Premonitions

[nickybr38]

I feel like such a search function loser. I really can’t find anything using the search bar…

Anyway. How do premonitions fit in to my new found Catholic faith?

I’m sure, if any of you have seen my previous posts, that you’ve figured out that my Protestant background was full of all kinds of ‘spirituality’. From believing that demons are very active in the world to even being active in objects. All of this background has left me in a position where I don’t know how to react to certain things that were considered Christian and comfortable in my old faith.

Let’s talk about premonitions now. As a Catholic what do you think of this phenomenon?

As a Protestant I ran into many who would get ‘a feeling’ and they’d gladly share that ‘feeling’ with others to warn or guide them. I find myself often being guided by these premonitions in my own life.

For example, if I am driving on a certain road and feel a VERY strong urge to turn and drive a different route… I WILL. I just obey those little nudgings inside. I’ve always seen it as God guiding me… but is it?

Another example would be more vague. For example, I was praying for a family member that I was quite concerned about and woke up KNOWING that a DIFFERENT family member, not the one I was praying for, was going to be okay. Sure enough he found a job, found a place of his own and got married all within years of this ‘feeling’ I got… and they were all things he’d been desperately desiring. This ‘knowledge’ was accompanied by peace. It was just a knowing. It’s hard to describe but I call it a ‘premonition’… I’m not sure what purpose it served, except to comfort me because although I wasn’t praying for him I was deeply burdened with worry for him.

My family believes in these kind of things. But I’m wondering as a Catholic should I put any stock in these occurrences anymore?

Right now I have a very strong feeling that one of my family members is going to get married soon (she doesn’t have a boyfriend, and NO I haven’t told her). Before I converted I would have shared this with the family but now I hesitate to. I’m not seeking these things out, nobody is, but we definitely believe they’re from God and that their purpose is to guide and comfort us… but is this a Catholic way to think?

What can I say? My family + my faith background has left me a bit confused. I’m not even sure if I’m using the word premonition right but I’m just not sure what else to call it because it isn’t REALLY a ‘feeling’ even… it’s just a knowing. Hard to describe and I’m sure I failed but if anyone can make sense of my post what do you think of all this?

 

[KristinVT]

I’m grappling with the same question.

I think “premonitions”, as you call them, can be a part of your Catholic faith like they were a part of your Protestant faith. It’s just a way God works in some people.

Of course there’s always the question of “Was that particular nudge ‘really’ from God?” but that’s something you get to figure out with practice. It’s the art of discernment.

 

[SecretGarden]

Nickybr,
Thank you so much for asking this question. I had the same question. I’ve experienced them as well only to a lesser degree. When I was inside the Pentecostal church, these things were frowned upon and basically misunderstood. There are things that I just know, sense about people that I cannot explain only that I know. I think it’s important to discern to discern when to speak up and when to stay silent. For example with your family member, I think it’s a good idea to stay silent right now. If you speak up, it might spoke him or her or it might lead them in the wrong direction when a person, maybe not the right one appears. By staying silent, you are allowing God be God and yet depending on what it is, it can also save someone’s life. My family’s life was saved thanks to a premonition back in 1912. I wonder can premonitions be called gifts of prophecy? Inside the bible, there are many people who propheize certain things. Everyone is given gifts, could this be one of them?

I would really like to explore these questions because it’s something that isn’t discussed but it does happen. If you look at the lives of the saints, some of them knew things that others couldn’t physically and spiritually know. My family has the gift, we don’t talk about it. Since I became Catholic, it has gotten stronger. Was this the case for you Nickybr?

 

[nickybr38]

Nickybr,
Thank you so much for asking this question. I had the same question. I’ve experienced them as well only to a lesser degree. When I was inside the Pentecostal church, these things were frowned upon and basically misunderstood. There are things that I just know, sense about people that I cannot explain only that I know. I think it’s important to discern to discern when to speak up and when to stay silent. For example with your family member, I think it’s a good idea to stay silent right now. If you speak up, it might spoke him or her or it might lead them in the wrong direction when a person, maybe not the right one appears. By staying silent, you are allowing God be God and yet depending on what it is, it can also save someone’s life. My family’s life was saved thanks to a premonition back in 1912. I wonder can premonitions be called gifts of prophecy? Inside the bible, there are many people who propheize certain things. Everyone is given gifts, could this be one of them?

I would really like to explore these questions because it’s something that isn’t discussed but it does happen. If you look at the lives of the saints, some of them knew things that others couldn’t physically and spiritually know. My family has the gift, we don’t talk about it. Since I became Catholic, it has gotten stronger. Was this the case for you Nickybr?

Yes and no… it’s as strong now as it was before I joined the Catholic Church… but during the time when my faith was uncertain I didn’t experience it much, if at all.

It really IS an important topic, I’ve met many people who experience the same things. It’s not just coincidence either. There have been incidences in my family that have saved lives (no doubt about that) so I’m curious to know what I should think as a Catholic now.

Discerning is easy for me. When the ‘knowing’ comes with a deep sense of peace I know it’s from God. Otherwise I presume I am just being silly!!!

 

[styrgwillidar]

Sorry, hate to be the wet blanket and all but I’m dubious about the whole premonition thing.

I was absolutely convinced the aircraft was going to crash prior to going on one mission and… nothing happened. People tend to remember the ‘premonitions’ which matched up to something happening and disregard when they don’t. We’ll make a big deal about the one person who didn’t get on a flight where it crashed, and ignore the perhaps thousands who do exactly the same thing where the flight they skip has no incident whatsoever. And then there’s the fact that if you feel something bad is going to happen, anything can be made to fit that feeling… bad stuff happens all the time. Just like with the right attitude, you notice the good things going on around you.

It’s called ‘confirmation bias’ or ‘selective thinking’. It explains why folks will read the result of their Myers-Briggs Type indicator personality test results and say ‘oh yeah, that’s me.’ And they’ll have the exact same reaction if they’re given faked results, same as horoscopes or having fortunes read. Humans look for patterns and try to make things fit them. We look for cause and effect and often link things that are unrelated, and disregard things that don’t match. etc. It’s the same tendency that ‘psychics’ like Sylvia Browne exploit, her followers will latch on to the one or two predictions she makes which can be made to fit some event which follows, and ignore the hundreds which can’t fit anything or are demonstrably false. Like saying that someone is dead when they’re alive and vice versa. "Psychics’ depend on the same thing when doing cold reading, they’ll throw out things and let their victim/audience make them fit something in their own lives. The ‘psychic’ says I’m getting a name starting with an S and someone will say it must be their departed aunt Sara.

There’s also the possibility that the premonition is based on noticing something which is out of order, or doesn’t quite fit but not realizing it’s significance. You have a bad feeling as you pull away in your car-- not because of anything supernatural, but you’ve seen an oily puddle but it hasn’t registered in your conscious mind that it’s an indication of a leak.

 

[Protector]

Anyway. How do premonitions fit in to my new found Catholic faith?

Let’s talk about premonitions now. As a Catholic what do you think of this phenomenon?

As a non-Catholic I offer the following Bible verse:-

  " And it shall come to pass, in the last days, (saith the Lord,) I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams." Acts 2:17 Douay-Rheims.

Protector.
* "potius ingenio quam vi " *

 

[Bob_Crowley]

I feel like such a search function loser. I really can’t find anything using the search bar…

Anyway. How do premonitions fit in to my new found Catholic faith?

I’m sure, if any of you have seen my previous posts, that you’ve figured out that my Protestant background was full of all kinds of ‘spirituality’. From believing that demons are very active in the world to even being active in objects. All of this background has left me in a position where I don’t know how to react to certain things that were considered Christian and comfortable in my old faith.

Let’s talk about premonitions now. As a Catholic what do you think of this phenomenon?

As a Protestant I ran into many who would get ‘a feeling’ and they’d gladly share that ‘feeling’ with others to warn or guide them. I find myself often being guided by these premonitions in my own life.

For example, if I am driving on a certain road and feel a VERY strong urge to turn and drive a different route… I WILL. I just obey those little nudgings inside. I’ve always seen it as God guiding me… but is it?

Another example would be more vague. For example, I was praying for a family member that I was quite concerned about and woke up KNOWING that a DIFFERENT family member, not the one I was praying for, was going to be okay. Sure enough he found a job, found a place of his own and got married all within years of this ‘feeling’ I got… and they were all things he’d been desperately desiring. This ‘knowledge’ was accompanied by peace. It was just a knowing. It’s hard to describe but I call it a ‘premonition’… I’m not sure what purpose it served, except to comfort me because although I wasn’t praying for him I was deeply burdened with worry for him.

My family believes in these kind of things. But I’m wondering as a Catholic should I put any stock in these occurrences anymore?

Right now I have a very strong feeling that one of my family members is going to get married soon (she doesn’t have a boyfriend, and NO I haven’t told her). Before I converted I would have shared this with the family but now I hesitate to. I’m not seeking these things out, nobody is, but we definitely believe they’re from God and that their purpose is to guide and comfort us… but is this a Catholic way to think?

What can I say? My family + my faith background has left me a bit confused. I’m not even sure if I’m using the word premonition right but I’m just not sure what else to call it because it isn’t REALLY a ‘feeling’ even… it’s just a knowing. Hard to describe and I’m sure I failed but if anyone can make sense of my post what do you think of all this?

I wouldn’t radically change your thinking about these things. As a Protestant I had certain “spiritual experiences” and they’ve continued although I am now Catholic.

Now that you’ve become a Catholic, you might need to be a bit more discerning about how you share these things and with whom. As time goes by, you’ll find which Catholics have a spiritual bent, and those who have hardly any sense of spirituality, yet believe strongly. I also suspect Catholics are protected from some spiritual attacks by the Eucharist, so that some of the more radical things in Protestant circles just don’t happen.

As far as “premonitions” go, I don’t really get them. I do get “feelings”, visions, and other phenomena, and sometimes a sense to do something. I also get a sense of peace when someone I know has died, provided they are a Christian. The stronger their faith, the stronger the sense of peace. When my “old Protestant pastor” died (I often quote him on this forum), I had this very pronounced sense of peace which lasted for about half an hour. It wasn’t until the next morning that I was told he’d died at around that time.

So, in a nutshell, just keep keeping on.

 

[nickybr38]

I wouldn’t radically change your thinking about these things. As a Protestant I had certain “spiritual experiences” and they’ve continued although I am now Catholic.

Now that you’ve become a Catholic, you might need to be a bit more discerning about how you share these things and with whom. As time goes by, you’ll find which Catholics have a spiritual bent, and those who have hardly any sense of spirituality, yet believe strongly. I also suspect Catholics are protected from some spiritual attacks by the Eucharist, so that some of the more radical things in Protestant circles just don’t happen.

As far as “premonitions” go, I don’t really get them. I do get “feelings”, visions, and other phenomena, and sometimes a sense to do something. I also get a sense of peace when someone I know has died, provided they are a Christian. The stronger their faith, the stronger the sense of peace. When my “old Protestant pastor” died (I often quote him on this forum), I had this very pronounced sense of peace which lasted for about half an hour. It wasn’t until the next morning that I was told he’d died at around that time.

So, in a nutshell, just keep keeping on.

The ‘feeling’ you described is more the premonition I describe… but as I said they aren’t really premonitions so much as a ‘knowing’.

As to the poster who has a very healthy skeptical mind: . Oh I’ve had my share of ‘feelings’ that didn’t pan out and I remember those too! It’s how I’ve learned to discern when it’s genuine and when it’s not… but I totally understand not believing in this sort of thing AT ALL.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

The ‘feeling’ you described is more the premonition I describe… but as I said they aren’t really premonitions so much as a ‘knowing’.

As to the poster who has a very healthy skeptical mind: . Oh I’ve had my share of ‘feelings’ that didn’t pan out and I remember those too! It’s how I’ve learned to discern when it’s genuine and when it’s not… but I totally understand not believing in this sort of thing AT ALL.

As you stated, if the “feelings” are what you mean by “premonitions”, then I have had and do get them.

However I’ve learned from bitter experience to be wary of taking them at face value. As Paul wrote, the devil can appear as an “angel of light” and to quote my old pastor again, when I once asked him how do you know if a particular “spiritual experience” is from God or the devil in the initial stages, his reply was a blunt “You don’t (know)t”.

It’s tricky.

 

[josephback]

I feel like such a search function loser. I really can’t find anything using the search bar…

Anyway. How do premonitions fit in to my new found Catholic faith?

I’m sure, if any of you have seen my previous posts, that you’ve figured out that my Protestant background was full of all kinds of ‘spirituality’. From believing that demons are very active in the world to even being active in objects. All of this background has left me in a position where I don’t know how to react to certain things that were considered Christian and comfortable in my old faith.

Let’s talk about premonitions now. As a Catholic what do you think of this phenomenon?

As a Protestant I ran into many who would get ‘a feeling’ and they’d gladly share that ‘feeling’ with others to warn or guide them. I find myself often being guided by these premonitions in my own life.

For example, if I am driving on a certain road and feel a VERY strong urge to turn and drive a different route… I WILL. I just obey those little nudgings inside. I’ve always seen it as God guiding me… but is it?

Another example would be more vague. For example, I was praying for a family member that I was quite concerned about and woke up KNOWING that a DIFFERENT family member, not the one I was praying for, was going to be okay. Sure enough he found a job, found a place of his own and got married all within years of this ‘feeling’ I got… and they were all things he’d been desperately desiring. This ‘knowledge’ was accompanied by peace. It was just a knowing. It’s hard to describe but I call it a ‘premonition’… I’m not sure what purpose it served, except to comfort me because although I wasn’t praying for him I was deeply burdened with worry for him.

My family believes in these kind of things. But I’m wondering as a Catholic should I put any stock in these occurrences anymore?

Right now I have a very strong feeling that one of my family members is going to get married soon (she doesn’t have a boyfriend, and NO I haven’t told her). Before I converted I would have shared this with the family but now I hesitate to. I’m not seeking these things out, nobody is, but we definitely believe they’re from God and that their purpose is to guide and comfort us… but is this a Catholic way to think?

What can I say? My family + my faith background has left me a bit confused. I’m not even sure if I’m using the word premonition right but I’m just not sure what else to call it because it isn’t REALLY a ‘feeling’ even… it’s just a knowing. Hard to describe and I’m sure I failed but if anyone can make sense of my post what do you think of all this?

I get most of what you’re saying. I grew up in a house where it was normal to hear “the Lord told me”, or “I felt led”. This stuff rubs off on a person.

As I’ve gotten older though I grow more skeptical of such things. For instance, the pastor who gets “told by God” to wear a certain tie with his suit. Was it really God that told him? As I once heard from someone “if God speaks to you, you’d be shaking in your boots for six months.” I agree. Some premonitions are real and so its tricky, but as a former sign seeker/follower, I would give the answer of Balaam: look not to omens for direction, but bless the Lord (Numbers 24:1). That’s how we must live.

 

[SecretGarden]

When people say the “Lord told me,” my experiences goes two ways: 1) sometimes if it is one on one and they say something that they have no way in knowing is completely true or at least waranteed, it’s a good idea to listen. 2) When it’s done in a group setting using general language, that can apply to everyone in the room, I am skeptical and I revert to discernment because often what the person will say is complete garbage.

When we get premonitions, it’s important to seek the Lord as well as speak to a trusted Christian friend because sometimes if our message is incorrect, we can do more harm than good. Also what can happen is that we need to pray for timing. We might know something months ahead but God may only reveal it to the person a few years later. For example, a year and a half before I became Catholic, and six months before I made the decision to become Catholic. I felt like I needed to become Catholic. I used that year and a half to discern if it was God’s will. It was which is great, but sometimes we need to wait until things come into existence or wait until a friend asks us for guidance. God uses lots of people to confirm his desires.

 

[pablope]

I feel like such a search function loser. I really can’t find anything using the search bar…

Anyway. How do premonitions fit in to my new found Catholic faith?

What can I say? My family + my faith background has left me a bit confused. I’m not even sure if I’m using the word premonition right but I’m just not sure what else to call it because it isn’t REALLY a ‘feeling’ even… it’s just a knowing. Hard to describe and I’m sure I failed but if anyone can make sense of my post what do you think of all this?

Hi, Nicky…

My wife has some sort of the same gift as you. She actually sees visions, in dreams. One time, she dreamt of her sick uncle dressed in white, walking towards a bright light (heaven perhaps?). After a month, he passed away. Things like this. One time, while in a prayer group, while praying, she saw a vision of the Christ ascending to heaven (my interpretation after she described it to me). She was scared at first but have come to accept it.

I think it is a gift from God and treat it as such. You just need some discernment and guidance. My wife has sought advise from priests and their advise has been to trust God and discern. My advise is to talk to a priest who has knowledge in such matters. Not all priests will be able to advise and guide you. Pray for discernment that you will find the right priest.

In addition, and I do not want to scare you, you may be targeted by the devil, that is why you need lots of spiritual nourishment. My wife, in times of family prayers, at times, sees something black circling around. My advise is to develop a devotion to the BVM, especially the Rosary. It is very effective against the devil.

When you see visions, have premonitions, say the following words…“My Lord and My God”.

I would recommend this book to you for your own personal knowledge and discernment…The Rite by Matt Baglio. You will learn a lot from this book.

 

[amknoll]

Hi, Nicky…

My wife has some sort of the same gift as you. She actually sees visions, in dreams. One time, she dreamt of her sick uncle dressed in white, walking towards a bright light (heaven perhaps?). After a month, he passed away. Things like this. One time, while in a prayer group, while praying, she saw a vision of the Christ ascending to heaven (my interpretation after she described it to me). She was scared at first but have come to accept it.

I think it is a gift from God and treat it as such. You just need some discernment and guidance. My wife has sought advise from priests and their advise has been to trust God and discern. My advise is to talk to a priest who has knowledge in such matters. Not all priests will be able to advise and guide you. Pray for discernment that you will find the right priest.

In addition, and I do not want to scare you, you may be targeted by the devil, that is why you need lots of spiritual nourishment. My wife, in times of family prayers, at times, sees something black circling around. My advise is to develop a devotion to the BVM, especially the Rosary. It is very effective against the devil.

When you see visions, have premonitions, say the following words…“My Lord and My God”.

I would recommend this book to you for your own personal knowledge and discernment…The Rite by Matt Baglio. You will learn a lot from this book.

Thanks for this because it was preminition dreams that I had questions on when I was directed to this forum. I have been having preminitional dreams, and haven’t said anyone because I am scared someone will tell me that I’m loosing it, or talking to the devil. I know I am not. I have had one dream brought on by the devil, and he made it clear what "God didn’t want me to know ", and God showed me through prayer, and the bible what HE wanted me to know from that one. I knew the rest was there to make me scared, and fear the promise God made me in my dream.

These ones though I feel God, and they aren’t confusing. They are promises, and they are all based on wonderful things that I have prayed for. I just started to wonder if others in my faith have experienced this.

 

[thistle]

Modern Catholic Dictionary:

DREAM INTERPRETATION. The personal or professional analysis or night (sleep) dreams, to ascertain their meaning. Night dreams are dreams in the proper sense of the term. In sleep, which is by no means a passive state, a person’s sense of activity is not dominated by his higher faculties of reason and will. This sense activity, when natural, is due to a variety of traceable causes, such as the physical condition of the body, external stimuli, such as talking or the ringing of a bell, or psychical factors, such as desires, fears, past thoughts and experiences. Consequently there is some value in dream interpretation, in as much as human science may derive from dream analysis some useful data for the treatment and healing of sick individuals, especially those afflicted with some psychological abnormality or disease. If such therapy is indicated, the person should seek out a thoroughly reputable and honest therapist, who will not advise or do anything that is contrary to Christian moral teaching.

On the other hand,** to believe in one’s own dreams or those related by others as foretelling future events is a sin of superstition.** The exceptional cases where dreams are of supernatural origin are to be judged on their own merits.

All evidence from Scripture and the lives of the saints indicates that when God makes use of dreams as an extraordinary means of communication he also makes sure the person realizes where the dream originated. The standard rules for discernment of spirits are to be applied in case of doubt whether a dream is of supernatural origin.

 

[amknoll]

Modern Catholic Dictionary:

DREAM INTERPRETATION. The personal or professional analysis or night (sleep) dreams, to ascertain their meaning. Night dreams are dreams in the proper sense of the term. In sleep, which is by no means a passive state, a person’s sense of activity is not dominated by his higher faculties of reason and will. This sense activity, when natural, is due to a variety of traceable causes, such as the physical condition of the body, external stimuli, such as talking or the ringing of a bell, or psychical factors, such as desires, fears, past thoughts and experiences. Consequently, there is some value in dream interpretation, inasmuch as a human science may derive from dream analysis some useful data for the treatment and healing of sick individuals, especially those afflicted with some psychological abnormality or disease. If such therapy is indicated, the person should seek out a thoroughly reputable and honest, therapist, who will not advise or do anything that is contrary to Christian moral teaching.

On the other hand,** to believe in one’s own dreams or those related by others as foretelling future events is a sin of superstition.** The exceptional cases where dreams are of supernatural origin are to be judged on their own merits.

All evidence from Scripture and the lives of the saints indicates that when God makes use of dreams as an extraordinary means of communication he also makes sure the person realizes where the dream originated. The standard rules for discernment of spirits are to be applied in case of doubt whether a dream is of supernatural origin.

What the Bible says about dreams:

Acts 2:17 - And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

Genesis 28:12-13
"12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land wherein thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;"

Genesis 37:5-8
"5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”

8 And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words."

Which these last two examples became TRUE with the Lord. They are Bible verses we BELIEVE, and read in church. These are not men who harmed God, and both were extremely BLESSED by God in these dreams. They are not sinning by listening to God in their dreams.

Jacob in the first dream example is being told by the Lord, he is to get a nation that he is to keep under God. THEN Joseph in the second was sold to slavery because of his dreams, and God’s blessings. Then to have his dream of having people bow to him becomes true…

These show us that God does speak in dreams to us, and that ITS NOT WRONG. These are the quotes HE sent me to when I prayed on my dreams. I felt like I was going crazy, but HE showed me in HIS words that God always has spoke to people in dreams.

Yes, it is a sin to go to medium, but to use Him, and His words to help interpret them keep us in line.

That being said if your dream is against the Bible (doctorines that contradict it) then it should be disregarded (unless it’s a warning). The Heavenly Father has showed me through constant prayer, and constant Bible reading that He does speak in dreams to his servants. That we need to learn how to listen to HIM.

 

[Vigilant]

. I also suspect Catholics are protected from some spiritual attacks by the Eucharist, so that some of the more radical things in Protestant circles just don’t happen.

.

Confession, amendment of life and the Eucharist most definitely do protect us. If we stray away from that, as I did for many years, we leave ourselves WIDE open. Probably more so than Protestants who never received the Sacraments. I speak from experience.

Sin, and particularly habitual and grave sin causes us far more problems than we can even comprehend.

In those questionable moments when we are not sure if an experience is Divine or sinister, I find the words “Blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph” to be a very effective filter.