The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-03-21

Saviors Nativity heard by the shepherds @
Bethlehem alone. SO the Voice which spok
through clouds at the Baptism of Lord wa
heard only by Him and St. John. And though tn
travelling companions of ST. Paul, when he, on hi
was to Damascus, heard the sound of the voc
| which converted him. yet the Apostle tells us, the
could distinguish articuate words.
Assuming, then, as an hypothesis. which Scienc
renders probable, and Revelation exalts into doc
trine that there is sphere of spiritual being
above men, there is no violence done to the mine
when it is asked to believe that such beings shou
be able to perform acts which, in the limitations o
human power would appear as miracles.
WHAT Is A MIRACLE2
A miracle is, In fact, an effect without an appa
rent cause; when the cause becomes known VT
cease to regard the effect as a miracle When
therefore, we call miracle suspension of nat.
ural law, the expression must be understood not
an absolute suspension, but only such as it relates
to ourselves. The fire of Nebuchadnezzars furnace
departed not from the common law of burning be
cause 1t did not hurt the Three Children for It
destroyed those feeding the furnace; the Children
were simply placed under the protection of another
law, unknown TO human beings which shielded
them from the power of fire
We also give the name of miracle to p result
produced without the intervention of secondary
causes. For example, the conversion OF water nto
VINE by Our Blessed Lord at the Wedding we call
miracle; but we do not give that name to the for
nation of wine from the vine In point of fact
however, the one is great a miracle as the other
He, who made water into wine at
THE MARRIAGE FEAST
Of Cana. performs the same miracle yearly among
us, though by more gradual process and it is only
our familiarity with it which binders us from rec.
ognlzlng Its miraculous character. The miracles
of grace reflected in the miracles of nature
God is the Author of both. and as He daily per-
forms miracles in the sphere of mans rebellious
will, does he also in the passive realm of natural
powers, either directly or through the ministry of
angels. Day by day He changes water into wine
wine into blood, blood into milk Surely then, 1t
is exceedingly presumptious, with meager and
fragmentary knowledge of Nature. and standing as
do in the presence Of a thousand miracles, to
prescribg bounds to the free omnipoence of Our
CREATOR or to say He cannot cure headache or
command the clouds, without violating law. OF
nature WHY should it be thought thing incred-
ible with YOU 0 King. that God should raise tho
dead :" said the Apostle to Agrippa The Church of
God asks of the Agrppas of our own day: why
should il be thought thing incredible that a saint
should appear and speak to Il soul yet in its tabor
naclc or an Angel should impar to the waters OF
Lourdcs, as he did to those of Bcthsaida medicinal
properties y
Why Bcrnadcttc could see ard hear what Others
around her could not we are no more able to under
stand or explain than we are what is recorded III
the second chapter Of the Acts Of the Apostles
when St Peters sermon to the strangers III Jeru-
salem was understood by a multitude speaking four
teen different tongues and they were all amazed
and wondered saying, how have We every one heard
own tonguc:"
While we remain on earth and in our bodies we
are i'll an altogether different sphere from angelic
beings. When our souls are liberated. in Gods owl
time, from the
PRISON OF THE BODY
We will no longer. sec as in glass darkIy Let ii
be observed, in conclusions that whatever Difficult
ties these spiritual phenomena may present to the
speculative reason, they offer more to the practical
faith of the Christian He knows in whom he be
eves and his experience and the history of the
human race enable him to scatter to the winds all
the rash theories of those scientists who forever
contradicting themselves.
In the Incarnation of the Son of God, the
Christian has clearer revelation than Science
can give him of the ways of God with human souls
With touch or with word he commands the
laws of Nature and they must obey. The blind man
/ Il IL Il,
of an accused race whose daughter was "grievous-
ly vexed with devil" the disciples in jeopardy in
stormy sea, the widow weeping by the bier of an
only son, the risen Lazarus will, for all time,
record the love and oversight of God for his crea
lures yesterday today and forever"
HUBERT LARKIN.