When the Supernatural Becomes Superstitious

"In medio stat veritatis" ("In the middle lies the truth")--Old Latin Aphorism

 In contrast to the Vatican II sect which eschews the supernatural as fiction, many Traditionalists fall victim to the other side of the coin where everything is "miraculous." Examples are numerous; "apparitions" of the Blessed Virgin Mary or Jesus Christ which have heretical messages, bleeding/crying statues, wacky conspiracy theories concerning the end times supposedly reported by saints or the "real" Fatima, and even a pancake attempted to be sold on ebay which contained a "miraculous image" of the the Blessed Virgin Mary!

 Miracles can and do happen. Our Faith is founded on the greatest miracle in human history; the physical Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, thus proving He is God.  However, I find it endemic at Traditionalist churches that most of the congregation spends more time learning and debating these so-called miraculous events than the Truths of Our Faith. Here are some practical tips to avoid delving into false miracles (by which means Satan can lure souls into heresy) and to strengthen your Faith.

1. Only trust devotions approved by the Church with an Imprimatur granted when there was still a Pope and Bishops with ordinary jurisdiction. This would be old books printed in or before 1958. Do NOT trust reprints from "conservative" Vatican II publishers such as TAN books.
 Since Thomas A. Nelson sold his company to the Vatican II "St Benedict Press" the first thing they did was to purge the listings of any Traditionalist books. Books authored by Fr Wathen, Fr Cekada, Dr Coomaraswamy, and anything critical of Vatican II was thrown out. Other books such as The Dogma of Hell, was edited so that the chapter on "How to Avoid Hell" was removed since it told the reader to attend the True Mass. Beware!

2. Do not heed any apparitions other than those approved before Vatican II. In particular, stay away from the so-called apparitions at Garabandal and Bayside. Proponents of these apparitions will dare you to "show me anything contrary to Church teaching." Since they asked for it:

Garabandal:

• The "seers" are photographed in contortions and walking backwards, like Michael Jackson on a bad acid trip. Why would God permit such a frightening image of children, and how would that add to or prove any messages from Heaven?
• Conchita (the leading "seer") and the rest of the children signed a document with the Vatican II bishop agreeing with the findings of the  Counterfeit Church and promising never to promote the apparitions again. Does that sound like something a real seer would do? The children at Fatima refused to retract what they had seen and heard even when an evil man threatened to kill them unless they did so. 
• All of the children at Garabandal have reportedly retracted all belief in the "miracles".
• In 1966 Conchita wanted to enter the Carmelite Convent in Pamplona. "Jesus" told her to go back to the world.
• Conchita made a museum of her house in Garabandal. She has since sold that house and owns a house in New York and a flat in Fatima as well. Compare that with St. Bernadette in Lourdes.
• Conchita reportedly admitted to Father J. Pelletier that she herself had stolen the Host from the tabernacle for the so-called mystical communion.
• Just before the visions in Garabandal the four seers had stolen apples. The first vision reportedly began when the girls decided to steal some apples from a schoolteacher's tree
• . An unseen force reportedly forced the girls to their knees. In this first apparition they saw what appeared to be a holy angel.
• Conchita was reportedly often caught in contradictions.
• The “Virgin” asked that the girls not bring blessed sacramentals [rosaries, crucifixes, etc.], because she wanted to bless these objects herself. The vision is reported to have blessed and kisses hundreds of objects. This is troubling for two reasons: first, because only blessed sacramentals affect the devil and fallen angels; second, the Blessed Virgin Mary is not a priest and therefore she cannot confer a priestly blessing.
• Conchita reportedly said the Blessed Mother played hide and seek with her.
• The messages acknowledge the validity of Vatican II, the false religion it created, and its antipopes

Bayside:

• "Our Lady" said that "...My Son has repeated over and over, remember always – that in My Father’s House, there are many rooms in the Mansion, signifying faiths and creeds.” (Our Lady of the Roses (Blue Book), the “messages” of Bayside, published by Apostles of Our Lady, Inc. Lansing, MI, 1993, p. 81.) This is blatant heresy. Only Jews prior to Christ, and Catholics (including those who are recipients of Baptism of Desire and Baptism of Blood, who are united to the Catholic Church at death) can be in Heaven. To say otherwise is to deny the dogma of Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus Est (Outside the Church there is no salvation).
• In 1988 the vision predicted a stock market crash and a paralysis of the world's monetary system "in two years or less." This was proven false.
• In 1985, the vision called Wotyla (John Paul II) "a good and holy father." The vision further advised that JPII stop his world travels because it makes "Us" (i.e. Jesus and Mary) harder to protect him. Really? The Omnipotent God and His Mother have a difficult time protecting someone who travels? Not only is this "offensive to pious ears", but just plain stupid.
• “Our Lady” of Bayside, May 3, 1978, Stay in your parish: “You will all remain in your Parish Churches.” (Our Lady of the Roses (Blue Book), p. 83.)
•  "Our Lady” of Bayside, Aug. 14, 1981, Stay in your parish: “I have asked you in the past, and I ask and continue to beg you, My children, not to abandon your Vicar in Rome, and not to abandon your parish church.” (Our Lady of the Roses (Blue Book), p. 83.)
• “Our Lord” of Bayside, Sept. 14, 1986, Traditionalists are being led astray: “We hear all names coming forward to Our ears of churches being born anew, called the Traditional Roman Catholic Church. My child and My children, We need no more Traditionalists running around and creating new churches.” (Our Lady of the Roses (Blue Book), p. 104.)
• The last three bullets make it clear---Bayside wants you to stay IN THE FALSE SECT OF VATICAN II.

3. Avoid speculations about "the real meaning of Fatima." Dozens of books have been written full of conspiracy theories and claiming knowledge about "the true Third Secret of Fatima." Stick with the basic message and don't be fooled by "Fr" Nicholas Gruner (sometimes referred to as the "CEO of the Fatima Industry") who has been assuring us since the 1980s that nuclear doom is just around the corner unless the "Holy Father" correctly consecrates Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in union with all the "bishops" of the world. Of course to effectuate this, you need to send him the most generous donation you can. He also hangs out with the (now deceased) Fr Jarecki (ordained in 1944) who was a Feeneyite and accepted the validity of the Vatican II sect as the True Church just like Gruner. Stay away.

4. Avoid Fr. Malachi Martin's works. Sure, he writes a swell novel, but his background is all over the place. He was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1954, but was released from all his vows except celibacy by the Modernist Vatican in the mid-1960s. While it's true he received the Last Rites from a Traditional priest on his deathbed in 1999, Fr Paul Wickens was not a sedevacantist. Yet Fr. Martin can be clearly seen in photos assisting a Thuc bishop (sedevacantist) ordain Dr. Coomaraswamy to the priesthood.(Click here and see the photos at the bottom http://www.the-pope.com/validity.html,). When the ordaining bishop was uncertain if he touched the doctor's head with his hands, Martin "conditionally re-ordained" him, claiming to have been secretly consecrated to the episcopacy by Pope Pius XII! Yet he never produced one scrap of evidence for this fantastic claim. On the Art Bell radio show, Martin claimed that werewolves existed. Need I say more?

5. Check out devotions with a Traditionalist priest you trust. Don't indulge in devotions with dubious "promises."
The "Magnificent Promises" are orthodox prayers in honor of Our Lord's Holy Passion, but the promises were rejected by the Holy Office in 1954. Any devotion which promises you salvation (or that of another) can not be true. It would then be like the Protestants who say that once you believe, you're saved. "Sin boldly, but believe more boldly", as Martin Luther said.

Please DO read manuals of Dogmatic and Moral Theology by the giants available in English such as Prummer, Jone, Ott and Pohle. Read spritual classics like True Devotion to Mary and The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola. In this way you will know, love and serve God in the One True Faith. Leave private revelations alone. Seek God in the treasured writings of Her best theologians and saints, not in your morning pancakes.