What is a miracle?

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MindOverMatter2

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I don’t believe that a miracle by definition is the occurrence of the logically impossible. I would just like to point out my understanding of a miracle. In reality miracles such as the spontaneous healing of cancer or a broken limb - things of that nature - involve nothing more than a rearrangement of matter brought about by the power of Gods mind. Miracles are not supernatural effects, but rather the cause is supernatural, and the healing comes about by rearranging what is already present in physical nature. We call it a miracle simply because God is the sufficient cause of it.

Is this consistent with Catholic teaching?
 
MindOverMatter2 said:
I don’t believe that a miracle by definition is the occurrence of the logically impossible. I would just like to point out my understanding of a miracle. In reality miracles such as the spontaneous healing of cancer or a broken limb - things of that nature - involve nothing more than a rearrangement of matter brought about by the power of Gods mind. Miracles are not supernatural effects, but rather the cause is supernatural, and the healing comes about by rearranging what is already present in physical nature. We call it a miracle simply because God is the sufficient cause of it.

Is this consistent with Catholic teaching?
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I think it was St. Augustine who said that the conversion of a soul is a greater miracle than the creation of the universe, because when God created the universe, He created it out of nothing, and this nothing from which He created it did not resist Him as we humans do.
 
Miracles are not supernatural effects, but rather the cause is supernatural, and the healing comes about by rearranging what is already present in physical nature. We call it a miracle simply because God is the sufficient cause of it.

Is this consistent with Catholic teaching?

Perhaps you can rephrase it as “Miracles involving matter are supernatural changes to natural processes” and we can say it’s consistent with Catholic teaching.

But that’s probably just quibbling. I spent too much time on Perplixity’s “Thomistic Philosophy” thread. :rotfl:
 
I’d say a Miracle is a return to Freedom and an escape from Necessity.

And yeah, I’m back, for the moment. 😉
 
I have heard it commented that Jesus’ miracles were all expedited natural phenomena. Some place it says the Son does what He sees the Father doing. Water into wine is a natural process; it just usually takes longer. Wheat planted and tended multiplies; Jesus just cut short a few steps in the miracle of the loaves. Healings restore capabilities that the Father had given originally.

I don’t recall any unnatural miracles. A cat was never turned into a dog. Cows never flew.
 
MindOverMatter2 said:
I don’t believe that a miracle by definition is the occurrence of the logically impossible. I would just like to point out my understanding of a miracle. In reality miracles such as the spontaneous healing of cancer or a broken limb - things of that nature - involve nothing more than a rearrangement of matter brought about by the power of Gods mind. Miracles are not supernatural effects, but rather the cause is supernatural, and the healing comes about by rearranging what is already present in physical nature. We call it a miracle simply because God is the sufficient cause of it.

Is this consistent with Catholic teaching?
Click to expand...
You are on the right track, and I’m replying to this only in faint hopes of finding something upon which you and I might agree.

Forget the “miracle” notions expressed in other replies. They are the equivalent of an explorer flashing his Zippo in front of a primitive tribe that regards the efficient rubbing of sticks as high technology, where God is the explorer and we are the tribesmen.

There is another level of Miracle which consists of that which cannot be explained, period. The existence of anything whatsoever is such a Miracle. If God is the Cause of the anything, then God’s own existence is a Miracle.
 
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