Ghosts And Other Things

[Fr. Antony Maria OSB]

Alright, I was talking to a friend today and she told me that she had seen her great aunt's ghost and could talk to her, saw lights flicking on and off when she asked her aunt to, and things like that. The way she brought it up was that she was telling another friend of her's this and that she was thinking about going to a psycic and asking what was going on, and her friend said that going to a psycic was a sin and not to go. She asked me the same thing, so bluntly I told her not to meddle in stuff like this, that Satan is most apt to attack in these situations, and that it could be a demon that she's seeing. I told her to talk to her pastor about it, and I think she is going to, to pray the Rosary and St. Michael's Chaplet. I'm also going to send her some holy water that I have on hand. I know that I don't know much about this stuff, and I have no desire to know, which is why I told her to talk to a priest because I don't know much about it and giving false information could be just as, or more, dangerous than lying. Is there anything else that I should have told her? I mentioned Satan as the Angel of Light and that the easiest way for him to get to us is for us to believe that he is no harm (devil with a pitchfork type of thing), so really, more than if I missed anything, do you think I said anything that I shouldn't have? Like I said before, I really don't know too much about this stuff and have no desire to learn more because it is so dangerous, and I did warn her against trying to research this on her own, so do you think I said anything that I shouldn't have? Thank you very, very much.

May God bless and protect you always in all of your endeavors!

Sincerely in Christ,

Joe

[phatcatholic]

From what I can tell, you did everything correctly. You didn't do anything wrong. It is true that Satan can deceive us by appearing as loved ones. It is true that St. Michael, the rosary, and holy water can all protect us from evil spirits. It is true that a person should consult their pastor with things like this. It is true that researching this topic without a strong faith in and knowledge of the Church can be dangerous.

Now, all appearances like this are not necessarily evil. Angels and saints do appear to human beings. They did in the Bible and they do still today, although this is extremely rare. So, the appearance [i]could[/i] be good. But, then again, with things like this, it is important to consult a priest or bishop. Sometimes, with things like this, you can never really know for sure.

I hope that helps.

Pax Christi,
phatcatholic

[Theologian in Training]

[url="http://www.saint-mike.org/spcdc/library/7ghosts.asp"]http://www.saint-mike.org/spcdc/library/7ghosts.asp[/url]

[url="http://www.domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC/19980901/ARTICLES/GHOSTS.HTM"]http://www.domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC...CLES/GHOSTS.HTM[/url]