What's the Difference Between Divine and Private Revelation? (Special Podcast Highlight)

So, Patrick Madrid dives into an important distinction that sometimes gets people confused: divine revelation versus private revelation. Think of divine revelation as the non-negotiables—what God has revealed through Scripture and apostolic tradition. This stuff is mandatory for us Catholics. You can’t pick and choose. You’re obligated to believe and obey it all because it’s literally God telling us what to believe and how to live. 

Now, private revelation is different. It’s not required for everyone. It’s like when something supernatural happens to a few people, and it’s legitimate for them, but not binding on the rest of us. For example, Our Lady of Fatima appearing to the three shepherd kids in 1917. That’s a private revelation, even though it was eventually approved by the Church (and hey, that miracle of the sun? 70,000 people saw it!).

Patrick emphasizes that while Fatima is approved, it's still not on the same level as divine revelation. You don't have to believe in it, and you certainly don’t need to go on a pilgrimage to Fatima to be a good Catholic. Same goes for Medjugorje—while it seems to be moving towards Church approval, it's not there yet. You can visit, but don’t feel pressured to. You’re not required to follow these private revelations, no matter how devoted some people might be to them.

In a nutshell, Patrick warns against making private revelations bigger than they are. They're meaningful, but divine revelation—Jesus, the Bible, tradition—is the main thing. Stay grounded in that!