A colleague of mine pointed out this quotation from Michael O'Brien:
Do you reject private revelation?
O’Brien: No, I surely do not. However, I maintain that in this field of the spiritual life we must always exercise particularly careful discernment. While I respect private revelation that is tested and approved by legitimate religious authority, I am concerned about the way many deeply devout people have fallen into a kind of neo-gnostic consumption of the locutions of seers and visionaries, indiscriminately, and to the degree that it becomes an insatiable appetite. All too easily this leads to displacing the Gospels and the teachings of the Church with a pseudo-Gospel, an End-Times Gospel. In my novel, both authentic and false private revelations play a role; the authentic consoles and strengthens God’s servants, the false sows confusion among the most devout of the Lord’s followers. Both are indeed present in our times—at the very moment in history when we need to be most united in our resistance to evil.
I'm assuming that O'Brien is referring to people such as Medugorje devotees when he talks about people who "have fallen into a kind of neo-gnostic consumption of the locutions of seers and visionaries."
However, another question enters my mind when I re-read the interview.
Why do you suppose there are so many Catholics who disregard even Church-approved messages?
I could swear I've read an article or two that discusses the value and importance of acknowledging Catholic prophecy. Unfortunately, nothing comes to mind right now. Anyone here know of any such articles off hand?
It's my understanding that, yes, we should be slow to accept prophecy...but also slow to reject prophecy--particularly if it is Church-approved.