Locutions to the World Messages on Private Revelation
How the Locutions to the World Messages Address Private Revelation
The Locutions to the World messages examined on this page approach private revelation from closely related angles. They address the purpose of prophecy, the need for discernment, the danger of treating private revelation as automatically unimportant, and how a person may respond when a claimed prophetic message is placed before him.
These messages do not present private revelation as a replacement for Scripture, Sacred Tradition, or the teaching authority of the Catholic Church. Their concern is more practical: if God chooses to give guidance through private revelation, what purpose would that guidance serve, and how should a person respond when considering such a claim?
Locutions to the World is not presented on this page as established supernatural revelation or as a source of Catholic doctrine. The messages are examined as claims of private revelation and measured against the Catholic Faith. Throughout this page, phrases such as “Mary says” refer to words attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary within the messages and do not, by themselves, constitute a judgment concerning their supernatural origin.
For the Church’s teaching on the nature, purpose, limits, and discernment of private revelation, see Catholic Private Revelation: What the Church Teaches.
Why Mary Speaks About Prophecy and Private Revelation
In these messages, Mary speaks about prophecy because prophecy has a purpose. It is not given merely to predict events or satisfy curiosity about the future. It is presented as a means of calling people toward God, warning when needed, strengthening faith, and helping souls recognize what God may be asking.
This explains why the messages place so much stress on listening. At the same time, hearing a claimed message does not mean accepting it without question. When we consider such a claim, listening and examination must be joined to discernment.
The messages develop this theme in different ways. Listening to the Prophets addresses what prophecy is meant to do. The Importance of Prophecy explains why the prophetic gift still matters. Roar Like a Lion addresses the danger of treating private revelation as automatically unworthy of attention. A Door Still Open considers the related danger of treating private revelation as unimportant merely because belief in it is not required.
Listening, Discernment, and the Response of the Individual
A common thread runs through these messages: a claimed prophetic word should not be accepted blindly merely because it claims a heavenly source. When a person chooses to consider such a claim, it should be examined in the light of the Catholic Faith.
That distinction matters. Discernment requires examination, but this does not mean that every Catholic has a duty to investigate every claimed apparition, prophecy, or message. A person may choose not to follow a particular private revelation while still recognizing that God can grant authentic private revelation.
The Locutions messages place considerable stress on the response of the individual. Prophecy is presented as something that should lead toward prayer, conversion, greater faithfulness, and a more serious response to God. The message sections that follow show how this idea is developed in several closely related ways.
Listening to the Prophets
The September 22, 2011 message Listening to the Prophets explains why prophecy is given and what a prophet is meant to do. Mary begins from the condition of mankind, saying that humanity has “lost its way,” while God continues to offer light. She then says that the heavenly Father sends prophets so that people may receive enough guidance to be prepared and blessed, provided that they “listen and heed the messages.”
The message therefore places prophecy in the service of God’s people. It is not presented as a way to know every detail of the future. It is meant to give the light needed to recognize the road God is placing before a person and to respond to the help He provides.
What the Message Says About the Prophet’s Task
Mary describes the prophet’s task in simple terms: “The prophet points out a road of blessings, a road of light.” The prophet does not create those blessings or possess them as his own. God is their source. The prophet is a messenger who can give only what God has entrusted to him.
This keeps prophecy in its proper place. The prophet is not sent to satisfy every question, perform signs on demand, or reveal everything that will happen. He points toward the help God is giving. The person hearing the message must then decide whether to follow the road being shown.
Why Prophecy Is Given to Be Heard and Discerned
Mary makes a distinction between merely hearing a prophetic message and responding to it. Some hear the prophet’s words but do nothing. Others act upon them and find the help God has provided. In this message, listening therefore involves more than reading or hearing words. It leads to a response.
Her closing example makes the point clear. Rather than becoming troubled by questions about what will happen this year or next, the person is directed toward the daily Eucharist. Mary says that the Eucharist will provide the light needed for what lies ahead. Prophecy, then, is not meant to leave a person absorbed in predictions. It is meant to help him recognize what God is asking of him now and act upon it.
The full Listening to the Prophets page examines this message in greater depth, including Mary’s teaching on the prophet’s task, the response of the hearer, and preparation through the Eucharist.
The Importance of Prophecy
Two consecutive Locutions messages, Importance of Prophesy from August 30, 2013, and The Importance of Prophesy from August 31, 2013, address the same subject from two sides. The first looks back to the Early Church and shows how prophetic visions and words helped guide its mission. The second explains how the prophetic gift can continue to serve the individual, a congregation, and the Church.
Together, the messages present prophecy as part of the work of the Holy Ghost rather than merely as prediction. In these messages, Mary is presented as pointing to prophecy as a means by which God can give direction, apply His revealed truth to particular circumstances, and help His people recognize what He is asking of them.
Why the Prophetic Gift Still Matters
Mary directs the reader back to the Acts of the Apostles. She points to Peter being led to Cornelius, Barnabas and Saul being sent from Antioch, Paul being directed toward Macedonia, and Agabus foretelling Paul’s imprisonment. Her point is that the missionary life of the Early Church was not guided by human planning alone. The revealing gifts of the Holy Ghost played an active part in directing where the apostles went and what they did.
The following day’s message reinforces this by citing St. Paul’s instruction to desire spiritual gifts, “above all that you may prophesy,” because the one who prophesies builds up the Church. Mary therefore presents prophecy as a gift intended for the good of God’s people, not as something belonging only to the distant past.
At the same time, the message gives prophecy a clear boundary. Mary says that God has already given His word in Scripture and in the authoritative teaching of the Church. True prophecy does not contradict that truth. It applies it and helps make God’s will known within particular circumstances.
How Prophecy Can Serve the Individual and the Church
The August 30 message explains that prophetic words do not all have the same audience. At times, Mary says, the Spirit reveals the Father’s will for one soul. At other times, a word may be intended for another person, a group, the Church, or even the whole world.
The August 31 message develops that thought further. Through prophecy, Mary says, the Holy Ghost can guide the individual, speak to congregations, and lead the Church. Prophecy is therefore presented as a gift of guidance whose reach can vary according to the purpose for which God gives it.
The full Importance of Prophecy page brings these two closely connected messages together and examines what they say about the prophetic gift, its place in the Early Church, and the ways it may serve both the individual believer and the Church.
Roar Like a Lion
The April 7, 2014 message Roar Like a Lion addresses the treatment of private revelation especially directly. Mary describes voices she says have been raised up but then “quieted and put in their place.” She identifies the response that troubles her: the message is “only private revelation,” it may be accepted or rejected, and it does not belong to the Deposit of Revelation. She then asks two pointed questions: “Why do I speak, if people are not to listen? What good is a warning, if no one heeds my words?”
The concern of the message is therefore not merely whether private revelation belongs to the Deposit of Faith. It does not. The concern is what happens when that truth is used as a reason to stop listening before the claimed message has been seriously considered. In Roar Like a Lion, Mary presents a warning as something given to produce a response. If no one listens, the warning cannot serve the purpose for which it was given.
Why Private Revelation Should Not Be Dismissed Without Discernment
Mary’s words do not say that every claim of private revelation must be accepted. The message does something different. It challenges the attitude that the words “private revelation” are enough, by themselves, to make a message unworthy of attention.
That distinction is important. A claim that is examined may be rejected because it is false, contradicts the Catholic Faith, or lacks good reason for belief. At the same time, the mere fact that something belongs to the category of private revelation does not, by itself, prove that the claim is false. Catholics are not required to investigate every claimed revelation, but private revelation should not be rejected as impossible simply because it is private.
This is the force behind Mary’s question, “Why do I speak, if people are not to listen?” Within the message, listening comes before any meaningful response. If a warning truly comes from heaven, its status as private revelation does not make the warning pointless. Its purpose is precisely to alert people to something God desires them to hear and act upon.
A Voice That Calls People to Listen
The title Roar Like a Lion comes from Mary’s promise that she will raise up a “special son” whose voice will not be silenced. She says that he will “roar like a lion” while possessing the heart of “a tender lamb,” and that his words will be heard by the nations.
The contrast between the lion and the lamb gives the image its strength. The voice is forceful because the message must be heard, yet the heart behind it is gentle. The purpose is not noise for its own sake. It is to overcome the silence that Mary has just described.
This makes Roar Like a Lion an important part of the group of messages examined on this page. Listening to the Prophets explains why a prophetic word is presented as being given and why the message calls the hearer to respond. The Importance of Prophecy explains how the prophetic gift can serve both the individual and the Church. Roar Like a Lion then confronts what can happen when claimed private revelation is set aside before its message is truly heard and considered.
The full Roar Like a Lion page examines this warning and Mary’s question about why heaven would speak if people refuse to listen.
A Door Still Open
The May 19, 2015 message A Door Still Open turns to Fatima to explain how private revelation can continue to matter long after a message is first given. Mary describes Fatima as an invitation opened by heaven and accompanied by great promises. She then makes the point plainly: “Nothing has changed. Nothing has been revoked.” Yet she also says that few have entered that door and that Fatima is often treated as something that may simply be accepted or left behind because it is considered “optional” and “private revelation.”
When Optional Is Mistaken for Unimportant
The concern of the message is not that private revelation becomes part of the Deposit of Faith. It does not. The concern is that the word optional can easily be heard as meaning unimportant. In A Door Still Open, Mary presents Fatima as a real invitation that still calls for a response. A private revelation may add no new doctrine to the Catholic faith while still urging people toward prayer, repentance, conversion, sacrifice, and greater obedience to God. The message therefore challenges the idea that private revelation is automatically unimportant merely because belief in it is not required. If a person chooses to consider a claimed revelation, the important question is what response would be appropriate if the claim were authentic.
What These Messages Say When Read Together
Taken together, Listening to the Prophets, The Importance of Prophecy, Roar Like a Lion, and A Door Still Open present a connected view of prophecy and private revelation. Listening to the Prophets explains the purpose attributed to the prophet and the response of the hearer. The Importance of Prophecy presents prophecy as a gift that may serve individuals and the Church while remaining subject to Scripture and authoritative Catholic teaching. Roar Like a Lion challenges the idea that the words “private revelation” are themselves sufficient reason to regard a claimed warning as worthless. A Door Still Open addresses a related danger: treating private revelation as unimportant merely because belief in it is not required.
Read together, the messages distinguish between blind acceptance and serious discernment. A claimed revelation can never add to or overturn the Revelation already given in Christ. When such a claim is considered, it must remain subject to Scripture, Catholic faith and morals, and the legitimate authority of the Church.
Prophecy Is Given for a Purpose
In Listening to the Prophets, Mary says that the prophet points toward “a road of blessings, a road of light.” The prophet is not the source of the blessing. God is. The prophet serves by directing people toward the help God has prepared for them.
The Importance of Prophecy develops the same idea. Mary points to the Early Church, where prophetic visions and words helped direct Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and others in the work God had given them. She then says that prophecy may serve an individual, another person, a group, the Church, or even a much wider audience.
Prophecy, in these messages, is therefore not presented chiefly as prediction. It is given to guide, prepare, warn, encourage, or direct people toward what God desires them to do.
Discernment Is Not the Same as Dismissal
The messages also draw a line between testing a claimed prophetic word and refusing to consider it at all.
The Importance of Prophecy states that true prophecy does not contradict the word God has already given in Scripture and the authoritative teaching of the Church. That provides a standard by which a claimed prophetic word must be judged.
Roar Like a Lion, however, warns against turning the fact that something is private revelation into a reason for indifference. Mary objects to the response that a message can simply be put aside because it “does not belong to the Deposit of Revelation.” Her question goes to the heart of the matter: “Why do I speak, if people are not to listen?”
These messages do not call for blind acceptance. They present listening, examination, and discernment as distinct from automatic rejection. A claim that contradicts the Catholic Faith must be rejected. At the same time, the fact that a claim requires discernment does not itself prove the claim false.
The Goal Is a Faithful Response to God
A final concern running through these messages is the response of the person who hears.
In Listening to the Prophets, Mary contrasts those who hear the prophet’s words but do nothing with those who act and find the help God has provided. The prophetic word does not remove human freedom. It places something before the individual and calls for a choice.
Her example is striking because it turns the reader away from fascination with future events and toward the Eucharist. The person is not told merely to know more. He is told to draw closer to God and receive the grace needed for what lies ahead.
That brings these messages together. Within them, prophecy is presented as being given for a purpose rather than for curiosity alone. A claimed prophetic message should never be accepted blindly, and when such a claim is considered, it should be judged in the light of the Catholic Faith. If it is found worthy of belief, its fruit should be a faithful response to God—greater prayer, conversion, obedience, preparation, and a deeper life of faith.
Frequently Asked Questions
They present private revelation as a means God may use to guide, warn, prepare, and help His people in particular circumstances. The prophet points toward the help God is giving, while God remains the source of the grace and blessing.
Because they present prophecy as a gift of the Holy Ghost that can build up the Church and guide both individuals and communities. They point to the Early Church as an example of prophetic guidance at work.
No. The Importance of Prophecy says that true prophecy never contradicts Scripture or the authoritative teaching of the Church. The messages call for listening and discernment, not blind acceptance.
Catholics are not required to investigate every claim of prophecy or private revelation. When they choose to consider such a claim, it should be examined in light of the Catholic Faith and should never be accepted merely because it claims a heavenly source. If a message is judged worthy of belief, its proper fruit should lead toward God, prayer, conversion, and a more faithful Christian life.
Charles Rogers is a resident of South Carolina and a retired computer programmer by trade. Raised in various Christian denominations, he came to faith in Jesus Christ early in life. In 2012, he began experiencing authentic spiritual encounters with the Blessed Virgin Mary, who led him on a seven-year journey that included a struggle with alcohol addiction, a widow-maker heart attack in which he died, and his conversion to the Catholic Faith. He is the exclusive author and owner of Two Percent Survival, a website dedicated to and created in honor of the Holy Mother. Feel free to email Charles at twopercentsurvival@gmail.com.
May Our Lady of the Rosary lead you deeper into the grace you have been given. Pray always, and trust the mercy of God while the door remains open.
— Two Percent Survival