]

God does continue to talk to people in various ways, including directly in the manner He’s communicated to Christian mystics in the past, but that kind of revelation is rare. We can discuss private revelations in general on the forums-just not the content of those experiences. CAF would not be the appropriate place as these experiences are private and meant for a purpose which is not always easy to discern, although they’re a light which God means to have shine in one way or another. Most of the mystics confided in spiritual directors first and they recommend this practice to anyone else who’s been blest by God in this way.

 

[Trishie]

God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit in Scripture, and through Church teachings.
…He does sometimes, through others, and directly into your heart, but there is need for discernment, with a truly spiritual guide, particularly a holy religious. I pray God will lead you to someone He desires you to speak to. Pray for that.
There are people who have lived in recent times…like St Padre Pio, whose interactions with God are public knowledge.

I pray you wont stay confused. Above all, we have the Eucharist, Reconciliation, and the Gospels. It is love that matters beyond all. That is what Jesus preaches. If you believe God has spoken to you/anyone you know, it does always remain that the Gospels are our guide.

God bless you, Trishie

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Firstly, welcome to the Forums and hi there. I hope that you will find any time you do spend here most rewarding in every way…you have a really lovely Profile, MCMcG12…Expert Gum Scraper huh! I wasn’t too sure what I was doing here either when I first joined, I think a year or two back, perhaps more, I can’t rememeber…but am still here.

Does God still talk directly to people? You hear about all those people from the middle ages and the early Church having eye opening dreams and visions but why doesn’t that happen any more? My sister says that God talks through people. That makes scence but I really don’t think God loves us any less than the people of the middle ages.

Yes, Jesus could still speak/appear to a person(s) nowadays, it is a possibility although probably not very common, but hard to know for sure really. That Jesus or Our Lady or one of the saints perhaps has spoken with a person and what they may have said is called “Private Revelations” and these are not to be discussed here on CAF according to the rules. Only those Private Revelations that have received official Church approval under the rules may be discussed.

Also, if God started talking to somebody how would they know? Would a good Catholic be hesitant because they knew God wouldn’t ever talk to them because they weren’t good enough or would a good Catholic believe it right away?

The thing to do is to first discuss it and in private either in Confession or by appointment with a priest. Whatever he may say abide by that in obedience. Should perhaps Father say the person is imagining things, there is no need for concern, for if Jesus or someone in Heaven in some way has spoken with this person and it is very real, then Jesus will ensure that things will eventually be clarified to Father and to the person. Usually such experience although it may initially be a little scarey, leaves very deep Peace inside and also a conviction that the voice/vision was indeed from God and Heaven. Usually too what is said to the person stays very clear in their memory.

Nothing is ever lost in any way by obedience (which Jesus loves, even if one is obeying a Church authority, such as a priest, who has made an inorrect decision - involving of course a decision that is not sinful in any way at all …and to be wrong about something is not sinful unless it is deliberate and/or harmful in some way) and especially obedience to a priest who is giving spiritual advice, which the telling him of such an experience would involve. The person should leave it all up to Jesus and with great trust and confidence to bring about whatever He may intend - and He will. None from Heaven in Truth would ever tell anyone to act in any way against The Gospel and what The Church teaches us, as Trishie pointed out.

The first thing to do then, is to tell a priest and always without fail all about it, and then listen to his advice and follow it.

Many of our saints who did indeed hear and even see Jesus or Our Lady were misunderstood and told it was their imagination or perhaps even that they were deceived by the devil - and this type of deception could happen, which is why one should seek expert spiritual advice. The imagination is very powerful in some…and also Satan “can appear as an angel of light” as Scripture tells us and The Church believes and teaches. Later of course, the saint’s advisor’s did understand that the vision or voice was real and of God.
If one has been honestly deceived by one’s own imagination or perhaps by Satan, this is not sinful in any way whatsoever if that person does not insight that a deception has actually taken place, unless he/she is told by a priest that it is so, and then deliberately does not obey what Father says. This is a sin of disobedience and running the danger of being thus quite deliberately deceived.

Not an easy subject to tackle with a 15 year old I don’t find, but ask all the questions you like in this thread and I hope your confusions will all be sorted out…and very lovingly and kindly too I hope.

Blessings and with my regards…Barb
Not too sure what AAA is (I am Australian).
I thought that Trisie’s advice was very good that even if we do have some sort of ‘experience’…we should always adhere to The Gospel and what The Church teaches at all times and without exceptions. This is not only a safe path always and everywhere, it is the path to holiness with or without any sort of ‘experience’ and at all times regardless.

 

[fhansen]

Also, if God started talking to somebody how would they know? Would a good Catholic be hesitant because they knew God wouldn’t ever talk to them because they weren’t good enough or would a good Catholic believe it right away?

Humility before God is a common trait among people who’ve had these experiences. The Catholic who thinks they aren’t good enough would likely be a much better candidate then one who thinks they should receive a gift like this.The experiences themselves are generally so intense and the presence of the Being orchestrating the whole thing so obvious that the receiver can’t deny them but even then discernment is necessary, as the other posters advised.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think God does it all the time. We just don’t pay attention. I am far from being a holy guy, and I would never claim to be a mystic in any way, shape or form.

But if you go to a quiet place and pray, long and earnestly, and lay your troubles or confusions out before God without trying to work them out yourself right then, then just keep yourself from distraction, contemplate Our Lord as a sympathetic person who might well speak to you if it’s good for you, and listen. You’ll come away, perhaps most of the time, believing God does talk to people.

Remember that thing in the bible about the prophet who went into the desert to find God? God wasn’t in the whirlwind or in the firestorm. He was in the tiny whisper. A person needs to think about that, and not require God to be in the whirlwind or the firestorm. Great saints have great visions. Miniscule souls who just want to be saints, (that would include me) should not despair of hearing that whisper.

 

[grandfather]

Does God still talk directly to people? o

God communicates with people all the time. He speaks or talks to us, inspires and motivates us, and reveals Himself and His will to us. The bigger question is why don’t we listen better.

 

[tessi]

Does God still talk directly to people? You hear about all those people from the middle ages and the early Church having eye opening dreams and visions but why doesn’t that happen any more? My sister says that God talks through people. That makes scence but I really don’t think God loves us any less than the people of the middle ages.

Also, if God started talking to somebody how would they know? Would a good Catholic be hesitant because they knew God wouldn’t ever talk to them because they weren’t good enough or would a good Catholic believe it right away?

God talks directly to some people. There is Saint Faustyna (she died around 1940) and received constant talkings from Jesus. It seems that is a constant struggle when you hear “voices”. You can read it in Santa Teresa de Avila’s writings. Is the devil, is a delusion, is God? That torture accompanies those saints for a long time.

 

[Johndigger]

Let me tell you an interesting testimony I heard yesterday.

This lady was driving down the road and she heard the voice of the Lord say “Turn left”, she ignored it and carried on. Again she heard a voice say "Turn left."Again she ignored.

Then the Lord said lovingly and sternly “I told you to turn left. Do it.”

So, finally she did and went to where the Lord was telling her to go. He directed her to a garage and told her to do a handstand in front of the drink’s fridge. She felt embarassed but she did it.

Then from round the corner came a guy with a gun to his head. He dropped the gun.

He was about to commit suicide, and in a last desperate hope he said to the Lord “God, if you exist then let their be a woman doing a handstand as I turn the corner”

Incredible. I’d say that God does indeed speak to people.

JD

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Here are some signs of The Divine Spirit (link from another site), although we should always I think submit the experience humbly to a priest and accept his advice and follow it in the case of any confusion, or some experience that is out of the ordinary.
God can speak to us through anything (ordinary or extraordinary) coming to us through our human senses for one, but if it I am confused about it in any way - and/or - if it is out of the ordinary (extraordinary), then I would speak with a priest about it. I would be loathe to self assess in the case of the unusual or confusion, even from good source information such as below and would speak with a priest…nothing will be ever lost from seeking sound advice and the virtue of obedience, and The Lord will see to this…all will unravel and unfold and as God Wills.


domcentral.org/study/aumann/st/st14.htm#tos

The Divine Spirit

The following characteristics are general signs of the divine spirit.1. Truth. God is truth and cannot inspire anything but truth in a soul. If a person believed to be inspired by God, therefore, maintains opinions that are manifestly against revealed truth, the infallible teaching of the Church, or proven theology or philosophy or science, it must be concluded that the individual is deluded by the devil or is the victim of excessive imagination or faulty reasoning. 2. Gravity. God is never the cause of things that are useless, futile, frivolous, or impertinent. When his spirit moves a soul it is always for something serious and beneficial. 3. Enlightenment, Although one may not always understand the meaning of an inspiration from God, the effect of any divine movement or impulse is always enlightenment and certitude rather than darkness and confusion. This is true both for the effects on the individual who receives the inspiration and its effects on others. 4. Docility. Souls that are moved by the spirit of God accept cheerfully the advice and counsel of their directors or others who have authority over them. This spirit of obedience, docility, and submission is one of the clearest signs that a particular inspiration or movement is from God. This is especially true in the case of the educated, who have a greater tendency to be attached to their own opinions. 5. Discretion. The spirit of God makes the soul discreet, prudent, and thoughtful in all its actions. There is nothing of precipitation, lightness, exaggeration, or impetuosity; all is well balanced, edifying, serious, and full of calmness and peace. 6. Humility. The Holy Spirit always fills the soul with sentiments of humility and self-effacement. The loftier the communications from on high, the more profoundly the soul inclines to the abyss of its own nothingness. Mary said, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say” (Luke 1:38). 7. Peace. St. Paul speaks frequently of the peace that comes from God (Rom. 15:33, Phil. 4:9), and Jesus mentions peace as one of the manifestations of his spirit (John 14:27). This is a quality that always accompanies communications from God; the soul experiences a profound and stable serenity in the depths of its spirit. 8. Confidence in God. This is a counterpart and necessary consequence of true humility. Recognizing that of itself it can do nothing, as St. Paul says,.the soul throws itself on the power and mercy of God with a childlike trust. Then it learns that it can do all things in him (Phil. 4:13). 9. Flexibility of will. This sign consists primarily in a certain promptness of the will to subject itself to the inspirations and invitations of God. Secondarily it consists in a facility in following the advice and counsel of others, especially if they are superiors, confessors, or spiritual directors. It is opposed to the rigid and unyielding will that is characteristic of those who are filled with self-love. 10. Purity of intention. The soul seeks only the glory of God in all that it does and the perfect fulfillment of the will of God, without human interest or motivation out of self-love. 11. Patience in suffering. Suffering is frequently the best touchstone for revealing the true worth of an individual. No matter what the source of the suffering, or whether it is justly received or not, the soul bears it with patience and equanimity and uses it as a means of further perfection. 12. Self-abnegation. The words of Christ himself are sufficient evidence that this is a sign of the spirit of God: “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his **cross and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). **13. Simplicity. Together with veracity and sincerity, this characteristic is never lacking in those who are truly motivated by the spirit of God. Any duplicity, arrogance, hypocrisy, or vanity must be attributed rather to the spirit of the devil, the father of lies. 14. Liberty of spirit. First of all, there is no attachment to any created thing, not even to, the gifts received from God. Second, all is accepted from the hands of God with gratitude and humility, whether it be a question of consolation or trial. Third, while all duties and spiritual exercises are performed with promptness and punctuality, the soul is ready to leave even the most consoling and profitable exercise as soon as the charity of God calls it elsewhere. Liberty of spirit enables the soul to live in a state of constant joy and eagerness for the things of God. 15. Desire to imitate Christ. St. Paul says that it is impossible to have the spirit of God without having the spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9). For that reason St. John of the Cross states that the soul that aspires to perfection must have a desire to imitate Christ in all things by conforming its life as much as possible to his.

16. Disinterested love. We mean by this kind of love all the characteristics St. Paul attributes to true charity (1 Cor. 13:4-7).