Vassula Ryden

Vassula tranfigures into the Blessed Virgin Mary

I don't know about you, but pictures of 'seers', 'visionaries' and 'mystics' 'transfiguring' and turning into the Blessed Virgin Mary before an audience of 6,400 people, to me personally, remove credibility from the 'mystic' rather than increase it. It is really very out of character for Our Blessed Lady to appear in like manner as is pictured left, through a 'visionary', in a conference hall before 6,400 people. It is really very out of character with those mystics whose private revelations have been deemed authentic and trustworthy by the Church to be used in such a way.

I'm not saying it is not possible, I'm just saying it is more than a little out of character with what we believe about those authentic apparitions, visions and devotions approved by the Church. My gut feeling is that the source of Ms Rydens message's is diabolical. That's why her message goes down so well with Anglicans who can, according to Vassula's gospel, remain comfortably in the Anglican communion even when Anglicanism is fragmenting so disastrously. The 'miracles' and 'apparitions' surounding her cult only lend more weight to that feeling.  I wonder what Vassula makes of the Ordinariate set up by Christ's representative on Earth, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, now gloriously reigning? I wonder what she thinks of the lifting of the excommunication of the SSPX bishops? What does she think about 'women's ordination' taking place in the CofE? I doubt, somehow that any of it matters to her, because the Church, to her, is a kind of shape-shifting old witch whose appearance changes to suit your particular denomination. You could say she has made the Church in her own image.

The cult surrounding Vassula is more disturbing than it is intriguing or convincing. The beguiling devotedness of many to her person, not just her really rather dull, vague, facile message on Christian unity, is tremendously cult-like and the attending religious mania that accompanies many of her followers is even more so. I've seen it myself from an Anglican who came to a Catholic parish Church spreading the huge volume of Vassula's writings and trying to force them upon the Priest before scarpering out of the Church like some wide-eyed evangelical nutjob.

There is one Priest in Leeds who devotes a seemingly sizeable portion of his time to defending Ms Ryden more or less as soon as someone publishes something negative about her via electronic media. I do hope he is as quick to defend Holy Mother Church, the Holy Father and the Magisterium, as he is Vassula Ryden. The day Vassula becomes a Catholic, comes into full communion with the Successor of St Peter and actually tells the World that the Church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic, the Ark of Truth and the Instrument of Salvation, encourages Catholics to frequent the Sacrament of Penance and proclaims the Gospel in its entirety to anyone who will listen, is the day I'll take her writings and messages a little more seriously...

For all you need to know about Vassula Ryden, click here.