Jacqueline Kelly –
Faith is one of the three theological virtues [the others are hope and charity]. The rich roots of the word “faith” lie in the Latin term “fides”, which means “belief” and “trust”. Faith can be described as a trust, a conviction, a commitment to a response to, or belief in someone or something. Religious faith can be defined, as trust in or belief in, a response to, and commitment to God the Creator who has revealed many things throughout the history of the world to humankind.
Jesus of Nazareth, who was the promised Messiah of Israel and God’s greatest revelation, called others to repent and have faith in Him, in order to truly believe and live His Good News about salvation for all of humanity. Revelation is God’s free and loving self-communication, especially through Jesus of Nazareth but also in many other ways – through creation, through human history, through other human beings and cultures, and through God’s own words and deeds directed towards the spiritual well-being and salvation of all humanity.
Great preparations usually precede great events. Some people believe in miracles and some do not. Miracles are phenomena that interrupt the laws of nature and surpass the force of all-natural causes.
Miracles are marvellous events or extraordinary, observable moments that cannot be fully explained by natural laws and circumstances and in which God’s unlimited, caring power and saving presence to humanity are manifested in a purposeful and striking way.
Catholic tradition emphasizes that Jesus of Nazareth had miraculous powers and, by the power of God’s loving Spirit, was empowered to perform a number of miraculous signs and works, such as healing the sick, calming a raging sea, feeding a large gathering of individuals and raising the dead back to life. The word ‘miracle’ is derived from the Latin words ‘miraculam’, “a marvel”, and ‘mirari’, “to wonder”. The Anglicized Latin word, “miracle”, indiscriminately used in the Authorized Version, denotes the superficial character of the act or event it is applied to, as producing wonder or amazement in the beholders. The terms commonly employed in the New Testament are of deeper significance, and connote the inner nature of the occurrence, either as requiring to be pondered for its meaning, or as the product of a new and peculiar energy.
Many religions and cultures have spoken of miracles and wondrous signs attributable directly to transcendent powers. The Hebrew Scriptures report various kinds of miraculous events, through which Yahweh revealed a choice of or support for certain individuals or groups. For example, the Bible says that Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and Elijah each were gifted with direct revelations from God.
Much of contemporary Catholic teachings on miracles can be traced back to the First Vatican Council [1870]. Vatican I declared that the miraculous deeds performed by Jesus of Nazareth were signs of God’s revelations. Some people today choose to dismiss the whole notion of Biblical miracles, saying they didn’t really occur. Others interpret them fundamentally, saying they happened exactly as reported in Scripture. And still others seem to hold that it is not important if miracles actually took place or not; what really counts is faith in God’s saving power.
Saint Augustine, that sublime genius, has said long before: “All nature is full of miracles. We are not astonished at them, because we are used to seeing them; their repetition makes them familiar to our eyes. Behold why God has reserved to Himself others out of the course of nature, that they may strike us by their novelty”.[De Civit. Dei,L.X.]
God is all-powerful. When a miracle is performed, it is always God who performs it at the request of a saint. Holy Scripture tells us that many miracles were performed by the Apostles and their disciples under the eyes of all! To enumerate some: a paralytic cured at the gate of the Temple, Tabitha raised from the dead, the shadow alone of Saint Peter curing the sick, etc.
Long ago it was said: “To suppose that the pagan world have become Christian without being influenced thereto by the sight of great and numerous miracles, is to suppose a miracle greater than those that fill the Lives of the Saints”.
Did God give, for instance, to Saint Anthony this power of performing miracles?
Yes, the history of his life proclaims it, a history as credible as any other history.
Saint Anthony is one of the most popular Saints. He was instrumental in bringing many sinners back to God, mostly by his good example.
He died on June 13, 1231 on a Tuesday, at the age of 36. It was on that day for the first time after his death that miracles were known to have occurred through his intercession. Tuesday thus abides in the memory of the people and so Tuesday has come to be called Saint Anthony’s Day. This is the origin of the Tuesday Devotion. The thirteen days of prayer in preparation for his feast are called “Tredicina”.
Innumerable miraculous cures occurred on the day of his death. The blind regained their sight, the deaf their hearing and the lame the use of their limbs, fever and all other bodily infirmities were instantly put to flight. The fame of the wonder-worker soon spread far and wide, and people came to the tomb in devout pilgrimage. Anthony was universally and spontaneously acclaimed as a Saint. Hardly a month after his death, a petition was presented to the Roman Pontiff for his canonization. The countless miracles unceasingly worked through the Saint’s intercession after his death brought about his official canonization in less than a year. In the appendix to Saint Anthony’s first biography, the Assidua, we find a list of 51 miracles that, read in the presence of Pope Gregory IX, led to Anthony’s canonization in the Cathedral of Spoleto on May 31, 1232.
Everyone must die. Sooner or later we will pass from this world. We do not know when, but we may be sure that when death comes no one can escape. One day the thread of life will be cut off forever. Do we know where death will find us? No. Will it come to us suddenly? After a long illness, will we be prepared? Why not resolve now to prepare ourselves for it? Let us imitate the example of Saint Anthony who forsook the world in his youth to prepare himself for a happy death.
Millions of people do not pray and have cast God aside, saying: “We don’t need God we have science, the human brain!” But, in fact, even in material questions, modern man would have to have his scalp sensitized to qualify as a numbskull! There is no conflict between God and true science because God made and governs the Universe. Einstein and Plato both said: “The Sun is but the shadow of God!”
A quote from Hans Christian Anderson [1805-1875]
“Every man’s life is a fairy-tale written by God’s fingers.”