Category Archives: Miracles and Apparitions
Miracles and Apparitions
Saint Augustine taught something to the effect that many spectacular ordinary events would be deemed miracles if they occurred but rarely in history. I think he gave the example of a sunrise. In saying this, he was attempting to lift the minds of his flock to contemplate the wisdom and power of the Creator, who does unfathomably great things continuously in the order of nature, but especially in the order of grace. “The conversion of one sinner,” the holy doctor said, “is a greater act of omnipotence than the creation of the universe.”
A miracle, therefore, must be either preternatural or supernatural. A miracle of grace, such as a sudden conversion of a notoriously evil man, would be a supernatural miracle because, even though the act of conversion is invisible, it manifested by visible acts. All other miracles are divine interferences with the physical laws of nature. They are preternatural, which means beyond nature, and visible. Matters of Faith, such as Our Lord’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament, is a mystery, not a miracle, because the Reality is not visible to the human eye.
The power for miracles can only come from God, but God can share this power with His saints. Miracles can be above the laws of nature: such as the raising to life of a dead man. Jesus gave this kind of power to His Apostles. Miracles can be contrary to the laws of nature, such as Moses splitting the Red Sea or causing water to issue from a rock. The sun dancing in the sky at Fatima, and not elsewhere, is contrary to the laws of nature. Miracles can be independent of natural law, such as a miraculous cure of a deaf man, or a blind man, or the physical cure of any other affliction that is beyond the capacity for ordinary medicines or treatments to effect. Sometimes these kinds of cures are contrary to nature as well, such as a person with no pupil in his eye being able to see.
Can evil people, or demons, work miracles? Only to a certain extent. In the former case, the preternatural prodigy is done by demons through a human instrument, such as the miracles of Pharaoh’s magicians. Our Lord Himself quotes a certain group of those about to be damned as pleading before Him, “But we have worked miracles in thy name.” When St. Joseph Cupertino levitated off the floor, it was not the angels lifting him up, but the angelic purity of his own soul rapt in ecstasy with God and putting gravity to naught. When medicine doctors in pagan lands levitate off the ground it is a demon doing the lifting.
Apparitions are different than miracles. The person viewing the apparition with the human eye is seeing an angel or a departed soul, but under a material human form, or they may be seeing a glorified body, such as that of Our Blessed Mother, who has come to her children in countless apparitions. But these visions are not necessarily miraculous for the one receiving them, unless a person in the same place could not see the apparition. Bi-locations, on the other hand, are certainly miraculous, as they are contrary to nature.
Tornado Survivors Find Cross on Top of Their Closet of Refuge
IOL News: “We prayed. I could feel pressure, and being sucked. I put my body over them to try to protect them,” Williams said. The roof and upper storey of the house had collapsed into and around the closet, but neighbours dug them out. Williams and her children suffered only minor injuries. A large wooden cross that had been hanging on an upstairs wall was … More →
An Astounding Miraculous Medal Miracle
Father John Hardon Archives: One of the most memorable experiences that I ever had was with the Miraculous Medal! It changed my life. Read full account here.
Conversion of Buddhist Girl Through Apparition of Jesus and Rosary
AsiaNews: A small rosary found in her house: this is how the story of Sumita Jagatap’s the conversion to Catholicism begins. Born to a Hindu Mother and Buddhist father, she has always experienced conflicting relationships inside and outside the family: the different religions is often a cause of conflict and disputes between her parents and has also had an impact on the children. Sumita grew restless, … More →
New Tests Date Shroud to First Century
Vatican Insider: New scientific experiments carried out at the University of Padua have apparently confirmed that the Shroud Turin can be dated back to the 1stcentury AD. This makes its compatible with the tradition which claims that the cloth with the image of the crucified man imprinted on it is the very one Jesus’ body was wrapped in when he was taken off the cross. … More →
Paul Badde, Author of The Veil of Manoppello, on Pope’s Abdication
Catholicism.org was one of the first news sites to publicize the story of the miraculous Veil of Manoppello and the book by Paul Badde about the icon. Dr. Maike Hickson, who is German, read the article by journalist Paul Badde in Die Welt and wrote an article on it for our November/December 2007 issue of the Mancipia (see page 8). Badde is the Vatican correspondent for … More →
Posted in Miracles and Apparitions, News, Uncategorized Leave a comment
New Documentary Film on Our Lady of Guadalupe
CNS: Before making his documentary on Our Lady of Guadalupe, “The Blood & the Rose,” director and co-writer Tim Watkins said, “I knew very little about Our Lady of Guadalupe.” Now, with his film out and available on DVD, he wants the world to know about her. “I reinvigorated my faith about three years before I started making the film,” Watkins said before a Jan. 24 … More →
Posted in Miracles and Apparitions, News, Our Lady Leave a comment
Mother Refuses to Abort Severely Disabled Baby, Miracle Follows
LifeNews: “We did a lot of soul-searching,” said Mary Gundrum, who is 40. “I was thinking, ‘That’s my child. It’s that simple. I’m not going to take the life of my child.’ ” Read more about this here.
Our Lady of La Vang: The Catholic Side of Vietnam
The recent article about Vietnam by Dr. Robert Hickson, “Giving a Free Hand to the Assassins,” piqued my curiosity about the history and influence of Catholicism in Vietnam. His article clearly pits the Catholic Diem against the radical Buddhist monks who were eager to rid the country of the influence of this Catholic family. In my research into this history, I came upon an apparition … More →
Miraculous Cures of Pro-Life Patron Blessed Margaret of Costello
National Catholic Register: 2011 was a hard year for Marilyn Pinkerton of San Marino, Calif. The 57-year-old’s baby grandson, Nicholas, was diagnosed with nail-patella syndrome (NPS), a rare genetic disorder that adversely affects the nails and kneecaps and sometimes other parts of the body. Read more here.
Posted in Lives of the Saints, Miracles and Apparitions, News Leave a comment
Christmas Miracle
CNA: After spending ten years in a comatose state, a young Italian man named Maximiliano Tresoldi woke up on Christmas of 2000 to dry the tears of his mother, Lucrecia. Read more here.
Remote Corner of India Sees Probable Miracles, Conversions, and Huge Catholic Increase
Vatican Insider: Strange things are going on in the Indian diocese of Itangar and Mgr. John Kattrukudiyl spoke about them during a visit to Germany for the periodic meeting organised by Aid to the Church in Need, the international organisation that deals with churches and Christians in countries where they face the greatest difficulties. Full report is here.
Posted in Miracles and Apparitions, News Leave a comment
‘We Were Living the Message of Fatima’ 8 Jesuit Survivors of A-Bomb Blast
PJ Lifestyle’s Myra Adams: Next to the Pope my authority on all things Catholic is my devout 89-year-old father-in-law, a long retired “government worker” from an agency that shall go unnamed. He possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of physics, history, politics and religion with a special interest in “supernatural” miracles of the Bible and Divine miracles in general. Read full article here.
Fire Destroys Entire Church in Mexico Except for Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
El Paso Times: A fire destroyed a church in Juárez early Wednesday morning, but spared a Virgin of Guadalupe image, despite the fierce blaze, Juárez officials said today. Read more here.
Posted in Miracles and Apparitions, News, Our Lady Leave a comment
Archaeologists in Jerusalem Discover Miraculous Red Stones Used to Build 6th Century Church
Haartz.com: An Israeli archaeologist says he has found the site of a Sixth Century miracle documented by the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea. Full report here.
Posted in History, Miracles and Apparitions, News Leave a comment
