Gospel Matters: Miracles are signs
Dr Christine E. Wood, Director of the Office of Evangelisation & Catechesis
What is a miracle? A commonly used description is “the suspension of the laws of nature to bring about an extraordinary event”. Scientists who study and are guided by the laws of nature are often opposed to the idea of miracles. People who follow Enlightenment philosophies often argue: if God exists, and God authors the laws of nature, he would never violate the very laws he put into nature; and therefore miracles are impossible.
This modern view of miracles deviates significantly from the older Christian view. The classical definition of a miracle is something that amazes us and has a hidden cause. The Gospel of John speaks of miracles as “signs” pointing to meanings beyond the amazing occurrence. They point to another world beyond the mere physical world we experience through our senses.
St Augustine teaches that a miracle is not the suspension of the laws of the nature, but the intensification of those laws. It’s a higher cause breaking through the secondary causes. It’s God’s action intensifying natural causality.
Augustine gives the example of Jesus miraculously changing water into wine at Cana. Grape vines naturally draw water and nutrients from the soil, convert them into grapes, and then a winemaker produces wine from the fruit. God is active in each of these secondary causes. In the miracle, God intensifies the action of these secondary causes, effectively speeding up the process so that water becomes wine instantaneously.
Some Catholics believe the Eucharist is a miracle, but in the strict sense it is not, because we don’t see any changes when the bread and wine become Christ’s precious flesh and blood. They still have the appearance of bread and wine, although we believe that Christ is truly present in them. A miracle is something we can clearly see which gives rise to feelings of amazement.
There are, however, things called “Eucharistic miracles”. These occur when the Eucharist actually appears to bleed. Scientific investigations have shown that these consecrated hosts have the characteristics of human blood and heart muscle. Such Eucharistic miracles have occurred throughout the history of the Church. St Thomas Aquinas wrote his hymns for the Feast of Corpus Christi on the occasion of one such miracle. The Eucharistic miracles point to something beyond themselves: the real presence of Christ (body, blood, soul, and divinity) in the Eucharist; a mystery which still requires faith to accept.
The Archdiocese’s new exhibition, Miraculous Events: Science Tests Faith, will be held daily at the Waterside Pavilion (opposite Mawson’s Hut), Hobart, from 15th to 26th June. A series of evening presentations on matters of science and faith will also occur. Register now at: https://hobart.catholic.org.au/miraculous-events-science-tests-faith/