|
The Church submits any reported apparation to exhaustive study and evaluation. The mental state of the seer him/herself is studied from the perspective of human psychology. Any miracles are analyzed from the viewpoint of science to ascertain if any natural explanation is possible. The fruits of the apparition are studied. Jesus said "by their fruits you will know them" (MT 7:16), and "a good tree does not bear rotten fruit nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit" (LK 6:43). Therefore what happens as a result of an apparition is a vital sign as to whether or not it is from God, purely human, or even demonic. And perhaps most importantly of all anything contained in a private revelation cannot contradict the public deposit of faith contained in Sacred Scripture and the Magesterium (teaching authority) of the Church. Any such contradiction is a clear sign that God has no part of an apparition. For a more detailed explanation check out this site http://campus.udayton.edu/mary//resources/newsltr.html.
|