Making Room for the Holy Spirit: the DDF’s Norms for Supernatural Phenomena, Part Two

Matthew Neugebauer

Tuesday, June 25, 2024

Virgin and Child sitting in a bush with fire around it, Moses holding a scroll on the right.

Virgin of the Burning Bush by Michael Damaskinos. Wikimedia Commons.

A few days before Pentecost Sunday, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released their new Norms for proceeding in the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena. In Part One, I explained that the purpose of the new Norms was to enable local bishops to respond more quickly to these phenomena and their surrounding devotions. They achieve that by limiting the scope of their investigations and responses to practical and easily-identifiable matters such as who gets financial and material benefit from the devotion and how much they receive, the reputation of those involved, and the growth of vocations to the priesthood and religious life (Art. 14 s. 4).

I also noted Cardinal Fernandez’ clear statement in his preamble that, "As a rule, these potential [responses] do not include the possibility of declaring that the phenomenon under discernment is of a supernatural origin--that is, affirming with moral certainty that it originates from a decision willed by God in a direct way" (emphasis added).

In Part Two, I reflect on how this reservation of a positive affirmation underlies the deeper spiritual import of the new Norms. They express what is classically known as “apophatic” or “negative” theology. “Apophatic” is made up of the Greek words apo, meaning “away from,” and phanai, meaning “to speak.” Apophatic theology focuses on the fact that we can’t truly know, grasp, or understand God, other than what he has revealed to us. Revelation, and our ability to believe in revelation, is the gift of faith given to us by God on his own initiative, rather than something we manufacture ourselves.

The highest conclusion a bishop can make about an alleged phenomenon and its surrounding devotion is a Nihil Obstat, Latin for “nothing hinders.” This means that they pose no problems (for the time being) with regards to Catholic doctrine, faith, or spiritual life (#17). If the bishop recommends a Nihil Obstat, he is "encouraged to appreciate the pastoral value of [devotion to the phenomenon], and even to promote its spread, including…pilgrimages to a sacred site" (#17). However, he has to stop short of – turn away from – a positive declaration that the phenomenon is “of a supernatural origin…willed by God in a direct way.” Fernandez quotes Pope Benedict XVI’s clarification that a Nihil Obstat means that no one has to acknowledge a phenomenon’s authenticity or spiritual value, but rather that they can if they want to and their pastors can encourage them too.

This apophatic approach involves a practical humility on the part of the hierarchy, who can in turn provide an inspirational example of that humility for the faithful to follow. Apophaticism, like agnosticism, calls us all to be honest, clear, and humble about what we don’t know, and what human beings can’t possibly know, which then allows us deeper clarity about what we do know and can know. The apophatic spiritual tradition, unlike agnosticism, serves primarily to open ourselves up to the work of the Holy Spirit and his positive revelation of God’s own life. Pope John Paul II said that apophatic spirituality involves “the humble acceptance of the creature's limits before the infinite transcendence of a God who never ceases to reveal himself as God - Love, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in the joy of the Holy Spirit.” (Orientale Lumen #16).

The deeper point of the Norms’ apophatic approach is to make room for God’s love that empowers us, rather than a human spectacle that can exploit us. If apparitions or experiences ultimately point to some human institution or movement, or if their surrounding devotions are propagated for the aims, ambitions, or selfish desires of someone else, then they’re at least suspect if not outright scandalous. All truthful visions, revelations, and apparitions will ultimately point to Jesus, to God’s life offered to us in the Holy Spirit.

Maybe it’s no accident that the most prominent type of spiritual phenomena have been apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the great icon of the apophatic spirit: she is immaculately, wholly consecrated to her Son, and to moving us from herself to God. She doesn’t pray for us to increase our devotion to her, although that will happen anyways, but for us to deepen our faithful openness to God’s loving will: “do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). Then, when we’re open to the Holy Spirit, he can surprise us with newfound joy and courage, miraculous healings, or a nudge to pay attention to things we’re ignoring like a possible vocation or commitment to service.

I think the timing of Pentecost Sunday was significant. Again, the Norms task the diocesan bishop with exploring and appreciating how a phenomenon inspires “the fruits of the Christian life, including a spirit of prayer, conversions, vocations to the priesthood or religious life, [and] acts of charity.” He leads the faithful in cultivating those “fruits of the Spirit,” which St. Paul says are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

St. Paul caps off his list with the somewhat apophatic statement, “There is no law against such things….If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22, 24). The Holy Spirit doesn’t promise that we’ll know with “moral certainty” if an apparition or other phenomenon is “willed by God in a direct way,” because then we’d be relying on our own certainty rather than on his faithfulness. Instead, he promises that when we’re open to him, to the love between the Father and the Son and the love between all Christian people, then he will always grow these fruits in us. But that is slow, patient work, much like the positive discernment of an apparition or revelation is slow, patient work.

Thankfully, we have numerous examples of well-attested phenomena to receive fresh inspiration from, such as Lourdes, Fatima, and the extensive list of Eucharistic miracles compiled by soon-to-be-Saint Carlo Acutis. Canadians have a profound example in St. André Bessette, whose humility, hospitality, and faith opened the door to countless miraculous healings at the Collège Notre Dame and St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal. His life and ministry was the subject of our original documentary God’s Doorkeeper, which you can watch on Salt + Light Plus. Watch the trailer here:

Above all, we can look to the descent of the Holy Spirit begun at Pentecost and continued in every Sacrament, every act of charity, and every commitment to service, as reminders to us that the gift of his promise and presence are here among us.