Dear Confused:

No private revelation/apparition, even if approved by the Church, is required for us to believe. At best a private revelation can give is a great devotion, like the Rosary or the Divine Mercy, but it adds nothing to the Public Revelation that we must believe in for salvation. When the Church approves a private revelation she merely says that it comes from heaven and that it can aid us in our faith, nothing more.

In the case of Stanley C. Villavicencio, who has not been approved by the Holy See as yet, I am a bit surprised at the acceptance of him by the Cardinal as some of what Villavicencio says appears to be problematic in my opinion.

One small example, in his book he is asked the question, "What is the difference between a venial sin and a mortal sin? His answer was:

A mortal sin is committed when you know it is a sin but still you do it. Meaning if you do it with full knowledge, it becomes a mortal sin. Venial sin is a sin that was not intentionally done so it is a venial sin.

This is incomplete at best, and, in terms of venial sin, misleading. Here is the definition from the Church (Catechism):

1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent."

1862 One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.

This is pretty basic teaching. At best Villavicencio is sloppy, incomplete and/or ignorant, at worse, he is being duped by the devil to lead the faithful astray. Villavicencio's definition of Venial Sin, for example, can lead people astray thinking that any sin committed unintentionally is Venial. That is a false implication. One does not accidentally or unintentionally sin, whether it is mortal or venial.

To take the most charitable take on this, Villavicencio is intellectually sloppy. This can be a problem when speaking before people who are simple and perhaps ignorant of their faith. The faithful need precise definitions, not sloppy ones that can imply something that is not.

But, we are asking the wrong question.

The real question is why listen to private revelations at all?

If one studies Public Revelation, such as the Bible, one will learn nothing new from a apparition message. God has already given us His revelation in Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture. The Public Revelation is all we need to know and love the faith. It is Public Revelation that is all we need to know how to live our faith.

Satan can use Private Revelations, even approved ones, to distract us from our primary source of faith — the Bible and the Church.

Private Revelations benefit mostly the lazy. Our Blessed Mother and our Lord appear to seers once-in-awhile to remind us of what we should have already known. We are so loved by Our Lord and our Blessed Mother that, like good parents, they will remind their lazy children of the things that they should have already known had they done their homework (the Bible) and paid attention to the teacher (the homily and teachers of the faith).

If the faithful got off their coach potato hind-ends and began to read and study God's love letter to us, the Bible, they would never take a second look, or a first look for that matter, at apparitions and other private revelations. There would be no need. The faithful will have already heard it all from Public Revelation and the Church.

Certainly, this test should be taken by anyone who follows apparitions and the like: "Do you spend more time researching and reading apparition messages than you do reading and studying the Bible?"

If the answer to this question is "yes", then one is out-of-line and out-of-balance and desperately needs to refocus their energies upon the Public Revelation which is the only "revelation" that brings us salvation. In addition, the percentage of time reading and studying the Bible over reading apparition messages should be at least 90% - 10% at the least. The Bible should never have to compete with private revelations for your attention.

I would advise that you not follow or read Villavicencio until approved by the Holy See. Better yet, do not read him or any other seer at all. Instead, read the Bible. I mean, why have fatty low-grade hamburger (Villavicencio) when you can have Prime Rib (the Bible and the Church)?

Regardless, focus on the Public Revelation of God and those who teach from that Public Revelation, and you will not need apparition sources to help you with your faith.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary