St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-12
MIRACLES OF OLD,
An Interesting Theme Ably
Handled BY Rev. Father Fitz-
nafpioL

HandieQ by Rev. rather F1tZ-
patrick. -,
Father Fitzpatrick preached at the
cathedral yesterday. He took his text
from the words of the days gospel;
'This is indeed the prophet that is to
come unto the world" -
The reverend father said the words
just quoted were the instantaneous
shout of assent which burst forth from
every tongue of an entire multitude.
witness of the great prodigy of the null
duplication of lOayeS and fishes. In
fact, the same Outburst of enthusiastic
Invariably attended the accomplishment
of all the miracles of our Savior. Miracles
occupy large and important place in
that short but wellspent life. They have
almost paramount influence with His
divine teachings. He multiplied them
wherever He WENT Their importance
is even such that to-day, nineteen cen
turtles later, they have for us the same
significance, and the same conclusion is
forced upon us, namely, Christ is indeed
the prophet that was 7to'come into the
world. r. ! ~
We find in them a triple significance :;
dogmatic, psychologist and figurative,
meeting the triple need of man, the in
tellectual. the moral and the spiritual.
If we consider the time anterior to the
coming of Christ, it is a curious fact to
notice how religion was on the wane as
the world was growing older, and how
the true notion of God was fast diSap-
pearing, soon to be lost entirely to man.
kind. If there was any progress from
the beginning of human society to the
time of our Lord, it was
=; A PROGRESS IN ERROR
and in evil. Polytheism, sensualiSm,
disSoluteness and crHeltieS were then
reigning in the most polite and civilized
nations. The only true religion
extant was suffering from dissen-
sions and divisions innumerable.
Man was incapable of preserving true
ton. ChriSt's coming into the world
changed this order of things. He gave
a new impulse to religion, and de-
manded from men an entire and abso-
lutte submission of their intellectS.
Hence the necessity of giving proofs of
His divinity commensurate with the
grandeur Of alteration He eXacted.
These proofs are his miracles. A miracle
is the result of an act of God, suspend
ing or modifying the laws of nature.
leaving in 1t the impress of His power.
Where there is a miracle. there must
need be divine mission. When, then,
a man confirms his teachings by mir
acles, we have but to accept them as
coming from God. 1t was in this sense
that Christ intended them to be &C
cepted.
1t is true Christ was not the only one
to perform miracles, but the way He
performed them was unique. Unlike
ffys
mittent and put into effect by divine in
terposition, Christ was Continually
working them by His own power. No
effort was necessary. 1t was like viz
tue going out of Him. He had but to
pass one infirm and say, BE cured"
and Immediately the cure was effected.
Natural, easy, put into action by His
own power, this virtue: was universal.
No creature, no law was ain exception.
He commanded
INANIdATE CREATION,
and the winds and seas Obeyed Him.
Man in virtue of his genius has been
able to traverse the heaviest seas, but
never able to calm them. The spiritual
world obeyed Him; at the sound of His
voice demons left the bodies they held
in servitude. The dead rose to life at
his command, and no affliction of the
body could resist His all-powerful word.
The miracles Of Christ satisfy the i'll
tellectual needs of men. They also
have claims on their hearts. Acts of
beneyOlence such as are found in the
miracles of Christ are an extreme of all
the tenderest sentiments of his heart
AS st. Peter says. '.sHe went about do
ing good. healing all that were oppressed
by the devii.' A God of mercy and
love, he soon dispelled that first i'm
preston that occupies men in presence
of superior being-an impression of
fear and timidity. His miracles then
are acts OF redemption, His mission a
mission of redemption. He came to res
cue humanity, to purify the yitiated
blood that flows in the veins of man.
In healing bodies He wished to signify
the Z. -: - - go
HEALING OF SOULS.
The blind who received their sight
figured the soul returning to faith; the
healing of the deaf represented human
ity opening its ears to the prediction Of
the gospel; the resurrection Of the body
imaged the resurrection of the soul, and
the multiplication of the lOaYes and
fishes symbolized the holy eucharist
multiplied every throughout the
entire world.
1t is in this light that the miracles of
our Savior hold so Justly an important
place. in the Catholic, church, which
perpetnafes His life with the same
characters of human infrmity and
divine, power. $50
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