Anyone who has followed this blog knows that I have always had an interest in prophecy, but also knows that I’ve taken a skeptic-first view towards a lot of it. You would also know that I place much higher value on sources that are either approved by the Church, or who are somehow recognized by the Church as a holy individual – a Venerable, a Blessed, or a Saint. I’ve mentioned before that I consider the work “Trial, Tribulation, and Triumph” by Desmond A Birch to be one of the best compilations of reliable prophecy that I’ve seen. I admit that I haven’t recently searched to see if others may exist.
Along the way, I have read with interest many of the more popular modern day seers. Through no fault of their own, since… well… most aren’t dead yet, they are not Venerables, Blesseds, or Saints. Further, while I may weigh things that are Church Approved, this does not mean that messages being received today are not legitimate. After all, at the time any and all prophetic messages occurred they weren’t yet approved. So I do like to see what’s being claimed out there today, though I usually start with the premise that it’s not legitimate or reliable and it needs to be proven otherwise to my satisfaction. Finally, it should always be noted that even legitimate occurrences are subject to human error – improper understanding of the message, a misstatement or confusing recollection of the message, and so forth.
It is an odd thing, Prophecy. As a guy who has studied mathematics, computer science, Physics, and Chemistry and who makes his living as an Actuary I am firmly grounded in logic and understanding. It may seem odd that someone who gravitates to the realms of the tangible and the explainable would be interested in the strange, mystical, and mushy realm of the prophetic. But I do not see them as incompatible. What is incompatible is getting emotionally tied to any one person or message, particularly to the point where if the Church would ever rule against them, your allegiance goes to the person you are following rather than the Church. One should always be prepared to make a hard break if needed, and that needs to be as unemotional and as calculated as possible. Because that’s where the facts come in, as Augustine so famously pronounced – Rome has spoken, the matter is closed. That takes humility, as well, at times. But it is what we are called to do.
Over time, I have remained open, but admittedly skeptical, of the events at Medjugorje. I am not saying I would ever try to convince anyone that they are not true (unless the Church rules it as such), nor am I saying that I am totally convinced that they are not true. I just have some concerns that I think are valid to consider, and I find it a bit more “safe” to question rather than blindly accept it. After all, Public Revelation is complete and must be first and foremost. Private Revelation may help clarify the state of current times, or be otherwise edifying, but it is not incumbent on us to devote our time and energy to it.
I have also reviewed the messages of Pedro Regis. I have some major discomfort with those, and I have stopped spending any time keeping up on those. The same is true of a series of messages from an anonymous seer who had a website, supposedly under spiritual direction, called “Words From Jesus.” Overall, these messages were somewhat general and it started off interesting enough, but whenever specifics were presented they were hit and miss. The nature of the messages was extremely repetitive. I never have fully decided if they have merit, but decided to not focus too much on them. One of my big stumbling blocks with those who receive continued messages day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year is that I just don’t get it. Why does Mary or Jesus or anyone else need to say the same basic thing over and over again? It’s to the point where Spirit Daily will have a headline whenever there is a message at Medjugorje that is slightly different in word or tone from the plethora of other messages. OK, that’s fine, but we’re basically not paying any attention any more to all the other messages because we’ve heard it all before. So, what then is the point? Now, a confession before lightning strike me dead and my head lands on the keyboard and a string of random letters is produced ad infinitum… I humbly submit that I’m a human being who can’t begin to appreciate and understand how God works. So, despite my rambling paragraph above, I can accept that I’m the one who doesn’t get it, that this all does serve a salvific purpose, and that one day Jesus will say, “Yeah… you were kind of thick-headed on that whole Medjugorje thing.” So, take that as my own opinion and nothing more.
So, all of this brings me to a guy named Charlie Johnston. I have spent a lot of time over the last year reading and studying his blog (which you can go to by clicking his name above), watching available video, and gaining an understanding of where he’s coming from. I have offered some comments/questions on some of his posts along the way, and was taken enough by the overall concept of The Storm that I composed a song in relation to that. I originally planned to provide a detailed version of what he is saying, but quite honestly that is not necessary. His own site, and links to other places that have done this already, are in line with what I would have written on it myself, so I would encourage anyone interested to take a look at his blog and do some digging around.
This isn’t my last word on Charlie. The entire concept of a Storm that we are in, and heading towards with even greater fury, need not be the product of divine private revelation. It’s common sense. I have been noting it for a number of years myself, and I make no claim to any supernatural experience (save one, which I may share someday) that has shown this to me. It’s apparent for anyone with eyes to see. Now, having said that, I am in no way saying Charlie is not what he says he is. I am simply saying that – whatever the source – the words and observations of the world we are in ring true, and thus the song.
I’ll be following up with all my thoughts on Charlie in a later post. For now, I offer my own musical summary, entitled “When The Storm Comes.” (More music of mine can be found by clicking on “Links to My Music” on the top of the page.
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