"Have I had a Marian visitation?" - Tom Holland

The discussion: • Justin Brierley and To...

[@Braingrandchild]

Oh, Tom Holland, the Blessed Mother did show herself to you. As she did with me. It really happened. Come home to the Church. The one, Holy, apostolic Church.

[@MsMounen]

Mary is really my favourite. I've always warmed to her the most.

[@rosiegirl2485]

The intercession of our most Holy Blessed Mother is amazing when we stop and actually take note of it! God bless! 🙏

[@brooksrobertson2500]

I have experienced locutions, intensely and briefly, in June 2023, associated with another paranormal event. Definitely not something you mistake for something else. Incredibly profound experience that totally flipped me from a materialist agnostic.

[@Massis301]

Wonderful to hear this!

[@CosmasNDamian]

Soon to cross the Tiber. He should visit Walsingham.

[@pemcortes9467]

God certainly have a very funny sense of humor. Where else could we get them? How else would He love us recalcitrant selfish egoistic creatures?

[@panoramicprism]

My brother is in a similar frame of mind. I was there too. I truly admire the honesty with himself and others.

[@user-hl3so1ok7n]

Mary also works with a humour that can also bring one to consider the scandal of the Incarnation!

[@peachnehi7340]

God does have a sense of humor

[@Sci-fi-Si]

I saw a vision of our Holy Mother the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus when I was about 6 years old. I have had other experiences and visions since. I’ve only told a few people in my life this. Many people say that if we are to experience these things we should remain silent. Yet I also see so many people speak out who are not visionaries or mystics. Those who do not know speak out, and those who do are told to stay silent. This seems inverted to me and I think the time is coming soon when I will feel that is is the right time to speak. I am the bottom of the barrel, the lowest of the visionaries, the one that if you need to hear it from me we’re in serious trouble.

[@MrsYasha1984]

Shortly after my conversion, after I really gave my heart to Him and swore obedience, Jesus let me look Him directly in the eyes, on Christmas Mass while receiving communion. Eyes huge and blue and intense! So full of love I almost ran. The eyes had a reflection of a circle of stars in the right corner, like Mary was standing behind my right shoulder. I tried to explain the vision away. 'The priest was full of Christmas spirit today' and God had to explain it to me with a book in my bookshelf that I had not touched in 25years, yet suddenly fel compelled to read. I was scared so much! I'm just a hurt and very damaged woman. WHY would I see such things? Now it slowly gets clearer, He uses me to turn things in the parish arounnd, in His wonderful unpredictable ways. Why me? No idea. But it seems to work. Perhaps He likes to take the most unlikely people for such things.

[@TeamDiezinelli]

I watched the whole thing yesterday and I feel the same. I’m not as optimistic in the short term but I’m hopeful too.

[@gergelybakos2159]

Well, how to convert an Englishman if not using humour?

[@puddyhuston]

Thats a miracle !!

[@SL-es5kb]

It’s difficult for some people who are more material rationalist in their natural disposition. But Tom has also given the world much from his devotion to truth and we know that the Truth is one and the same as Jesus, even if Tom has not yet fully been able to recognize that. With his book he has done so much to bring people to remember Jesus and I personally can say reading it was an early step in my conversion. I have No doubt God is working through him and that everything his happening on His time. So maybe rather than think Toms egos or stubbornness is the barrier to a profession of Faith, we might consider that it is all part of The plan.

[@user-jn8nn6bf6v]

Yes. He's clearly on a journey. We should pray for him instead of throwing a fit that he doesn't follow a time plan we've determined is the correct one.

[@zita-lein]

Loved this! ❤️💙

[@iankclark]

If you're worried that God is coming for you: try to think about deep space and dinosaurs.

[@fddooley1]

No such thing as a coincidence Tom, get out of your ego. Be grateful, prayerfully accept the gift. There is a reason beyond your understanding. God is mysterious humility and humour affirms God's presence.

[@fddooley1]

@SL-es5kb is your reply to my post an overly sensitive call? I am 78, and my Catholic formation did not sugarcoat the cost of sin! There is a time to WAKE UP and face truth, which is often a painful process. If one does not take responsibility for choices made, then the outcome is grim. The path to hell is paved with luke warm good intentions. Reality does not lack love. In fact, when one tells a friend a painful truth regardless of the blowback, that is love indeed.

[@henrik_worst_of_sinners]

I pray he doesn't waste much more time in the Western sects though. I made this misstake myself after not too disimiliar experiences. I didn't discover Palamas and the Energies doctrine untill 2018. If he had Marian experiences he risk taking the detour through the RCC. In his talk with Pageau he expressed affiniation with Western culture and this then being a hinder for Orthodoxy. This of course a common problem. Again the possibility to experience the Divine directly is unique to Orthodoxy and should definitely be emphasized to those who have had encounters with God. In Western theology and Islam etc God is infinitely distant.

[@TheMOV13]

I'm Orthodox too, but it's not true to say that in Western theology God is very distant and as regards direct encounters with the Divine, well that's up to God. he can encounter anyone he likes, directly or indirectly. But maybe it depends what you mean by direct encounter, maybe you mean encountering God in the Divine Liturgy and the Eucharist and so on.

[@prayunceasingly2029]

I personally have experienced God in the latin mass. But it's definitely different from the orthodox divine liturgy (i went to orthodox liturgies before).

[@fddooley1]

Henrik, are you limiting God's intervention with His creation? Remember the donkey😮 numbers 22:28.

[@eucharistenjoyer]

"In Western theology and Islam etc God is infinitely distant." What the hell are you talking about? Are you truly comparing Catholic theology to Islamic in how we see and interact with God? And where did you get this idea of distance? Is this a new bit from Orthobro apologists against Catholics?

[@TheMOV13]

@@eucharistenjoyer I'm puzzled too. In Western theology Christ is Immanuel, God with us. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. I'm Eastern Orthodox and you can criticise Western Theology for sure, but it has to be based on some kind of correct understanding.