Psychic son, Catholic Father

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biglebowski

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hi there

I hope I don’t offend anyone with this post but here goes.

My Father is an elderly practising Catholic. I am spiritual and do not attend Church, but I deeply respect all faiths. I mediate regularly and receive information. This includes visions of what will happen to people, what has happened to people etc and over the years it seems that I am usually quite accurate. During daily life I also see things that I cannot explain such as lights, mists etc and I feel touches on my hands and head. I was even poked vigorously on the back last week (which was quite a shock). These experiences convince me that life exists after death.

My Mother recently passed and I was comforted by my experiences and beliefs. I attempted to discuss this with my Father. He is aware of my experiences and is suspicious, or frightened. I tried explaining to him that as far as I’m aware, the Catholic faith accepts the notion of everlasting life; but he refuses to discuss it with me. This upsets me because I want to share my beliefs and experiences with him.

I would be grateful for any thoughts. Do you consider that what I experience is offensive to the Faith?

Again, I’m sorry if I’ve offended anyone…I appreciate that some people might have strong feelings about this.

Best
Dude
 
biglebowski said:
hi
I would be grateful for any thoughts. Do you consider that what I experience is offensive to the faith?
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what I consider is irrelevant, your father does not want to discuss it so respect his feelings, and his grief, and drop it.
 
Crikey that was quick, I hadn’t even finished editing my post 🙂 Thanks for your response.

Dude
 
The way I see it (and this may not be concurrent with the Catholic Doctrine) is that God created you and gave you this gift of insight. We as Catholic’s believe that God creates us all individually and blesses us with a soul. When he created you he decided to give you this gift therefore it is not something that should be unspeakable to your father as a Catholic. However I am unsure what you mean by “mediate” but I know as Catholics we are not allowed to deal with stuff like Tarot Cards, Crystal Balls and all that hoopla. Are you having these visions and experiences while using such items or do they just come to you out of the blue?
 
Thank you for your post Soundwave. Sorry I meant “meditate”. All I need do is relax and ask a question mentally such as “tell me about so and so” (while looking at a photograph of “so and so” for example). I will then see an image in my mind’s eye or perhaps hear a word such as “happy” or “retired” or something. I don’t need any paraphenalia such as tarot, crystal balls, tea leaves etc. I can’t see how this is offensive to any Faith because it seems innate to me and benign. Quite typically the information I receive is positive and inoffensive. For example at my Father’s house I picked up a feeling that the place was built in an orchard and I felt exquisite peace. I asked and his new wife confirmed that the land was indeed an orchard before the house was built.

Thanks again
Dude
 
I think you should let your father practice his faith without any help from your mysticism.

If he is a devout and practicing Catholic, he may see what you are doing as something contrary to his beliefs. If he has politely asked you to stop telling him about it then you should honor and respect that request.
 
biglebowski said:
Thank you for your post Soundwave. Sorry I meant “meditate”. All I need do is relax and ask a question mentally such as “tell me about so and so” (while looking at a photograph of “so and so” for example). I will then see an image in my mind’s eye or perhaps hear a word such as “happy” or “retired” or something. I don’t need any paraphenalia such as tarot, crystal balls, tea leaves etc. I can’t see how this is offensive to any Faith because it seems innate to me and benign. Quite typically the information I receive is positive and inoffensive. For example at my Father’s house I picked up a feeling that the place was built in an orchard and I felt exquisite peace. I asked and his new wife confirmed that the land was indeed an orchard before the house was built.

Thanks again
Dude
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what your are doing is fortune telling which is against Catholic faith
 
If I had a child that claimed psychic abilities, I would want to also avoid conversations that might bring this up. Please respect your fathers wishes and dont put him in a bad situation as he seems to dislike the subject.
To me however, there seems to be three possibilities concerning you powers.
  1. This is nothing and all overactive imagination and chance. (If what you say is true then this is out)
  2. This comes from God. This would mean that there is a purpose behind all of this and you are supposed to use this to help others or to bring you closer to God.
  3. This comes from demonic forces. This means your abilities will lead you away from the truth and give you a false since of security to lead you into sin.
    To me this seems to be the thrid. Your powers dont seem to help anything or anyone. From your descriptions, these only seem to help you know information you could discover by talking to these people and help you feel good about yourself (I mean no offense by any of this)
    However, no matter where these abilities came from, my suggestion is to love others and seek the truth. And also know that your mother will be in our prayers here.
 
Heuchler said:
If I had a child that claimed psychic abilities, I would want to also avoid conversations that might bring this up. Please respect your fathers wishes and dont put him in a bad situation as he seems to dislike the subject.
To me however, there seems to be three possibilities concerning you powers.
  1. This is nothing and all overactive imagination and chance. (If what you say is true then this is out)
  2. This comes from God. This would mean that there is a purpose behind all of this and you are supposed to use this to help others or to bring you closer to God.
  3. This comes from demonic forces. This means your abilities will lead you away from the truth and give you a false since of security to lead you into sin.
    To me this seems to be the thrid. Your powers dont seem to help anything or anyone. From your descriptions, these only seem to help you know information you could discover by talking to these people and help you feel good about yourself (I mean no offense by any of this)
    However, no matter where these abilities came from, my suggestion is to love others and seek the truth. And also know that your mother will be in our prayers here.
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Amen. You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.
 
CountrySteve said:
what your are doing is fortune telling which is against Catholic faith
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He really isn’t though. He is meditating/praying and has these visions. He isn’t doing it for money or using items to acquire fortunes. The way he explains it, it’s not something he can control or turn off. How do you know it’s not a gift from God? Does God not create us all as he sees fit?
 
Soundwave said:
He really isn’t though. He is meditating/praying and has these visions. He isn’t doing it for money or using items to acquire fortunes. The way he explains it, it’s not something he can control or turn off. How do you know it’s not a gift from God? Does God not create us all as he sees fit?
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could be, but is he Christian?
 
CountrySteve said:
could be, but is he Christian?
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Why would that matter? God creates us all whether we are Christians or not.

Anyway I think Michelle Arnold summed it up quite well in this response to the Patron Saint of Psychics Agabus.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=100153

biglebowski it seems that if you are not deliberately seeking these visions and are experiencing them without your will then it is perfectly fine as discussed in that link I provided. Maybe if you show your father that link he will be more open to discussing your visions. If he still resists then I would just abandon the desire to have open conversation with him about it.

Either way I am very sorry for the loss of your mother. I hope you find your way to the Catholic Church and join your father in his devoutness to the faith. I will pray for you.
 
I have certain things that happen to me from time to time. God granted me gifts that I dont feel comfortable discussing to those I’m not close to. Only advice I can give you is embrace your gifts, and use them to further the Kingdom of God. Do not use them for evil purposes…We are very unique people and it would be a shame to waste such gifts.

Pax Christi,

:highprayer: TemplarJPN :knight2:
 
Guys many thanks for your posts.

Heuchler, I don’t honestly believe the gift comes from demonic forces. I see it more as an innate ability passed to all of us by God, and activated by a few who take the time to meditate. I generally experience visions of exquisite fields of flowers, the most wonderful colours imaginable, feelings of love, peace and happiness. Occasionally I see people in my mind’s eye, including (for example) a beautiful woman that I can only describe as a Greek Goddess, smiling at me. This helps me in that it makes me worry less about there being nothing at the end and I feel more purpose in my life. When I relate these experiences to others I believe it helps them also, whatever their Faith. I have on rare occasions experienced (and seen mentally) something negative, and felt worried or anxious at the same time. All I do is imagine it is surrounded by love and white light and it goes away quickly. I cannot recall any lasting negative affect, which I would expect if demonic forces are involved.

Soundwave, thank you for that link 🙂

Thank you all for your kind prayers for my Mother. She passed peacefully on Tuesday.

Also, I will drop the subject with my Father and respect his desire to avoid the subject entirely.

Dude
 
biglebowski said:
I don’t honestly believe the gift comes from demonic forces.
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You may be wrong about that. Demonic forces are not obvious to most people. Of course the devil will not appear in red cape with large horns. He is a great deceiver. He doesn’t have to convince you to kill someone or commit other great offenses in order to claim victory. All he has to do is influence a person to not accept Christ as their savior and not live according to God’s will.

There have been Christians, as well as Catholic Saints, with psychic gifts. These gifts have served to glorify the Father. Our saints do not have visions of Greek goddesses. The ancient Greeks worshiped demons. Demons are well known to appear as goddesses.

One does not have to seek the devil. He seeks us. Welcoming him is all that is necessary. Your father is Catholic. He does not need your empirical evidence of everlasting life for consolation. He already knows what happens after death.
 
Lebowski, my suggestion is that no matter what the source of these powers are use them for good and allow them to bring you closer to Christ. If they dont do these two things they probably are more demonic in nature and my advice would be to not base your life around this and ignore them. But as I said earlier, no matter what spread the love of Christ and seek the truth. God Bless.

P.S. The way you describe a greek godess seems extremely weird. If this is from God, it could be an image of Our Lady and it could be calling you closer to Christianity. If it isnt from God, it is probably just that, a greek godess and probably used to lead you away from Christianity. In other words, the main suggestion from all of us is to grow closer to Christ and to use these gifts for good.
 
From the creators of Monk: Psychic Son, Catholic Father - staring Christian Slater as the yoga loving son and John Lithgow as the devout Catholic father whose minds eye has been cemented shut by man’s church. *voice over of the son “THERE’S NO WRONG WAY TO PRAY”. Coming to FOX followed by The Father Albert Show.
 
biglebowski said:
Guys many thanks for your posts.

Heuchler, I don’t honestly believe the gift comes from demonic forces. I see it more as an innate ability passed to all of us by God, and activated by a few who take the time to meditate. I generally experience visions of exquisite fields of flowers, the most wonderful colours imaginable, feelings of love, peace and happiness. Occasionally I see people in my mind’s eye, including (for example) a beautiful woman that I can only describe as a Greek Goddess, smiling at me. This helps me in that it makes me worry less about there being nothing at the end and I feel more purpose in my life. When I relate these experiences to others I believe it helps them also, whatever their Faith. I have on rare occasions experienced (and seen mentally) something negative, and felt worried or anxious at the same time. All I do is imagine it is surrounded by love and white light and it goes away quickly. I cannot recall any lasting negative affect, which I would expect if demonic forces are involved.

Soundwave, thank you for that link 🙂

Thank you all for your kind prayers for my Mother. She passed peacefully on Tuesday.

Also, I will drop the subject with my Father and respect his desire to avoid the subject entirely.

Dude
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First off in the Catholic faith we believe that demons can pose as angels of light in order to trick us. The demons I believe your dealing with are playing on your senses because your relying on feelings and not faith. It would be best to keep in mind that what feels good or looks good is not always good for you and the truth…well it hurts. Your spirituality is currently in its infant stage and right now you see the blue bottle on the table and think to yourself mmm that looks delicious and I want to drink it, but what you dont take into account is the fact that this blue bottle is really windex thats going to poison you. This lack of understanding the dangers of the contents of the blue bottle is a result of your lack of religion. Your father knows your drinking poison and wants none of it.

Secondly there can be no such thing as multiple Gods. In order for something to be a God it has to be perfection. If a being is not perfection then it is not God. If two beings are perfection then neither of them lack what the other has which would mean both beings are the same being. There can only be one God and I would advise you to follow this God rather than sensual goddesses that tickly your fancy.

Lastly saying your spiritual is nothing to be proud about since even Satan is spritual and believes in God. Satan however is not religious.
 
Heuchler said:
Lebowski, my suggestion is that no matter what the source of these powers are use them for good and allow them to bring you closer to Christ. If they dont do these two things they probably are more demonic in nature and my advice would be to not base your life around this and ignore them. But as I said earlier, no matter what spread the love of Christ and seek the truth. God Bless.

P.S. The way you describe a greek godess seems extremely weird. If this is from God, it could be an image of Our Lady and it could be calling you closer to Christianity. If it isnt from God, it is probably just that, a greek godess and probably used to lead you away from Christianity. In other words, the main suggestion from all of us is to grow closer to Christ and to use these gifts for good.
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I would recommend that this person not trust any visions they receive right now. The devil tried to deceive Padre Pio by taking on the form of one or more of his superiors - like his provincial superior or his spiritual director - or in a sacred form such as the Lord, the Virgin Mary, or St. Francis of Assisi.

Now dont get me wrong not all visions are from the devil, however, this OP’s visions of greek goddesses certainly has me convienced that his are from a demonic source and I believe God has sent him here to be warned of the dangers of such visions and to follow the example of his father.
 
biglebowski said:
hi there

I hope I don’t offend anyone with this post but here goes.

My Father is an elderly practising Catholic. I am spiritual and do not attend Church, but I deeply respect all faiths. I mediate regularly and receive information. This includes visions of what will happen to people, what has happened to people etc and over the years it seems that I am usually quite accurate. During daily life I also see things that I cannot explain such as lights, mists etc and I feel touches on my hands and head. I was even poked vigorously on the back last week (which was quite a shock). These experiences convince me that life exists after death.

My Mother recently passed and I was comforted by my experiences and beliefs. I attempted to discuss this with my Father. He is aware of my experiences and is suspicious, or frightened. I tried explaining to him that as far as I’m aware, the Catholic faith accepts the notion of everlasting life; but he refuses to discuss it with me. This upsets me because I want to share my beliefs and experiences with him.

I would be grateful for any thoughts. Do you consider that what I experience is offensive to the Faith?

Again, I’m sorry if I’ve offended anyone…I appreciate that some people might have strong feelings about this.

Best
Dude
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Hello biglebowski, 🙂

There was recently a thread on this topic that you may find helpful:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=557090

I recently bought a book, just came upon it, about the Desert Fathers. I think that you will enjoy reading it. I haven’t read it, I was all excited and ready to indulge when an event happened that has taken up my reading time. I can’t wait to read it: The Lives of the Desert Fathers with an introduction by a nun. Cistercian Publications. 1980. ISBN 0879079347

Allow me to ask you: why are you not a practicing Catholic? The gift that you have is not opposed to your Father’s faith. But, what you do with it may.

Blessings,

Abba

P.s. I recommend that you do discuss with your father. Let him know that out of ignorance you referred to your experiences as ‘psychic powers’ but, that you have been reading that the proper name maybe be ‘a gift of the Holy Spirit’ …see Saint Paul.
 
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