What does the Catholic Church say about the spirits of loved ones

by Edward Shanahan – Chicago Psychic Medium and Chicago Paranormal Explorer.

What does the Catholic Church say about the spirits of loved ones who visit us?

I decided to bring you what I just wrote here. I do not bring you my words on the subject, but the Fr. Michael Kerper’s words from the website ‘The Catholic Exchange‘.

I did the research. Moreover, it “isn’t” the first time that I hear it. The pastor at my granddaughter’s school said the same thing to the students. Additionally, when asked about “witches”, he replied, “Like everything in life, there are good and bad, I have friends who are good witches.” Next questions? »

The reason why I know the subject and what I sometimes discuss during my readings, not only the Catholic school years, in addition to being a Catholic radio listener and may I suggest to those in the area from Chicago on channel 950am.

* Prof. Michel Kerper:
To put your question another way: can these bodiless souls — ghosts — appear and intervene in our lives?

We need to clarify the term “ghost”. I’m not talking here about the menacing spirits that terrorize movie characters. This English word “ghost” comes from the German word “geist”, which broadly means “spirit”, including non-personal things such as “the spirit of the times” and so on. In English, “ghost” specifically means the soul of a deceased person that becomes perceptible through our eyes, ears, nose (some ghosts smell!) or skin.

In theory, billions of ghosts potentially exist because billions of human beings have “lost” their bodies through death. Strictly speaking, these disembodied souls are not ghosts because they never became noticeable to any living being. Only the few souls whose presence is seen or felt by others are truly ghosts. And their existence is plausible. But here, we must proceed with great caution.

To be frank, many theologians didn’t write much about ghosts, but some did, including St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas.

According to Saint Thomas (Summa Theologica, Suppl., Q. 69, art. 3.), the souls of the dead who are in heaven can indeed manifest themselves to the living on their own initiative. Such apparitions, however, are not “hauntings” intended to terrify or tease people. On the contrary, these holy apparitions only occur to bring comfort and encouragement, have no fear.

*And remember, “holy” means anyone who dwells with God, not just those officially declared “holy” by the Church.

In light of this, it is theoretically possible for loved ones, such as deceased grandparents or children (even babies), to become reasonably discernible to us. Although such occurrences may be rare, there is no reason to rule them out. In a sense, these spirits are “ghosts”, but they are benevolent, even loving.

Now on to the matter of malevolent ghosts, the nasty type that appear in horror movies and novels. Saint Thomas clearly says that the souls of the dead, who are not in heaven, can never appear to the living without the consent of God. But why would God allow ghosts to “haunt” people?

St. Thomas gives two reasons: first, as a warning; and second, to seek spiritual assistance from the living in the form of prayer or good deeds to move the deceased person forward toward fulfillment in God. Ghosts or “non-saints” may annoy people, but they can never harm them.

Of course, one can read somewhat believable stories of destructive “hauntings”, but Saint Thomas always insisted that these “ghosts” were certainly not the souls of dead people, but something else, most likely demons disguised as ghosts.

This brief exploration of ghosts brings us to a very positive point: the spiritual bonds between the living and the dead, especially those who love each other, are deep, unbreakable and mysterious because they are rooted in the Body of Christ, which embraces the living. and dead. We have nothing to fear, for God governs all things—including “ghosts”—with wisdom and love.

This article is taken from a chapter of A Priest Answers 27 Questions You Never Thought You’d Ask, which is available from Sophia Institute Press.

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Why did I go to the teachings of the Catholic Church for the answer?
As it says in Wikipedia:
According to Catholic tradition, the Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ.[8] The New Testament records the activities and teaching of Jesus, his appointment of the twelve apostles and the instructions he gave them to continue his work.[9][10] The Catholic Church teaches that the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, in an event known as Pentecost, marked the beginning of the public ministry of the Church.[11]

Blessings to all,
Edward Shanahan

To find out what I have to offer, visit my website: https://edwardshanahan.com

Edward Shanahan is a psychic medium in the Chicago Earth region. Edward Shanahan does private in-home/on-site readings, phone readings, Zoom readings with Spirit Communications if desired, Psychic House Parties/Gatherings with Spirit Communication Sessions for private readings and house parties if desired. wish it.

Edward has been written about in five different books and has written two of his own.

(c) 2022 Edward Shanahan