Spirits and Catholicsm

HappyIrish

I really need a Catholic/Christian perspective on what we believe spirits and messages from spirits mean. I received an unexpected message from my Aunt around Christmas, she told me that she speaks with Angels and Spirits, she said that she had a message from my Aunt, Granny and Grandad. This message has disturbed me and I may make a life changing decision over the next few days because of it. It was to do with love, to give it another chance, he's the love of my life etc etc. The spirits did also say that I was not happy where I am living and in many ways to ground myself. The was also some things in this message that my Aunt could not have known.
I'm lost, I would hate to believe that this was evil spirits because the message was an attempt to help me improve in my life. I'm so confused. I really dont know what to think.
Any help would be great, can we have good spirits?
Thank you

Apologies for my spelling....Spirits and Catholicism

antiskeptic

HappyIrish wrote: »

I really need a Catholic/Christian perspective on what we believe spirits and messages from spirits mean. I received an unexpected message from my Aunt around Christmas, she told me that she speaks with Angels and Spirits, she said that she had a message from my Aunt, Granny and Grandad. This message has disturbed me and I may make a life changing decision over the next few days because of it. It was to do with love, to give it another chance, he's the love of my life etc etc. The spirits did also say that I was not happy where I am living and in many ways to ground myself. The was also some things in this message that my Aunt could not have known.
I'm lost, I would hate to believe that this was evil spirits because the message was an attempt to help me improve in my life. I'm so confused. I really dont know what to think.
Any help would be great, can we have good spirits?
Thank you

The non-Catholic position as I understand it is that once a person dies that's it - they don't have any further connection with us here. And so they cannot be prayed to, nor prayed for - nor can they intercede on our behalf, nor can they communicate with us. Any communication between 'them' and us would be considered to be the result of evil spirits. Occult practices - including activities practiced by your aunt - are expressly forbidden in the Bible

There shall not be found among you [any one] that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, [or] that useth divination [or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things [are] an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Deuteronomy 18:10

I've no doubt myself that such spirits are active in the world but haven't come face to face with one in this sense. Those who I know who are now Christians but have dabbled in the occult previously seem to bear the scars still and can be troubled even now by their past.

A key description of Satan is that he masquerades as an angel of light, that he comes as a wolf in sheeps clothing seeking to devour. I wouldn't let the lure of a wanted message draw me in if I were you. Many a bitter pill came wrapped in a sweet coating.

-

If you are 'lost' then the central core of the Bible's message is that you turn to God himself. There is no fixed formula for how you approach him but suffice to say it is the whole of you for all time that he wants - he's not to be turned to for the occasional dig out in times of dire need. It's a commitment that should be considered before embarking on it

HappyIrish

Thank you so much AntiSkeptic. I really appreciate your reply.

kelly1

Hello HappyIrish, I'd also be very wary of any alleged communication with spirits. The Christian view is that when a person dies, the spirit doesn't "hang about" in some kind of Limbo. Instead, at the moment of death, each and every person is judged by God and proceeds to Heaven (or Purgatory - Catholic view) or Hell.

I believe there are countless "fallen angels" or demons roaming about trying to lure us away from Christ and they can see all we do and hear what we say but they can't read our minds or tell the future.

My advice would be to pray and place your total trust in Jesus.

Donatello

Catechism of the Catholic Church 2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

Turn to God and trust in Him. He will guide you if you listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

HappyIrish

Thanks to all of you for your comments. You have confirmed that this is not the spirits of my family which for some time I believed was the case.
You would wonder why this happened.
God Bless

Slav

Tá Críost éirithe, HappyIrish!

If you consider yourself Catholic then the only thing you can do in this circumstances is, first, stop wondering whether some questionable apparitions are genuine or not, second, go to confession, third, receive Holly Communion. IMO.

kelly1

HappyIrish wrote: »

You would wonder why this happened.
God Bless

These spirits want to gain your trust and lead you away from Christ.

Onesimus

What appears to be the truth is not always so. We humans have a different view of what is true and what isnt and the devil plays on this.

For example take a look at St.Paul in the scriptures. He was followed around by a fortune teller. She kept saying that this is a holy man this is a holy man etc etc. That was true he was. But something from good spirit never praises another person for their holiness because praise does not come from God. So St.Paul got fed up of her and commanded Satan to come out of her and he did. From that day on she could never tell fortunes or speak to ''spirits'' again.

There is another case in scriptures in the old testament. Saul does what is displeasing to God and goes to one of these ''I speak with spirits'' people to raise the soul of Samuel to ask him some questions. When he does this the soul of samuel comes and rebukes saul for disturbing him in his rest. One wonders if it was even Samuel. The devil can take many forms and is a highly intelligent being and clever indeed.

so what looks as true and ''sounds'' like its true is not really true at all. it is the smoke of Satan and you should blow this away by trusting in the Lord and taking Slavs advice.

After death it is like Kelly said. heaven, Purgatory or Hell. Even the people who are fortune tellers dont realise what it is they are talking to. They think they are talking to their ''loved'' ones. But if they really knew what it was, they'd wet their pants something serious.

Onesimus

georgieporgy

HappyIrish wrote: »

I really need a Catholic/Christian perspective on what we believe spirits and messages from spirits mean. I received an unexpected message from my Aunt around Christmas, she told me that she speaks with Angels and Spirits, she said that she had a message from my Aunt, Granny and Grandad. This message has disturbed me and I may make a life changing decision over the next few days because of it. It was to do with love, to give it another chance, he's the love of my life etc etc. The spirits did also say that I was not happy where I am living and in many ways to ground myself. The was also some things in this message that my Aunt could not have known.
I'm lost, I would hate to believe that this was evil spirits because the message was an attempt to help me improve in my life. I'm so confused. I really dont know what to think.
Any help would be great, can we have good spirits?
Thank you

Apologies for my spelling....Spirits and Catholicism

That's good advice from all the above posters, both protestant and catholic. Let me add one more nugget. Stay away from that crazy aunt.

antiskeptic

kelly1 wrote: »

These spirits want to gain your trust and lead you away from Christ.

Not totally unexpectedly (since God does utilise evil to good) the converse happened in my case.

Long before I was a Christian, a friend of mine went to a medium under tightly controlled circumstances (he wouldn't say a thing to her before, during or afterwards - except to telephone book the session. He would ensure to stare at the ground, remain poker-faced in so far as possible and include falsh reactions to perceived attempts to probe). His account was astonishing: I counted 15 or so detailed revelations that didn't belong to the "you have a sick aunt/mother/grandmother?" variety. There was even a specific revelation about his living mother he hadn't known about until he later consulted her.

I'd not given God or the supernatural any thought at that point but would have defaulted to a poo-pooing about the whole thing. Not after that event. It would be said to have been one of the many pre-conversion wake-up calls.