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Millions of sincere people believe in miracles, apparitions, and visions. They flock to shrines such as the one shown here in Fátima, Portugal, with the hope of obtaining or seeing a miraculous cure. Some of the devout will go on their knees to the sanctuary. Many believe that they have been healed. But other sincere people ask, Are these miracles and apparitions really from God? Is there any other explanation?

Miracles and Apparitions​—Past and Present

By Awake! correspondent in France

GUADALUPE, Fátima, and Lourdes​—what do those names mean to you? For many they are just towns in Mexico, Portugal, and France. But for millions of sincere Catholics, they are sanctuaries, three of the most famous Marian shrines in the world. Catholic devotion to such places is far from waning in this 20th century. For instance, in 1982 some 4,500,000 visitors poured into Lourdes, while even greater throngs crowded Guadalupe.

For the Catholic Church, these shrines are places of alleged miraculous cures. This is particularly so in the case of Lourdes, described by Pope Pius X as “the center of Marian worship and the throne of Eucharistic mystery, seemingly surpassing in glory all similar centers throughout the Catholic world.” Thousands of people have claimed to have been cured during or after a pilgrimage to Lourdes. However, the church has recognized only 65 “miracles” to date.

Whether you believe in God or not, you have a right to ask questions. What about these apparitions, mainly of Mary, around the world? Are the miraculous cures and other events associated with them proof of divine approval? At a conference held in Lourdes in 1986, the bishop of Tours encouraged his hearers to ‘meditate on the meaning of the apparitions’ so as to ‘establish the important distinctions between false and true apparitions.’ If you are a Catholic, you too might be interested in taking a closer look at the subject.

Apparitions​—True or False?

The Roman Catholic Church does not officially commit itself regarding such apparitions, nor does it oblige its members to believe in them. But what are sincere Catholics to conclude when they see Pope John Paul II drinking water from the Lourdes grotto or talking with Lucie, the only person alive to have seen the apparition of Fátima? Is this not a clear demonstration of his (and the church’s) official approval? Moreover, during his travels, the pope never fails to visit Marian sanctuaries, such as the shrine of the Black Virgin of Czestochowa in Poland.

Other more modest shrines have been approved by the church, such as Beauraing and Banneux in Belgium. Sometimes worship is permitted only on a local level, as is the case in Tre Fontane, Italy, and Marienfried, Germany.

Since the end of the 19th century, however, many have laid claim to seeing apparitions. The book Vraies et fausses apparitions dans l’Église (True and False Apparitions in the Church) estimates that there were over 200 cases from 1930 to 1976. Why were so few officially recognized when, according to the author, “the messages, apart from a few exceptions, were not absurd and, upon examination, turned out to be practically identical”?

The French magazine L’Histoire offers an explanation in an article dealing with 19th-century apparitions of Mary in the Loire area of east central France. According to the author, the church did not investigate these occurrences and left them in obscurity in order to avoid “competition” with already recognized shrines.

Today, some are of the opinion that the church’s present reserve is due to its recent concern for “scientific” exactitude. René Laurentin, a French Catholic authority on these matters, even says that apparitions like those at Lourdes would have little chance of being officially recognized today. But should not signs​—if authentically from God—​be accepted as such at any time in history?

More Modern Apparitions

Apparitions are still taking place. At San Damiano, Italy, crowds of pilgrims throng to the place where Mamma Rosa (who died in 1981) claimed she had seen “the Virgin.” The church remains reserved on the subject, but some of the faithful hope for a change in attitude following the conversions supposed to have taken place there.

In the little village of Medjugorje, Yugoslavia, children and teenagers recently reported over a thousand apparitions of the “Virgin.” Here again, in spite of the church’s discretion, certain groups fight for official recognition of the phenomena. Catholics, however, may well wonder what attitude to adopt while awaiting the decision of the ecclesiastical authorities. In the meantime, should they put faith in such testimonials?

To complete the picture, there are also apparitions rejected by the church, such as those at Palmar de Troya, Spain. Concerning the latter, the bishop of Seville warned the faithful not to “nourish public credulity as concerns phenomena that the church does not recognize and even condemns.” Despite the warning, a division nevertheless occurred, leading to the excommunication of an archbishop and several priests, who, in defiance of the church, maintained that the apparitions were authentic.

How is it possible to decide whether apparitions are authentic or not? The following article will deal with that question in detail.

Miracles and Apparitions​—Signs From God?

“MIRACLES today are still taken to be . . . a sort of letter of recommendation, a guarantee of God’s authentic message, his almighty seal on a mission or word coming from him.” The miracles here referred to by Joseph Vandrisse, correspondent at the Vatican for the French daily Le Figaro, are naturally those approved by the Catholic Church. But what are the church’s criteria for determining whether a miracle or an apparition truly comes from God?

Should the Church Judge Its Own Case?

According to Catholic authorities, apparitions must satisfy two conditions. First, they must be in harmony with the church’s teachings. A striking example is the apparition at Lourdes, where the “Virgin” presented herself as “The Immaculate Conception.” Interestingly, a few years before this, Pope Pius IX had decreed that at conception Mary was preserved free from original sin. In 1933 the future Pius XII expressed his opinion that the two events were linked, stating: “The Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and blessed among women, wished to confirm with her own lips that which was defined in Rome by her infallible Supreme Pontiff. This she did soon afterward in a famous apparition at the Massabielle Grotto [Lourdes].”

Second, the conduct of the one who saw the apparition must be considered. As the bishop of Tours stated: “The church . . . believed in the apparitions [at Lourdes] because of Bernadette’s holiness.” And the ecclesiastical authorities consider that both Bernadette and Lucie, who claimed to have seen Mary at Lourdes and Fátima respectively, met this condition by later becoming nuns.

The messages transmitted were in agreement with Catholic teaching. The visionaries’ lives were in harmony with the model established by the church. In these cases, it is hardly surprising that the apparitions recognized by the Catholic Church confirm her own traditions and doctrines exclusively, even the most recent ones, such as the Immaculate Conception.

But are miracles and apparitions actually signs from heaven that prove the veracity of the church’s teachings? J. Bricout, editor of the Dictionnaire pratique des connaissances religieuses (Dictionary of Religious Knowledge), quoted another Catholic author, P. Buysse, who wrote: “As the miracles of Lourdes have a specific connection with ‘beliefs peculiar to the Catholic Church’ (the Immaculate Conception, the definition of this dogma by pontifical authority, veneration of the Blessed Sacrament, veneration of the Virgin Mary, and so forth), one may, rather, one must recognize that ‘the doctrines of the church bear the seal of God’s approval.’”

However, the Catholic Church cannot rightfully claim such a divine warrant. By taking upon itself the authority to decide whether apparitions (and associated miracles) come from God or not, it is setting itself up as judge of its own case.

Many other religions allege evidence of miracles and claim to have God’s support. Is God behind the miracles performed in the charismatic movements (including non-Catholic ones) or even in non-Christian religions? It is difficult to believe that he is, for the Bible tells us that God is “a God, not of disorder, but of peace.”​—1 Corinthians 14:33.

What is the correct basis for judging? The book Les signes de crédibilité de la révélation chrétienne (Signs of Credibility of the Christian Revelation) explained that the criteria for considering a miracle to be authentic are principally moral and religious.

True to the Revelation?

According to various Catholic authors, “the First requirement is that the message transmitted be true to the revelation of the Gospel and doctrinal tradition of the church.” “No new revelation can modify the initial revelation.” Also, Pope John Paul II explained that “the message that was given at Fátima in 1917 contains the whole truth of the Gospel.” All of this means that above all, the message given by such apparitions must conform to the “revelation,” the Holy Scriptures. Does this really prove to be the case?

What conclusions can be drawn from the visions of a fiery hell given to the shepherds in Fátima? The Scriptures clearly show that sinners are not punished in this way when they die. Jesus himself stated that we should be in fear of the One that can destroy both soul and body, thus showing that the soul can die. Other Bible texts clearly teach that there is no consciousness in death and that the hope of living again is based on the Bible promise of a future resurrection.​—Matthew 10:28; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; John 5:28, 29.

And what about the “Immaculate Conception” that Bernadette spoke about? This again is a flagrant contradiction of Bible teaching. The Scriptures show that Mary, like all of Adam’s descendants, was ‘conceived in sin’ and inherited death. (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23) If Mary was conceived without sin, why did she present a sin offering after the birth of Jesus? (Leviticus 12:6; Luke 2:22-24) Moreover, there is not a single Bible text to support the Catholic doctrine that says that she was preserved from original sin by special grace. Since the worship of Mary has no Scriptural foundation, it is quite logical to raise questions as to whether her apparitions are from God.

Could They Be From Another Source?

Of course, Bible scholars know that miraculous signs do not all stem from God. After citing the miracles accomplished by the Egyptian magicians before Pharaoh and Moses, the Dictionnaire de la Bible, edited by F. Vigouroux, mentions that “in the final days, false prophets and false Christs, all agents of the Devil, will work many miracles to the point of deceiving the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ themselves, if that were possible.”​—Matthew 24:24; Exodus 7:8-13.

But what if, as was the case at Fátima, the apparition invites mankind to repent and asks believers to pray for the conversion of sinners? Interestingly, a book in favor of apparitions, entitled Fàtima​—Merveille du XX^e siècle (Fátima—​Marvel of the 20th Century), quotes the priest, who was at that time in Fátima, as expressing his doubts about the origin of these messages in spite of their content. He stated: “It could well be demonic trickery.” Indeed, the Bible shows that Satan “goes disguised as an angel of light” and that “his servants, too, disguise themselves as the servants of righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 11:14, 15, The Jerusalem Bible) A plausible message is therefore no proof that an apparition really comes from God.

This is also the conclusion drawn by Calmet’s [Catholic] Dictionnaire historique de la Bible, which states: “Miracles and wonders are not always a sure sign that those performing them are holy or that their doctrine is correct, nor are they sure testimony of the visionaries’ having received a mission.”

In contrast, Christ performed many miracles while on earth. What was his purpose, and what light do they shed on today’s miracles and wonders? These questions will be answered in the following article.

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December 9, 1531.

A Mexican Indian, named Juan Diego, was hurrying along to Mass in Mexico City. On the way he encountered a lady who sent him to ask the bishop of Mexico City to build a church on the very ground where she stood. The bishop was somewhat skeptical about the Indian’s message.

At a following apparition, she introduced herself as the mother of the true God and a little later as “Holy Mary of Guadalupe.” In order to provide him with a sign, she told Juan Diego to gather some roses, although it was neither the season nor the place for such flowers. Nevertheless, he found some and wrapped them up in his cloak. While he was presenting them to the bishop, a life-sized figure of the “Virgin” appeared on his cloak.

A portrait of the scene is on display today in Guadalupe Basilica, near Mexico City.

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Guadalupe

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February 11, 1858.

A 14-year-old French girl named Bernadette Soubirous, her sister, and a friend were out gathering firewood near Lourdes, a town in southwest France near the Spanish border. Just as Bernadette was going to cross a stream, a “lady” appeared to her in a grotto. On other occasions, the same “lady” asked for a chapel to be built on that very spot and appealed to all mankind to repent.

Encountering yet another apparition, Bernadette heard the “lady” say in the local dialect: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Alone against civil and even religious authorities, Bernadette Soubirous maintained that her declarations were true. Finally, the Catholic Church officially recognized the apparitions of the “Virgin.” The sanctuary at Lourdes is the result.

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Lourdes

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May 13, 1917.

A young shepherd and two shepherdesses were guarding their flocks at Fátima, in central Portugal, where they saw their first apparition of the “Virgin.” During a later apparition, people hurried to the spot in hopes of receiving a sign. They claimed to have seen the sun dancing in the heavens and then fall to earth.

The children also received “secrets.” They had a vision of hell, where they saw sinners suffering horribly in terrible flames. The “Virgin” also asked for Russia to be consecrated to her “immaculate heart.” Later popes fulfilled her wish. A last “secret” is guarded by the highest authorities of the Catholic Church, who refuse to make it known to the public at present.

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Fátima