Does the Devil Portray Himself as Mary?

Karlo Broussard tackles a fascinating question: Could Marian apparitions be the devil masquerading as Mary? Karlo delves into the possibility of demonic deception, emphasizing the importance of discernment and the Church's role in evaluating alleged apparitions. He highlights the criteria used to distinguish genuine apparitions from potential deceptions.

[ryanEstandarte]

I love this story of Saint Peter Martyr.

"A pious legend tells of the time when Saint Peter Martyr was told by the townspeople of Milan, Italy that Mary had appeared in a church of Cathars denouncing Catholicism and affirming Catharist doctrine as truth. Saint Peter Martyr, after hearing that Milanese nobleman and peasantry alike were persuaded by this vision to abandon the Faith, devised a plan. After celebrating Mass, he placed a Consecrated Host in his scapular and went to the Catharist church.

"When he arrived to confront the vision of the Madonna with Child, he held up the Host and said:

“If you are truly the Mother of God, here, adore your son.”

"At that moment, the false Madonna was revealed as the devil, fleeing to a great noise and stench while the walls of the church split in two. The Cathars there to witness the event were said to return to the One True Faith."

[Sevenspent]

I've heard of the devil appearing as Jesus but never Mary, but the Church also discerns what they say exactly. I would just remember the passage 1 John 4:1-3 if anything were to appear to you. Also if anyone has read the Dairy of St. Faustina, Jesus didn't get mad when St. Faustina asked Jesus to prove he wasn't an evil spirit because she was fooled once before.

[Elven.]

Padre Pio, I think, said that the false apparitions he experienced didn't show Her feet. Because, the devil never replicates the part that will defeat him, since she will crush the head of the serpent under her feet

[dimitrisleo]

If it's the devil, he is doing a terrible job because Mary points directly to Jesus. The devil would never want to point people to Jesus.

You can see the works of the devil, they are evident, like Islam, which denies Jesus's divinity. Or mormonism, which claims that the Father and the Son are not one, so again denying Jesus.

[rubemartur]

"I am M---"
"oh, yeah... may i spread Holy water? just in case, you wouldnt mind, right?"
"oh, no no no, you dont need to"
"Yeah? why not?"
"AIts because... actually i am hydrophobic"
"ooooh i see... that makes sense... there is no water from where you come from, right?"
"Damn it"

[crazyfaith]

Yes the devil can trick people by appearing as Mary. Discernment is very important.

[timothymarron]

I recall one commentator saying if the devil appeared as Mary, there would be a visible fault in the apparition. Also spraying Holy Water on the apparition, Mary would like this but the devil would hate this.

[johnwagner]

Just a point to make. Never underestimate the fallen angelics. They have perfect knowledge. Which equates to perfect deception. Protect yourself. Stick to the known.

[boedye]

It is a very simple formula: If the Enemy were masquerading as an Angel of Light, or a Saint Glorified in the Lord, the Enemy would absolutely not point to Christ, but to himself or away from Christ. Therefore, if the Enemy were to masquerade as Mary, his deception would be to point to Mary and not Mary pointing to Christ.

[Theologification]

But couldn’t the Devil appearing as Mary convince someone that the immaculate conception is TRUE when it fact it could actually be false? It seems that this could go both ways.

[teresabryson]

Everything needs to line up with church teaching and scripture.✝️

[donthephoneman]

Jesus said “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.

[Scb]

Answer : yes
Solution : do what the saints example st Gemma she’s always used to say blessed be Jesus and Mary to any apparition if the aparation only said blessed be it was the devil or demons.
Conclusion : Mary appearing and people praying the rosary around her proofs that his apparition is from heaven

[ElCubanoBlanco-su]

I struggle with this a lot at times. I don’t want to dishonor the Lord by listening to an apparition that could be an ultimate deception. But then again the devil can only do what God permits and it’s hard to believe He would allow him to dishonor the image of His mother like that.

[sooryakanthi]

Devil ask to make sacred place for me. Pray to me.. Devote to me. If Mary appears She will ask to pray to God, devote to God. Jesus is only way etc.

[MarkGonzalez-dg]

The messages at Medugorje aren't in line. There are many messages as defined by Sensus Fidelium that are not biblical at all.

[abelyerikaguerra]

All those apparitions around the world of the Virgin Mary, if it was from God, Mary would say repent follow Christ, she says yes to repent and turn from our evil ways, but also says pray the rosary, light candles, etc, all catholic doctrine????

[hardcodedgamer]

An year ago i was standing in front of my home waiting for my mom and dad to come from the market to pick up their groceries because they are old people and can't lift heavy it was early in the morning and this woman carrying a child appeared out of nowhere walking through my neighborhood and when she came next to me she put the child on the ground yelling at him for making his shoes dirty again but the shoes were perfectly clean and she started to clean his shoes with wet wipes and untill that moment there was nothing weird untill the woman started to talk to the child on 10 different languages so fluid and so smooth i immediately thought to myself this is not a woman but something else.

[Twitching]

When the devil shows that's confirming God really exist and other beings from God. The devil must be stupid if he appears to confirm our beliefs.

[biblestudent]

But here is the rub for a Protestant. An alleged Marian apparition says she is the Immaculate Conception. It does not prove to a non-Catholic that this is not a demonic deception, because the demon may be attempting to reinforce the false doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. I would only believe an alleged Marian Apparition if her focus was on Jesus (John 2:5). If she is drawing attention to herself and telling people to revere her to get to heaven, i would suspect this to be a demon. Gal. 1:8.