Well, thanks for explaining. I don't know that our perspectives are *that* different - I certainly believe in all sorts of supernatural experiences, including some pretty radical things. In a way, it goes with being Catholic - you can't really practice this faith without accepting some very improbable things. Like you, too, I believe that "radical encounters" with God are absolutely and unequivocally essential to the Christian life; the goal is, after all, Divine Union, and I don't think St. Paul was joking when he talked about knowing the utter fullness of God and that peace which surpasses all understanding.

Neither am I really all that interested in evaluating happenings that I've never even seen. Though, like St. Teresa of Avila, I tend to think that people are often far worse at discerning spirits than they think. We're all so good at self-deception, even when the devil doesn't happen to be involved.

But - I dunno it seems to me that there's an awful big risk of chasing after experience instead of Him, and neat tricks instead of the every day work of dying to self...