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4.18 Яка ситуація з чудесами, магією та окультизмом?

Заклик до святості

Іноді Бог творить чудеса: події, які не відповідають законам природи. У таких випадках Бог вирішує втрутитися безпосередньо, хоча закони природи залишаються в силі. Отже, чудеса неможливо пояснити науково: вони буквально «вище природи» або надприродні.

Ми точно не знаємо, чому Бог іноді являє чудеса, а чому часто не робить цього. Ви не можете зробити диво, але ви можете молитися за нього. Не існує такого поняття як «біла» чи «хороша» магія. Окультні практики та магія небезпечні для людей і суперечать Божій любові.

Бог може творити чудеса, щоб допомогти нам зростати в нашій любові до Нього, тож кому потрібна магія? Будь-яка магія віддаляє нас від Бога.
The Wisdom of the Church

How may we strengthen our filial trust?

Filial trust is tested when we think we are not heard. We must therefore ask ourselves if we think God is truly a Father whose will we seek to fulfill, or simply a means to obtain what we want. If our prayer is united to that of Jesus, we know that he gives us much more than this or that gift. We receive the Holy Spirit who transforms our heart. [CCCC 575]

What happens if you find that prayer does not help?

Prayer does not seek superficial success but rather the Will of God and intimacy with him. God’s apparent silence is itself an invitation to take a step farther—in total devotion, boundless faith, endless expectation. Anyone who prays must allow God the complete freedom to speak whenever he wants, to grant whatever he wants, and to give himself however he wants.

Often we say: I have prayed, but it did not help at all. Maybe we are not praying intensely enough. The saintly Curé of Ars once asked a brother priest who was complaining about his lack of success, “You have prayed, you have sighed … but have you fasted, too? Have you kept vigil?” It could also be that we are asking God for the wrong things. St. Teresa of Avila once said, “Do not pray for lighter burdens; pray for a stronger back.” [Youcat 507]

“You shall not have strange Gods before me.” What does that mean?

This commandment forbids us:

  • to adore other gods and pagan deities or to worship an earthly idol or to devote oneself entirely to some earthly good (money, influence, success, beauty, youth, and so on)
  • to be superstitious, which means to adhere to esoteric, magic, or occult or New Age practices or to get involved with fortune telling or spiritualism, instead of believing in God’s power, providence, and blessings
  • to provoke God by word or deed
  • to commit a sacrilege
  • to acquire spiritual power through corruption and to desecrate what is holy through trafficking (simony).

[Youcat 355]

Is esotericism as found, for example in New Age beliefs, compatible with the Christian faith?

No. Esotericism ignores the reality of God. God is a personal Being; he is love and the origin of life, not some cold cosmic energy. Man was willed and created by God, but man himself is not divine; rather, he is a creature that is wounded by sin, threatened by death, and in need of redemption. Whereas most proponents of esotericism assume that man can redeem himself, Christians believe that only Jesus Christ and God’s grace redeem them. Nor are nature and the cosmos God (as pantheism claims). Rather, the Creator, even though he loves us immensely, is infinitely greater and unlike anything he has created.

Many people today practice yoga for health reasons, enroll in a meditation course so as to become more calm and collected, or attend dance workshops so as to experience their bodies in a new way. These techniques are not always harmless. Often they are vehicles for doctrines that are foreign to Christianity. No reasonable person should hold an irrational world view, in which people can tap magical powers or harness mysterious spirits and the “initiated” have a secret knowledge that is withheld from the “ignorant”. In ancient Israel, the surrounding peoples’ beliefs in gods and spirits were exposed as false. God alone is Lord; there is no god besides him. Nor is there any (magical) technique by which one can capture or charm “the divine”, force one’s wishes on the universe, or redeem oneself. Much about these esoteric beliefs and practices is superstition or occultism. [Youcat 356]

This is what the Popes say

У монастирі Сан-Даміано свята Клара Ассізька героїчно практикувала чесноти, які повинні відрізняти кожного християнина: смирення, дух побожності, покаяння та милосердя... Її віра в справжню присутність Христа в Євхаристії була настільки великою, що двічі сталося диво. Просто демонструючи їм Пресвяте Таїнство, вдалося змусити відступити сарацинських найманців, які збиралися напасти на монастир Сан-Даміано і розграбувати місто Ассиз... Ті, хто змінює світ на краще, святі, вони перетворюють його назавжди, вселяючи в нього енергію, яку може викликати тільки любов, натхненна Євангелієм. Святі – великі благодійники людства! [Папа Бенедикт, загальна аудієнція, 15 вересня 2010 р.]