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Miracles Often we hear people loosely use the term "miracle" in every day conversation, such as, "that was a miracle!", and "I sure could use a miracle right now!", though few people know much about significant miracles and their history. Some people simply do not believe in miracles as being REAL, but rather think they are only found in fairy tales. Others claim they believe in miracles but still have little or no idea about what a true miracle is, if they really occur, where they occur, to whom, and what types have been claimed to have occurred repeatedly over the centuries. On this page we will describe what a true miracle is based on writings over the last 2000 years. First let us say there are two basic categories of miracles; "An event that appears unexplainable by the laws
of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God"
2. Proof is on display all over Europe
3. Devout Catholics by their nature are truthful
4. From Scripture
Apparitions & Associated Miracles Miracle at Fatima Consider the Miracle at
Fatima, Portugal in 1917. In short, three poor children mentioned publicly that
a lady spoke to them in a remote field where they were watching their flocks.
According to the children this lady mentioned several things to them in line
with Catholic doctrine, and asked them to relay the message to the people in Fatima. She
also told the children to tell the people that she would perform a miracle at
the same location three months later to “make the people believe”, and gave the
children a date and time this would occur. The children relayed the message and
word quickly passed throughout Western Europe, resulting in 70,000 people
(including non-religious who came to laugh and disprove the miracle) arriving at the site three months later
in expectation of this miracle. Miracles at Lourdes Also consider the original Miracle
at Lourdes, France in 1858 and the countless miracles that have occurred there
since. Again a young girl there claimed
a lady appeared to her on multiple occasions and told her many things that were
in line with Catholic doctrine. After these apparitions, a spring sprang forth
at the exact location and since that time countless people who have come in
contact with the water have been healed of terminal diseases of many kinds. To
assure this was not trickery or confusion, the Lourdes Medical Bureau was
formed, which invites doctors of all beliefs to join and review claims of
healings in the waters at Lourdes. Since 1858, a forest of crutches have been
left near the spring at Lourdes, and the Lourdes Medical Bureau has reviewed and
approved many healings as seen on their
miraculous healings list from the actual Lourdes website. It is also
interesting to note that when the spring water at the site in Lourdes is
examined, it does not appear different from any other water in the world, yet
the healings from life threatening diseases have occurred there time and time
again over the last 146 years. No where else on earth have such healings been
encountered, either before 1858 or after. No scientist can explain the healings
there and the phenomena witnessed there can only be explained as supernatural. Incorruptibles Consider
this fascinating phenomena which cannot possibly have a natural cause. During random
archeological digs in the early centuries after Christ, many bodies have been discovered throughout the world that,
though not embalmed in any way, remain free of decay, remain flexible and
lifelike with flowing blood and a pleasant scent despite being buried for many,
many years (even centuries). These bodies have always been found to be Catholic Saints over the
centuries and are better known as “Incorruptibles”. Many of these incorrupt
bodies remain on display all over Europe today. There is simply no natural
explanation for how the process of decay chooses not to devour certain bodies
and how these bodies are always those of devout Catholics.
Considering this fact, this empirical evidence points to
a supernatural event, not a natural event. Prophecy Eucharistic Miracles The Eucharist refers to the consecrated bread and wine at a Catholic Mass.
Fascinating phenomena has been witnessed repeatedly throughout the centuries in relation to the
consecrated bread and wine. It's important to note here that Catholics believe
that the consecrated bread and wine are the true body and blood of Christ (not
physically but spiritually). Non-Catholic Christians view the bread and wine as
symbols or remembrances, but nothing more. Eucharistic miracles historically
have only occurred with the Catholic Eucharist. Another Eucharistic miracle occurred in Hasselt, Belgium in 1317. At that time a Catholic priest brought one Holy Eucharist in a ciborium to a man who was ill. The priest decided to step out of the room for a minute, and meanwhile another man, who was known to be sinful, came into the room, opened the ciborium and took out the Consecrated host. Immediately the Consecrated host began to bleed. This frightened the man who dropped the Consecrated host back into the ciborium and fled. The priest came back and noticed the blood inside the ciborium. The priests in the area researched the incident and agreed that this was a miraculous event and put the miraculous host on display in a local church to be venerated. To this day the miraculous Eucharistic Host of 1317 is still kept in the Church of St. Quentin, where it remains in very good condition. In another instance in Florence, Italy, 1230, a priest had just celebrated Mass, and absent-mindedly neglected to wipe the chalice dry, leaving a small amount of consecrated wine in the bottom. The next morning while preparing for Mass the priest noticed coagulated blood in the bottom of the chalice. After 750 years, this blood is still perfectly preserved in the Church of San Ambrogio. Another example of a Eucharistic miracle occurred in Augsburg, Germany around
the year 1194 where a woman received the Holy Eucharist during Mass, and
secretly removed it from her mouth and brought it home. At home she sealed the
Consecrated Host between two pieces of wax paper and concealed it for over 5 years. Eventually
out of guilt she told her parish priest what she had done. When a priest came to
retrieve the Eucharist, he opened the wax paper and noticed the host appeared to
have changed into human flesh. Many others examined the Host
and all agreed this was indeed human flesh! The Miraculous Host has
been kept under glass in the Church of the Holy Cross in perfect condition for
nearly 800 years! Mystical Fasts Another amazing miracle seen on numerous occasions throughout the centuries is mystical fasts, where Saints of the Catholic Church, under close supervision, have lived on the Holy Eucharist alone for years at a time. Many of them openly admit to taking in nothing but the Holy Eucharist for weeks and months at a time, and attribute this miraculous phenomena to God. An example of this is St. Catherine of Siena (d. 1380) who was observed to live on the Holy Eucharist alone for weeks and months at a time. In fact she would actually get ill when forced to eat food, but remained healthy and feeling well when left to receiving the Holy Eucharist alone. Bl. Angela of Foligno (d. 1309) remained 12 years without taking any nourishment. Bl. Catherine of Racconigi (d. 1547), also a stigmatist, lived on the Holy Eucharist alone for 10 years. Bl. Elizabeth the Good (d. 1420) was known not to have eaten for nearly three years with exception of Holy Communion. St. Catherine of Genoa (d. 1510) was also recorded to go on extremely long fasts from food, usually 30 or 40 days at a time, while remaining in perfect health. St. Peter of Alcantara was known to sleep but an hour and a half each night for 40 years. Bl. Mary Anne De Paredes (d. 1645) was known to have scarcely taken an ounce of bread every 8 or 10 days. Her only food intake was Holy Communion each morning. St. Gemma Galgani (d. 1903) also a stigmatist, ate no food except for the Blessed Sacrament from June 1902 until her death on April 11, 1903. Many other Saints experienced the same miraculous phenomena including St. Catherine Fieschi of Genoa, St. Ida, St. Nicholas of Flue, Switzerland, St. Lidwina of Holland, St. Joseph of Cupertino, St. Rose of Lima and many others. This phenomena has not experienced by anyone other than Catholic Saints!
One of the most well-known miraculous phenomena frequently mentioned in the
lives of the Saints is that of the "odor of sanctity". Many, many Saints
throughout the centuries had a sweet fragrance which emitted from their bodies
either during their lifetime or after death. In every instance, no perfumes,
ointments or incense were found on or anywhere near the body of the Saint. Stigmata Stigmatists are those Saints and holy persons whose bodies mysteriously bore wounds
corresponding to those suffered by Jesus Christ during his Passion and
Crucifixion. What makes these wounds different from ordinary wounds is that they
only appear on devout Catholics, they appear in the same areas as Jesus'
well-known wounds, and they remain with the Saint for his/her lifetime without
ever healing. Many Saints had the 5 wounds of the crucifixion while others had
other wounds such as those from a crown of thorns, or the wound on the shoulder
such as Jesus had from carrying the cross. Some wounds never bled,
others bled only on Fridays, holy days or at other specific times.
Also consider the
Miracle of the Rosary at Hiroshima, which concerns several Jesuit
Missionaries who lived through an atomic bomb being dropped less than a mile
from their home during WWII. The survivors claim that praying the Rosary is what
saved them and their home (everything else around them was destroyed, including
a church attached to their home). Scientists have swarmed over for this incident
for decades with no explanation. We can confidently state that no natural cause
could have saved these men and their home. See the link above for the full
story. Another miraculous, fascinating phenomena witnessed repeatedly with Saints is
bilocation. Bilocation is the phenomenon where a Servant of God is in one place
at a given time, and at the same moment is seen speaking and moving in normal
fashion in another place a distance away. Bilocation has been mentioned in the
lives of numerous Saints throughout the centuries and trustworthy persons have
witnessed the instances of bilocation at each location. In addition, many Saints
themselves have acknowledged they were involved in this miraculous phenomena.
Even more interesting, numerous instances of bilocation have been so well
documented, witnessed, and investigated that they are accepted facts in the
history of the Church and lives of the Saints. St. Martin De Porres (d. 1639) spent his entire religious life at the
Monastery of the Holy Rosary in Lima, Peru. Yet reliable witnesses all claim he
was seen on in Mexico, China, Japan and Africa. For example a friend of St.
Martin traveled from Peru to Mexico, at which time he became very ill. Suddenly
St. Martin mysteriously showed up at his friend's bedside in Mexico. St. Martin
spent some time with his friend and told him he would soon recover, and left.
Later the man recovered and went to look for St. Martin to thank him. After some
investigation he found St. Martin was in Peru the entire time and had never
visited Mexico. St. Catherine Dei Ricci (d. 1590) was a nun in a convent in Prato who exchanged letters with St. Philip Neri in Rome on occasion, though St. Catherine never met St. Philip in person. Though through the phenomena of bilocation she claimed she met him through mystical visits (without leaving the convent). St. Philip Neri admitted this occurred and five reputable persons swore they had witnessed it as well. St. Francis of Paola (d. 1507) was once seen in deep prayer in a chapel in Paterno. Some people left the chapel and were surprised to see him talking to some people outside. They hurried back into the chapel and saw him still in deep prayer. In another instance St. Francis was seen both serving at the altar and doing chores in the kitchen at the same time. St. Drogo (d. 1186) was hired as a shepherd and was known to be tending sheep every day. Yet he was often seen offering at the Holy Sacrifice in distant churches at the same time. St. Vincent Pallotti (d. 1850) on multiple occasions was seen to be in one location and was known to have bilocated to deathbeds of several different people at the same time. These are just a few examples of Saints over the last 2000 years which have
experienced this phenomena. There are many others. Again it is interesting to
note that this phenomena has repeatedly been reported with respect to Saints but
is not heard of elsewhere. Miraculous Transport refers to the phenomenon where a Saint or holy person at one time or another moved about in unusual ways, such as arriving at a location with unusual speed, or via an unlikely method, or having arrived at a location without being aware of it. An example of this is when St. Ammon the Great (d. 350) was walking with St. Athanasius and they came to a stream they planned to cross. However the water had risen and there was no way to walk across. Suddenly Ammon was trasported to the other side of the stream! St. Athanasius refers to this incident in his writings in "Life of St. Antony". In another instance, St. Hyacinth (d. 1257) had a vision of the Virgin Mary asking him to help protect a convent that was about to be invaded. He ran to the convent to remove the Blessed Sacrament and a large, heavy statue of the Virgin Mary which he mysteriously was able to carry with one arm. While escaping with them he approached the bank of a fast-flowing river. A multitude of people on the opposite bank watched him make the sign of the cross and walk right across the top of the water as though it were land to the other bank. Blessed Bentivoglia De Bonis (d. 1232) was a member of the Franciscan order and was ordered to take charge of a certain leper. His superior thereafter commanded Bl. Bentivoglia to go to another place about 15 miles away. Not willing to abandon the leper, he carried the leper the 15 miles in an extremely short period of time where an eagle could not have flown there that fast. This miracle put the whole country in amazement and adoration. Pere Lemy (d. 1931) was a parish priest who worked countless wonders to the amazement of many. This holy priest admitted, "...I have been brought from one place to another without knowing anything about it" and "I was in my parish, far away, often at night, and I found myself to the Place St. Lucian all at once. How it happened I don't know". Many other occurrences of mystical transport were witnessed with Pere Lemy on other occasions as well. Other Saints who have been said to have had similar miraculous events of
miraculous transport are St. Benedict (d. 543), St. Seraphin (d. 1604), St.
Colette (d. 1447), St. Germaine Cousin (d. 1601), Dominic (d. 1221), and many
others not mentioned here. Gift of Tongues The gift of tongues is the phenomena where a Saint or holy person speaks in their own language, and others who speak other languages are able to understand the speaker without need of a translator. You may have heard of this miraculous phenomena in Scripture which took place with the Apostles in Acts 2:6. Other Saints since that time were given this ability as well. For example, St. Anthony of Padua (d. 1231) was preaching one day before the Pope and Cardinals in a place where there were people from different countries; Greeks, Latins, French, Germans, Slavs, English and those of other languages. All there fully understood St. Anthony without need for a translator and all were amazed and acknowledged the miracle. In addition St. Anthony was known to have preached using the Italian language in Italy and the French language in France though he had never studied these languages. St. Paul of the Cross (d. 1775) was also known to have the miraculous gift of tongues. On multiple occasions he was heard a full five miles away while preaching. In addition his Italian language was understood by members of different nationalities when he preached. St. Dominic (d. 1221) was once on a journey to Paris with some companions when they ran into two German pilgrims. The Germans motioned for St. Dominic and his companions to sit and eat with them, though St. Dominic and his companions could not understand the Germans and the Germans could not understand them. St. Dominic then asked his companions to pray with him that they might be able to speak to the Germans about Christ. After their prayers they were able to converse normally with the Germans for the rest of their journey. St. Dominic asked his companions not to tell anyone about the incident "lest the people should take us for Saints". St. Vincent Ferrer (d. 1419) was also known to be understood by multiple nationalities despite only knowing Latin. Many trusted sources such as Nicholas Clemangis, a doctor of the University of Paris, and Peter Ranzano, the bishop of Lucera, attested to St. Vincent's gift of tongues having witnessed it themselves. In addition it was said that sometimes as many as 10,000 people would come to hear him preach, with the people furthest away able hear as well as those near him. Padre Pio (d. 1968) was known to have heard confessions from penitents who spoke in their own language (languages unfamiliar to Padre Pio). In some instances Padre Pio was able to converse in Italian so that both understood each other. Padre Pio attributed the interpreting to his Guardian Angel. Many other Saints were known to have the gift of tongues including St. Louis Bertrand (d. 1581), St. Martin De Porres (d. 1639), St. Philip Benizi (d. 1285), St. Jean-Marie Baptiste Vianney (d. 1859), St. Franci Solano (d. 1610, and St. Bernadine of Siena (d. 1444) to mention a few.
Another miraculous phenomena reported with Catholic Saints very frequently is the phenomena of levitation. This phenomena has been witnessed time and time again by many people and involves a Saint or holy person rising off the ground for extended periods of time. This phenomena has usually occurred while the Saint or holy person was in a state of deep prayer or ecstasy, or other deeply devout circumstance such as during the consecration of the Holy Eucharist at Mass. One of the most notable Saints to have the miraculous gift of levitation is St. Teresa of Avila (d. 1582) who frequently levitated while in prayer, so much so that she explained all about the phenomena in her Autobiography (Chapter 20). It happened frequently in front of other nuns and she asked them not to speak of it so as to avoid drawing attention to herself. Another Saint who experienced this phenomena and wrote about it was Ven. Maria Villani (d. 1670) who mentioned on five different occasions she was suddenly swept off her feet and remained in the air for extended periods of time. Fr. Paul of Moll called "The Wonder-Worker of the Nineteenth Century" (d. 1896) was a priest who also experienced the gift of levitation. Once one of his penitents saw just as Fr. Paul was about to give him the Holy Eucharist during mass, that Fr. Paul suddenly raised a considerable distance from the floor and remained there for approximately five minutes. St. Gemma Galgani (d. 1903) had a large crucifix in her home in which she visited often. In more than one occasion she was seen kissing the wound on the side of Jesus on the crucifix while being raised from the floor. In a biography published in Venice in 1682, a number of levitations are recorded of a nun named Passitea Crogi (d. 1615). Many other nuns saw her lifted from the ground several arm lengths where she remained for two or three hours. An attestation was created which all present signed. The Acta Sanctorum records St. John of St. Facond (d. 1479) seen suspended in the air many feet above the ground, sometimes remaining there throughout the night. On multiple occasions St. Francis of Assisi was recorded to have been seen in levitation several feet above the floor, and on some occasions was seen suspended as high as some of the tallest branches on beech trees in the area. When looking at biographies of Saints and other historical texts regarding
holy persons, levitation is mentioned quite often. Some other Saints that
experienced this phenomena are St. Frances Xavier (d. 1552), St. Joseph of
Cupertino (d. 1663), Bl. Margaret of Metola and Castello (d. 1320), St. Dominic
(d. 1221), and St. Philip Neri (d. 1595) to mention a few. Lights and Rays of Love Another miraculous phenomena frequently mentioned in the lives of the Saints is that where a Saint's head glows with light, or a light encompasses the entire body, or rays of light come toward or proceed from the body. This has been attested to by persons of unquestionable integrity, and in most cases by members of the Saints own religious orders. St. Elizabeth of Hungary (d. 1231) was noted to have lights emitting from her as she prayed. In one instance during Mass the priest noticed a light emitting from her entire body as she prayed. St. Clare of Assisi (d. 1253) also experienced this illumination. The sisters of her noticed on many occasions that she came from saying prayer with her "face so shining that it dazzled the eyes of those who beheld her". St. Catherine of Siena (d. 1380) was noted by Bl. Raymond of Capua that once during Holy Mass he turned and saw that St. Catherine's face "had become like an angel's and was sending out bright rays of light". Bl. John Ruysbroeck (d. 1381) often liked to enter the forest to pray. One day a canon went to look for him and found him under a lime tree in ecstasy, surrounded by a brilliant light. St. Francis of Paola (d. 1507) once stayed in the castle of King Ferrante of Naples. During the evening the king peeked through the door where the Saint was staying and found him not only levitating in the air, but also his whole body glowing with light. So many other Saints have experienced this phenomena such as St. Philip Neri
(d. 1595), St. Thomas of Villanova (d. 1555), St. Colette (d. 1445), St.
Ignatius of Loyola (d. 1556), St. Stanislaus Kostka (d. 1568), St. Teresa of
Avila (d. 1585), St. Benedict Moor (d. 1589), St. Francis De Sales (d. 1622) and
many, many others. In addition, lights about bodies of Saints are very common
after death as well, especially those who have been found incorrupt. Body Transformation, Movement, Weighted after Death Blood and Manna Miracles Saints Influence Over Nature Once one sees the undeniable proof that first class miracles have been occurring repeatedly in relation to the Catholic Church and its members throughout history, the next logical question is WHY have they been occurring? We can start by looking at Scripture. Consider for example, all of the miracles mentioned in Scripture as having occurred through Moses in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament. Why did miracles occur through them but not so many others? Consider the vast number of people also preaching at the time, claiming they also held the truth. Many of them were simply false prophets. Among all of the preachers claiming to hold the truth, how were the people to find and believe the TRUTH if God did not somehow make the TRUTH standout in some way? That "way" is obviously through first class miracles. If many others claimed to be the Messiah as Jesus did, the people would need a way to choose the TRUE Messiah who spoke the TRUTH among the false ones. Miracles such as those above are what allow us to separate the TRUE messengers of God from the false. To put it plainly, if God wants a significant truth revealed to the world, in general He will use a messenger of His choice to reveal it and will work miracles through that messenger to prove that it is the truth. That is the way God has always chosen to reveal the truth since the beginning of time. Now, going back to the verse from Scripture, Mark Chapter 16 we referenced above: And these signs shall follow them that believe:
In my name they shall cast out devils: they shall speak with new tongues. |
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