In my humble and pious opinion as a faithful Roman Catholic theologian, the claimed private revelations to Mary S. Reilly in the form of apparitions and messages contain substantial doctrinal errors that are contrary to sound Catholic doctrine, and resemble other false private revelations, and therefore are not true private revelations from Heaven. A list of reasons and examples follows.

Introduction

Mary S. Reilly claims to have been receiving apparitions and messages from Jesus and Mary, since June of 2001, and continuing through the present (2009). Mary allegedly appears under the title of "Our Lady of the Finger Lakes," and gives messages. Jesus also allegedly appears and gives messages. The website promoting these messages is:
http://ourladyofthefingerlakes.com/

Two Types of Messages

These alleged messages are of two types. The messages allegedly from the Virgin Mary are general exhortations to holiness, asking people to go to Mass and Confession, pray, avoid sin, etc. This type of message is found in nearly every claimed private revelation, both in true private revelations, and also in false private revelations. Even those private revelations which teach abject heresy also have this same type of exhortation to holiness. If a claimed private revelation told people not to pray, not to go to Mass, not to go to Confession, no one would be fooled into believing the other messages, the ones that teach error. All false private revelations contain some exhortations to holiness and some truth, as bait in order to draw in the faithful, so that they will then believe the rest of the messages, those that contain false teachings.

Usually, in a false private revelation, the truths and falsehoods in the messages are intermingled. But in this case, most of the falsehoods are found in the alleged messages from Jesus. The alleged messages from Mary serve mainly to draw in the faithful, to make them trust the visionary and her claims, so that they will be tricked into believing the errors that are presented by the other messages, those allegedly from Jesus. This approach is not unlike a clever con artist trick, in which one person gains the trust of the mark, and then he introduces another person, who will then unfold the planned deception.

Sources of False Private Revelations

There are three possible sources of false private revelations, (1) fallen angels, (2) human deception, (3) mental illness. In the course of my examination of numerous claimed private revelations, some of which are true private revelations from Heaven, but most of which are false private revelations, I have found that the first possible source, fallen angels, is the most common. Fallen angels appear to someone, presenting a false appearance that they are Jesus, or Mary, or a holy Angel, and they deceive that person into thinking that they are receiving private revelation. Fallen angels (i.e. devils, demons) are able to do this by the natural powers that all angels have. Just as human persons have natural abilities, so also do all angels, good and bad, have natural abilities. But fallen angels are able to do things that are beyond what human persons can do; these abilities are called preternatural. In this way, they can present various false signs and wonders, making it seem as if miracles are occurring, in order to deceive people into believing the messages of their false private revelation.

[Matthew]
{24:24} For there will arise false Christs and false prophets. And they will produce great signs and wonders, so much so as to lead into error even the elect (if this could be).
{24:25} Behold, I have warned you beforehand.

[Mark]
{13:22} For false Christs and false prophets will rise up, and they will present signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if it were possible, even the elect.
{13:23} Therefore, you must take heed. Behold, I have foretold all to you.

Jesus Himself warned us about these false prophets and about their great false signs and wonders. And yet many of the faithful have been led astray because they assume that any apparent sign or wonder must be from God. Such is not the case. Fallen angels are capable of producing false signs and false miracles, which Christ even called 'great signs and wonders'. But we have been warned by the Gospel not to be led into error by signs and wonders.

Similarly, in this claimed private revelation, the messages contain substantial doctrinal errors, so as to lead astray those members of the faithful who have not heeded the warning of Christ. Those especially are easily led astray who are lacking in their understanding of Catholic doctrine. A number of errors found in these messages are explained below.

Doctrinal Errors on Mary's Role as Mediatrix

In some messages, 'Mary' calls herself the Mediatrix of all graces.

Our Lady's Message of August 22, 2001
"I am here as the Queen of Peace. The Mediatrix of all graces."

Our Lady's Message of October 10, 2001
"I am the Queen of Peace, the Mediatrix of all Graces."

As a matter of doctrine, Mary cannot be the Mediatrix of the graces that flow from Christ's Divine Nature to His human nature within the hypostatic union. Such a claim would contradict the dogma of the hypostatic union of the two natures in one Person by interposing Mary between the natures, thus harming the unity of those natures. That unity is an infallible dogma about Jesus Christ.

The Council of Chalcedon: "one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only-begotten, acknowledged in two natures which undergo no confusion, no change, no division, no separation; at no point was the difference between the natures taken away through the union, but rather the property of both natures is preserved and comes together into a single person and a single subsistent being…."

The role of Mary cannot be to mediate the graces that flow from the Divine Nature to the human nature of Christ, because this would divide or separate the two natures, with Mary between them, contrary to Catholic dogma.

Also, Mary cannot be the Mediatrix of graces that she herself receives, since a person cannot be a mediator in their own case. She is the Mediatrix of all graces with those two exceptions. But those two exceptions are not minor points. The graces received by Christ's human nature and the graces received by the Virgin Mary are together greater than all other graces given to all humanity and all holy Angels throughout all time. And so Mary would not call herself the Mediatrix of ALL graces. She humbly realizes that the all immense graces that she mediates put together are still less than the graces that Christ's human nature receives, and less than the graces that her human nature receives.

It is noteworthy, too, that many claimed private revelations, which have been proven to be false on the basis of other doctrinal errors, often also portray Mary as calling herself the Mediatrix of ALL Graces. But by comparison, in various true private revelations, Mary often calls herself the Mediatrix, or the Mediatrix of Grace, but not of all graces.

Doctrinal Errors on Mary's role as co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocatrix

The role of Mary as co-Redemptrix is to immerse herself entirely in Christ's role as the one and only Redeemer. She acts as co-Redemptrix by kneeling before Christ in worship of Him, and by assisting Him in all that He does for our Redemption. In this way, she cooperates also with us as we cooperate with Christ in our own redemption.

But the term co-Redemptrix is used in an entirely different and incorrect sense in these messages of claimed private revelation.

December 14, 2005
"Oh, rejoice, children of Israel for the Woman clothed in the sun with the moon at her feet will reign over all of Heaven and earth as Co-Redemptrix."

The role of co-Redemptrix is not a role of reigning with power, but of humbly assisting Christ in our Redemption. Although it is true that Mary also has a role as Queen of Heaven and earth, that is a different role. Basically, this alleged message from Jesus merely takes some terminology and phraseology from various Catholic sources, and combines it in a way that is theologically incompetent.

March 20, 2006
"The Dogma of My Mother as Coredemptrix and Mediatrix of all grace will be fulfilled."

There have been many true private revelations in the history of the Church. Many Saints have experienced various kinds of private revelation. In addition, in recent decades, many true private revelations have been given to various persons, even if they were perhaps not Saints. But in no private revelation in the history of the Church has Jesus or Mary ever appeared to announce a dogma in advance of the teaching authority of the Church. Jesus Himself gave the Church Her teaching authority, called the Magisterium. It is absurd to claim that either Jesus or Mary would appear in a private revelation and undermine the teaching authority of the Church by announcing that a particular teaching is an infallible dogma before the Magisterium has taught that idea as a dogma. For a dogma by definition is an infallible teaching of the Magisterium. In fact, the Magisterium has not yet infallibly taught the role of Mary as co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocatrix; therefore, neither Jesus nor Mary would give a message that referred to any idea as a dogma before it was in fact a dogma.

December 18, 2008
"For the lines are forming - soldiers align, for on the battlefield you will march under the authority of the Queen of the Universe, the Coredemptrix, Mediatrix and Advocate of all grace."

Like many of these messages attributed to Jesus, the phrasing is thick with grandiose sounding words, but thin with meaning. Also, the authority that Mary has is found entirely in Jesus. So Jesus would not appear and give messages to tell us all about the authority of His Mother. Consider the words of Jesus in the Gospels. Did He ever speak of her as having authority? No, for she has no authority except in Him. Jesus would not give a message telling the faithful to march under the authority of the Queen of the Universe, since He Himself has greater authority.

Also, the usual phrase is 'Mediatrix of all grace.' But false private revelations often play with the terminology and phrases used in theology, so as to make new terms and phrases, and thereby to pretend to offer profound teachings. Instead, the result is theologically incoherent. It is correct to say that grace is mediated, for grace is obtained by the Mediator between God and man, by Jesus Christ, with the assistance of the Virgin Mary, the Mediatrix. And she is even the Mediatrix of all the graces that the Church receives from Christ. But the phrase "Advocate of all grace" does not make theological sense.

October 31, 2008
"My Mother is adorned in all Her heavenly splendor with the moon at Her feet and the stars at Her head, She wields Her mighty specter. For a great day is approaching as My Mother will be heralded as the Queen of the Universe, the Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate of all grace."

Again, a message from Jesus exalts Mary as if she were more powerful than Him. But when Jesus speaks about Mary in the Gospels, He treats her with great love and respect, but He does not speak as if her role were that of wielding her own power. In truth, her role is to assist Christ in the power that He wields, the power of love and grace. Jesus would not say about the Virgin Mary that "She wields Her mighty specter."

Again, the phrase "Advocate of all grace" does not make theological sense, since mediation is to obtain grace. The phrase should be Mediatrix of Grace, or Mediatrix of all graces except those to Christ and Mary (as explained above), but not Advocate of all graces. And the title co-Redemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocatrix is not a title of power in the Virgin Mary, but of the power of Christ in all things, including the Virgin Mary.

Exaltation of the Messages

Commonly, the messages of false private revelations contain various assertions which exalt the particular private revelation. The adherents are encouraged not to doubt the messages, to trust the messages in an unthinking manner, to distrust anyone who criticizes the messages, to believe and do whatever the messages say. In this way, the false private revelation attempts to replace the real sources of truth in the Catholic Faith: Tradition, Scripture, Magisterium.

December 1, 2004
"What I tell you as I dictate My words to you; I say to you, this knowledge is as sacred as scripture."

October 17, 2004
"My words to you are as sacred as scripture."

These messages exalt a claimed private revelation as if it were equal to Sacred Scripture. This type of exaltation of the messages is common among false private revelations, but is not found in any true private revelation.

Exaltation of the Visionary

Also, it is common in false private revelations for the messages themselves to continually exalt the visionary. This serves two purposes, to blind the visionary, by means of pride, to any errors in the messages, and to cause the adherents to cling to the visionary rather than to the Church. Con artists use similar tricks; they shower their mark with complements so as to more easily deceive them.

Some examples, found throughout the messages, in which the visionary is exalted:

Oh, little daughter of My heart
Delight of My heart
precious daughter of My heart
My precious pearl
My soldier
My pearl
my precious daughter
Delight of My heart, you are My precious pearl
Daughter of My divine heart
My little pearl
My little dove
child of My heart
Precious child of My divine heart
My precious pearl, My bright and shining gem.
Little dove, spread your wings and soar with My majestic eagles

This type of extreme flattery is not found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nor is it found in any of the true private revelations to the Saints. A true private revelations might have some few positive comments about the visionary, but not the type of continual showering with complements, and extreme exaltation found in many false private revelations.

In addition, the visionary is exalted in other ways.

December 1, 2004
"Delight of My heart, Mary [Mary S. Reilly], it is I, your Jesus, and how I desire for you to write. I have blessed your lips to proclaim My praise. I have blessed your eyes to see My glory. I have blessed your hands with My gift of healing and I have blessed your heart with love of Me and I have taken you into My divinity; a grace reserved for only a few of My faithful."

After fawning and flattering the visionary to an extreme degree, the claim is made that she has been taken into the Divinity of Christ, something "reserved for only a few". Now there are thousands of Blesseds and Saints in the Church, so the claim that this visionary received a supposed grace that is only reserved for a few would seem to place her above most of the Blesseds and Saints. But more importantly, this claim to have been taken into the Divinity of Christ is not made by the Church about any of the Saints, nor even about the Virgin Mary, when they were on earth. It is one of the most extreme examples of the exaltation of a visionary in any claimed private revelation.

November 8, 2004
"I am sending My devoted priests to you. They are thirsty for the truth. Many need to be renewed in My love and mercy. As they take Me into their sacred hands, they need to know that they hold the Bread of Life, the true Resurrection. So many are left in dismay by the scandal that the evil one has caused. I wish to renew them and to fortify them with My love and fortitude."

Now this next claim is stupefying. Supposedly the priests of the holy Catholic Church need to go to this visionary in order to learn that the Eucharist is the Bread of Life, as if they do not know that basic doctrine already, as if the messages of a private revelation were the place to obtain that fundamental truth about the Sacrament. This visionary and her messages are presented as if they are the Faith. Notice that priests are treated as if they are ignorant of very basic teachings of the Church, and moreover as if they can only be renewed and fortified and be informed about those teachings by going to a visionary. The message speaks as if priests cannot learn truth from Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium, but only from claimed private revelation. The message speaks as if priests cannot be renewed and fortified by Christ's love, except through this visionary. The arrogance of this claim is astounding.

October 17, 2004
"You are My beacon of truth for all nations. As My Father has sent His prophets before you, now He sends you."

Again, the visionary is exalted to an extreme degree, as if this recipient of a claimed private revelation had replaced the holy Catholic Church as the beacon of truth to all nations. This visionary is claimed to be not only a prophet like the prophets of Sacred Scripture, and not even one prophet among many. No, she is presented as if she were the one prophet to all nations; the sole successor to all past prophets. These messages speak almost as if the Church does not exist.

January 2, 2005
"My daughter, stay suited in holy armor and go forth with the courage of a lion. For you have been chosen by My Father to lead My people out of exile into the Promised Land into My Kingdom - the Kingdom of the Most High, the New Jerusalem. My holy and anointed priests will join you, for it is My will."

Again, this one claimed recipient of private revelation is exalted above the Church. The claim is made that she has been chosen by the Father to lead the entire people of God out of exile and into the Promised Land of the New Jerusalem. There are many theological problems with this claim. First, the Church is the people of God, and the Church on earth is led by the Pope and the body of Bishops. There is no mention of the Pope and the Bishops in this message. It is as if the Church were to be led by Mary S. Reilly. Second, although life in this world is like a type of exile, we are led into the Kingdom of the Most High when we die and go to Heaven. So this visionary cannot lead the people of God into the Kingdom. Third, according to Sacred Scripture, only after Christ returns, and only after God takes away heaven and earth, and makes a new heaven and a new earth, only then does the New Jerusalem come down from Heaven, so that Christ's kingdom will be established on earth as in heaven. It is Christ Himself in person who, in that time in the distant future, will lead us into the New Jerusalem.

[Revelation]
{21:1} I saw the new heaven and the new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and the sea is no more.
{21:2} And I, John, saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.

It is not possible for a visionary of private revelation to lead the people of God into the New Jerusalem, since that New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven after God takes away heaven and earth, and makes a new heaven and a new earth. This false claim made in this message not only exalts the visionary as if she were the leader of the Church instead of the Pope, but gives her a role that is only for Jesus Christ Himself, to lead the people of God into the New Jerusalem. But this true future event occurs in the distant future. So, fourth, it is also an error to claim that this event of the New Jerusalem occurs during the present generation. And fifth, it is yet a further exaltation of this visionary to say that the holy and anointed priests of Jesus Christ will join her, as if she (a lay woman) were leading the priests of the whole Church, with no mention of a Pope or Bishops. Although most false private revelations have various ways of exalting the visionary, this particular case is an extreme example.

Error on Predestination

These messages speak of predestination as if that term meant that the Father had determined all future events in advance. But this is not the correct understanding of predestination.

December 1, 2004
"Be at peace as you embark on your journey - all has been predestined by My Father."

January 3, 2005
All has been predestined by My Father. This is a crucial hour in history. A fleet of My holy angels will accompany you, guiding, protecting, and illuminating your path.

March 28, 2006
All has been predestined and ordained by the will of My Father. Go with confidence, and fear nothing.

Repeatedly the visionary, Mary S. Reilly, is told that all of the future events are predestined, as if God has determined the course and outcome of all events. This claim is a doctrinal error. We all have free will. Predestination is not the power of God exercised so as to determine the course and outcome all future events. Rather, predestination is the knowledge of God about our future free will decisions, and the providence of God assisting us during those various future events and future decisions. But God does not control these future decisions and events. God decided to give control to our free will. This false idea of a predestination in which God controls all future events is a doctrinal error. The correct teaching on predestination includes free will and providence, rather than control, over events.

Catechism of the Catholic Church: "To God, all moments of time are present in their immediacy. When therefore he establishes his eternal plan of "predestination", he includes in it each person's free response to his grace…." (CCC, n. 600).

Error on the Blessing of Jesus

These messages frequently portray Jesus as giving His blessing, using variations of the formula:

"I bless you and I anoint you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

It does not make sense for Jesus, who is the Son, to use this type of formula, in which He Himself blesses in the name of the Son. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructs his disciples to baptize with this formula:

[Matthew]
{28:18} And Jesus, drawing near, spoke to them, saying: "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
{28:19} Therefore, go forth and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
{28:20} teaching them to observe all that I have ever commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the consummation of the age."

But nowhere in any of the Gospels does Jesus use this type of formula Himself. In fact, Jesus did not baptize anyone, but instead He authorized His disciples to baptize (John 4:2). Also, none of the firmly established true private revelations portray Jesus speaking and blessing in this manner, including the many private revelations to the Saints and Blesseds of the Church.

Eschatological Errors

These message speak about the tribulation, a time of future suffering for the Church described in Sacred Scripture and in the writings of many Saints. These messages also speak about a new era of peace, and about a Second Pentecost. Now these ideas are found in other reliable private revelations, and in various works of eschatology. But in this claimed private revelation, these ideas are distorted and disordered. Contradictory claims are made about these events, and the timing and order that is given is contradictory and absurd.

One of the most common features of false private revelations is a description of the tribulation which is vague and uninformative, and which emphasizes merely natural events, events that occur frequently in the course of history, such as floods, droughts, changing weather patterns, storms, and other natural events. These events are not unique to the time of the tribulation, nor are they the main afflictions of the tribulation.

September 6, 2005
"For your land will lay barren. Your rivers, streams, and lakes will know drought. The weather patterns will continue to be unpredictable and a great city will be left barren. Oh, how My people will cry. Calamity upon calamity - ushered in by great and roaring winds. Your infrastructures will be destroyed."

December 7, 2005
"Now the time of My justice will prevail. A time of tribulation and chastisement will come over the world. I AM TELLING YOU THIS SO YOU WILL BE PREPARED. IT IS MY DESIRE FOR MY CHILDREN TO BE PREPARED. A dark hour approaches - thunder, mighty thunder, will roll in, a great rain will come over the earth. Lightning, huge bolts of lightning will strike."

Notice that this description of the tribulation is only about natural events. And the natural events are relatively ordinary, such as rain, thunder, and lightning, as well as mere changes in weather patterns, and roaring winds. Events such as floods or droughts happen in the ordinary course of natural events on earth. But these ordinary events are being presented by this claimed private revelation as if they were the principle events of the tribulation. Perhaps this is because at any time this visionary could claim that this prediction had been fulfilled, since there is bad weather and various natural events every year, in one place or another.

When we compare this description of the tribulation to the description given by Christ in the Gospels (Mt 24; Mk 13; Lk 21), it is not the same. Christ predicts some very severe natural events, but the main afflictions of the tribulation are not natural. There will be afflictions from sinful society, such as battles and wars, and the hatred and persecution of Christians. And there will be false prophets and false prophecies, trying to lead many astray. And there will be even greater afflictions, much greater than any past natural disasters: "a great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until the present." (Mt 24:21). And when we then consider the description of the tribulation in the Book of Revelation, it becomes abundantly clear that the description given by this set of messages is not at all in accord with Sacred Scripture. The tribulation is not a set of those ordinary natural disasters that have always occurred in human history.

There is also a problem with the order of future events as described in the messages of Mary S. Reilly. Notice the dates on the above messages about the tribulation, in the year 2005. And those message state that the tribulation is in the future, which would be sometime after 2005. But other earlier messages claimed that the 'New Era' of peace and the 'new Pentecost' had already begun.

October 17, 2004
"You are My beacon of truth for all nations. As My Father has sent His prophets before you, now He sends you. The new Pentecost has begun."

November 8, 2004
"For My Mystical Body will be raised up. From the top of the mountains to the vast sea, My Spirit will soar; no stone will be left unturned as I usher in My New Era - a new Pentecost - a new springtime. As I usher in My New Era, I too, am dispensing new gifts - gifts of fortitude, fidelity, zeal, and so much more."

January 2, 2005
"The triumph of My Mother's holy and immaculate heart is on the horizon.

Notice that the triumph of the Virgin Mary's Immaculate Heart is said to be on the horizon, i.e. in the future, in the message of 2005. But the earlier messages of 2004 claim that the new Pentecost and new Era has already begun. Supposedly Christ ushers in a New Era, a new Pentecost, a new springtime, but Mary's triumph is somehow not involved, but is in the future. These messages speak as if Mary were not involved in all that Christ does for us. And then the later messages of 2005 speak as if the tribulation were still in the future, apparently after the New Era. It is as if the glory of the resurrection were placed before the sufferings of the Cross.

December 18, 2008
For the dawning of a new day, approaches. No more hunger, sickness, or injustice. A paradise not even known to Adam and Eve. But first, chaos and misfortune, turbulence and disease.

Although earlier messages stated that the new Pentecost, the new era had already begun, the above quoted message claims that this event will end hunger, sickness, and injustice, and will make the earth better than the Paradise of Adam and Eve. Obviously, this alleged event has not begun; neither is there support in Sacred Scripture for the claim of a paradise on earth, greater than that of Adam and Eve, prior to the Return of Jesus.

Now the above message seems to place the tribulation before the alleged new era, but then there is this contradictory message:

December 1, 2004
"Be at peace, as My saints and angels stand ready. They await My command, as the time is approaching when the triumph of My Mother's Holy and Immaculate Heart will be realized as the great prelude to the realization of My New Era."

This message of 2004 places the triumph of Mary's Immaculate Heart before the new Era, and places both events in the future. But the New Era and new Pentecost were said in the earlier messages of 2004 to have already begun. These kinds of contradictory assertions are indicative of false private revelation. Whoever wrote these messages did not even make them even internally consistent, and neither are they in agreement with Sacred Scripture, or with sound Catholic eschatology.

November 8, 2004
"For My Mystical Body will be raised up. From the top of the mountains to the vast sea, My Spirit will soar; no stone will be left unturned as I usher in My New Era - a new Pentecost - a new springtime. As I usher in My New Era, I too, am dispensing new gifts - gifts of fortitude, fidelity, zeal, and so much more."

Also, it is absurd that these messages portray Jesus as dispensing to the Church: "new gifts - gifts of fortitude, fidelity, zeal…." Christians have had the gift of fidelity, of faithfulness, from the very beginning of the Christian faith. All Christians receive the theological virtues of love, faith, and hope at Baptism. So the gift of 'fidelity' is not some new gift, and cannot be greater than the supernatural virtues of love, faith, and hope combined. The gift of fortitude is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit given to every Catholic by the Sacrament of Confirmation: "The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord." (CCC, n. 1831). So this is not a new gift. Neither is zeal a new gift, since Christians have always had zeal for the Gospel, for the Church, and for all the works of God.

October 31, 2008
Fill your cupboards, prepare your fires; make haste to secure your supply of water, wood, blankets, and medications.
For My angels advance, marking the foreheads of all those who I have called and who belong to Me.

This advice, allegedly from Jesus, told people in October of 2008 to store up food ('fill your cupboards'), water, wood (??), blankets, and medications. Now as I write this in late September of 2009, there was no need for any of those stored items; and there was no disaster requiring everyone to store up those items. And over the last 11 months, some of the food and some of the medications might have gone bad. So this was not good advice, and therefore not truly advice from Jesus.

Furthermore, this advice is not merely practical advice in case of natural disaster; it is implied by the next line about Angels marking foreheads that this advice was for the tribulation. But the tribulation has not begun yet (as of this writing). And according to the Book of Revelation, the marking of foreheads of the faithful by Angels does not occur until after the events of the first six Seals, that is, after war, civil strife, famine, death from a variety of causes, a massacre of Christians, and another war. So it is absurd to combine the advice of storing a few practical items with the claim that the events of Revelation chapter 7 are already occurring (i.e. the marking of foreheads). Once the tribulation does begin, some practical efforts would be of some use, but this beginning of the tribulation (at the first Seal) does not coincide with the marking of foreheads by Angels after the sixth Seal. And by the time that event does occur, already war, civil disorder, famine, and many other sufferings will have occurred, so it will be rather late to say 'fill your cupboards,' after all those events were over.

January 7, 2004
You are suited in holy armor; you are My remnant faithful.

This claim that the adherents of a private revelation are the remnant faithful, as if the rest of the Church apart from claimed private revelation had gone astray, is a common feature in the false eschatology of various false visionaries and locutionists. The claim serves to attempt to separate the adherent of a private revelation from the Church by representing the adherents as the true faithful of the Church, as a mere remnant, a tiny minority, and as if the main body of the faithful, and the body of Bishops led by the Pope, were no longer of the Church.

Other Errors

In the Gospel, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as "living water."

[John]
{7:37} Then, on the last great day of the feast, Jesus was standing and crying out, saying: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink:
{7:38} whoever believes in me, just as Scripture says, 'From his chest shall flow rivers of living water.' "
{7:39} Now he said this about the Spirit, which those who believe in him would soon be receiving. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

But these messages of claimed private revelation portray Jesus as calling Himself the living water, instead of the Holy Spirit.

Message from Jesus
March 19, 2004
"I am the living water."

Many of the faithful might not notice this type of doctrinal error. But Jesus has not changed the Gospel message; it remains the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. So Jesus would not start calling Himself the living water, when the Church has always understood this to refer to the Spirit.

Message from Jesus
March 19, 2004
"Recall your baptismal vows and recite the Creed. These are the essential Rites of My Church. My Sacraments are My great gifts to you."

This brief passage shows a poor understanding of Catholic teaching on the Sacraments; such a message could not have come from Jesus. First, baptismal vows are not essential to a valid Sacrament of Baptism. This emphasis on the baptismal vows over the Sacrament itself is an error. Second, there are several different Creeds used in the Church. But Creeds are not Sacraments and are not Rites. Third, Rites are not Sacraments. Any religious ceremony, observance, or ritual can be called a rite. For example, RCIA, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. The Sacraments are dispensed during rites, i.e. ceremonies or rituals, but a Sacrament is not a Rite, and a Rite is not a Sacrament. The meaning and essence of any Sacrament is much greater than the rite used to dispense the Sacrament. And although rituals or rites are useful to the Church, they are changeable and are not, in any particular form, essential to the Faith. Fourth, the rites of reciting baptismal vows, and of reciting one Creed or another, are not the most important rites. The rites that are used to dispense the Sacraments are the most important rites.

Summary

There are many serious doctrinal errors in this relatively small set of messages, in the claimed private revelations to Mary S. Reilly. A true private revelation could not possibly contain so many errors. This claimed private revelation teaches numerous serious doctrinal errors, exalts the visionary above the Church, and presents the messages as if they were on a par with Sacred Scripture. The messages on eschatology are contradictory, and contrary to sound Catholic theology. So for all these reasons, I conclude that the claimed private revelations to Mary S. Reilly are not from Jesus or Mary, are not true private revelations from Heaven, but are most likely from fallen angels.


by Ronald L. Conte Jr.
September 25, 2009