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I think that I am most touched, and our strong point of contact will be here, when you write:Those who believe see God's power in their lives ALL_THE_TIME. Great works of the Spirit are abundantly given to those who love the Lord, and who believe on Him - even as it was promised.

This is increasingly my experience as well. It's like the "dirty little secret:" GOd is ALL OVER your life and little miracles are happening ALL THE TIME! REJOICE you dopes!

Here's a vague impressionistic way of talking about the Catholic, what, uneasiness about all this:

The general idea seems to be that for 100 years or more the Catholic Church held unquestioned sway over Europe. People don't really know this but throughout it's history the Faith has been assailed one way or another -- Arians, Docetists, Donatists, people who denied the incarnation Or the Divinity of Christ OR the goodness of Creation.

As WE remember it (allowing that we might be wrong) there was a very serious heresy around 1150 and for a while afterwards, called Albigensianism, for example. It was in response to that the the Dominicans got their start.

So, while we would love to rejoice in wonderful manifestations of spiritual events, we remember back as far as Marcion and the Montanists whom Tertullian joined.

SO, we are hesitant, circumspect, careful, lest people are led astray. Even now, while "everybody" including John Paul II is happy to endorse the truth of the Fatima apparitions, it is NOT required of Catholics to believe that they were real. And there was (to us) no suggestion of heresy or any kind of disagreement from Fatima. But even in that seemingly innocuous event, our official response is mild

So leaving aside the Church affiliation issues, we have an institutional memory of disaster following charismatic leaders -- or leaders with a bogus charism.

Also, I think Catholic History is, (at least to Catholics, is heroic missionaries backed up by talented and careful theologians many of whom were wonderfully pious intelligent and thoughtful men and women.

So the "Catholic in the Street" is either going to want to "vet" a "prophecy" or to have somebody higher up in the food chain to vet it and pronounce it okay.

I hope this is a useful description of the sort of emotional side of how we react when somebody professes visions and inspiration.And then, don't let this get around, but some (all) of us are sinners too.