Mark 16 14-19

[MikaAkim]

Hi all.

I am in RCIA and the Seminarian who teaches us is a lovely lovely guy. I went to him after class last night as i am confused about this passage. He told me that next week he will sit down and read it with me - but i cannot wait until next week. It is confusing me so much and is not only in my m ind all the time it is causing me major doubts!

Can anyone help explain!! Here is the problem!

Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Now here he CLEARLY says to the disciples basically - Go into the world and preach my new gospel and finishes saying that anyone who believes will be able to preform miracles, casting out demons, healing the sick etc he clearly is not talk just to the Disciples when he says
“And these signs shall follow them that believe” As he is talking post tense (stating that after you have preached to these people those that believe will be able to do this.)

So why is there no Christians who are able to perform miracles, even say the priest at my congregation cannot put his hands on a dyeing person and heal them…

Please some help or explain…

 

[japhy]

Now here he CLEARLY says to the disciples basically - Go into the world and preach my new gospel and finishes saying that anyone who believes will be able to preform miracles, casting out demons, healing the sick etc.

One must interpret Scripture as a cohesive whole. Consider these words from St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:
[7] To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. [8] To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, [10] to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. …]

[28] And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. [29] Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? [30] Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
The answer to St. Paul’s questions here is: no, not all have the same gifts.

So why is there no Christians who are able to perform miracles, even say the priest at my congregation cannot put his hands on a dyeing person and heal them…

There are Christians (not only Catholics, mind you) who have such gifts of healing. There are healing miracles that occur through the intercession of the saints in Heaven. There are healing miracles that occur at the shrine in Lourdes, France.

Furthermore, remember the words of Jesus to His disciples: “do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20) We are not to glory in whatever powers God grants us or in whatever works God accomplishes through us, but we are to glory in our salvation.

 

[Cristiano]

Hi all.

I am in RCIA and the Seminarian who teaches us is a lovely lovely guy. I went to him after class last night as i am confused about this passage. He told me that next week he will sit down and read it with me - but i cannot wait until next week. It is confusing me so much and is not only in my m ind all the time it is causing me major doubts!

Can anyone help explain!! Here is the problem!

Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Now here he CLEARLY says to the disciples basically - Go into the world and preach my new gospel and finishes saying that anyone who believes will be able to preform miracles, casting out demons, healing the sick etc he clearly is not talk just to the Disciples when he says
“And these signs shall follow them that believe” As he is talking post tense (stating that after you have preached to these people those that believe will be able to do this.)

So why is there no Christians who are able to perform miracles, even say the priest at my congregation cannot put his hands on a dyeing person and heal them…

Please some help or explain…

First of all God performs miracles, through people. Second there are a lot of miracles happening; however, the common secular culture automatically discards them. The Church takes a lot of time before officially recognizing a miracle and just because one is not officially recognized that does not mean that it is not real. There are big miracles and small miracles. Catholics in general do not go around discussing miracles, especially if the are not recognized by the Church. As I Catholic I believe in miracles but I do not discuss them and I do not seek them because I do not need proof.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Years ago I took the family to Ireland. It was during the time of gas shortage. Stations were only open a couple of hours in the morning. It was getting near noon and I hadn’t found an open station. I figured that I needed a couple more gallons to get the car back to the airport; so told the children pray hard. Around the next corner there was an open station. As I pulled in the attendant put the closed sign behind me and said “I can only give you four gallons”. It took a bit over three gallons to get to the airport.

I am sure it would not be certified as a miracle, but it was to us.

 

[Cristian_B]

There are still miracles but not in the same proportions like back at the beginning of the Church.

I was reading a little book some time ago and I ran into this quote:

…]

We see, at the beginning of the preaching of the gospel by the apostles, God guided and strengthened the gospel with many signs and wonders by Holy Spirit (Acts 5:12-16)

In these facts the people found conviction of what they heard and saw. During the entire history of mankind God used wonders and miracles when it was not possible the normal (usual) way. For example: the law to sow and reap. It was ordained by God Himself during the trip of Israel in the wilderness, but to sow and reap was impossible. God made a miracle magically giving them manna - bread of heaven. But just after passing the Jordan, the manna stopped, because it came into power the law to sow and reap. God didn’t continue to do, what people should do. With the signs and wonders giving evidence of His Existence, truth and omnipotence of resurrection, the apostles at the end of their lives stopped doing signs and wonders, so that the people’s faith would not be based on the seen but on the heard. “The faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17). The faith of Thomas was in what he had seen, and Christ did not praise it, but called it “infidelity”: “and be not faithless, but believing” (John 20.27). Because we walk by faith not by sight. Sometimes the miracles done by the apostles were accredited to the apostles, and not to God. That happened in Lystra, when Paul and Barnabas were healing the crippled in childbirth. “And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.” (Fap. 14.11) and they wanted to make them sacrifices, but Paul and Barnabas tore clothes and jumped in the middle of the people and barely stopped them (Acts 14.12-15).

Another time the Apostle Paul was recognized as a god when they saw the miracle that he was alive after being bitten by a viper (Acts 28.3-6).

But at the end of their lives, we see the contrary of what happened at the beginning. For example, “but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick” (2 Tim 4.20). Trophimus helped Paul in spreading the gospel and was a co-worker. Why was he sick?

Epaphroditus, another companion of Paul was sick almost to death (Phil. 2.25-27).Timothy, together a worker with Paul, was not healed by Paul by a miracle, but he was advised by Paul to treat some of his diseases the old fashion way (1 Tim. 5.23).

The Apostle Paul had wounded eyes, recognizing the wounds before the Galatians (Galatians 4.13-15, 6.17). Paul prayed to the Lord 3 times to be healed, but God rejected his request (2 Cor 12.7-9). Why? Because not so long ago, hundreds of patients were healed from handkerchiefs or aprons, which had been touched by his body, or the shadow of Peter to get healed when passes over by (Fa, 19.11-12, 5.15-16).

Some explain this healing failure by the “lack of faith”. Is it possible that Paul was lacking faith? No way! Before his death, in prison he wrote to Timothy of Rome: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith "(2 Tim 4:6-7). It was not a lack of faith the cause of the cessation of the miracles, but it was because they were not needed.

…]

• “Death of Jesus Christ for Christian unity”, PA Ţeoană

This does not respond your question: I know. God made mircales for the spreading of the Gospel. That was the reason. It was not done because someone just wished it.

At the beginning, it was impossible for the Gentiles to believe just by hearing, so they got a little boost with some miracles. Just as in the wilderness. It was impossible for the Jews to get food. To resolve this, God ,made miracles, which in that case was the manna. But when it was possible for the Jews to plant their own food, the manna stopped, since like I said: God does not do the man’s work.

So, at the beginning, the apostles could not make them believe by their own, so they needed miracles. But later, when it was possible for the Gentiles to believe without miracles, the miracles stopped, or at least diminished.

It is the same now. In our time, it is possible to believe only by hearing, because for example the fulfilled prophecies substitute the miracles. There are miracles done, but only to make people believe, but only those that cannot believe by hearing, and need a boost of some sort.

So there are miracles, but the faith is built on what we hear, not on what we see. We must hear the miracles and believe, not see the miracles and believe. Do not always trust the eye.

So the miracles stopped because now it is possible for people to believe without miracles. But in case it is still impossible on some areas of the world, miracles are still done there, but in very small proportions.

 

[Mark77]

Hi all.

I am in RCIA and the Seminarian who teaches us is a lovely lovely guy. I went to him after class last night as i am confused about this passage. He told me that next week he will sit down and read it with me - but i cannot wait until next week. It is confusing me so much and is not only in my m ind all the time it is causing me major doubts!

Can anyone help explain!! Here is the problem!

Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Now here he CLEARLY says to the disciples basically - Go into the world and preach my new gospel and finishes saying that anyone who believes will be able to preform miracles, casting out demons, healing the sick etc he clearly is not talk just to the Disciples when he says
“And these signs shall follow them that believe” As he is talking post tense (stating that after you have preached to these people those that believe will be able to do this.)

So why is there no Christians who are able to perform miracles, even say the priest at my congregation cannot put his hands on a dyeing person and heal them…

Please some help or explain…

You wrote “So why is there no Christians who are able to perform miracles, even say the priest at my congregation cannot put his hands on a dyeing person and heal them…”

Christians perform miracles every day!

**Who are you to say that your Priest could not heal someone?

You should pray for some humility!
**
Healing is not a temporary physical healing while we are on earth, it is the forgiveness of sins so we can have ETERNAL LIFE!!! Every Catholic Priest is given this Miraculous power by Jesus;

"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."( Jn 20:23)

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Ora Pro Nobis Peccatoribus!

mark