| Private Revelations |
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There are two types of revelation: general and private. General revelation are the teachings handed down to us from Jesus and the Apostles. These revelations ended with the Apostles and they must be believed by all Christians. Private revelation, on the other hand, have been occurring since the time of the Apostles. These are not new teachings to add to the Gospel. They are messages from God to help us in our lives, or to help others. They can also be warnings to problems which can be averted if we heed them. Private revelations can be dangerous, such as the apparitions at Bayside which lead people away from the Church to a destructive sect. This is why the Church needs to examine each private revelation to determine if it’s worthy of belief. The local bishop is in charge of examining the visionary and apparition before making a judgment on it. When a private revelation is approved, it doesn’t mean that everything that it teaches is true. It means that there is nothing in it that is contrary to faith and morals and they can be read without danger. Belief in it is also optional. You don’t have to believe in teaching of Our Lady at Fatima, but you miss a great deal if you don’t. Every revelation on Purgatory is a private one. There are many frightening visions and also visions which inspire those who hear them. Caution needs to be exercised here because most visions have not be examined or approved by the Church. The traditional books on Purgatory use the tactic of scaring the reader to get them to help the holy souls, i.e. if you don’t help them, you’ll suffer yourself for a long stay in Purgatory. These sort of tactics only work for a short period of time until its forgotten what caused the fear. Love is a better way to bring about faithful devotion to the holy souls. Susan Tassone take this approach in her work. She uses private revelations which inspire a desire to help the souls in Purgatory for the love of them. Use caution when studying private revelations. Study your Bible and your faith to help you discern them, and of course look to your bishop for the final judgment. |
