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Reported Private Revelations in San Francisco: Theological and Pastoral Reflections

By: Reverend Milton T. Walsh, S.T.D.

For the past three years, Carlos Lopez and Jorge Zavala have met with me on a regular basis to share with me their spiritual experiences and the content of messages which they claim to have received from various saints, most frequently Our Lady. I am not their spiritual director, although they do have a priest to whom they go on a regular basis for direction, they also meet regularly with Fr. Robert Hughes in San Jose.

In our discussions, we would talk primarily about the experiences of their prayer group and of the opportunities they have had to evangelize to various groups throughout the world. They share with me a written text of the messages they have received, and have asked me to share them with the Archbishop. It is clear that their desire is to do whatever they do spiritually within the community of the Church and in communion with their bishop. I have found them to be modest, sincere and desirous above all that people be drawn to a richer life of prayer and more fervent participation in the sacramental life of the Church.

Over these past three years, the prayer group which has met weekly at their home has experienced remarkable growth. From a gathering of five or six people, it has grown to well over a hundred; recently the venue was moved to a neighboring church, St. Bruno's. They have been called upon to speak at various spiritual gatherings all across our country, and in other parts of the world. As these men and their messages have gained in notoriety, I have been asked by various individuals my opinion of them, as well as what kind of approbation these messages carry. Accordingly. the purpose of this paper is simply to take an opportunity to reflect on this phenomenon in light of solid theological and pastoral principles.

In the face of claims of "messages" from Christ or one of the saints, it seems to me necessary that we avoid both unreflective credulity and unreflective skepticism; hopefully, the material I have gathered here will provide some insights into the situation of Carlos Lopez and Jorge Zavala.

1. Theological Foundations

Back in 1963, Karl Rahner wrote an essay entitled "Visions and Prophecies." In this essay. Rahner argued that the prophetic element in the Church was extremely important, even if in recent times it had been all but ignored and found itself to be suspect in official circles. This essay was written during the Second Vatican Council, which spoke eloquently to the importance of a dynamic rapport between the institutional and charismatic elements in the Church.

Rahner treated of private revelations (visions and locutions) within the context, of the prophetic element of the Church, and observed:

Private revelations are essentially inspirations showing how Christianity should act in a concrete historical situation: not new assertions, but new commands!

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Here Rahner alludes to the teaching of St. Thomas to the effect that in every age the Church is given persons with a spirit of prophecy, not for the declaration of new doctrines of faith, but for the direction of human acts.

When dealing with private revelations, Rahner observes that these can be of three types: natural. supernatural, and supematural / miraculous. While a reported vision accompanied by miracles makes a special claim for credibility, even a vision which has a natural explanation might be a "work of God." God's revelation is suited to the human psyche; hence, even if a message emanates from the subconscious (as can be the case with dreams), that message may still be of great value.

In attempting to evaluate the authenticity and significance of reported visions, one must take into account the bodily and mental health, piety and honesty of the seer. Above all, signs of conversion and humility in the life of a seer bear testimony to a positive appraisal of the private revelation.

As a cautionary note, Rahner relies on the teaching of August Poulain, S.J., whose "Graces of Interior Prayer" remains a classic of spiritual analysis. In Poulain's experience, three out of four reported visions are not supernatural in origin, although they are well-intentioned and harmless. Even in the cases where we are dealing with the revelations given to great saints, Poulain supplies much testimony to demonstrate that erroneous elements are present. Thus, even if one were to judge a visionary's messages as trustworthy, this would not entail a wholesale acceptance of everything the visionary shares.

Toward the end of his essay, Rahner writes:

"The good in any prophecy is ultimately shown if it awakens us to the gravity of decision in courageous faith, if it makes clear to us that the world is in a deplorable state (which we never like to admit), if it steels our patience and fortifies our faith that God has already triumphed, if it fills us with confidence in the one Lord of the still secret future, if it brings us to prayer, to conversion of heart, and to faith that nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ."

Whatever the value of private revelations, they clearly must be subservient to the Gospel, the sacramental life of the Church and the mystery of the Cross.

II. Pastoral Aspects

At the time Rahner wrote his essay, the charismatic elements in the life of the Church were just beginning to emerge from an era of suspicion. The blossoming of the charismatic renewal and many vigorous spiritual currents in the Church since Vatican II bear witness to the fact that the prayer of Pope John for "a new Pentecost" is being generously answered.

These movements have underscored both the complementariety and tensions between file charismatic and institutional elements in the Church. How to integrate these movements into tile life of the Church so that serve to build tip the whole Body of Christ, rather than becoming a source of division and mutual suspicion? The question is as old as the Christian community in Corinth.

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It is essential that both members and leaders of the Church test every spirit and approach reported accounts of visions with prudence and reserve. This is important on both a subjective and an objective level. Subjectively, we know that the human psyche is very complex, and especially in areas like this there is a real possibility of error. Objectively, people need to be reminded that extraordinary interventions, such as visions and locutions, are only secondary, supporting aspects of spiritual life, and can only be valued to the extent that they strengthen our discipleship in the life of the hurch. It is noteworthy that the greatest mystics in the Church set little store by extraordinary religious experiences; they distrusted them, and held them to be of little account.

At the same time, we should not simply dismiss those who have such experiences, nor the effect their testimony can have on others. For one thing, such treatment only serves to marginalize them. and create what Rene Laurentin calls "a church of apparitions". Writing in "Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Today", Laurentin urges pastors to seek where possible to integrate those claiming such experiences into the wider community of the Church:

"... where priests prudently take this grace on board, with all its uncertainties, there is a better chance of a healthy evolution through the parish environment and the grace of the sacraments."

In the aforementioned book, Laurentin surveys reported apparitions of Our Lady throughout the world. &nbap; These are being reported with increasing frequency. He draws a distinction between "major" apparitions which have been experienced as having worldwide significance in the life of the Church (such as Lourdes,Guadalupe and Fatima), and the many "minor" apparitions reported, which have meaning for a small local community. Such experiences are aimed at reawakening faith and calling people to a deeper life of prayer and self-sacrifice.

Fr. Benedict Groeschl has also recently written a book which is helpful in appraising these matters. This book presents in summary form the essential insights of Fr. Poulain's work, and concludes by calling every believer to the centrality of day-to-day discipleship, a path which can sometimes be lost sight of in reports of the marvelous.

III. Carlos Lopez and Jorge Zavala

In the light of the theological and pastoral aspects outlined here, I would like to make some concluding points regarding the experiences of Carlos Lopez and Jorge Zavala. First of all, it must be clearly stated that I am not in a position to make a definitive judgment as to the origins or authenticity of the messages they report. Such a judgment would have to come at the end of a lengthy and thorough investigation, conducted along the lines suggested by Fr. Poulain.

I would comment positively on two matters: the impact of these experiences on their own spiritual life, and the effect their reported experiences have on others. As regards Carlos and Jorge they seem to me to be very sincere in their convictions and in their desire to live a committed life of discipleship.   In our conversations very little time is spent in discussing the messages, but rather on their own life of prayer and sacrifice and their desire to call others to conversion. In our conversations, they manifest great humility and a spirit of docility to the Church.

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As regards others. the prayer group of four or five people who used to meet in their home has now expanded to such an extent that they have begun to meet at St. Bruno's church. They are very forthright in striving to avoid the encouragement of a personality cult; they regularly urge the members of the group to be faithful to the meetings even when they are not present. On the evening when I celebrated Mass with the group (about a hundred and fifty people) and stayed for the rosary, the service seemed to be very straightforward and prayerful.

The fact that they now meet in a church may create ambiguities for some. On the one hand. it may imply a greater "authorization" than is in fact the case. On the other hand, the presence of the community in the church and the emphasis on the Eucharist and the word of God serves to keep the prayer group ecclesially centered.

The basic content of the messages shared by Carlos and Jorge is a call to prayer, penance and conversion of heart. Their own humility, and the emphasis they place on the essential elements of our faith seems to me to be healthy signs. I believe they are prudent in seeking advice and striving to do everything in accord with the wishes of the Archbishop and the priests from whom they seek counsel. it would not be appropriate to make a judgement on the origin of the messages they convey, but certainly the effect of their witness is positive, and should be encouraged.

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