![\"\"](\"http:\/\/stthomasneilston.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Ghosts-uCatholic-300x157.png\")
<\/p>\nDo Catholics believe in ghosts? What does the Church have to say?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Phantoms and poltergeists, spirits and specters. Ghosts by many a name. A candle suddenly extinguishes without a trace, but a gust of wind is nowhere to be found to blame. Lights turn off with no explanation, and papers don\u2019t stay where they\u2019re put.<\/p>\n
Popular folklore offers the explanation that such phenomena are the consequence of an errant spirit attempting to communicate with those on Earth.<\/p>\n
Do Catholics really believe in ghosts, and what does the Church have to say? At first glance, it\u2019s a simple question; however, it just begins to scratch the surface of the supernatural subject matter.<\/p>\n
Spirit versus Sinister<\/strong><\/p>\n When talking about ghosts, the distinction must be made between what colloquial usage would call \u2018good\u2019 and \u2018bad\u2019 spirits. Satan can manifest to mankind to try and lead us into temptation and sin<\/a>,\u00a0what popular usage would refer to as demons or evil spirits. The point of contention arises when discussing \u2018good\u2019 spirits, the souls of the departed appearing to the living on Earth, and if such a phenomena is accepted as a possibility within the Faith.<\/p>\n \u201cBeloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world<\/em>.\u201d \u2013 1 John 4:1<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Biblical Basis for Ghosts<\/strong><\/p>\n Ghosts were clearly known to the citizens of Israel during the time of our Lord. Twice the apostles mistook Jesus appearing to them as being a ghost. First, when they see Him walking on water, and second when He appears to them after the Resurrection.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. \u201cIt is a ghost,\u201d they said, and they cried out in fear<\/em>.\u201d \u2013 Matthew 14:26<\/p>\n \u201cWhile they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, \u201cPeace be with you.\u201d But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost<\/em>.\u201d \u2013 Luke 24:36-37<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Church Fathers Offer Guidance<\/strong><\/p>\n Saint Augustine tackled the topic of ghosts in the contents of his Letter 159 to Evodius. In the letter, Augustine rejects the idea that the dead can return to the living, because a soul, when separated from the body, carries with it no additional material body that would allow it to be perceived by the living. Instead, he posits that ghosts are simply spiritual visions, much like dreaming of a person. When one sees a ghost, they are not seeing their material bodies, but \u201csemblances\u201d of their bodies. However, Augustine concedes that for many instances he has no explanation, such as when a ghost offers information on the material world to a person who otherwise would have no way of knowing such information.<\/p>\n \u201cI by no means believe that the soul in departing from the body is accompanied by another body of any kind<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 Saint Augustine, Letter 159 to Evodius<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In the middle ages, theologians took up the idea that the dead return from purgatory to ask for prayers so their souls may be released to Heaven. While Saint Augustine had a highly nuanced position on ghosts, Saint Thomas Aquinas flatly says that \u201cit is absurd to say that the souls of the departed do not leave their abode.\u201d<\/p>\n Ghosts Today<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite numerous works by the great Church Fathers and theologians throughout the ages, the Church has not produced any specific doctrine or teaching on the definitive existence of ghosts. Instead, the Church offers that God may allow saints, angels, and even the souls of the dead to appear to the living if it His will.<\/p>\n Peter Kreeft, a professor of philosophy at Boston College and writer of Catholic theology, says that the existence of ghosts is \u201cenormously likely.\u201d He posits that there is no contradiction between ghosts and Catholic theology.<\/p>\n \u201cGhosts appear on earth, but do not live on earth any longer. They are either in heaven, hell, or purgatory.\u00a0\u2026\u00a0Ghosts confirm, rather than refute or disturb, Catholic theology of the afterlife. Especially the very existence of a life after death, which is the main point skeptics dispute<\/em>.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n What the composite of Catholic teachings and philosophy boils down to is that yes, it is perfectly acceptable for Catholics to believe in ghosts: the souls of those in purgatory manifesting themselves to the living on earth to beg for our prayers so they may enter through the Gates of Heaven.<\/p>\n This article, written by\u00a0Billy Ryan<\/strong><\/a>, first appeared on\u00a0<\/em>uCatholic<\/a> on 23rd October 2017.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Do Catholics believe in ghosts? 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