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Dear Father Angelo,
My name is Michela, I’m a loyal reader of yours. Your answers are a light in our faith journey.
I’m writing because I was taken aback by the claims of a religion teacher I know, who probably has a degree in Religious Studies, who asserts and teaches, unfortunately to her students as well, that Jesus didn’t perform proper miracles and they should be interpreted in a symbolic sense. Jesus’ miracles would then be a myth to debunk. For example, the miracle of the water being turned into wine, the miracle of the blind man who sees again, the miracle of the paralytic who walks again… they should all be interpreted as symbols.
This left a sour taste in my mouth because this kind of teaching kills Christian optimism in young people, so we shouldn’t be surprised if they become atheists when they grow up.
I’m wondering if the Church agrees with such a teaching. I would like to know on which scholars or commentators they base certain claims on, since she’s not the only one I have heard make such statements. How can we respond? Are there scholars and commentators who, on the other hand, interpret these miracles in a literal sense and believe that Jesus really performed miracles? If I’m ever again witness to such heresies I would like to be able to argue to the contrary.
Thanks a lot, Father.
May God bless you!
Michela
Priest’ answer
Dearest,
1. Jesus performed miracles. He did so to prove His divinity. He in fact said: “but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize [and understand] that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (John 10:38).
2. It is without doubt that the miracles that Jesus performed have value as signs, to the point that, in the Gospel of John, they are not called miracles, but signs.
But there is no doubt that Jesus actually performed them.
3. Rather, the biggest miracle Jesus performed was His resurrection from the dead. Other people in history were resurrected, but none by virtue of themselves. Furthermore, all those who were resurrected came back to mortal life and went on to die some years later.
Christ, on the other hand, resurrected Himself to immortal life, to a life on which death has no power.
4. Even the enemies of the Lord are forced to acknowledge His miracles. The miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus in particular was witnessed by many people who had come to Bethany to give their condolences to Martha and Mary.
Saint Augustine said that Lazarus, together with Martha and Mary, owned two thirds of the houses in Jerusalem.
Those who witnessed this miracle related it to the chiefs of the people and to the High Priests.
“So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.” (John 11:47-48).
So they accused Jesus of performing miracles with the power given by the worst of demons: Beelzebùl.
They will say, in fact: ““He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”” (Mark 3:22).
And yet, they are forced to acknowledge the facts.
Jesus will show that He performs miracles with the power that comes from God. This is why He looks up at the sky, to tell everyone that that’s where the power comes from, not from the devil.
5. It was necessary for Christ to perform miracles. It wasn’t sufficient from Him to say: “I am God”.
The witness of the facts was necessary. It was necessary to confirm the statement by performing divine works.
6. Here’s what Saint Thomas Aquinas says on the necessity of miracles to claim the divinity of Christ: “God enables man to work miracles for two reasons. First and principally, in confirmation of the doctrine that a man teaches. For since those things which are of faith surpass human reason, they cannot be proved by human arguments, but need to be proved by the argument of Divine power: so that when a man does works that God alone can do, we may believe that what he says is from God: just as when a man is the bearer of letters sealed with the king’s ring, it is to be believed that what they contain expresses the king’s will.
Secondly, in order to make known God’s presence in a man by the grace of the Holy Ghost: so that when a man does the works of God we may believe that God dwells in him by His grace. […]
Now both these things were to be made known to men concerning Christ—namely, that God dwelt in Him by grace, not of adoption, but of union: and that His supernatural doctrine was from God. And therefore it was most fitting that He should work miracles. Wherefore He Himself says (John 10:38): “Though you will not believe Me, believe the works”; and (John 5:36): “The works which the Father hath given Me to perfect . . . themselves . . . give testimony to Me.” (Summa theologiae, III, 43, 1).
7. The miracles still happening today are likewise undeniable.
Alexis Carrel, Nobel Prize winner for Medicine and atheist, who had in his care a woman with several terminal illnesses said: “If this woman recovers, then I will believe”. He accompanied that patient to Lourdes because he was the only one who perfectly knew all of her pathologies.
Once in that town, he went his own way.
The woman, on the other hand, went to the grotto. She was immersed in the pool built at the request of Our Lady and the miracle happened.
Alexis Carrel was rushed to the scene and, having witnessed the miracle, he believed. He even wrote a book on Lourdes and one on prayer.
Therefore, if miracles happen through intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, wouldn’t Christ, Who is God made flesh, be able to perform miracles?
8. Saint Thomas also adds that “The miracles which Christ worked were a sufficient proof of His Godhead in three respects. First, as to the very nature of the works, which surpassed the entire capability of created power, and therefore could not be done save by Divine power. For this reason the blind man, after his sight had been restored, said (John 9:32-33): “From the beginning of the world it has not been heard, that any man hath opened the eyes of one born blind. Unless this man were of God, he could not do anything.”
Secondly, as to the way in which He worked miracles—namely, because He worked miracles as though of His own power, and not by praying, as others do. Wherefore it is written (Luke 6:19) that “virtue went out from Him and healed all.” Whereby it is proved, as Cyril says (Comment. in Lucam) that “He did not receive power from another, but, being God by nature, He showed His own power over the sick. And this is how He worked countless miracles.” Hence on Matthew 8:16: “He cast out spirits with His word, and all that were sick He healed,” Chrysostom says: “Mark how great a multitude of persons healed, the Evangelists pass quickly over, not mentioning one by one . . . but in one word traversing an unspeakable sea of miracles.” And thus it was shown that His power was co-equal with that of God the Father, according to John 5:19: “What things soever” the Father “doth, these the Son doth also in like manner”; and, again (John 5:21): “As the Father raiseth up the dead and giveth life, so the Son also giveth life to whom He will.”
Thirdly, from the very fact that He taught that He was God; for unless this were true it would not be confirmed by miracles worked by Divine power. Hence it was said (Mark 1:27): “What is this new doctrine? For with power He commandeth the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” (Summa theologiae, III, 43, 1).
9. If you are ever asked how you can claim that Christ actually performed miracles, you can answer: go read the Gospel.
Of course, one is free not to believe the Gospel. They will answer to God for that.
However, if one presents themselves as a Catholic religion teacher, they have to put forward the Gospel and they have to put forward Jesus Christ who, in performing miracles, proves that He is God, the Messiah foretold by the Prophets and recognized as such by His works.
If they don’t do this, it would be more consistent to step down.
I bless you, I wish you well and remember you in my prayer.
Father Angelo