Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 13.djvu/28

 REVELATIONS

from a triple point of view: natural, ascetical, and mystical. (For those who have been beatified or canonized, this inquiry has been already made by the Church.) Our inquiry into the visionary's char- acter might be pursued as follows: (1) NMiat are his natural qualities or defects, from a physical, intellec- tual, and especially moral standpoint? If the informa- tion is favourable "(if the person is of sound judgment, calm imagination; if his acts are dictated by reason and not bv enthusiasm, etc.), many causes of illusion are thereby excluded. However, a momentary aber- ration is still possible. (2) How has the person been educated? Can the knowledge of the visionary have been derived from books or from conversations with theologians? (3) What are the virtues exhibited be- fore and after the revelation? Has he made progress in holiness and especially in humility? The tree can be judged bv its fruits. (4) \Miat extraordinary graces of union with God have been received? The greater they are the greater the probability in favour of the revelation, at least in the main. (5) Has the person had other revelations that have been judged Divine? Has he made any predictions that have been clearly rcaUzed? (6) Has he been subjected to heaA-j' trials? It is almost impossible for extraordinary favours to be conferred wnthout hea\'y crosses; for both are marks of God's friendship, and each is a prep- aration for the other. (7) Does he practice the fol- lowing rules: fear deception; be open with your director; do not desire to have revelations?

Our information concerning a revelation considered in itself or concerning the circumstances that accom- panied it might be secured as follows:

(1) Is there an authentic account, in which nothing has been added, suppressed, or corrected? (2) Does the revelation agree with the teaching of the Church or with the recognized facts of history or natural Bcience? (3) Does it teach nothing contrary to good morals, and is it unaccompanied by any indecent action? The commandments of God are addressed to everj'one without exception. More than once the demon has persuaded false visionaries that they were chosen souls, and that God loved them so much as to dispense them from the burdensome restrictions im- posed on ordinary mortals. On the contrary, the efifect of Divine visitations is to remove us more and more from the life of sense, and make us more rigorous towards ourselves. (4) Is the teaching helpful towards the obtaining of eternal salvation? In Spiritism we find the spirits evoked treat only of trifles. They reply to idle questions, or descend to providing amuse- ment for an assembly (e. g., by moving furniture about); deceased relatives or the great jjliilosophcrs are interrogated and their replies are woefully com- monplace. A revelation is also suspect if its aim is to decide a disputed question in theology, history, astron- omy, etc. Eternal salvation is the only thing of im- portance in the eyes of God. " In all other matters", says St. John of the Cross, "He wishes men to have recourse to human means " (Montde, II,xxii). Finally, a revelation is suspect if it is commonplace, telling only what is to be found in every book. It is then probable that the visionary is unconsciously repeating what he haa learnt by reading. (5) After examining all the circumstances accompanying the vision (the attitudfy?, acts, words, etc.), do we find that dignity and seriousness which become the Divine Majesty? The spirits evokcni by Spiritists often speak in a trivial manner. Spiritists try to explain this by pretending that the spirits are not demons, but the souls of the departwl who have retained all their vices ; absurd or unbc;(f)rning rci)lifH arf; given by deceased persons who are still liars, or lib'-rtinf-s, frivolous or myslifiers, etc. But if that be t¥>, communications with these degrarled beings is evidently rL-mgcrouH. In Protestant "re- vivals" aswrnbled crowds bewail their nins, but in a BtrangCj exaggerated way, as if frenzied or intoxicated.

6 REVELATIONS

It must be admitted that they are inspired by a good principle: a very ardent sentiment of the love of God and of repentance. But to this is added another ele- ment that cannot be regarded as Divine: a neuro- pathic enthusiasm, which is contagious and sometimes develops so far as to produce convulsions or repugnant contortions. Sometimes a kind of unknown language is spoken, but it consists in reality of a succession of meaningless sounds. (6) What sentiments of peace, or, on the other hand, of disturbance, are experienced during or after the revelation? Here is the rule as formulated by St. Catherine of Siena and St. Ignatius: "With persons of good will [it is only of such that we are here treating] the action of the good spirit [God or His Angels] is characterized by the production of peace, joy, security, courage; except perhaps at the first moment." Note the restriction. The Bible often mentions this disturbance at the first moment of the revelation; the Blessed Virgin experienced it w'hen the Angel Gabriel appeared to her. The action of the demon produces quite the contrary effect; "With persons of good wnll he produces, except per- haps at the first moment, disturbance, sorrow, dis- couragement, perturbation, gloom." In a word the action of Satan encounters a mysterious resistance of the soul. (7) It often happens that the revelation inspires an exterior work — for instance, the establish- ment of a new devotion, the foundation of a new reli- gious congregation or association, the revision of the constitutions of a congregation, etc., the building of a church or the creation of a pilgrimage, the reformation of the lax spirit in a certain body, the preaching of a new spirituality, etc. In these cases the value of the proposed work must be carefully examined : is it good in itself, useful, filling a need, not injurious to other works, etc.? (8) Have the revelations been subjected to the tests of time and discussion? (9) If any work has been begun as a result of the revelation, has it produced great si)iritual fruit? Have the sovereign pontiffs and the bishops believed this to be so, and have they assisted the progress of the work? This is very well illustrated in the cases of the Scapular of Mount Carmel, the devotion to the Sacred Heart, the miraculous medal. These are the signs that enable us to judge with probability if a revelation is Divine. In the case of certain persons very closely united to God, the slow study of these signs has been sometimes aided or replaced by a supernatural intuition; this is what is known as the infused gift of the discernment of spirits.

As regards the rules of conduct, the two principal have been explained in the article on Contemplation, namely (1) if the revelation leads solely to the love of God and the saints, the director may provisionally regard it as Divine; (2) at the beginning, the visionary should do his best to repulse the revelation quietly. He should not desire to receive it, otherwise he will be exposing himself to the risk of being deceived. Here are some further rules: (a) the director nuist be con- tent to proceed slowly, not to express astonishment, to treat the person gently. If he were to be luirsh or distrustful, he would intimidate the soul he is direct- ing, and incline it to conceal important details from him; (b) he must be very careful to urge the soul to make progress in the way of sanctity. He will point out that the only value of the visions is in the spiritual fruit that they produce; (c) he will pray fervently, and have the subject he is directing pray, that the necessary light may be granted. God cannot fail to make known the true path to those who ask Him humbly. If on the contrary a per.son confided solely in his natural prudence, he would expose himself to punishment for his self-sufficiency; (d) the visionary should be perfectly calm and patient if his superiors do not allow him to carry out the enterprises that he deems inspired by Heaven or r(!vealed. One who, when confronted with this opposition, becomes im-