Most of my work on the topic of Mariology, including my book on the topic, has largely been focused on biblical and historical issues. Notwithstanding, I have been studying, on and off, Marian apparitions and the concept of “private revelation” within Catholicism. Here are some notes on (1) how apparitions are approved and (2) that Catholicism holds to the continuation of private revelation even after the close of public revelation (some Latter-day Saints seem to think we are the only ones who believe that the heavens are opened, so this might come as a surprise):
The general criteria used by the Church in evaluating a reported Marian apparition can be divided into these three categories: 1) the revealed message content; 2) the nature of ecstasy and other concurring phenomena; and 3) the spiritual fruits.
Any reported message revealed in a private revelation must be examined in light of the public revelation contained in Scripture and Tradition as safeguarded by the Church. If any reported message conveys a substantial doctrinal or moral error against Church teaching, the reported revelations are deemed to be false. The Holy Spirit, the same divine source of inspiration for public revelation and authentic private revelation alike, cannot contradict Himself. Since private revelation is at the service of public revelation, then the "command to act" given by private revelation must correspond to the "revealed doctrine" of public revelation.
Secondly, the nature of ecstasy experienced by the "visionary" or recipient of prophecy or apparition is another principal factor in the process of Church investigation. Oftentimes, the visionary or recipient of a major private revelation is partially from an ordinary time and space experience during the God-granted revelation, and is partially brought into the temporal-spatial experience of the giver of the revelation, whether it be Jesus or Mary. In other words, the visionary is brought into an ecstatic state that at least partially transcends his usual sense of experience . . . Thirdly, the spiritual fruits constitute a major criterion for the authenticity of a private revelation, based on the scriptural message in which Our Lady refers to the good tree bearing good fruit: "for the tree is known by its fruit" (Mt 12:33). One of the best indications for the authenticity of a reported private revelation is when the resulting devotion manifests true and ongoing conversion, as seen in a return to the prayer and sacramental life of the Church (i.e., Mass, Confession, Rosary, fraternal charity, etc.). (Mark Miravalle, "What About Marian Apparitions")
Private Prophecy
In the centuries since the canon of sacred Scripture was determined, many saints and mystics have claimed the gift of prophecy. Since all such comes under the heading of private revelation, it is never binding upon the faithful to believe. No matter how great the saint, we have no guarantee that every word found in his or her writings is infallible, especially when it comes to prophecy. When the cause of a proposed saint is introduced in Rome and the steps leading to canonization are begun, the writings of the of the person are carefully examined to judge their content of holiness, and to see if there is anything in them contrary to Catholic doctrine. If such writings are approved or the Catholic doctrine. In such writings are approved for the Acts of Beatification, that is no guarantee that the Church accepts as authentic any prophecy found in them. It simply means that the prophecy has nothing in it contrary to faith or morals.
The extreme caution one should use in approaching all private revelation is graphically exemplified by the classic instances in which a saint has been proven wrong in his predictions. Thus St. Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419) went about preaching the coming of the Antichrist and the end of the world in his own generation!
Then, too, there is the ticklish problem of one saint contradicting another in a revelation. It is true we may err in applying both prophecies to the same event, or one or the other prophecy may have been tampered with, but both suppositions bolster more strongly the premise that all private prophecy must be approached with great caution.
On the other hand, if it should be wondered whether only saints and mystics are endowed with this gift, we have the words of Benedict XI: “The reception of prophecy may be angels, devils, men, women, children, heathen, or gentiles; nor is it necessary that a man should be gifted with any particular disposition in order to receive the light of prophecy provided his intellect and senses be adapted for making manifest the things which God reveals to him. Though moral goodness is most profitable to a prophet, yet it is not necessary in order to obtain the gift of prophecy.” (Heroic Virtue III, 144:150).
It will be noted in reading private prophecy that a great many of those that threaten calamities to the human race—and do not necessarily refer to the last days—are conditional in quality. It is made clear that if man turns from his sins, returns to God, and does penance, and sources will not fall. Such were the messages given by Our Lady at La Salette and at Fatima, and by Our Lady to Blessed Anna Maria Taigi. A notable examples of this is found in sacred Scripture itself when Jonas preached to the man of Ninive:
“’Yet forty days, and Ninive shall be destroyed.’ And the men of Ninive believed in God, and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least . . . And God saw their works, that they were turned from their evil way. And God had mercy with regard to the evil which He had said that He would do to them, and He did it not.” (Jonas 3:4-5, 10).
It is well to remember this “conditional” qualification when reading such prophecies as those referring to the “heavenly scourge” and the three days of darkness. (Edward Connor, Prophecy for Today [4th ed.; Rockford, Ill.: TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., 1984], 2-4)
In Lumen Gentium, Vatican II, Chapter 12 reads, “Such gifts of grace, whether they are of special enlightenment or whether they are spread more simply and generally, must be accepted with gratefulness and consolation, as they are specially suited to, and useful for, the needs of the Church . . . Judgements as to their genuineness and their correct use lies with those who lead the Church and those whose special task is not to extinguish the spirit but to examine everything and keep that which is good . . .
“Extinguish not the spirit. Despise not prophecies. But prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.” (1 Thess. 5, 19-21)
“In cases like this [apparitions], it is better to believe than not to believe, for, if you believe, and it is proven true, you will be happy that you have believed, because our Holy Mother asked it. If you believe and it is proven false, you will receive all blessings as if it had been true, because you believed it to be true.”—His Holiness, Urban VIII (Pope, 1623-1644) (Paul A. Mihalik, Sr. The Final Warning and a Defense Against Modernism [Santa Barbara, Calif.: Queenship Publishing, 1997], 93, emphasis added)
On the little-known (approved) apparition at La Salette, France, we read:
La Salette, France—1846 (Approved by the Church)
The Blessed Virgin appeared to two children to give these warnings:
“If my people do not submit themselves (their will to God) I will be forced to let go of the hand of my Son.”
“God will strike in an unprecedented way. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth! God will exhaust His wrath upon them and no one will be able to escape so many afflictions together. Everywhere there will be extraordinary wonders as true Faith has evaded and false light brightens the people.”
“The Vicar of my Son will suffer a great deal, because for a while the Church will yield to a large persecution, a time of darkness and the Church will witness a frightful crisis . . . “
“A forerunner of the Antichrist, with his troops, gathered from several nations, will fight against the true Christ, the only Savior of the world. He will shed much blood and will want to annihilate the worship of God, to make himself looked upon as a god.”
“The earth will be struck by calamities of all kinds in addition to plagues and famines which will be widespread. There will be a series of wars until the last war, which will be fought by the Ten Kings of the Antichrist (Rev. 17:12), all of whom will have one and the same plan and will be the only rulers of the world. Before this comes to pass, there will be a false peace in the world. People will think of nothing but amusement. The wicked will give themselves over to all kinds of sin. But the children of the Holy Church, the children of my Faith, my true followers will grow in their love for God and in all the virtues precious to me . . . “
“The seasons will be altered, the earth will produce nothing but bad fruit, the stars will lose their regular motion, the moon will reflect a reddish glow. Water and fire will give the earth’s globe convulsions and terrible earthquakes which will swallow up mountains and cities . . .
“Rome, the city, will lose the Faith and become the seat of the Antichrist.” (Rev. 17)
“The demons of the air together with the Antichrist will perform great wonders on earth and in the atmosphere (Rev. 13:13), and men will become more and more perverted. The Church will be in eclipse. The world will be in dismay . . . Fire will fall and consume three cities. All the universe will be struck with terror and many will let themselves be led astray because they have not worshipped the true Christ who lives among them. It is time; the sun is darkening; only Faith will survive.” (Ibid., 49-50, emphasis in original)
It should be noted that this apparition presents, as it common in Catholic Mariology and piety, that Mary is an intercessor to Christ for God’s people (“I will be forced to let go of the hand of my Son”). We see this theme in the prayer “Hail Holy Queen”:
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O merciful, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Amen.