. What is the purpose of prophecy? Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of prophecy is not to foretell the future, but to explain the will of God for the present; and therefore serve as guidance for the future. The following are the words of Cardinal Ratzinger, as Prefect of the Congregation For the Doctrine of Faith on this matter: “In every age the Church has received the charism of prophecy, which must be scrutinized but not scorned. On this point, it should be kept in mind that prophecy in the biblical sense does not mean to predict the future but to explain the will of God for the present, and therefore show the right path to take for the future. A person who foretells what is going to happen responds to the curiosity of the mind, which wants to draw back the veil on the future. The prophet speaks to the blindness of will and of reason, and declares the will of God as an indication and demand for the present time. In this case, prediction of the future is of secondary importance.” There are a number of examples of this within Holy Scripture. One interesting account that we would direct your attention towards is the following citation from 2 Kings: “In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’ Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD: ‘Remember now, O LORD, I implore you, how I have walked before you in faithfulness with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.’ Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: ‘Turn back, and say to Hezekiah prince of my people, Thus says the LORD, the God of your ancestor David: I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; indeed, I will heal you; on the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.’” (2 Kgs 20:1-6) There are a number of points that are noteworthy in the passage above: (a) through Isaiah, God predicted that Hezekiah would die; (b) such prediction did not state that it was conditional; (c) Hezekiah responded in prayer and repentance, and God relented; (d) the prophecy was not fulfilled due to the infinite mercy of God; and (e) in spite of the fact that the prophecy was not realized, Isaiah is not considered a false prophet. We hasten to add that Jesus stated that we shall know them by their fruits, not by whether the specified predictions were realized. This passage and the messages conveyed by it are so important, that the Holy Spirit saw to it that it was presented in Holy Scripture twice for emphasis - once in 2 Kings above, and a second time in Isaiah 38:1-6. Clearly, the passage demonstrates: the power of prayer, that prophecy can be conditional without it stating expressly that it is conditional, and that the mercy of Almighty God is infinite. “Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, but not into the hands of mortals; for equal to his majesty is his mercy, and equal to his name are his works.” (Sir 2:18) God bless you and your families, Cubbie .
ahh Cardinal Ratzinger. ...'the purpose of prophecy is not to foretell the future, but to explain the will of God for the present; ' But more especially , perhaps not, the purpose of prophecy is not to foretell the future,'.. to explain the will of God for the present; '' but to place forth in holiness the presence of God, not simply in intellect, but as a saint. Of the heart rather than of the mind. To be the purpose of prophecy is not to foretell the future, but to explain the will of God for the present; another Christ to the Disciples of Christ. To point the finger of God , to be the finger of God towards heaven. A lived Jerusalem. To be a saint. We must be holy. Shining rather than saying Or shining first ..then saying The heart..always the heart first....then the head.
Since we are on the Subject...Mark Mallett just came out with a brilliant writing a few minutes ago... and its on PROPHESY!! http://www.markmallett.com/blog/prophecy-properly-understood/#more-15027 Prophecy Properly Understood WE are living in a time when prophecy has perhaps never been so important, and yet, so misunderstood by the vast majority of Catholics. There are three harmful positions being taken today regarding prophetic or “private” revelations that, I believe, are doing at times great damage in many quarters of the Church. One is that “private revelations” never have to be heeded since all we are obligated to believe is the definitive Revelation of Christ in the “deposit of faith.” Another harm being done is by those who tend to not only put prophecy above the Magisterium, but give it the same authority as Sacred Scripture. And last, there is the position that most prophecy, unless uttered by saints or found without error, should be mostly shunned. Again, all these positions above carry unfortunate and even dangerous pitfalls. PROPHECY: DO WE NEED IT? I would have to agree with Archbishop Rino Fisichella who said, Confronting the subject of prophecy today is rather like looking at wreckage after a shipwreck. —”Prophecy” inDictionary of Fundamental Theology, p. 788 In the last century, in particular, Western theological “development” has not only downplayed the significance of mysticism in the Church, but even the supernatural regarding Christ’s own miracles and divinity. This has had a tremendous sterilizing affect upon the living Word of God, both the logos(generally referring to the inspired written Word) and rhema(generally spoken words or utterances). There is a common fallacy that, with the death of John the Baptist, prophecy ceased in the Church. It has not ceased, rather, it has taken on different dimensions. Prophecy has changed immensely throughout history, especially with regard to its status within the institutional Church, but prophecy has never ceased. — Niels Christian Hvidt, theologian, Christian Prophecy, p. 36, Oxford University Press CONTINUED BELOW
Think of the Deposit of Faith as a car. Wherever the Car goes, we must follow, for Sacred Tradition and Scripture contain the revealed truth that sets us free. Prophecy, on the other hand, is the headlights of the Car. It has the dual function of both warning and illuminating the way. But the headlights go wherever the Car goes—that is: It is not [so-called "private" revelations'] role to improve or complete Christ’s definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history… Christian faith cannot accept “revelations” that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment.—Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 67 Now, there are times when the Church passes through periods of great darkness, persecutions, and insidious attacks. It is at times like these that, despite the “interior lights” of the car that infallibly navigate, the headlights of prophecy are necessary to illuminate the way. An example would be the remedies provided by Our Lady of Fatima: consecration of Russia, First Saturdays, and the Rosary as means to circumvent war, disasters, and the “errors” that led to Communism. It should become clear at this moment then that, while not adding to the definitive Revelation of the Church, these so-called “private” revelations have had the power to alter the future if heeded. How can they not be important? Furthermore, how can we call them “private” revelations? There is nothing private about a prophetic word intended for the whole Church. Even controversial theologian, Karl Rahner,also asked… …whether anything God reveals can be unimportant. —Karl Rahner, Visions and Prophecies, p. 25 Theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar adds: One can therefore simply ask why God provides [revelations] continuously [in the first place if] they hardly need to be heeded by the Church. —Mistica oggettiva, n. 35 So important was prophecy in St. Paul’s view, that after his beautiful discourse on love in which he says “if I have the gift of prophecy… but do not have love, I am nothing,”1 he goes on to instruct: Pursue love, but strive eagerly for the spiritual gifts, above all that you may prophesy. (1 Cor 14:1) In his list of the spiritual offices, St. Paul places “prophets” only second to that of the Apostles and before evangelists, pastors, and teachers.2 Indeed, Christ… fulfills this prophetic office, not only by the hierarchy… but also by the laity. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 904 Popes, particularly of the past century, have not only been open to this charism, but encouraged the Church to listen to their prophets: In every age the Church has received the charism of prophecy, which must be scrutinized but not scorned. —Cardinal Ratzinger (BENEDICT XVI), Message of Fatima, Theological Commentary,www.vatican.va CONTINUED BELOW
He to whom that private revelation is proposed and announced, ought to believe and obey the command or message of God, if it be proposed to him on sufficient evidence… For God speaks to him, at least by means of another, and therefore requires him to believe; hence it is, that he is bound to believe God, Who requires him to do so. —BENEDICT XIV, Heroic Virtue, Vol III, p. 394 Those who have fallen into this worldliness look on from above and afar, they reject the prophecy of their brothers and sisters… —POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii Gaudium, n. 97 PROPHECY IS NOT INFALLIBLE Perhaps because of the genuine crisis we’ve endured in a deficit in anointed preaching from the pulpit3, many souls have turned to prophetic revelations not only for edification, but direction. But a problem that sometimes arises is the weight to which these revelations are given and the lack of prudence and prayer that should accompany them. Especially if the prophecies come from a saint. Mystical theologian, Rev. Jospeh Iannuzzi, who is perhaps one of the foremost experts in the Church today on the interpretation of prophetic revelations, writes: It may come as a shock to some that nearly all mystical literature contains grammatical errors (form) and, on occasion, doctrinal errors (substance). —Newsletter, Missionaries of the Holy Trinity, January-May 2014 Indeed, the spiritual director to Italian mystic Luisa Picarretta and Melanie Cavata, the La Salette seer, warns: Conforming to prudence and sacred accuracy, people cannot deal with private revelations as if they were canonical books or decrees of the Holy See… For example, who could ratify in full all the visions of Catherine Emmerich and St. Brigitte, which show evident discrepancies? —St. Hannibal, in a letter to Fr. Peter Bergamaschi who had published all the unedited writings of Benedictine mystic, St. M. Cecilia; Ibid. In this past year, terrible divisions have been created in many countries by those who follow the alleged seer, “Maria Divine Mercy,” whose archbishop recently declared that her revelations ‘have no ecclesiastical approval and many of the texts are in contradiction with Catholic theology.’4 The problem was not only did the seer herself equate her messages to Sacred Scripture, but many followers act as such as well—messages that at times were clearly in “contradiction with Catholic theology.’ CONTINUED BELOW
AUTHENTIC PROPHECY vs “PERFECTION” On the other hand, there are those in the Church who take the position that, if there are inaccuracies, even grammatical or spelling errors, this implies, therefore, that the alleged seer is a “false prophet” for “God does not make mistakes.” Unfortunately, those who judge prophetic revelations in this injurious and narrow way are not few in number. Rev. Iannuzzi points out that, in his extensive research in this field… Although in some passages of their writings, the prophets may have written something doctrinally erroneous, a cross-reference of their writings reveals that such doctrinal errors were “unintentional.” That is, the very errors that were initially discovered in many prophetic texts that were later approved, are elsewhere contradicted with sound doctrinal truths by the same prophets in the same prophetic texts. Such errors, then, were simply omitted prior to publishing. Again, this may shock some readers who say, “Hey! You can’t edit God!” But that is to misunderstand completely the nature of whatprophecy is, and how it is transmitted: through a human vessel. We already have infallible prophecies as such: they’re called “Sacred Scripture.” To put the seers of Fatima, Garabandal, Medjugorje, La Salette, etc. on this same plane of expectation is a falseexpectation if not doctrinal error. The appropriate approach is to refrain from interpreting the “pure letter” and seek the “intention” of the prophet by interpreting the word in light of the Deposit of Faith. …everything God reveals is received through and according to the subject’s dispositions. In the history of prophetic revelation it is not uncommon that the prophet’s limited and imperfect human nature is impacted by a psychological, moral or spiritual event that may hinder the spiritual enlightenment of God’s revelation from shining perfectly in the prophet’s soul, whereby the prophet’s perception of the revelation is involuntarily altered. —Rev. Joseph Innanuzzi, Newsletter, Missionaries of the Holy Trinity, January-May 2014 Mariologist, Dr. Mark Miravalle notes: Such occasional occurrences of flawed prophetic habit should not lead to the condemnation of the entire body of the supernatural knowledge communicated by the prophet, if it is properly discerned to constitute authentic prophecy. —Dr. Mark Miravalle, Private Revelation: Discerning With the Church, p. 21 MERCIFUL DISCERNMENT This is all to say that the approach toward prophecy in the Church today by some is not only short-sighted, but at times merciless. The hastiness to label seers as “false prophets”, even while investigations into alleged apparitions are ongoing, is sometimes astonishing, particularly when there are obvious “good fruits.” An approach which looks for any little error, any slip in virtue or judgment as a justification to completely discredit a seer is not the approach of the Holy See when it comes to discerning prophecy. The Church is generally more patient, more deliberate, more discerning, more forgiving when taking into consideration the entire body of revelations of an alleged prophet. The words of St. Paul, one would think, should cause vocal critics to take a more cautious, humble, and like-minded-to-the-Magisterium approach to alleged phenomenon: For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God. (Acts 5:38-39) Whether we like it or not, prophecy is going to play a greater role in our times, both good and bad. For Jesus warned that “Many false prophets will arise and deceive many,”5 and St. Peter adds: It will come to pass in the last days… Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions… (Acts 2:17) It would be a mistake to “play it safe” and simply disregard all prophecy, or conversely, rush to cling to seers or visionaries with the misguided notion that they will infallibly lead us through these times. We have an infallible leader already, Jesus Christ. And He speaks and continues to speak in the harmonious voice of the Magisterium. The key to prophecy then is to get in the “Car,” turn on the “lights”, and trust the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth.
Perhaps the price we pay for Prophecy is Fatih. If we do not pay the price we do not get the message. So with Fatima. Mary was sent from heaven with an urgent request from heaven. But Rome could not believe that something of peasant kids up a moubntain in the middle of nwhere. They had not Faith enough, they were not little enough in Rome. They still aren't small enough themselves to pay the price. Faith.
. I posted the OP, as there is a surprisingly good number of Catholics who do not know that the purpose of prophecy is not to foretell the future. Many who are unaware of this, often charge prophets as being "false" as the prophesized events did not occur as foretold. Further, there exists a good deal of confusion as to the classifications (in Latin) used by the Church in classification of private prophecies. Consider the following from something I put together elsewhere: Private prophecy has been provided to us by God since the early days of the Church, and we see evidence of that in the teachings of St. Paul to the Thessalonians: “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good… .” (1 Thes 5:19-21) Further, Jesus instructed us to discern the good from the bad – embracing the good: “‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits... .” (Mt 7:15-16) With the guidance of the Holy Spirit (cf. Lk 10:16), the Church has been given the task of conducting investigations and ascertaining which private prophecies are worthy of belief, and which are not. Due to the abundance of private prophecy (particularly during contemporary times) and due to limited resources, this has proven to be a most formidable task. As a result, the Church investigates only a few of the more prominent and noteworthy alleged apparitions or locutions. That is to say, most are not investigated, and remain in the yet-to-be-approved category discussed below. Typically, the local Ordinary convenes a commission of theologians to conduct an exhaustive investigation of chosen private prophecy lasting several years taking into consideration many different issues e.g., the sanctity of the prophet, whether the messages call for repentance and frequent reception of the sacraments, whether the messages imparted contain any errors, the related devotion of the audience to the mystical occurrences or the messages imparted, the psychological conditions of the visionary, possible supernatural events attributable to the apparitions, the results of scientific studies, and more. Thereafter, the local Ordinary makes a determination by classifying the mystical occurrences within one of the following three categories: Constat de supernaturalitate -- It is certain that the events are of supernatural origin. Non-constat de supernaturalitate -- It is not certain that the events are of supernatural origin, or the supernatural origin has not been established. In this classification, the events in question are still open to eventual recognition as being authentic. Constat de non supernaturalitate -- It is certain that the events are not of supernatural origin.3 For simplicity herein, we shall refer to the categories above respectively as follows: (a) approved or worthy of belief, (b) yet-to-be-approved, and (c) disapproved. We should point out that the Deposit of Faith is defined as Catholic Tradition, Holy Scripture and the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church in union with the Pope; and belief is required to remain in good standing within the Catholic Church. All private prophecy, regardless of classification, is not part of the Deposit of Faith. As such, belief in private prophecy is not required to remain in good standing within the Catholic Church or to obtain salvation. It is worthy of emphasis that in keeping with the citations above, the Church encourages the Faithful to prayerfully discern all prophecies and messages allegedly from Heaven that fall within the first two categories: (a) approved or worthy of belief and (b) yet-to-be-approved. Clearly, prophecies and messages that have been disapproved are to be rejected categorically. As stated above, one of the things that the theologians consider is the related devotion of the audience to the mystical occurrences or the messages imparted. Accordingly, there very well may have not been any apparitions or prophecies approved by the Church as worthy of belief if there had not been any devotees prior to the declaration by the Church. .
I suppose you could look at Prophecy as a tap on the shoulder from God. Why does He tap us on the shoulder? Why to let us kow He is there. I think this responsiveness to prophesy and the supernatural/mystical is a very Catholic thing. Other people get tapped on the shoulder and often don't even notice. We get tapped and we jump.
