Paranormal activity: Do Catholics believe in ghosts?

[Amppax]

11 hours ago, Not A Real Name said:

I've never liked Casper.

I personally never liked Kaspar myself. 

I read an interesting article last year, I forget when, about this topic. At least, about the topic in the header, my squirrel-like attention span took one look at your first post @Josh and kept scrolling. Will have to see if I can find the article. 

[BarbTherese]

6 hours ago, Josh said:

I don't know how to explain it

I think that is it, Josh ......... no explanation -  and being inexplicable, leave it be.  One knows what one saw - one knows what happened.  It was seen and it happened.  I am confident if God wanted to say something etc. because of the happening, then He would make things clearer if one missed the message.  That is my investment.

After all, we do believe in a life after death, while we do not know the precise details of life after death.  Here's an interesting article by Jimmy Akin http://www.jimmyakin.org/2005/07/ghosts.html (his link in the text does not work for me).

I think if one has an experience that one is unable to explain away, say a prayer for the intentions of The Sacred Heart.........and do not be concerned at all about the experience.  If a person is concerned, then speak with a priest. As previously said above, if God wants to communicate something and one hasn't got the message, I believe that He would make things clearer....and clearer and then clearer still........until the penny finally dropped.  The patience and persistence of The Lord is astounding.   Look at the patience and persistence He had with Israel despite all their wanderings and dreadful failures.  Look at the patience, astounding Love and Mercy, He has with us in gifting The Sacrament of Reconciliation. In this great Sacrament there is nothing whatsoever, nothing, that will not be forgiven, providing one has of course the right disposition and nothing mystical or esoteric about those dispositions, quite logical and understandable in fact.

Dispositions for Good Confession (based on http://www.saintaquinas.com/howto_confess.html )

Three things are required for a valid sacramental confession. 

First, the Catholic must examine his conscience honestly and thoroughly and must not withhold confession of any mortal sins (CCC 1456). 

Second, the one penitent must be contrite and repentant (CCC 1451). A contrite person will seek the Sacrament of Confession because he is sorry for his sins.   Love for God is the best motivation for seeking God’s forgiveness, but even if the confessor is not perfectly contrite (and seeks forgiveness out of simple fear of hell) the Sacrament of Reconciliation will still remain valid (CCC 1453).  However, if a person enters the Sacrament with the intention of committing the sin later, then this person is not sorry for his sins and the sin will not be forgiven - i.e. invalid reception of The Sacrament.

Finally, the penitent must complete the penance assigned to him by the priest as soon as possible (CCC 1494). 

 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Amppax said:

I personally never liked Kaspar myself. 

I read an interesting article last year, I forget when, about this topic. At least, about the topic in the header, my squirrel-like attention span took one look at your first post @Josh and kept scrolling. Will have to see if I can find the article. 

Yeah I'm to blame for that from how I've been posting lately. Having someone I respect like Dust call me out recently has made me reevaluate how I will be posting in the future. Less frequently and more humbly. You guys are my pham and I'm not here to pick fights with people. Apologies to whomever I offended. Apologies to PhuturePriest also. God bless everyone. A sad morning with these bombings that just took place. Every one have a good day.

[Amppax]

9 hours ago, Josh said:

Yeah I'm to blame for that from how I've been posting lately. Having someone I respect like Dust call me out recently has made me reevaluate how I will be posting in the future. Less frequently and more humbly. You guys are my pham and I'm not here to pick fights with people. Apologies to whomever I offended. Apologies to PhuturePriest also. God bless everyone. A sad morning with these bombings that just took place. Every one have a good day.

No, my unwillingness to read the post is more my own problem then yours Josh, I'm just giving you a hard time. Wasn't trying to pick a fight. 

[Guest]

On 3/21/2016 1:36:31, PhuturePriest said:

Before I left Detroit I saw a clear outline of a person in my room one night. I thought it was my roommate so I didn't freak out, but he walked in later and I realized it was something else.

Can you elaborate on this? Are you fairly convinced it was paranormal? Could it have been someone else beside your roommate?

On 3/21/2016 4:26:41, Ash Wednesday said:

 

A colleague and I had a bizarre experience on a magazine photoshoot in a haunted building, something that defied explanation. Making a long story short, we will never know what to make of it -- whether it was demonic or a soul in need of prayer. It wasn't something of an area or situation I really cared to pursue much more to a great extent.

 

If you ever have time and feel comfortable could you tell the story?

On 3/21/2016 8:30:37, CatherineM said:

I believe he invited evil into his life and home and it stayed after he left. He also left his parents behind in their burial urns. We took them to the police to be buried at potters field. 

So are you near 100 % convinced something paranormal was happening? Or do you think it could somehow be explained by natural means?

On 3/21/2016 9:25:41, Makarioi said:

I don't know what our Church says about the subject but it wasn't until I was in my early 40s when my brother, aunt and grandmother and I were sitting around a table just chatting.  I brought up things that happened in our NY home with the preamble of: I think that house was haunted because...you're going to think this is crazy, but......

They then shared their experiences in that house however only mine was of whatever it was actually grabbing the nape of my neck turning my head as though both hands were on my face, forcing me to look on one direction.  I don't really want to get into what it wanted me to see, but I see it to this day.  With all of the experiences now on the table, I'm sure that that house was haunted.  

My FL home that I purchased had similar experiences, from a repeated dark shadows with red eyes that would actually be able to touch things.  The window louvers would move without the A/C or fan on, knocking on walls, or the causing the waterbed to move. I would see shadows out of the corner of my eye.  One day, I actually saw a figure that faded.  Now, this is going to sound weird but I told 'it' that it was welcome to stay but it was forbidden to harm my family, turn on the stove/oven, unlock doors etc.  Oddly, after that things calmed down.

So, I guess I can say that there may be something to the belief that folks are caught in the middle between here and there, how they get stuck, I don't know, but I know for sure that they're out there. 

 

Wow that is pretty crazy. Are you close to 100% that what you experienced was paranormal? Is there any percentage that it may have been of natural causes in your mind? Also not to bug you about what it wanted you to see but if you're ever comfortable sharing I'm really curious. God bless.

On 3/21/2016 9:54:26, Ice_nine said:

I don't know, but this story did freak me out http://www.inquisitr.com/2766594/after-japan-tsunami-taxi-drivers-picked-up-ghost-passengers-trying-to-get-home/#utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Feed

It is about a student doing research on some taxi drivers who claimed to pick up ghosts after the 2013 tsunami. Here's an excerpt:

One driver said he picked up a woman in a coat in early summer, several months after the tsunami.

“Please go to the Minamihama (district),” the woman said.

He told her the area was empty — it had been devastated by the tsunami. Then, she asked a very strange question in a shaking voice.

“Have I died?”

The question was enough to make the driver turn to look in the back seat, but no one was there.

Insane. What are your thoughts on this?

Edited April 6, 2016 by Guest

[Benedictus]

Holy Spirit, yes. Communion of Saints, yes. Other sorts of entities (good, bad, mad/ugly), yes. I have no desire to attract or attempt to discern anything of the latter sort. I've enough experience to know personally that the latter exist. Don't invest time and energy in drawing it out, it will risk causing you trouble.

When I was a kid I stayed with a family in Florida for a few months. They were into Spiritism, Allan Kardec tradition etc, at least the wife was. Healings, spirit reading, laying of hands, spirit stones and water amulets etc were the typical kinds of stuff. She'd have groups come over to that house. That place always felt odd. Strange experiences there: illnesses and body marks, dreams, shadow figures, paralysed into our beds/the spot, noises/faint voices, doors locking behind us or being slammed etc etc. I was only young and my parents told me it's all coincidences or my imagination. I know it wasn't!

My grandmother took the risk seriously, my parents obviosuly didn't, and she arranged for us to be blessed and prayed over away from that place. After that they never seemed to be able to do 'readings' or rites for us. Psychics etc would say they didn't get anything: they felt blocked, resisted, blank etc. A couple made it seem like it was 'bad' they couldn't read. All I know is I'd still ask for Jesus protection and for him to remove anything away from me if anything like this comes across my path.

I make it a habit to have a priest bless any living spaces I live in. I don't let into my living space any old artefacts if I don't know their history or what they've been used/associated with either etc.

[Nihil Obstat]

6 minutes ago, Benedictus said:

I make it a habit to have a priest bless any living spaces I live in. I don't let into my living space any old artefacts if I don't know their history or what they've been used/associated with either etc.

An excellent habit to be in. My priest runs himself ragged every Christmas season so that he can give as many Epiphany house blessings as he possibly can.

[Benedictus]

2 hours ago, Nihil Obstat said:

An excellent habit to be in. My priest runs himself ragged every Christmas season so that he can give as many Epiphany house blessings as he possibly can.

Look after him. He sounds like an ideal Fr to have around You don't have to drag or cook to get him over

[Nihil Obstat]

I am always concerned that he is working too hard.

[Gabriela]

On 3/21/2016, 2:36:19, Josh said:

a ghost of any type is one whose substance does not belong in or come from this world. In heaven these spirits are not ghosts but real, solid, and substantial because they are at home there: One can’t be a ghost in one’s own country.”

Wait. Does this mean that we look like ghosts to God and to the angels and saints in Heaven?

And one can live out purgatory here on earth? mind = blown!

On 3/21/2016, 3:24:18, BarbaraTherese said:

I had a unusual experience once only.  A young man boarding with me and I were watching TV when we heard from the kitchen what sounded like crockery falling on each other.  I went to check, but the dishes on the sink looked ok to me.  Not long after more sounds like crockery falling against each other - went to check, but same story.  I concluded it must be my cat jumping on the sink, but my boarder pointed out that my cat had gone outside.  A bit later, we heard quite a loud bang but when I checked in the kitchen, nothing seemed amiss.   My boarder said "You have a poltergeist".  I laughed, but it was puzzling.  The next day in the spare room a fairly heavy framed artwork had fallen off the wall, but the wall hook was still in place as was the wire behind the picture.

Don't know what it all was nor concluded it was this or that................ nothing has ever happened since ............ and anyway I have now shifted to a suburb on the other side of the city.

If the phenomena came and went with the boarder, it could be the spirit is attached to him. That's a thing.

[Gabriela]

I think the main thing I've learned from this thread is that one should never live in Florida.

Unfortunately, I have done just that, and I recall, when I was about 12 years old, I went to my room one night to go to bed, but I felt strongly that there was something in the room with me. It was evil. I was terrified. Too terrified to get off the bed to go get my mom. I grabbed a Bible off my dresser, which was within reach of the bed, and I spent the entire night with the lights on, clutching the Bible, curled up in the corner of the bed against the wall. The entire night. When my mother found me in the morning, she was seriously worried.

The only other freaky experience like that I've had is when I was at my dad's in West Virginia. That was morning. I was still in bed, but awake. I heard my father in his bedroom go into his bathroom and turn on the shower. Then I heard footsteps outside my door, I heard the door open, I heard footsteps walk to the end of my bed, and I felt somebody standing there at the foot of my bed, staring at me in the dark. The shower in my dad's room was still running, so I know it wasn't him. Anyway, why would he stand there staring at me? That's not my dad. It scared the hell out of me. I was too afraid of it to open my eyes and look. It walked back out the door and closed it.

Bloody hell. Now I'm afraid to go to bed.

Thanks a lot, Josh.

Edited April 7, 2016 by Gabriela

[BarbTherese]

35 minutes ago, Gabriela said:

 

If the phenomena came and went with the boarder, it could be the spirit is attached to him. That's a thing.

No idea.  It only ever happened the once and if memory serves, the guy did stay boarding with me for a while after the event.

 

9 minutes ago, Gabriela said:

Bloody hell

Laughed when I read the above - I use the expression now and then especially if startled.   I do hope that you managed to get to bed and to sleep ok, Gabriela.