Why aren't there on demand priestly miracles?

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Why then does the Church claim that it’s priests have the power through apostolic succession to forgive the sins of men…but these same priests do not have the power to raise the dead or cleanse the lepers, which would also be through apostolic succession?
Just reading through history, I find a number of Saints that performed miracles.

I am uncertain of raising the dead (I’ll have to dig more), but healings appear regularly.
 
Let’s just say I lived a terrible life. I never made and effort to live a good life because I can just go to confession. On my death bed, I give my confession, and I’m saved.
You don’t believe that do you?
If I make a good confession, yes, I am saved in this situation.
 
thats similiar in fighting in vietnam for years one day and the government goes bankrupt and the war is loss due to poverty in the country mass caos then takes over the country and you go to confession for being in the war and caos happening, are you suggesting being forgiven is going to stop the rumors of how the war started you should get a reality check or go in the sych ward.
 
OneTimePoster:

I sincerely suggest that, since you identify yourself as “Catholic” in your profile, that rather than scattershot all through these fora with the questions and doubts you are obviously having, only to ignore posters who try to explain the teaching as ‘not knowing’ or posting further dissention in the guise of questioning the answers. . .

You instead go to your priest, your parish RCIA instructor, your catechism teacher if you are still in school. . .and discuss these doubts with professionals. . .IF you want answers.

If you want to come onto message boards and ‘ask’ questions only to refute the answers because you’ve already made up your mind that there ARE no answers you’ll accept, you’ll only make yourself miserable.

If you want answers, many posters have given you documents, directions to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (found on-line), suggestions as to people in authority with whom to talk about these doubts and concerns.

DO you want answers. . .or do you only want to post ‘bait’ and to ignore those people who are trying to give you the help you claim to want?
No one has answered this question, nor have you. If questions bother you, then please, avoid my posts.
 
Just reading through history, I find a number of Saints that performed miracles.

I am uncertain of raising the dead (I’ll have to dig more), but healings appear regularly.
Precisely…

Ok, thank you, someone taking this seriously.

Ok, healings apparently take place occasionally.

The priest is always able to remit or retain sins.

The priest is always able to consecrate the host.

Priests may sometimes heal the sick. ( I’ll give you that)

Priests cannot raise the dead.

Why can Priests carry out some of the actions ( on demand) attributed to the apostles, but not all of them?

If someone is actually able to provide an answer without complaining about the question or that I’m stubborn for asking…it would be appreciated.
 
thats all fine and dandy until mom gets reexamined needeing better control so has to get an error malfunction design again.

your welcome mom
 
I’ve posted this question a few times in related posts…it is always ignored. Is it too tough a question?

The RCC claims that priests have the power to forgive sins from apostolic succession.

The RCC claims that the apostles went out and forgave the sins of people. The scripture isn’t exactly crystal clear, but that is what they believe.
We know from scripture, that the apostles were ordered by Jesus to cleanse the lepers and raise the dead. ( perform miracles in his name)

Why then does the Church claim that it’s priests have the power through apostolic succession to forgive the sins of men…but these same priests do not have the power to raise the dead or cleanse the lepers, which would also be through apostolic succession?

Same question for transubstantiation. Priests have the miraculous ability to turn bread into Jesus whenever they want…but again, they don’t have the power to raise the dead or cleanse lepers whenever they want.

Any answer…anyone?
Yes I have an answer, Jesus said it was their lack of faith, not the Priests but the people.
Also, I bolded above a few things, why do you say its “what they believe”, and “**its **Priests”, your profile says you are a Catholic, how come you aren’t saying, “what we believe”, and “our Priests”. if you are indeed Catholic?
 
Precisely…

Ok, thank you, someone taking this seriously.

Ok, healings apparently take place occasionally.

The priest is always able to remit or retain sins.

The priest is always able to consecrate the host.

Priests may sometimes heal the sick. ( I’ll give you that)

Priests cannot raise the dead.
Actually, I have found a book online that shows Saints raising the dead as well.

tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/253/

Many, many instances actually.
 
I’ve posted this question a few times in related posts…it is always ignored. Is it too tough a question?

I hope this - very incomplete - answer is some help 🙂

The RCC claims that priests have the power to forgive sins from apostolic succession.

The RCC claims that the apostles went out and forgave the sins of people. The scripture isn’t exactly crystal clear, but that is what they believe.

This is because Christ is Messiah, & these are Messianic acts; for they bring in the Kingship of God which was the Good News He preached (Mark 1.15). For sins not to be forgiven would imply the (wholly unChristian) notion that satan, death, sin & have not been decisively & for ever overcome by His Death. He could not stay dead - as Peter makes clear in Acts - for He is “the Prince of Life”; so He rose from the dead. And that means that where He is alive, the Life He brings is coming in & is present. His Resurrection is the pledge & beginning & source of the renewal of the whole earth: the Sacraments are His acts in & through His Church, by which the Messiah makes this renewal a fact when He is exalted at the right of His Father, & has sent His Spirit (Acts 2) according to His promise (Matthew 28.20).​

We know from scripture, that the apostles were ordered by Jesus to cleanse the lepers and raise the dead. ( perform miracles in his name)

Why then does the Church claim that it’s priests have the power through apostolic succession to forgive the sins of men…but these same priests do not have the power to raise the dead or cleanse the lepers, which would also be through apostolic succession?

To give life to those dead in sin & to heal the leprosy of sin are far greater works than to give life or health to the body. When a priest absolves a sinner, he is doing a greater work than Christ - if that sounds blasphemous, & it does, it is no more than He said in John 14. Priests are blasphemers by forgiving sins only if Christ is (Mark 2) - for their work has no authority or power but His. He keeps His promise.​

Bodily death is peanuts compared to the death of the soul.
Same question for transubstantiation. Priests have the miraculous ability to turn bread into Jesus whenever they want…

That is a truly horrible choice of words 😃 - it’s really dreadful. As well as suggesting a lack of understanding of what the Church believes & teaches about transubstantiation :). “Bread into Jesus” ? No; that is not what the Church teaches, but a coarsened, materialistic, version of it. :eek:

And it suggests that He is subject to the whims of priests - as though they could do what you said, because (as it were) they feel like doing so. Too much Catholic writing sacrifices theology to devotion by so exalting the power of the priest so as to give exactly that impression, which is very bad; for the priest is a nothing through which God graciously does a great - but not miraculous - something. God is great - we are but dust and ashes, & less than dust and ashes: even those who are ordained to the priesthood. God, Alone, is Great - He alone is the True worker of all miracles. The Sacraments are always, totally, the acts of Christ, Who unceasingly sends forth His Spirit to bring about through the members of His Church the works that are His doing. What His members do in the various sacraments is wholly dependent on His working; any power in them, is not their possession, but is exercised by their Creator, Who renews the world & Church by His action, & **His **working.
but again, they don’t have the power to raise the dead or cleanse lepers whenever they want.

Any answer…anyone?
 
Sacraments are not miracles. They are channels of grace by which God uses matter and words to assure human beings of grace being given.

A miracle by definition involves something perceptible to the senses.

Transubstantion is not a miracle: we cannot perceive any change in the elements. The appearances of the elements of bread and wine, in fact, remain.

Reconciliation is not a miracle, neither is Baptism, or Confirmation, or Ordination, or any sacrament. They are more necessary for our spiritual life than miracles, but there are no miraculous physical changes which occur.

Why aren’t there on-demand actual miracles? Jesus never promised on-demand miracles. The question is not a challenge to man but to God. I heard of a non-believer once who made the following sort of demonstration, by stating, “OK God, I don’t believe in you. But if you do exist, I’ll give you five minutes to strike me dead.” At this he starts his stopwatch, and at the end of five minutes, concludes that God does not exist.
 
Jn:20:29:
29 Jesus saith to him: Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen and have believed. (DRV)
👍

Trying to base your reasons concerning faith on human perceptions is baseless 😉
 
As I understand it, your question is, since priests can consecrate the Eucharist, and give absolution “any time they want,” then why can they not heal the sick and raise the dead any time they want?

The answer is that, when administering those two Sacraments, the priest is acting *in persona Christi *- which means that Jesus is acting through them.

This means that it is Jesus who consecrates the Host and Jesus who gives us absolution, not the individual priests.

As for miracles on demand, remember what Jesus said when Satan tempted Him:

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
Matt 4:7 (RSV) (duplicated in Lk 4:12)

For a priest to attempt a miracle whenever asked would be tempting God.

Sure, it might be easy to have faith if you could ask any priest to heal anyone, but that would be cheap faith.

God asks a little more of us. He challenges us (especially us intellectual types) to believe. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.

Ruthie
 
i recall a movie where a woman was cloaned then she was dying her husband said he would cloan her again she said she wanted to die naturally if it was her time then it was her time. its similiar to making a bargain with the angel of death. that of which recently effected. its like this if you ever saw the angel of death would you ever want to see another angel. i would presume priests use a different technique asking god for a favour to ask the angel of death to buy more time for an individual. problem is there is a spiritual time effect process usually based on rules and stuff never subdued with this process it can be as simple as correcting so called issues according to the rule structure. considering saints and priests have a load voice it can be heard in several sequence methods directing towards SPIRITUAL TIME. reality time however time machine is currently subdueing seeds in history
 
Sir,
I respect your question concerning the miracles of the pries.
I am not a theologian by any means, however I would try to answer your question as so “God can do all things. He Himself told us that the apostles and their successors have the power to bind and loose on earth. However it is His power that they use not their own. When the priest says,” Ego te Absolve"( I Absolve you) It is Christ Who is forgiving.
Now ,as to raise the dead there have been many cases where raising the dead was done, I will mention only one: St Nicholas Von Flue(sp) and the raising of the three children.
It is still God’s decision to permit these miracles! Also, He to when He was here on earth required FAITH of all that would ask of him a healing etc. to give a few scripture quotes: Mk 5.27-37 women with an issue, Mk 5. 36-42 Mk 10.12,13 Bartimus, Luke 5. 12-13 the blind man
In requards to the answer you gave some time ago concerning Matt10 5-8 and 'not entering a Samaritan city" I would direct your attention to Jn 4 where Christ Himself entered the forbidden city of Samaritans and won a great soul to the heavily kingdom. So, there are many things hard to understand especially in Sacred Scripture. Therefore,The Catholic church,through the Pope and bishops, is the TEACHING, GOVERNING AND SANCTIFYING authority (Matt18. 15-18)& (I Tim 3. 15 )in matters of faith and morals
 
The OP’s first question has admirable logic. RCC says that God said do #1, #2, #3, #4. When he sees that #3 and #4 aren’t performed, he finds reason to doubt the authenticity of the claim and the claimant - have I summed it up well so far, onetimeposter?

There are many responses to that, fortunately.

First, let’s say your assumptions and conclusions are correct. That does present a problem towards RCC/divine authority. However, even if you don’t understand, some people can cloak themselves under trust in God. To paraphrase Cardinal Newman, “A thousand difficulties do not make one doubt.” Based on the many, many wonderful examples of the church, you do not have to understand this issue to live in harmony in the church.

I suspect that is nowhere sufficient for you, though. Posters here are quite correct to point out that God should not be tempted. Satan asked Jesus to throw himself off the pinnacle to show how the angels would save him; Jesus could have but correctly declined. Also, there are many recorded examples of raising/healing which temper your conclusions substantially (but not wholly, I grant). Posters have also directly countered this claim with a potential lack-of-faith argument. After all, Jesus does say that any person who had the faith the size of a mustard seed can do amazing things like make mountains throw themselves into the sea. Still, I think you could point out the lack of complete on-demand miracles as you wish to have produced even from the saints.

I just want to appeal to common sense. God is the author of Life, and he calls those souls back to him at the appointed time. If priests could do true on-a-whim bodilyresurrections, this would be a mess of a world. Would bad priests raise whoever they wanted, Jesus included, whenever they wanted? Would well-meaning priests with the backing of a family accidentally call back a soul who had already entered heavenly glory? C’mon, be logical, God can’t be bound in such a way.

The historical cases of bodily resurrection seem to have been specially prepared by God so that he can manifest his divine Glory and convert doubters through a saintly miracle - great!, but this is not intended to be the norm.

God tells his apostles to raise the dead. But God appoints our time of death. If scriptures appear to contradict each other, as you understand them to do so in this instance, we make appeal to reason and the teaching authority of the Magisterium. They would tell you that raising the dead was not meant as an on-demand task.

Making analogies to the priestly Eucharistic miracle or the forgiveness of sins is inadequate in your argumentation, since these latter miracles always advance the kingdom of God here on earth, whereas on-demand bodily resurrection would cause much chaos.

You can ask for a miracle, but don’t hold your breath. Jesus said the only one which would be given to the faithless of his generation was the sign of Jonah. Instead, you should look at the substantial body of evidence out their for God, Jesus, and the authority of the church, and pray that the Lord will help you with your unbelief.
 
Precisely…

Ok, thank you, someone taking this seriously.

Ok, healings apparently take place occasionally.

The priest is always able to remit or retain sins.

The priest is always able to consecrate the host.

Priests may sometimes heal the sick. ( I’ll give you that)

Priests cannot raise the dead.

Why can Priests carry out some of the actions ( on demand) attributed to the apostles, but not all of them?

If someone is actually able to provide an answer without complaining about the question or that I’m stubborn for asking…it would be appreciated.
It is my understanding that the extraordinary miracles – the healings, raising people from the dead – are not necessary for salvation. But Our Lord requires repentance/forgiveness and reuqires us to “eat my Body” – so the powers of the priesthood are for the necessities, not for the exceptional situations, for which they may sometimes be granted.
 
I’ve posted this question a few times in related posts…it is always ignored. Is it too tough a question?

The RCC claims that priests have the power to forgive sins from apostolic succession.

The RCC claims that the apostles went out and forgave the sins of people. The scripture isn’t exactly crystal clear, but that is what they believe.

We know from scripture, that the apostles were ordered by Jesus to cleanse the lepers and raise the dead. ( perform miracles in his name)

Why then does the Church claim that it’s priests have the power through apostolic succession to forgive the sins of men…but these same priests do not have the power to raise the dead or cleanse the lepers, which would also be through apostolic succession?

Same question for transubstantiation. Priests have the miraculous ability to turn bread into Jesus whenever they want…but again, they don’t have the power to raise the dead or cleanse lepers whenever they want.

Any answer…anyone?
You mean like movies on demand? Hard as it is for the instant gratification crowd to accept, that is not how God works. God could wave his hand and the world would be a perfect Utopia, but that is not His will.
 
The article By What Authority? might perhaps answer part of the OP’s question. Here’s a summary:
The Gospel message and the necessary authority that accompanies its preaching was passed on from God to Jesus Christ, then to the Apostles. The question we must ask is this: after the original 12 Apostles, how is this Gospel and apostolic authority passed on? Is it passed on at all? After the death of the last Apostle, can any individual who feels “called” by God simply take up the mission and message and carry on where the Apostles left off?
The answer to this question is plainly “no.” The mission and the message can only be passed on by someone who first possessed it. That is, the mission does not merely entail preaching the message, but with it comes the authority to spiritually “reproduce” and pass on the necessary authority to the next generation.

Biblically, there is only one way to become a legitimate ambassador of Christ, or “pastor”: by appointment from a superior. This can be done in two ways: being commissioned by a legitimate ambassador (apostolic succession), or being called directly by God. Sts. Timothy and Titus were appointed to their positions of authority by succession, Moses was appointed to his position directly by God, with no human mediation.
No man can take the responsibility or title of “pastor” to himself. Rather, he must be sent by God, either indirectly (via succession), or directly (via extraordinary calling). If he claims the latter, his mission must be accompanied by miracles, signs and wonders as proof of his Divine vocation.
So, basically, a priest who is already a legitimate ambassador of Christ by virtue of apostolic succession has no need to prove anything.
 
I guess it’s really too bad that we can’t have on-demand miracles. It would help to solve the health care crisis, not to mention providing wine for wedding receptions.
 
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