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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Catholic Mystics or Intuitives	Charlene	Monday, December 8, 2014
Question: What do you think about people who call themselves "Catholic Mystics," or "Catholic Intuitives?" It seems that these people are often used by dioceses to assist deliverances or by paranormal investigators for their knowledge of that which cannot be perceived with the 5 senses but are past events or actions that can be taken to help liberate a person or place from demonic issues. What type of "special gifts" do these people have? Do they have the ability to know the past (i.e., what has led to a haunting or demonic infestation), heal infirmities, read minds or know what is going on from miles away or communicate telepathically, see demons infesting a person or place, see angels, and/or see the souls in purgatory? Are all of these things real gifts of the Holy Spirit? Or are they something else? How do you know if a person of this description is "legitimate" or not? Do they have to be approved by a Bishop or Priest? What about cases in which the mystic or intuitive is literally proven "right" about "everything" but then they give additional information about something in case that is contrary to Church doctrine, such as reincarnation?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), CCL, LTh, DD, LNDC Dear Charlene: Catholic Mystics include St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, and many other saints. Mysticism is part of the great tradition of the Catholic Faith. Mystics, however, are not involved in deliverance or exorcism. What you are talking about are "intuitives" or "sensitives." Most of those who consider themselves sensitives are fake, but there are genuine Catholic sensitives who can be useful in spiritual warfare. Fr. Amorth, former chief exorcist in Rome, speaks about this in his book, An Exorcist Tells His Story: Many times seers [who see] and sensitives [who feel] have contacted me; at times I have directly called them and asked them to be present in prayer during some exorcisms, to find out what they saw or felt. I was able to discern at their answers were given by the spirit of knowledge. ... Seers and sensitives are often asked to walk into houses that, because a strange occurrences, are thought to be infested, and they can sense whether evil is present or not. They're able to direct objects that have been hexed and that must be burned to remove the malefice. ... I could go on with many more examples. I will say that the Seers and sensitives I have chosen to consult — among the many that I have been offered as such — have all been very prayerful individuals, rich in goodness and charity, and especially very humble. If I had not discovered them by chance or because someone inform me of their talents, they would never have told me what are these talents? Charisms? Paranormal abilities? I tend to believe that it is a paranormal gift of the person uses to serve others. I don't exclude that it can be a carats him. I have never noticed in these people any sign of tiredness or loss of strength. ... I will add that it's very difficult to find true Sears or sense of this. On the other hand, there are a multitude of people who believe they have and are reputed to have these gifts. We need to be very careful. A couple of important points that Father mentions: Genuine seers and sensitives do not advertise themselves. Genuine seers and sensitives never get tired or lose strength by their activity. All genuine seers and sensitives will be devout Catholics in obedience to all that the Church teaches. It a sensitive has a charism that charism will likely be the Gift of Discernment, which discerns spirits and also the spirit of error and spirit of truth. True seers and sensitives are rare. As to your other questions: no one can read minds, not angels, nor demons, nor people. Only God can read your mind. Seers and sensitives do not know the past, nor do they heal, have clairvoyance (seeing at a distance), or have telepathy. They do not see souls in purgatory. Seers and sensitives either see or feel the presence of evil, demons, sometimes angels, the location of a hex, information useful to an exorcist, and things like that. Anything that a seer or sensitive points to must be checked out and verified by other means. Such persons are helpful but they are not the definitive source. Fr. Amorth gives information about how to spot a true seer or sensitive in the quote above. The Church does not officially "approve" such people. Usually, such persons are used by a particular exorcist or deliverance counselor after careful vetting and discernment of the person. Anyone, mystic, seer, or sensitive, or whoever, who asserts anything contrary to Church teaching is a person whose gifts are not of God. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Catholic Mystics or Intuitives

Charlene

Monday, December 8, 2014

Question:

What do you think about people who call themselves "Catholic Mystics," or "Catholic Intuitives?" It seems that these people are often used by dioceses to assist deliverances or by paranormal investigators for their knowledge of that which cannot be perceived with the 5 senses but are past events or actions that can be taken to help liberate a person or place from demonic issues.

What type of "special gifts" do these people have? Do they have the ability to know the past (i.e., what has led to a haunting or demonic infestation), heal infirmities,
read minds or know what is going on from miles away or communicate telepathically, see demons infesting a person or place, see angels, and/or see the souls in purgatory?

Are all of these things real gifts of the Holy Spirit? Or are they something else?

How do you know if a person of this description is "legitimate" or not? Do they have to be approved by a Bishop or Priest?

What about cases in which the mystic or intuitive is literally proven "right" about "everything" but then they give additional information about something in case that is contrary to Church doctrine, such as reincarnation?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), CCL, LTh, DD, LNDC

Dear Charlene:

Catholic Mystics include St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, and many other saints. Mysticism is part of the great tradition of the Catholic Faith. Mystics, however, are not involved in deliverance or exorcism.

What you are talking about are "intuitives" or "sensitives." Most of those who consider themselves sensitives are fake, but there are genuine Catholic sensitives who can be useful in spiritual warfare. Fr. Amorth, former chief exorcist in Rome, speaks about this in his book, An Exorcist Tells His Story:

Many times seers [who see] and sensitives [who feel] have contacted me; at times I have directly called them and asked them to be present in prayer during some exorcisms, to find out what they saw or felt. I was able to discern at their answers were given by the spirit of knowledge.

...

Seers and sensitives are often asked to walk into houses that, because a strange occurrences, are thought to be infested, and they can sense whether evil is present or not. They're able to direct objects that have been hexed and that must be burned to remove the malefice.

...

I could go on with many more examples. I will say that the Seers and sensitives I have chosen to consult — among the many that I have been offered as such — have all been very prayerful individuals, rich in goodness and charity, and especially very humble. If I had not discovered them by chance or because someone inform me of their talents, they would never have told me what are these talents? Charisms? Paranormal abilities? I tend to believe that it is a paranormal gift of the person uses to serve others. I don't exclude that it can be a carats him. I have never noticed in these people any sign of tiredness or loss of strength.

...

I will add that it's very difficult to find true Sears or sense of this. On the other hand, there are a multitude of people who believe they have and are reputed to have these gifts. We need to be very careful.

A couple of important points that Father mentions: Genuine seers and sensitives do not advertise themselves. Genuine seers and sensitives never get tired or lose strength by their activity. All genuine seers and sensitives will be devout Catholics in obedience to all that the Church teaches.

It a sensitive has a charism that charism will likely be the Gift of Discernment, which discerns spirits and also the spirit of error and spirit of truth.

True seers and sensitives are rare.

As to your other questions: no one can read minds, not angels, nor demons, nor people. Only God can read your mind. Seers and sensitives do not know the past, nor do they heal, have clairvoyance (seeing at a distance), or have telepathy. They do not see souls in purgatory. Seers and sensitives either see or feel the presence of evil, demons, sometimes angels, the location of a hex, information useful to an exorcist, and things like that.

Anything that a seer or sensitive points to must be checked out and verified by other means. Such persons are helpful but they are not the definitive source.

Fr. Amorth gives information about how to spot a true seer or sensitive in the quote above. The Church does not officially "approve" such people. Usually, such persons are used by a particular exorcist or deliverance counselor after careful vetting and discernment of the person.

Anyone, mystic, seer, or sensitive, or whoever, who asserts anything contrary to Church teaching is a person whose gifts are not of God.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.