I know of a devout person who did find things out about the dead that couldn’t have been known by normal means. He was a priest, and he knew things about people he would be saying a funeral for before the family came to tell him that anyone had died. I believe this because on a few occasions he told things to my mother that he knew were coming before they came about.
He told very few people about these premonitions, because he didn’t want them to either think he was crazy or to develop an unhealthy interest in these matters. He only told my mother because she was an exceptionally steady person who could be trusted and, well, this is a lot to carry around without thinking you’re going crazy. He did not look for these experiences and he would *never *have tried to contact the dead on his own volition.
Catholics who have these kind of experiences are perhaps the biggest *opponents *of trying to contact spirits and powers that you will ever meet. We are not forbidden to contact spirits unseen because God is jealous of that contact. We are forbidden because souls are totally vulnerable if they are lured into powers and forces about which they know nothing and over which they have no control. They are babies playing on a freeway.
Never try to contact the dead. Never have anything to do with a Ouija board. And never ever have anything to do with someone who wants money or notoriety for their supposed ability to contact spirits unseen. If they are not frauds, they are worse, even if they don’t know it. Remember Simon Magnus.
A man named Simon used to practice magic in the city and astounded the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. All of them, from the least to the greatest, paid attention to him, saying, “This man is the ‘Power of God’ that is called ‘Great.’” They paid attention to him because he had astounded them by his magic for a long time, but once they began to believe Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, men and women alike were baptized. Even Simon himself believed and, after being baptized, became devoted to Philip; and when he saw the signs and mighty deeds that were occurring, he was astounded. Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was conferred by the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me this power too, so that anyone upon whom I lay my hands may receive the holy spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your money perish with you, because you thought that you could buy the gift of God with money. You have no share or lot in this matter, for your heart is not upright before God. Repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your intention may be forgiven. For I see that you are filled with bitter gall and are in the bonds of iniquity.” Simon said in reply, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.” ** Acts 8:9-24**
