Miracle powers of Apostles

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Since Peter was able to raise the dead and cure disease etc. why do we not hear about the successors of the Apostles(today’s Bishops) with the same amazing signs of authority?

How do I answer this from a Catholic point of view? Thanks.
 
Great question, I’m eager to hear what the forumites have to say as well.

As a n00b here (almost 40, never baptized, and currently going through RCIA), I’d hazard a guess that it’s simply a mystery, something beyond our comprehension, why God bestowed the apostles with miraculous powers when there don’t seem to be any modern day successors to those specific physically manifest works (i.e. restoring sight to the blind, legs to the lame, etc).

When did the miracles cease? Did they “die off” with the martyrdom of the apostles? Did the apostles not have the authority through Jesus Christ to hand these abilities off to others?

What timing! I recently finished the four Gospels and just started reading Acts!

🙂
 
I guess the answer in part would be that the fullness of the priesthood (ministerial, sacramental authority) did not include this type of power. It doesn’t exclude it either.
 
There are plenty of saints who have been bishops and priests, not to mention Popes (successors in a greater or lesser degree of the Apostles)

Read some of the accounts of the miracles that were performed by them, or through their intercession after their death. Certainly up to and including raising the dead or curing those at death’s door. Amazing reading.
 
Franciscan said:
Since Peter was able to raise the dead and cure disease etc. why do we not hear about the successors of the Apostles(today’s Bishops) with the same amazing signs of authority?

How do I answer this from a Catholic point of view? Thanks.
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As someone pointed out, there have been numerous instances of priests and bishops (as well as religious and lay folk) performing miracles throughout the 2000 year history of the Church. There are several easily found books out there that that will tell you all about it. Here is just one:

tanbooks.com/doct/mysteries_marvels.htm

Specifically, you ask: Why don’t we see them now? Of course they still happen, but in our incredulous age they are almost always immediately dismissed or sneered at by unbelievers and anti-Catholics. If you monitor this page:

spiritdaily.org/

…for any amount of time, you’ll get your fill. Some credible, and some not so credible, some approved, some not, but that’s where prudential judgment and the Church’s final word on such things come in.

But why does it seem like there isn’t so many as we see in the Acts of the Apostles, for example? I think there are two reasons:
  1. In the Acts, we are dealing with a focused story involving relatively few individuals. The way the story is told, it seems like all these things happened in a short expanse of time, but in fact, the actual time span of Acts, scholars tell us, actually took about 30-40 years (or, right bfore the death of St. Paul).
    So it seems like there are more miracles in a shorter time than there really were.
  2. The second point has to do with the purpose of miracles. Miracles just don’t happen for their own sake: God sends them for larger reasons than to just do favors for people.
The multiplicity of the miracles in the New Testament were for a specific time and purpose: to manifest the power of the Holy Spirit among a small rag-tag group of believers that were just starting out, but were the beginnings of God’s plan to evangelize the whole world. Think of it as a holy jumpstart: without God’s help, the Church could never have grown as large and as fast as it did.

The Church is so widespread and established now, we probably don’t need miracles for the same reasons we did back then. We have all the resources we need – the Bible, the Sacraments, a holy Pope, 2000 years of Church teaching and the witness of the saints. All we need now is the desire. And that – not miracles – is what we truly lack here and now.
 
Outstanding post, a thorough and understandable explanation. Thank you Fidelis, for the links and the thought provoking commentary.
 
My :twocents: …
St. Paul seems to indicate that working miracles and healing are distinct gifts for those of apostles, prophets, and teachers (bishops), though obviously not mutually exclusive gifts.

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. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31But earnestly desire the higher gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:28-31)
It seems that God used miracles to confirm the authority of the Apostles while the Christian faith was just getting started. Such confirmation would probably not be so necessary once the Christian faith was better established, especially once Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. However, God, in his generosity, has continued to work miracles through some popes, bishops, priests, deacons, and lay people throughout the last two thousand years as the lives of the saints attest.
 
I see the words of Jesus to Thomas as an explanation in John chapter 20.

Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

Does this make sense?
 
Another solid post, thank you.

This is really coming together now (at least for me if not the original poster).

He may not be here among us in the flesh any more, nor are the Twelve, nor are necessarily the multitude or frequency with which their miracles were being performed, but God reveals himself to us nonetheless. We just have to be receptive to it.
 
The Catholic Church teaches that with the Death of the last Apostle the era of public revelation came to an end. God uses miracles to confirm the teaching of His prophets and saints. Since public revelation was over, the spectacular miracles needed to confirm this teaching also came to an end.

God still uses miracles to build up his Church and to confirm private revelation.
 
opdsgt said:
When did the miracles cease? Did they “die off” with the martyrdom of the apostles? Did the apostles not have the authority through Jesus Christ to hand these abilities off to others?

I seem to recall in Acts, that the Apostles were given the power to raise the dead, cure the sick…for a “season” (or rather a time). The purpose was to convince the skeptics (Jews and Gentiles), that they had been with the Son of God. Obviously, this was accomplished when Peter went to cure his mother-in-law and couldn’t. :tiphat:
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