Marian Apparitions

Last week, I stopped off at the Roman Catholic Church at Euxton, near Chorley. Quite typically, there was a grotto in the grounds, which is a little shrine to Mary. She is portrayed appearing to a young girl, Bernadette, from a rock, which relates to an incident at Lourdes, France, in 1858. There are several places around the world where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared (which is called an apparition) to some person or persons, such as at Fatima, Portugal, 1917.

What do we evangelicals make of such goings-on? Those Christians inclined to regard Roman Catholicism as a legitimate expression of Christianity begin to squirm at this point. Although Rome quite rightly rejects some apparitions’ claims, she embraces and endorses many others. That the Lord Jesus, the only mediator between humans and God, would appoint His mother, a sinner saved by grace, to appear to children, passing on mysterious messages, is most unlikely. Such appearances, even if they are real, only confirm the deceits and deceptions of extra-Biblical faith:

And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14

Image by CrisG from Pixabay