MARY, THE SAINTS, THE ANGELS, THE DEMONS
Are Marian apparitions real?
The Church invites us to live a life of faith in harmony with the Gospel. She preaches the divine message, the Good News of salvation revealed by God.
The Church believes that God can intervene in our lives by interior messages, divine touches, visions and apparitions, even though the "official" revelation has come to an end with Jesus.
Apparitions, therefore, are possible, even Marian apparitions. The Church approves of our belief in certain Marian apparitions, like those of Guadeloupe, La Salette, Lourdes, Knock and Fatima. The Church rejects all false and inauthentic Marian apparitions. She is presently studying recent apparitions such as Medjugorje.
The message of apparitions cannot differ from the message of the Gospel. It can stress aspects of it and it incites us to live more fervently Jesus' teaching.
Our faith will always rest on God's Word as it is written in the Bible and orally proclaimed in the consistent Tradition of the Church. God's Word is officially interpreted by the Magisterium, that is the teaching authority of the Church, the Pope and the bishops, successors of the apostles.
Apparitions do happen... Let us avoid a cold rationalism, which rejects all apparitions and the supernatural world. Let us also beware of supernaturalism, which would lead us to accept with simplistic credulity everything that sounds new and sensational, every would-be message, vision or apparition.
We should adopt the open, wise and prudent attitude of the Church.