Newsgroups: bit.listserv.catholic
Date:         Sun, 10 Jan 1993 20:50:36 EST
From:         Richard Chonak <norris@ATHENA.MIT.EDU>
Subject:      the Scottsdale phenomenon [longish]

Dear friends--

Since somebody mentioned the "Scottsdale messages" on bit.listserv.catholic a
few days ago, I figured I'd give you a few quotes, for the benefit of those who
haven't heard about the phenomenon yet.

My information comes from the book "I am your Jesus of Mercy", volume II,
published by the Riehle Foundation, PO Box 7, Milford, OH 45150, which
distributes literature on new apparitions (basically for free).

Here are the basics about the events at St Maria Goretti parish in Scottsdale
AZ: [for the sake of simplicity, I will not bother to say "alleged",
"purported", "supposed", etc., throughout the following:]

The messenger, a young woman (Gianna Talone-Bianchi) receives "lessons" from our
Lord, for all the world, in private prayer; they are dictated and written down
as received.  Two members of the Thursday evening prayer group at the parish
receive "messages" directed more specifically to the prayer group members; the
pastor, Fr. Jack Spaulding, occasionally presents further messages as part of
the homily.

The local ordinary, Bp. Thomas O'Brien of Phoenix, appointed a 3-member
commission which studied the phenomenon in the summer of 1989, and reported in
October 1989.  The commission concluded that "the events seem to us to be
explained as human experiences and by ordinary human dynamics."  In his
statement, the bishop accepted their conclusions and ordered that the prayer
meeting and liturgy would be allowed to continue, "but without any unequivocal
claim of miraculous intervention".  [The book does not spell out the rest of the
bishop's directives.]


Here is one complete "lesson", as a sample:

January 4, 1990:

        My dear child, My people are not yet convinced of my great
        love for them, for if they really accepted my love, they would be pure
        of mind and honest.  If they truly recognized My love for them,
        individually, they would be at peace, happy, and filled with trust.
        They would want to be like Me!

        What does it take to convince My people of My great love?  I love the
        good and the bad, even the bad who do not know Me!  BUT I SEE THE LOVE
        MY PEOPLE HAVE FOR ME BY THE WAY THEY TREAT THEIR BROTHERS.  My good
        continue to be slashed by the dishonesty of the bad.

        I am here to warn My people, as a watchmen warns the troops before
        battle!  *Take heed, all ye who live deceitfully.*  You who are bad and
        know Me, but do not turn to good, it would be better for you had you
        never known of My goodness.  You who have good in you, but have begun
        to live deceitfully and dishonestly, it would be better had you not
        known Me.  For those who are good and do deceitful acts will be judged
        as if they were not righteous.  The good deeds accredited to them will
        not be acknowledged!  But those, who are righteous and holy in Me,
        shall receive their reward without punishment!  For what is due to man
        for his unjust ways, shall be fulfilled as promised by My Father.

        Justice will be fulfilled as decreed.  Those, who love and live in
        faith, have no need to fear, for My seal of protection is on them.
        Remember, there is no justice in fear.  FEAR IS NOT OF ME!  If you
        live in Me and I in you, then you will not fear or allow perturbations
        of fear to cause you undue duress.


Here are a few observations about the language we see in the messages, keeping
in mind that the messages are "dictated":

1. "Jesus" often makes subtle errors in English word usage.

In the example above, he says "duress" when he means "distress".  Some phrases
("perturbations of fear") are awkward and hard to make sense of.

If we were to credit "Jesus" with the punctuation too, we would note that the
extra commas around some of the relative clauses are erroneous.

Other bad examples of word usage:

10/12/89:
        Many of my righteous people grieve from the effects that man creates
        and infringes upon them.
            ^^^^^^^^^

1/8/90:
        I am a God who loves ordinariness.  I listen, am loving and patient.
        I am devoted and simplistic.

There are even occasional errors in grammar:
        ...it is I, your Lord, Who comes to you.     [should be 'come']


2. "Jesus" sometimes falls into jargon, and from there into incoherence:

9/29/89:

        My people are not aware how food will harm them.  Eat to
        survive, and maintain your nutritional requirements....

        After you have received your satisfactory nutritional
        assessment, give to those who have none and need to feed their
        appetite.

10/4/89:
        [My people...] are so self satisfied that any suggestion for the need
        to look at their inner being would be bounced out as an inner conflict
        and loss of peace (which they actually create for themselves by their
        outlook and separation from My truth!)

        This is complacency: an addiction to a self satisfaction
        attitude, masking the truth by living in a world of fallacy, and not
        knowing the true individual I have created!


3.  Sometimes he picks up the cliches of our day:

9/22/89:
        I would like my people to return to basic principles.

        Live the graces I grant you each day by accepting them and taking
        one day at a time.

12/18/89:
        There are my people who do not feel worthy and are full of remorse,
        guilt and low self acceptance....

        There are those who are apprehensive and overly cautious.  These people
        of Mine are controlled by their intellect and rely little on their
        knowledge given through their hearts.  These are my doubting Thomases
        who wonder if My lessons are truly from Me....

        I wish to tell my people of low self esteem and fears to rejoice....

12/23/89:
        I am directly saying that I want people to be intimate with Me, but
        INTIMACY IS INVERSELY RELATED TO SELF-CENTEREDNESS AND SELF IMAGE!

1/10/90:
        If you wish to be My follower, you will pray for inner growth
        development....

4/18/90:
        SLOW DOWN, MY PEOPLE.  ENJOY AND APPRECIATE WITH GRATITUDE ALL THE
        GIFTS AND BLESSINGS MY FATHER HAS GRANTED AND BETROTHED UNTO YOU.


He even alludes to the songs of charismatic prayer groups (10/28/89):
        No, the troop of glory, the men of God, shall reign forever and
        win in victory for all eternity, and peace shall be their flag.
                                             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
[or is this originally a scriptural allusion?]

4.  And yet:

10/9/89:
        There won't be many who believe that I have chosen you to come to and
        speak to.  Why?  Because My words are far too simple for their complex
        mentality!

12/6/89:
        I speak simple words so that there will be no mistake or
        misunderstanding of My offer of everlasting life to you.  I speak
        clearly and directly to ALL created by My Father.


5.  His exhortations to believe in this specific "messenger" come as sweetness
mixed with threats:

11/4/89:
        If you choose to be with Me, safe in eternal glory, then take heed of
        My words through My chosen!  I have assigned My watchman, who knows My
        hour.  Correct your evil ways!  The soul cannot survive without My
        love.

        If you think it can or do not believe in your soul's journey, then, so
        be it, and walk the path of darkness and doom!  If you question the
        truth, and wonder if I truly speak to My apostle, then, I tell you,
        better to believe than not!  For the hour I come, you must be
        prepared!  I will take those, whom I find ready and waiting with hope,
        to dwell with Me.

12/4/89:
        Those who choose to ridicule and slander the words I have spoken to
        each heart, and choose recognition through worldly props, such as
        money, choose to walk with satanism.

3/4/90:
        IF MY PEOPLE DO NOT WISH FOR ME TO TEACH THEM, THEN I WILL STOP!...

        It is my last effort in giving the opportunity to grasp salvation.


6.  When the Scottsdale "Jesus" teaches doctrine, the result is confusion:

10/18/89:
        Sin is an act committed, either by thought or action, which paralyzes
        the soul of spiritual drink.  It becomes a passion in thought or
        action, and drains the soul of many graces....

        Remember, I cannot forgive you if you hold bound your sin by not
        forgiving yourself!

12/18/89:
        I do not wish for My people to feel guilty or have any feelings of
        remorse, because I love them and am a forgiving God.  ALL THEY NEED TO
        DO IS COME TO ME AND FORGIVE THEMSELVES, SO THAT I CAN FORGIVE THEM.

11/1/89:
        God created man in the likeness and image of Me...
[!]

11/27/89:
        The Holy Spirit is My Divine Spirit, Who literally dwells in your
        physical, bodily formation as your spirit.  He is united to the spirit
        of the soul and body to become a living, walking, Spirit of My Father.


7.  Occasionally he even contradicts Scripture:

1/8/90:
        Do not out-do one another in love, My people...
[Doesn't St Paul say something exactly contrary in one of his exhortations?]


----------

Draw your own conclusions, folks!   :-)

---
Richard Aquinas Chonak, norris@mit.edu, Usenet addict, INTP
See you at the March for Life in DC Jan 22!
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU