LORNA
BYRNE – False Prophetess?
Ms Lorna Byrne (author of Angels in My
Hair, Stairways to Heaven, and A Message of Hope from the Angels) is most
likely a well-intentioned woman, but her teachings are contrary to those of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, His Church, and the Holy Bible, as is displayed below. She may not be lying in her claims that ‘angels’
are teaching her these errors - which she then goes on to teach to others unaware
of this - because, even though she may not maliciously intend to deceive, she herself
possibly is being deceived by angels, that is,
fallen angels, who, as Sacred Scripture teaches, disguise themselves
as ‘Angels of Light’.[1]
So ‘seeing angels’ can mean only two things
(if the person claiming this is being
truthful):
1.) they
are either seeing Angels from Heaven who confirm the Truths which God has already
revealed, and who help us to live in closer conformity to Jesus Christ.
or else
2.) they
are encountering angels who have rejected God and have been cast from Heaven[2]
(a.k.a. fallen angels, demons, devils, bad angels etc.) These angels deliberately portray themselves as
good angels (as the Church teaches, and the Bible states) but in their teachings
they insert errors (a.k.a. heresies) which mislead the people who listen to them
and then risk their souls, and, in turn, those of the followers of the ‘mediums’
who receive these messages – in this case, Lorna Byrne.
Since the beginning of the Church, which Jesus
Christ founded nearly 2000 years ago, choosing St Peter as the first Pope,[3] Christians have been taught
ways to prove if an Angel is good or evil. This is done by investigating the teachings
that are promoted by the Angel/s in question– if the teachings are in-line with
the revelation that Our Lord Jesus Christ taught and gave His Church, and in the
inspired Sacred Scriptures, then it is a good Angel teaching the already manifested
Truth.[4] But if, on the other hand,
it teaches doctrines that are contrary to God and contradicts His teachings it cannot
be an Angel from Heaven but, in fact, a fallen angel, because it teaches falsehood,
and satan is the ‘father of all lies’ as Jesus Christ said.[5] Even if the fallen angel’s
teachings were 99% were true and in accordance with Catholic doctrines, that other
1% of error is proof that the angel is
not from God, and should not be listened to, under any circumstance.
Even despite its claim of being, or appearing as, an angel of light or (as Ms Byrne
describes) an angelic “column
of bright light.”[6]
This document displays the errors which Ms Byrne,
teaches to prove that these messages cannot be from God, because they contradict
God Himself, the Holy Bible, His Church, and the Saints of the Church. With this knowledge no honest Catholic who loves
God will be able, in good conscience, to adhere and support her teachings or writings.
And it is asked that you would inform those who are being misled by these errors
as this document is free to print and distribute from www.lornabyrne.blogspot.com – many people are ignorant
of these facts, so it is very likely a friend or relation of yours may be a reader,
supporter, or follower of hers.
The first of her errors that we will focus on
is reincarnation. This is anti-Christian teaching originating from either Egypt
or more likely India (as it is found in the Hindu religion). It claims souls live
several lifetimes: living in other people, animals, insects, and plants. This teaching alone should cause any Christian
to reject her as a false prophetess because the Holy Bible teaches that humans live
only one life and then we are judged on how we lived: “it is appointed unto men once to die,
and after this the judgment.”[7]
So, this teaching is very popular with the New-Age teachers, because this means
there need be no fear of hell, because we can live whatever way we choose and then
live a better life in some future life, and eventually gain Heaven. In Ms Byrne
view, there is no need to worry because we can live better later on. She herself writes: "there is a place called hell ... but God has
never shown me anyone being sent there"[8] – this contradicts the words
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, because when the Mother of God appeared to the Servant
of God and the two blessed: Sister Lucia, Bl. Jacinta and Bl. Francesco, and after
showing them hell into which they saw souls going, she said:
“You
have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go” – Our Lady of Fatima.
But, if there was no fear of anyone going to
hell, why did Jesus Christ die for us?? Do
not be tricked: hell is very real, and it can be chosen by us if we decide to sin
against God. Although, Byrne, to ignore this
fact, gives little, if any, mention of sin in her teachings - just as she rarely
mentions Jesus Christ, while never mentioning He is God the Son - the Second Person
of the Trinity, or His role as Saviour of mankind.
Furthermore, the Catechism teaches us that reincarnation
is false:
“Death is the end of man's earthly
pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out
his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny.
When "the single course of our earthly life" is completed,[9] we shall
not return to other earthly lives: "It is appointed for men to die once."[10] There
is no "reincarnation" after death.” [11]
Despite constant condemnations of this heresy
of reincarnation, she continues to claim it is true, despite it being rejected by
Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church and the Bible.
Here are some examples
of her teaching this falsehood:
·
In speaking about ‘seeing’ reincarnations
of Martin Luther King: “You know what was
surprising? He was white.”[12]
·
She writes that a "little
girl was the reincarnation of a boy."[13]
This is completely opposed to the teaching of
the Church, and we know this also from a Saint who could actually see and speak to Angels (Holy Angels, that is, not the fallen
ones Ms Byrne sees, or at least claims to see) - this Saint was Padre Pio of Pietrelcina
– a true Catholic mystic. For example,
when a man, who believed reincarnation
to be true, went to Padre Pio for Confession and he was not given absolution until
he rejected his errors and made a good examination of conscience and Confession.
[15]
In
the words of another Saint:
"Avoid the nonsense of those ... who do not blush
to liken their soul to that of a dog, who say that they have themselves formerly
been women, shrubs, or fish. ... I do not fear to affirm that in their writings
they show less sense than fish" - Saint Basil the Great [16]
In connection
with this heresy on souls continuing to live
in other bodies, Ms Byrne also has fallen into the error of thinking that souls
exist before they are actually
created. In actual fact, God creates a soul at conception. Not just that but she
claims the ridiculous idea of a child
‘choosing’ its own parents (this also falls into the error of ‘predestination’)
– she bases this on the fact Jesus Christ chose His parents, but she forgets to
mention that He was God, every other child is not! So, in her mind, un-conceived souls are “choosing” their father and mother and
not only this but they even "choose adoptive or long-term foster
parents”! [17]
Other untruths that she says she learned
in messages from these ‘angels’ are:
· The Catholic
Church changes its teaching.[18]
That is False. As this is not
true, needless to say, she gives no examples. Whereas the Church may change its
disciplines and practices (e.g. changing words at Mass, etc.), it has never (nor can
it) change any dogmas or doctrines – because they have been passed on from Jesus
Christ and His Apostles and so are unchangeable, however unpopular the world,
or the new-agers find them.
· "Poltergeists are creatures without souls that
are created by Satan."[19]
That is
False. satan is a fallen angel, he is not an ‘evil god,’ but only a self-warped
creature. He is not equal or opposite to God, as New-Agers teach; he cannot create anything – he can only destroy that
which has been created by God. Plus, there is no such thing as poltergeists, in the sense used by the New-Age.
The only things created by God were: the places Heaven, Purgatory, the universe, and hell. The only living creatures that were made were first the Angels, then the various creatures and species of earth: micro-organisms,
plants, insects, fish, animals, birds, etc. etc. Finally, mankind was later created from these lesser creatures. There was no
‘poltergeists’, ‘hob-goblins,’ ‘leprachauns,’ ‘fairies,’ or other mythical creature
created by God – these are only the inventions of creative/misguided imaginations. The only possible reason for an honest person’s
attempt to categorise a new creation (i.e. the poltergeist/ghosts/fairies etc) may
have because of an encounter with an Angel (holy or fallen – because they can appear
in various forms, if it is the will of God. E.g.: fallen angels used to appear in
the forms of huge, black animals and other creatures to St Padre Pio – but they
remain only angels, regardless of what appearance they take), or else the soul
of a Saint or a holy soul in Purgatory (Purgatory, by the way, is never mentioned
by Ms Byrne. Nevertheless, we are taught by the Church that it is very real and
that we must pray for the holy souls in Purgatory. A duty Ms Byrne would have
many undiscerning Catholics neglect).
· She rejects the dogma of Original
Sin, claiming that our souls are not tainted by it, but instead that they are perfect: “the only part of us that is perfect is our soul.”[20]
That is False. She attempts
to do away with, what the Catechism calls,
‘an essential truth of the faith.’[21]
Original Sin has tainted us, and we are
composed of body and soul (not merely souls trapped in a body), so this means our souls are not perfect, in the sense that Byrne is
led to believe. It is this very reason why babies are baptised: to cleanse them
of original sin, which they have not gained through any voluntary fault of
their own, but which is inherited, just like the physical body inherits a genetic
disease.[22]
· She teaches
relativism, saying all religions are the same (the heresy of syncretism): "it is not that one religion
is superior to another"[23]
and “the angels
had always told me that it didn't matter what religion anyone belonged to.”[24]
That is False. We know the Church teaches that everyone can
be saved, as long as they live as best a life they can. But this is only if they are ignorant that Jesus wants
them to be Baptised and forgiven their sins, otherwise they have the moral obligation
to become Christian. And surely the religion that Jesus - God Himself – established
is, of course, superior to all others. But, with her relativistic idea of ‘equality’
in all religions, this logic would mean that the religion of the Satanists is not
just like Christianity, but the same as it, because the Catholic Church, in her eyes, could not be
superior to the Church of Satan; to her they
are ‘equal’.
· She rejects the Church’s teaching
that we cannot ‘name’ our Guardian Angel, and instead claims her ‘angel’ says,
regarding naming angels: “It’s the name that you love that’s in your heart,
each and everyone of us already knows our
Guardian Angel’s name” [25]
That is False. The Church guided
by Holy Spirit teaches us not to try ‘naming’ our Guardian Angels.
The Holy Father, Pope Benedict, when a Cardinal,
and speaking on behalf of, and with the approval of, Blessed John Paul II
issued a document related to the new-age tendencies in religious institutions,
and among the condemned practices listed were the ‘naming of Angels’ – these
practices and false theories, in the words of Cardinal Ratzinger, “are prohibited to all.”[26]
This prohibition was again brought to
Catholics’ attention in 2002 by the Church:
“The practice of assigning
names to the Holy Angels should be discouraged, except in the cases of Gabriel, Raphael and Michael whose names
are contained in Holy Scripture.” [27]
Furthermore, Father Peter Joseph, regarding
‘naming’ guardian angels writes:
“Another New Age practice which has made its way into the Catholic
Church is naming your Guardian Angel. I have heard some people speak of it as if
it were a necessary thing to name your Angel, and as if it were an age-old practice.
It is in fact a New Age fad, never practised or taught by a single Pope or Saint
or any notable writer in the whole history of the Church. ... Behind it is a desire
to tame and control the spirit world. It is disordered to name your Angel: the higher
names the lower, not the other way around. Parents name their children, not vice
versa. We are entrusted to our Guardian
Angels; they are not entrusted to us. I fear that some people, in their mind, have
turned their Angel into some human friend or pet.
In all these matters,
there is no better advice than that of St Paul in 2 Thess 2:15: "Stand firm
and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us". Neither subtract from
nor add to the teaching of the Church. Many novelties are really the re-appearance
of ancient gnostic errors parading as piety, for as St Paul also warns (2 Cor 11:14),
"even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light"”[28]
However, among all the errors of Lorna Byrne, one thing she claims must
be true:
"evil spirits cannot resist showing themselves
to me"[29]
Here is a another litmus
test: True visionaries who see Holy Angels (not fallen angels in disguise) live
good and holy lives: they follow Jesus Christ closely; they are obedient and humble;
they submit the supposed messages they receive in visions, or locutions, to be inspected
by the Bishop and, in turn, the Vatican, rather than proudly presuming that they
can tell whether it is the truth or not – it simply is the basics of true
humility - even the Saints themselves did not arrogantly risk this; they also go
very regularly to the Holy Sacraments of His Church, especially Confession and Holy
Mass – but Ms Byrne, despite her claims of being a ‘practising Catholic’ (and speaking in Churches before crowds of
Catholics in order to promote the selling of her books), does not go to weekly Sunday
Mass, even though this is the minimal obligation for participating in Mass for all
Catholics. She says:
"I went to Mass on Sunday, you know, as a child,
and all of that - I don't get to mass every Sunday now."[30]
What more needs
to be said. The Holy Mass was given to use by Jesus Christ so that we could gain
spiritual nourishment and strength and become more holy, even the most nominal of
Catholics would go to Holy Mass on Sundays – yet Ms Byrne obviously must be above
this. Apparently, she believes now because she sees ‘angels’, she does not need Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, Who
gives Himself to us daily from the Altars (if we are properly disposed in the Eucharist
– this would include rejecting these New-Age teachings and making a good Confession.)
Just as Saint John the Evangelist came to help
the Irish, as he did by appearing with the Blessed Virgin Mary – the Queen of the
Angels and Saints, Saint Joseph and the Holy Angels who gathered around Jesus Christ,
the Lamb of God, on the Altar at Knock, he helps us still with his advice in the
Bible for all Catholics:
“Dearly beloved, believe not every
spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God: because many false prophets are
gone out into the world.”[31]
Pray for Lorna
Byrne and all those who are being led astray because of false teachings.
Our Lady of Knock,
St Joseph, St John and all the Holy Angels.
Pray for us,
and pray for her.
(For more
information on the New Age see the 2003 document issued by the Vatican, on behalf
of the Holy Father, Blessed John Paul II, to refute New Age errors entitled: Jesus
Christ, The Bearer Of The Water Of Life - A Christian reflection on the “New Age” read this to
learn more about these errors.)
[1]
The
second letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 11:14 (from the New Testament of the Bible/NT)
[2]
The
Gospel of Saint Luke 10:18
Catechism
of the Catholic Church No# 391+
[3]
St
Matthew’s Gospel 16:18 (NTs)
[5]
The
Gospel of Saint John 8:44
[6] A Message
of Hope from the Angels (Coronet, 2012)
p 13
[7]
The
Letter to the Hebrews 9:27(NT)
[8]
Angels in my Hair (Three rivers press, 2011) p 173
[9] Lumen Gentium
No# 43 § 3. (From the Documents of the Second Vatican Council.)
[10] The Letter
to the Hebrews 9:27. (NT)
[11] Catechism
of the Catholic Church No# 1013
[12] www.lornabyrne.com/LBInterviewTheTimes0210100.pdf
[13] Stairways
to Heaven (Coronet, 2010) p 263
[14] The 33rd Chapter
in Stairways
to Heaven (Coronet, 2010) p 255+
[15]
Madame Katharina Tangari, Stories of Padre Pio - translated by John
Colloradi (Illinois, 1996) p 107-109.
For more information on reincarnation see:
www.catholic.com/tracts/reincarnation
[17] A Message
of Hope from the Angels (Coronet, 2012)
p 50 - 53
[19] Angels in my Hair (Arrow Books,
2010) p 83
[22]
Ibid.
No# 402-412
[23] Stairways
to Heaven (Coronet, 2010) p 44
[24] Ibid.
p
211
“.. the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith has found it necessary to make known such decisions and
implementing them with the following norms:
I. proceeding from theories .... regarding the
world of the angels, their personal names, their groups and functions, cannot
neither be taught nor used, explicitly or implicitly, in the organization and
the operating structure of the Opus
angelorum, therefore like in the cult, the prayers, the spiritual
formation, the public and private spirituality, the ministry or apostolate. The
same disposition applies to any other institute or association recognized by
the Church. ... The use and the spread, inside or outside of
the association, the books or other written documents containing the aforesaid theories are prohibited to
all.
....
I add pontefice
Giovanni Paul II, in the course of the audience come to an agreement to the
undersigned prefetto, has approved of present the decree, decided in the
ordinary reunion of this congregation, and of it he has ordered the
publication.
Rome, from the center of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, June 6, 1992.
+ JOSEPH card. RATZINGER, prefetto
See: www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19920606_opus-angelorum_en.html
[27]
www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20020513_vers-direttorio_en.html
[29] Angels in my Hair (Arrow Books,
2010) p 300
[30] Stated in television interview on RTE 1: 'Seoige' - 29/01/2009 time from appearance:1:38+
[31]
The first letter of Saint John 4:1 (NT)
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