New Guidelines to Help Bishops Evaluate the Validity of Apparitions

The owners of the Emmitsburg.net website state that they have generated a new web page on their site because they were alarmed by the June 28, 2008 message of Our Lady of Emmitsburg in which she warns the world of the possibility of a coming astronomical catastrophe. It is called: "'Our Lady of Emmitsburg' Cult Watch." One of the most recent entries is titled: "Pope declares 'holy war' against people who falsely claim to have seen the Virgin Mary." It is written by Simon Caldwell of the DailyMail.CO.UK.

This highly charged article reports that Pope Benedict XVI will soon publish guidelines to help Bishops evaluate visionaries. If this is true, I think that it is a good development for visionaries such as Dr. Gianna Sullivan. It appears to me that in the past, the members of the Diocese of Baltimore did not conduct a thorough job of evaluating Dr. Sullivan and the alleged messages she has been receiving. This has been said not only by the Sullivans themselves, but also by many of the priests who support her.

Pope Benedict XVI and Prophecy

I just purchased online for $61, including shipping, a newly published book, Christian Prophecy, The Post-Biblical Tradition, written by Niels Christian Hvidt. The list price is $74. The book has a hard cover with approximately 400 pages, printed on acid free paper, and is published by Oxford University Press. As far as I can tell this book, written by Dr. Niels Christian Hvidt whose degree in theology is from the Pontifical Gregorian University, is a major work on Christian Prophecy. It is a must read for anyone who wishes to get a new insight into the Divine interventions occurring today as well as during the last few centuries.

One thing that impresses me is the fact that the Foreword is written by Pope Benedict XVI! He begins by telling us what a prophet is not. He “is not a soothsayer; the essential element of the prophet is not the prediction of future events. The prophet is someone who tells the truth on the strength of his contact with God—the truth for today, which also, naturally, sheds light on the future." He makes an important point in that Moses speaks of himself as a prophet when he says to his people “God will send you a prophet like me.” Pope Benedict XVI says that Moses was a friend of God in a special way. He writes: “I tend to see the root of the prophetic element in that ‘face to face’ with God, in ‘talking with Him as a friend.’ Only by virtue of this direct encounter with God may the prophet speak in moments of time.”

Pope Benedict XVI points out that Niels Christian Hvidt worked within the framework of fundamental theology in his study of Christian Prophecy and therefore “investigates the purpose and preconditions of Christian prophecy in light of developments in the past 50 years in Revelation theology.” Most importantly he says that this book “offers a new approach to the actualization of Revelation, especially in the very life of the Church, which sociological investigations show in an interesting way.” The Pope ends with these words: “Niels Christian Hvidt has trod new theological land and therewith has made important contributions to a theme that needs further thought.”

In what I have had an opportunity to read thus far, I find the book quite deep but very readable. It is a big help to me in understanding not only how prophecy developed, but also its role in the Christian church.

PRIVATE REVELATIONS

What does the Catholic Church say about private revelations? The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "Throughout the ages, there have been so-called 'private' revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith." (Cathechism #67) And in the second paragraph of #67 it reads: "Christian faith cannot accept 'revelations' that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment..."

However, in this regard, Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) has said that after studying the works of St. Bonaventura, that "the Revelation refers to the action of God in history in which the truth is gradually unveiled. The Revelation is the continuous growth of the Church in the fullness of the Logos." This view presents a whole new dynamic with which to study the meaning of Revelation. I discuss this in more detail in my book, Its Light Is the Lamb, An Unexpected Spiritual Journey, which book should be available on the internet at Amazon, etc. as well as popular bookstores in late October.