| Question Title | Posted By | Question Date |
|---|---|---|
| Butterfly occurrences | Grant | Wednesday, March 13, 2013 |
Question: Your thoughts please. This lady passed away several months ago. Her husband greatly misses her and prays for her and at times talks to her. One afternoon while visiting her grave with her grown children a butterfly landed on his head. Ever since they have had several occurrences that whenever he is talking about her or thinking about her a butterfly will appear either live and fluttering around him or he will spot a picture of a butterfly. His children and grandchildren have had the same experiences even though they live in a different city. They all attend Mass faithfully and try to live their Catholic Faith. They were at a friends funeral Mass at a church they had attended for the first time and while standing next to a stain-glass window they were talking about their mom and the man noticed a butterfly on the stain-glass picture. They feel its a sign that there mother is present in spirit with them. They say it has happened too many times to be a coincidence because more than once they have had a butterfly land on their head, shoulder or arm when either talking about this lady or just thinking about her. I don't know how to respond whenever they talk about their experiences. They are not superstitious or anything like that but are just amazed at these occurrences. |
||
| Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r)
Dear Grant: Phenomena that even appears to be miracles can actually be coincidences. Many times what happened in situations like this is that a person notices a butterfly, for example. Once a person takes notice of the butterfly appearing at an opportune moment, he will then see butterflies in other moments. The butterflies may have always been around it is just that we never notices them before. It does not matter how often this happens. This can still fall within the mathematical probabilities of coincidence. In addition, despite the frequency it still fall within the norms of the way the brain and human perception works. This explains most phenomena of this sort. With this said, God can allow what He wishes to allow. If God so wills, he can send a sign of a butterfly, or anything else, to family members to let them know their loved ones who have passed on are okay. Regardless if this is a coincidence, or consistent with the dynamics of human perceptions, or an actual sign allowed by God, the danger is falling into magical thinking or superstition. Keep in mind that if this is a sign from God, it will only last a short time as God knows the human capacity to interpret these things improperly. In the future the butterfly can be a reminder of your loved-one, not a specific sign. This continuing reminder, not a specific sign, that is the real gift. God Bless, Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum
|
||