Why have so many claimed to see apparitions of Mary?

Yet this heathenish importation into debased Christendom is one of the chief objects for which Father Ignatius lives and labours, on the plea of a divine call which left him unconverted for six years after. Nay, he now goes farther astray. As he never humbled himself before God for that which he first in unbelief ascribed to Him, he has been allowed to fall into the still more heinous sin of affirming divine "apparitions of late" at his Monastery in Llanthony! There was in Aug. 1880 a vision of the monstrance, or silver vessel containing the host, while it was actually locked up within a massive iron door! The choir-boys in the evening, who knew nothing of this, saw the Virgin Mary! Again, on 4th Sept. following, they saw the bush illuminated once more; and when an "Ave Maria" was sung, instantly the figure flashed in a cloud of light (p. 414), and even "a second figure as of a Man, with only a cloth round his loins," appeared in the light, stretching out his hands. "The senior boy saw the figure on eight separate occasions" (p. 415). On the 15th Sept. Mr. Lyne, with the boys and some five adults, watched and suggested to sing three "Hail Marys," in honour of each person of the Trinity. Flashings of light were seen; when he said, "Let us sing a 'Hail Mary,' in honour of the blessed Virgin herself." This was indeed effectual, he lets us know. "Directly we began to do so, I saw a great circle of light flash out over the whole heavens, taking in the mountains, the trees, the ruined house, the enclosure, the monastery, the gates, and everything; the light flashed upon our feet, upon the steps, and upon the buildings; and from that one great circle of light, small circles bulged out, and in the centre of the circles stood a gigantic figure of a human being, with hands uplifted, standing sideways. In the distance this gigantic figure appeared to be about sixty feet in height; but as it descended, it took the ordinary size of a human being. At the moment it struck me that a dark appearance over the head of the figure was hair, not a veil; but I am convinced, from comparing notes with others, and also from other reasons, that it was a veil which I saw over the face. I saw distinctly the outlines of the features against the bright light, and also the exact form of the drapery from the sleeves of the upraised arms, as clearly and as plainly as it is possible for me to express. It was all stamped with a most marvellous kind of reality upon my mind. But marvellous and glorious as the vision had been, staggered and astonished as I (who am naturally so impulsive, excitable and demonstrative) was at the time, I happily determined to say nothing of what I had seen to those about me; but to ascertain what they had seen, in order that I might receive confirmation from them. So after the vision had passed, I turned to the brother on my left and said, 'Did you see anything?' 'Yes, indeed I did, Reverend Father,' he replied. 'Now tell me,' I said, 'exactly what you saw?' He told me precisely what he had seen, and his testimony was precisely confirmatory of what I myself had witnessed. The brother in front of me also declared that he saw exactly what the other had described. A few minutes afterwards Sister Janet [who testified to the vision of the past also, p. 409] came in through the meadow, and walking up towards the gate, lifted up her hands, as if she wished to attract our notice and to speak. I went to her and said, 'What is the matter?' 'Oh! Reverend Father,' she replied, 'I have seen the most glorious vision of any yet.' I told her to be quiet, and to tell me exactly what she had seen. She described precisely, without a word being said by us, what she had witnessed; and it was exactly what had been seen by us. From that time no further visions appeared" (pp. 416-418).

Some of our readers may wonder that such words should be printed in these columns. But it may be wholesome to learn how persons confessing Christ's name can be deceived. It is not for us to account for what was seen: whether by an imposture practised by anyone; or by the deceiving power of Satan. That manifestations, not of man but from beneath, have been, even in our day, cannot be doubted by any candid reader of Mr. R. Baxter's Narrative of Facts as to the Irvingite delusion. Not improbably there may have been a kindred snare laid for this monastic company, not only in the visions, but in the healing virtues of the leaf "which stood up dark against the dazzling garments of the Apparition, as it appeared in the bush" (pp. 420-425). Father Ignatius regards these phenomena as a sanction from on high to the Restoration of the Reserved Sacrament, and the Cultus (as he veils the worship) of the Mother of our Lord, and so to his own Monastic revival in the Church of England. Those who know that these are essential points of apostate Christendom will not forget the solemn warning "for the last time," that "no lie is of the truth," and that signs confirmatory against the written word are not of God.

N*. I do. They had some one to personify the Virgin Mary in an apparition, and carried it so far that the fraud was discovered.

Dr. John Henry Newman goes farther; he tells us that no Catholic is bound to believe for the most part any particular miracle, only in general that the church has power to do them. His words are these, "Though it is a matter of faith with Catholics that miracles never cease in the church, still that this or that professed miracle really took place is for the most part only a matter of opinion, and when it is believed, whether on testimony or tradition, it is not believed to the exclusion of all doubt whether about the fact or its miraculousness" (Gram. of Assent, 2nd ed. 193, 4). Here clearly the miracle is an object, not a means of faith. In his hands they cease wholly to be a proof. For supposing I doubt of each particular one, my belief in the church's power to do them is gone, or rests on wholly different ground. In the first life of Ignatius by Ribadeneyra there was no hint of miracles; when Ignatius was to be canonized, the account of his life is full of them. Among the rest he raised a hen, accidentally drowned, to life, Xavier invoking him in India, and the hen remained in absolute celibacy ever after; and Xavier routed a great army by his presence. Within a few years, it was alleged that the Virgin had visited a little peasant girl on a mountain in France. The local prelate issued a pastoral against it, but it was attractive. The government took it up and proved the fraud in open court; but then the wind turned round, and church authorities made a great deal of it, and pilgrimages were made there.

In much more recent times we have the fantastic story of Lourdes, the Virgin Mary affirmed to have appeared to one Bernadette Soubirous, and to have repeated the appearance seventeen times in six months.

It will be seen from the accounts of such alleged miraculous appearances of angels and saints that they exploit superstition, and have the effect of enslaving the minds of the ignorant and credulous. In short, they are intended to bind the chains of Romanism more firmly round its dupes, thus conducing to mental slavery, degrading superstition, sloth, immorality, and the strangling of all liberty of thought and action.

The whole thing is a pure invention with the object of leading Roman Catholics to the idolatrous worship of the mother of our Lord according to the flesh. We shall see to what lengths Rome can go in this direction.

Well, when these wafers were discovered they were found to be of a red colour. Now as the Roman Catholics say that when the bread, or rather wafers, and the wine are consecrated, they are changed into the very body and blood of our Lord, and that the body and blood are both present in the bread, when these wafers were found and seen to be red, those who found them thought that this was the blood of Christ becoming visible. They thought they saw the wafers stained with the actual blood that flowed in the veins of our Lord when down here upon the earth. They at once raised the report that such was the case. It was said to be a miracle — a real miracle which any one could come and behold with his own eyes. Numbers flocked to the place. It at once became a "holy spot," and reports were soon circulated that marvellous cures were being effected at the broken altar. The fame of it soon spread abroad, and pilgrimages were made to it from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Hungary, Poland and all parts of Bohemia.

In the year 1507 there was great commotion at at Berne, a canton in Switzerland. Crowds of people hastened to the convent of the Dominicans to see a young man, bearing five wounds in imitation of our Lord. His arms were extended, and his head lay on one side. At times he would appear to be dying. "He is suffering the cross of Christ," whispered those who stood by. It was said that he got his wounds in this way. One night as he lay in his cell the virgin Mary appeared to him, and coming to his bed-side pierced his hand with a nail, then wrapped around the wound a piece of the linen cloth worn by her Son — our Lord — on His flight into Egypt. Afterwards four other wounds were made upon the body of this young man, he being chosen out for this in great grace. And thus, with the "five wounds," he was visited by the crowds, anxious to see one on whom had fallen such an honour.

Jetzer was the name of this young man, and after a time he had another visit from the virgin Mary as he supposed; but in his visitor he now recognized the voice of his confessor. On expressing this to be his belief the visitor vanished. After a time she came again, and now reproached him for his unbelief. "This time it is the prior," said Jetzer, rushing at him with a knife. "Mary" threw a pewter plate at his head and disappeared.

Centuries ago men declared that angels visited them, and there has been a steady stream of such claimants ever since. The following instances picked at random from a multitude of cases will enable my readers to judge of their nature.

Scripture calls the virgin Mary highly favored and blessed among women, but to Roman Catholics Mary is much more. Special honor and veneration for the Virgin began in the early centuries of the Church and turned into what many evangelical Protestants believe is the pure and simple worship of Mary, which has finally reached the point of saying her role in Redemption is of equal importance with Christ's.

Mary-Worship

The worship of the Virgin Mary originally sprang from the ascetic spirit which became so prevalent in the fourth century. Before this period, there is no trace of the worship of Mary. About the same time — the close of the fourth century — it was discovered and circulated that there were in the temple at Jerusalem virgins consecrated to God, among whom Mary grew up in vows of perpetual virginity. This new doctrine led to the veneration of Mary as the very ideal of the celibate state, and sanctioned the profession of religious chastity. Soon after this it became customary to apply to the virgin the appellation, "Mother of God;" which gave rise to the Nestorian controversy. But, in spite of all opposition, Mary-worship prevailed; and, in the fifth century, images and beautiful paintings of the virgin, holding the infant Jesus in her arms were placed in all the churches. Thus introduced she rapidly rose into an object of direct worship; and Mariolatry became the ruling passion of the Romish church. The daily office for Mary, and the days and festivals which had been dedicated to her honour, were confirmed by Urban II. in the Council of Clermont, A.D. 1095.