Saints and Miracles

BY MICHAEL SHACKLETON – Pope Francis may be ready to canonise Blessed John Paul II soon, if reports of a second miracle attributed to the latter are confirmed as true.Pope John Paul himself beatified and canonised more than 400 during his long pontificate. Now his turn for sainthood is in the offing.

His spate of canonisations did not impress many cynics who asked themselves whether the Church did not have enough saints, patrons or otherwise, to inspire the faithful and the clergy.

He was well aware of the jibe that he had inflated the Church’s calendar of saints. Pope John Paul had proclaimed more saints and blesseds than all his predecessors since the year 1588.

He gave a threefold response to his critics.

Firstly, he observed that Vatican II had insisted that holiness was an essential mark of the Church, and its holiness is manifested in the lives of its saints. If the Church is not holy it cannot be the Church of Christ.

Secondly, he explained that the quest for ecumenism is a quest for holiness among Christians and therefore unity among Christians implies a holy Church.

Thirdly, the local Church benefits when one of its own is beatified or canonised.

The worthiness of Bl John Paul to have his name placed among the Church’s great saints cannot be disputed. At his death there was a general clamour for his being declared a saint immediately.

All the same, the touch of cynicism and incredulity remains among secular observers when there is any suggestion of a miracle being invoked to establish the authenticity of sainthood. Disbelievers will not be persuaded easily that miracles occur.

On the other hand, the Church does not accept that miracles are possible except in the name of, and by the power of, Jesus.

Even after his Ascension, Jesus worked with his disciples confirming the word by the signs that accompanied it (Mk 16:20).

A miracle is an authenticating sign of Christ’s actual and effective presence.

It is not an arbitrary event but has its roots in the divine promises that the blind would see and the deaf hear (Is 29:18; Mt 11:5).

It is a sign from God that a particular event is credible. It is not a violation of the laws of nature but a showing forth in the present time of the all-embracing authority of God over created things.

Canonisations and miracles go hand in hand because of the holiness of God in himself and in his presence among the People of God.

Although not all the faithful will reach a high level of sanctity and holy living, the presence of the Holy Spirit within them constantly calls them to obey the commandments and observe the Christian virtues of faith, hope and love.

In the earlier years of the Church legends and glamorous stories became attached to some of the histories of the saints. Perhaps their courage under adversity may have become larded over with exaggerations and fibs.

But in more recent years we have the example of St Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower. Hidden in the cloisters of a Carmelite convent, she unobtrusively kept communion with God and grew in holiness to the extent that, contrary to her wishes, her story of virtuous obedience to God and to the religious rule of her order was published and became a source of inspiration to the Catholic world.

The news of a possible, if not likely, canonisation of Bl John Paul this year therefore is to be seen in this light of a Church striving to achieve holiness in all its members, because this is her goal.

Far from taking sides with an indifferent secularism, Catholics should appreciate why the Church is holy in spite of its human weaknesses, and embrace the way in which saints are given to us and miracles can still occur, because Jesus Christ, the holy one of God has not left us orphans.

There are surely many Little Flowers in our midst. Canonised or not, they will always be a source of grace and blessing for the entire Church.