J.J. Thomasson

The reported appearance of God the Father to Mother Eugenia Elisabetta Ravasio is extraordinary at a variety of levels –

  • the fact that it is an encounter with the Father
  • the power in themselves of the messages that accompanied the appearance
  • the impact of the event on millions of people
  • the stunning continuity of this private revelation with all that is known from the “public” revelation (the texts of the Old and New Testaments and their interpretation by the Church)
  • the conformity of this encounter with the pattern of similar past interventions of the Persons of the Trinity in history, and
  • the unanimous approval of the authenticity of this visitation of the Father by all relevant Church authorities.

Inevitably, the sheer magnitude of this dramatic manifestation of the Father raises a range of issues for any observer and these are addressed here.

Let us start with the most obvious and relevant questions:

  • Can God the Father “appear” and speak to a human person?
  • Has the Father ever “appeared” to his creatures?
  • Did God the Father “appear” to Mother Eugenia and are the messages she received genuinely messages from the Father?
  • What does the Catholic Church say about the reported appearance of the Father?
  • What do the messages of the Father tell us about him?
  • What do the messages of the Father tell us about salvation and what about his Great Promise?
  • What do the messages of the Father tell us about the Trinity and the Incarnation?
  • Are there any credible criticisms of the claim of the appearance of the Father?

Right at the start, we can say that appearances and direct revelations of the Father to human beings are found in the Bible. Moreover, it is little known that the founder of one of the most influential religious orders in the Church, the Jesuits, began his apostolate after an appearance of God the Father.

It should also be noted that the Church’s great devotions directed to the divine Persons of the Trinity were catalyzed by extraordinary mystical revelations to consecrated nuns in religious orders. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus received its principal impetus from the revelations received by a nun, St Margaret Mary Alacoque, followed by revelations to Sister Mary of the Divine Heart. The Divine Mercy devotion mushroomed through the revelation given to another nun, St. Faustina Kowalska. Pope Leo XIII’s consecration of the world to the Holy Spirit – and the resulting focus on the devotion to the Holy Spirit – was propelled by the revelations received by Blessed Sister Elena Guerra. It is wholly fitting, in terms of this Providential pattern, that the revelation concerning the devotion to God the Father came to yet another nun, Mother Eugenia Ravasio.

It should be said that each one of these divine Person devotions was originally proclaimed and advocated in Scripture. But, given the frailty of human nature, these devotions were not later given the prominence they deserved.  Hence the “reminders” from Heaven – delivered through humble, obscure, obedient instruments. We see in Scripture that God chose the humble and the weak to deliver his messages to the world. So is this also the case with approved private revelations.

The answer to the last question about whether there are “credible criticisms” of the revelation to Mother Eugenia is “No” but we include it here because one dubious commentator known for his own discredited “prophecies” has not simply opined on these matters but acted as self-appointed judge, jury and prosecutor. His erroneous assumptions,  fabrications, shocking blasphemies and distorted reasoning, along with his questionable past track record, however, make him not simply unreliable but dangerous as a source on these matters. His irresponsible charges are addressed.

We should mention too that the revelation of the Father to Mother Eugenia took place in the very archdiocese in France that was headed – in 170 A.D.! – by a Church Father who had written on God the Father and on the question of seeing God! The Church Father was Saint Irenaeus, a disciple of St. Polycarp who was himself a disciple of the Apostle John. In his famous Adversus Haeresis, he wrote, “The Father is incomprehensible, but because of His love and kindness, and because all things are possible with Him, He concedes even this to those who love Him: that is, to see God, even as the Prophets prophesied.  For things that are impossible with men are possible with God.  Man does not by his own power see God.  But if He wills it, He is seen by men – by whom He wills it, when He wills it, and in the manner in which He wills it.  God is powerful in all things.”1  The diocese of Grenoble at which Mother Eugenia received her revelation was part of the archdiocese of Lyon.

As we shall see, the Father’s messages to Mother Eugenia are not the revelation of any new truth but a request to return to the fullness of the original revelation that constitutes Scripture.

We turn now to each of the questions we have outlined.

End Notes1The Faith of the Early Fathers, Volume 1, edited by William A Jurgens, 96. https://www.lovethefather.com/