What are Apparitions?

[Eileen A. Manassy (PATD)]

Here is another excerpt from Liquori Publications that will
go into church bulletins this week. It is written by
Rev. Oscar Lukefahr, C.M.

What Are Apparitions?
An apparition is the appearance of a heavenly being
invisible to human sight. Mary's glorified body transcends
our senses, but by God's power, Mary can be made visible to
the eyes of one or more who might also hear words formed
supernaturally. This is called an external vision.
There are other visions. God can cause supernatural
changes on a person's optic and auditory system so that mary is seen
and hear internally (internal vision). God can act upon the
imagination, causing images and voices similar to those in
dreams (imaginative vision). God can affect the intellect,
wherein a person perceives truths in "flashes" of insight
(intellectual vision). When supernatually-caused words are
heard, but nothing is seen, this is called a "locution". This
can be external, internal, imaginative or intellectual.
Whatever way this apparition occurs, it is always
received by a mere person, with personal weaknesses and a
particular background and education. The apparition is then
transmitted to others with the visionary's human limitations,
as well as possible memory lapses, mental error, and faulty
interpretations. For these reasons, experts, like Saints John
of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, recommend caution in dealing
with information from apparitions.
Caution is needed because of false apparitions. Some
with psychological problems suppose they see heavenly visitors
and those with vivid imaginations may think that mental pictures
formed natually are supernatural visions. Others confuse intense
dreams with apparitions.
Magdalene of the Cross, a 16th Century nun, appeared
to have spiritual gifts, including the stigmata, levitation, and
prophecy. She deceived many people for decades. In danger of
death, she confessed that she sold her soul to Satan in
return for special power. She underwent an exorcism and
apparently repented.

[Richard A. Schumacher]

Since apparitions cannot be demonstrated, perhaps they are
intended to be *completely private* experiences and not shared
with others. As they are, there is no way to distinguish
genuine apparitions from delusions, hallucinations or outright
frauds.

No way except, as some have said, by their fruits. But what are
the fruits of the best-known apparitions to date? They seem
to have attracted the credulous and sensation seekers rather
than inspired true faith, and created a pre-occupation with
what amounts to fortune telling and with predicting the date
of Christ's return (of which He said "no man knows the hour").
To whom are these things useful?