Private revelation
Encyclopedia
In the teaching of the Catholic Church
, a private revelation refers to visions and revelations from God to a specific Christian
which have taken place since the completion of the New Testament. There are two types of revelations: the universal revelations, or public revelations which are contained in the Bible
or were transmitted by the Church via Sacred Tradition
.
Public revelations ended with the preaching of the Apostles
and must be believed by all Catholics. Saint Thomas Aquinas
specifically taught that all public revelations ended with the death of Saint John the Apostle
. Private revelations may at times occur to Christians as a form of contemplation but the determination of the divinity of their source is often the subject of controversy. If and when the Church approves private revelations, it signifies that there is nothing in them contrary faith or good morals, and that they may be read without danger or even with profit; but the faithful are not obliged to believe them.
Not all reports of private revelation are valid, even if they sound truly pious. For instance, the messages reported from God by Catalina Rivas were later found to correspond to exact pages of books written by others, and published instructional literature for Catholic seminarians. And reports of Our Lady of Surbiton
claiming that the Virgin Mary appeared every day under a pine tree in England
were flatly rejected by the Vatican
as a fraud.
. These generally include a vision of the Blessed Virgin, accompanied by brief messages. These are by far the most widely reported form. Well known examples of approved Marian apparitions include Our Lady of Guadalupe
, Our Lady of Lourdes
and Our Lady of Fatima
. These apparitions, are however generally not considered private revelations from God, but from the Virgin Mary.
A number of appearances of Jesus Christ following his ascension have been reported. Some of these have received approval from the Holy See
. For instance, the Vatican biography of Saint Faustina Kowalska quotes some of her conversations with Jesus.
There are also reports of interior locutions in which inner voices are reported, but no vision of divinity is claimed. The Vatican biographies of both Saint Teresa of Avila
and Mother Teresa of Calcutta refer to their interior locutions, although Mother Teresa often preferred to remain private about them.
Some private revelations produce large amounts of text, while others amount to a few reported sentences. For instance, father Stefano Gobbi
produced a book of messages attributed to the Virgin Mary, while sister Mary of the Divine Heart
simply wrote two letters to Pope Leo XIII
with a message attributed to Jesus Christ, prompting the Pope to consecrate the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, a private revelation refers to visions and revelations from God to a specific Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
which have taken place since the completion of the New Testament. There are two types of revelations: the universal revelations, or public revelations which are contained in the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
or were transmitted by the Church via Sacred Tradition
Sacred Tradition
Sacred Tradition or Holy Tradition is a theological term used in some Christian traditions, primarily in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox traditions, to refer to the fundamental basis of church authority....
.
Public revelations ended with the preaching of the Apostles
The Apostles
The Apostles are an experimental punk rock band who developed within the confines of the 1980s Anarcho Punk scene in the UK, but did not necessarily adhere to the aesthetics of that movement.-History:...
and must be believed by all Catholics. Saint Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
specifically taught that all public revelations ended with the death of Saint John the Apostle
John the Apostle
John the Apostle, John the Apostle, John the Apostle, (Aramaic Yoħanna, (c. 6 - c. 100) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James, another of the Twelve Apostles...
. Private revelations may at times occur to Christians as a form of contemplation but the determination of the divinity of their source is often the subject of controversy. If and when the Church approves private revelations, it signifies that there is nothing in them contrary faith or good morals, and that they may be read without danger or even with profit; but the faithful are not obliged to believe them.
Not all reports of private revelation are valid, even if they sound truly pious. For instance, the messages reported from God by Catalina Rivas were later found to correspond to exact pages of books written by others, and published instructional literature for Catholic seminarians. And reports of Our Lady of Surbiton
Surbiton
Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is situated next to the River Thames, with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, more recent residential blocks and grand, spacious 19th century townhouses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates...
claiming that the Virgin Mary appeared every day under a pine tree in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
were flatly rejected by the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
as a fraud.
Types of Revelation
Various types of visions and private revelations have been reported in the Catholic Church. The appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary are usually called Marian apparitionsMarian apparitions
A Marian apparition is an event in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have supernaturally appeared to one or more people. They are often given names based on the town in which they were reported, or on the sobriquet which was given to Mary on the occasion of the apparition...
. These generally include a vision of the Blessed Virgin, accompanied by brief messages. These are by far the most widely reported form. Well known examples of approved Marian apparitions include Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
, Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes is the name used to refer to the Marian apparition said to have appeared before various individuals on separate occasions around Lourdes, France...
and Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fátima is a famous title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared in apparitions reported by three shepherd children at Fátima in Portugal. These occurred on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May 13...
. These apparitions, are however generally not considered private revelations from God, but from the Virgin Mary.
A number of appearances of Jesus Christ following his ascension have been reported. Some of these have received approval from the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. For instance, the Vatican biography of Saint Faustina Kowalska quotes some of her conversations with Jesus.
There are also reports of interior locutions in which inner voices are reported, but no vision of divinity is claimed. The Vatican biographies of both Saint Teresa of Avila
Teresa of Ávila
Saint Teresa of Ávila, also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada, was a prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer...
and Mother Teresa of Calcutta refer to their interior locutions, although Mother Teresa often preferred to remain private about them.
Some private revelations produce large amounts of text, while others amount to a few reported sentences. For instance, father Stefano Gobbi
Stefano Gobbi
Father Stefano Gobbi was an Italian Roman Catholic priest. He was born in the Province of Como, Italy and was ordained as a priest in 1964. He later obtained a doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical University in Rome...
produced a book of messages attributed to the Virgin Mary, while sister Mary of the Divine Heart
Mary of the Divine Heart
Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart , born Maria Droste zu Vischering, was a German Roman Catholic nun best known for influencing Pope Leo XIII's consecration of the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus...
simply wrote two letters to Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
with a message attributed to Jesus Christ, prompting the Pope to consecrate the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
See also
- Direct revelationDirect revelationDirect revelation is a term used by some Christian churches to express their belief in a communication from God to a person, by words, impression, visions, dreams or actual appearance. Direct revelation is believed to be an open communication between God and man, or the Holy Spirit and man, without...
- General revelationGeneral revelationGeneral revelation is a term used by theologians which refers to a universal aspect of God, of God's knowledge and of spiritual matters, discovered through natural means, such as observation of nature , philosophy and reasoning, human conscience or providence or providential history...
- Neo-revelationismNeo-revelationismThe English term is a translation of the German Neuoffenbarung.-Within the Christian church:The Roman Catholic Church in principle accepts the possibility of "private revelations", and recognizes certain instances in the sense of nihil obstat, i.e...
- Special revelationSpecial revelationSpecial revelation is a theological term used mainly by evangelical scientists and theologians which refers to the belief that knowledge of God and of spiritual matters can be discovered through supernatural means, such as miracles or the scriptures, a disclosure of God's truth through means other...
- TheophanyTheophanyTheophany, from the Ancient Greek , meaning "appearance of God"), refers to the appearance of a deity to a human or other being, or to a divine disclosure....
- Unverified personal gnosisUnverified personal gnosisUnverified personal gnosis is the phenomenological concept that an individual's spiritual insights may be valid for them without being generalizable to the experience of others...
External links
- "Virgin Mary Private Revelation Book"Published: Fatima Family Apostolate