Q: I am an actress. Does playing the role of an oracle or a seer go against the Catholic Church? — K.
Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC:
It’s good that you are raising this question. It might give you a chance to think about the direction of your acting career.
The answer could depend on lots of factors, including your own intentions.
Let’s step back for a moment and look at the big picture.
God created you out of love and wants your happiness and holiness.
You have a mission in life: to give glory to God and to strive for salvation.
One way to give glory to God is by using your talents to help others. Art has a strong power to lift the spirits of others — or drag them down.
The better question to ask might be this: How should you use your acting talent for a good purpose?
For instance, would portraying an oracle or seer inspire others, or lead them in the wrong direction?
Would portraying a seer glamorize the occult? Would it instill in your audience, especially young people, a belief in or a taste for divination?
Two numbers from the Catechism are worth quoting here:
“Divination and magic
“2115 God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility.
“2116 All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.”
Now, it is possible that a particular depiction of an oracle or seer in, for instance, an ancient Greek tragedy, could help to teach a serious value. This is where context is important.
As an actress you might find it helpful to read Pope St. John Paul II’s Letter to Artists and his 1987 speech to Hollywood and the media in general.
I hope some of this helps. Count on my prayers.
